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Category Pirates Newsletter

Category Pirates is the authority on Category Creation and Category Design.

Several times per month, our writing band publishes mini-books and insights for 30K+ radically different thinkers—entrepreneurs, executives, marketers, and creators who want to see, design, and claim the future by becoming known for a niche they own.

It’s like Harvard Business Review, but for Pirates.

Non-Obvious Thinking, Straight To Your Inbox

Practical Prompts

See how you can use AI to accelerate category design. Our latest mini-books share tactical exercises and prompts you can use with your favorite AI tool. These make it easy to apply what you learn to your category of one.

Pirates Perspectives

To sharpen your category lens, we break down what's happening in the news and how it connects to category design. You'll see how Category Kings like Apple, Tesla, Microsoft, OpenAI, and more use category design principles to lead their industries. It's all about helping you understand how these strategies can shape your own work.

Category Case Studies

Each mini-book shares stories and examples of the world's most legendary Category Designers, including entrepreneurs, executives, investors, creators, inventors, writers, artists, and more. You'll learn category-defining lessons, including practical applications you can use to achieve your own business outcomes.

Mini-Books

Several times a month, we publish a mini-book (4,000-8,000+ words) on the subject of Category Design. This is where you will find Non-Obvious, radically different ideas, and new ways of thinking about how to unlock exponential opportunities in your business and life.

Category Manifesto

8 Steps To Frame Your Idea, Name The POV & Claim A Category

Identity At Scale

How We Built The Pirate Eddie Bot, And How To Create Your Own

Vibe Creating

Why Building With AI Starts With Being As Human As Possible

The Pirate's Guide To AI

How To Build With AI Like It's The Greatest Co-Founder You’ve Ever Had [Part 1]

The Art Of The Quit

The 7 Foundational Beliefs You Must Hold Before You Quit Your Job And Get Paid To Be You

Creator Capital

It’s Time To Transition From Knowledge Worker To Creator Capitalist

Explore 155+ books

Choose Your Adventure:

Category Pirates Subscription Tiers

Founding Member

$350/year

Inside the Captain’s Quarters

Everything in Paid, PLUS:

⦿ Exclusive access to Pirate Eddie Bot – Your on-demand AI cofounder for category design questions
⦿ Founding-member-only workshops – Live, virtual sessions for serious category designers (2-3x/year)
⦿ Free copies of our 4 full-size Category Pirates books – Includes free copies of all future books
⦿ A private weekly email – with advanced category design insights + AI prompts you can use instantly

This is the inner circle. The dojo. For people building categories, not just companies.

Subscribe Now

Paid

$20/month or $200/year

Go Full Pirate Mode

⦿ Weekly newsletter with actionable insights on category design, AI, and business strategy
⦿ Instant access to our full archive of 200+ mini- books, deep dives, and podcast episodes
⦿ Built for founders, executives, marketers, and strategists ready to level up

If you're serious about thinking different, this is your toolkit.

Subscribe Now

Free

Stay in the Loop

⦿ Free previews of every newsletter
⦿ Perfect if you’re Category Curious and want to dip your toes in the water

No charge. No pressure. Just Pirate wisdom, once a week.

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What people are saying about our newsletter!

I supported your work because your insights on category design and creation have been incredibly enlightening. Your unique perspectives from legendary entrepreneurs, executives, marketers, and creators are invaluable for anyone looking to make business breakthroughs. Keep up the fantastic work! 🏴☠️ Big Hugs from Barcelona

Damian Valenzuela

I like that it is compact and to the point. I am currently reading the 22 Laws of Category Design.

Mike Whims

I’m a Superconsumer of your work 🤓

Saki Elbambo

It helps us get the right focus and strategy within the rollercoaster ride we are currently in.

Emile Coumans

Who Reads Category Pirates?

If you’re looking for content like “What Elon Musk Eats For Breakfast To Be More Productive,” please don’t subscribe to Category Pirates. Our readers are tired of Obvious content—and are hungry to think in radically new and different ways.

Entrepreneurs

Whether you’re the founder of a high-flying Silicon Valley tech startup, or a solopreneur in a hyper-specific niche, all of the frameworks, mental models, and Category Design strategies still apply.

Executives

Category Design isn’t reserved for early-stage startups. C-level, VP, or mid-level managers all have the potential to play crucial roles in helping a company create and/or defend their category position.

Creators

If you are a writers, podcasters, speakers, or Digital Creator of any kind, then you must become known for a niche you own. Success isn’t about being “better” than everyone else. It’s about being different!

Created by a “Business Writing Band”

Category Pirates is co-written by Christopher Lochhead, Eddie Yoon, Katrina Kirsch, and (formerly) Nicolas Cole. Because of our unique publishing process, all of our books start off as newsletters. We then combine several newsletters, ideas, frameworks, and exercises into full-size books.

Just want to hear the hits? Grab (or gift) one of our books!

The 22 Laws of Category Design

Name & Claim Your Niche, Share Your POV, And Move The World From Where It Is To Somewhere Different

Learn more 

Snow Leopard

How Legendary Writers Create A Category Of One.

Learn more

The Category Design Toolkit

Beyond Marketing: 15 Frameworks For Creating & Dominating Your Niche.

Learn more

A Marketer’s Guide To Category Design

How To Escape The "Better" Trap, Dam The Demand, And Launch A Lightning Strike Strategy.

Learn more 

Start Designing Your Own Category

New to Category Design and not sure where to start?

Take our free 7-Day Category Accelerator email course, walking you through the fundamentals of Category Design and getting you up to speed quickly—so you can start “thinking different.”

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Day 1

The Category Is The Business Strategy

Day 2

Using Category Science To Discover Breakthrough Opportunities

Day 3

Framing, Naming, and Claiming A New Problem In The World

Day 4

The Magic Triangle Of Product, Company, And Category

Day 5

How To Avoid The “Better” Trap

Day 6

The 8 Category Levers Of Radical Differentiation

Day 7

Executing A Lightning Strike Marketing Event To Launch Your New Category

Category Pirates Newsletter

Non-Obvious Thinking, Straight To Your Inbox

Practical Prompts

Pirates Perspectives

Category Case Studies

Mini-Books

Choose Your Adventure:

Category Pirates Subscription Tiers

Founding Member

$350/year

Inside the Captain’s Quarters

Paid

$20/month or $200/year

Go Full Pirate Mode

Free

Stay in the Loop

What people are saying about our newsletter!

Who Reads Category Pirates?

If you’re looking for content like “What Elon Musk Eats For Breakfast To Be More Productive,” please don’t subscribe to Category Pirates. Our readers are tired of Obvious content—and are hungry to think in radically new and different ways.

Entrepreneurs

Executives

Creators

Created by a “Business Writing Band”

The 22 Laws of Category Design

Snow Leopard

The Category Design Toolkit

A Marketer’s Guide To Category Design

Start Designing Your Own Category

New to Category Design and not sure where to start?Take our free 7-Day Category Accelerator email course, walking you through the fundamentals of Category Design and getting you up to speed quickly—so you can start “thinking different.”

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Day 5

Day 6

Day 7

Explore

Company

Category Design Newsletter

New to Category Design and not sure where to start?

Take our free 7-Day Category Accelerator email course, walking you through the fundamentals of Category Design and getting you up to speed quickly—so you can start “thinking different.”