Using AI to Find Content Gaps

Most marketers obsess over what their competitors are doing. We analyze their blog topics, reverse-engineer their SEO strategy, and panic when they publish something we haven't covered yet.

But here's the strategic blind spot: we're so busy watching each other that we're all missing the same opportunities. It's like a pack of runners all taking the same turn—nobody bothers to look at the alternate routes.

The real competitive advantage isn't matching your competitors topic-for-topic. It's identifying the content gaps that everyone in your industry is ignoring—then owning that white space before anyone else notices it exists.

Why Traditional Gap Analysis Fails

The old approach to content gap analysis was backwards. You'd compare your content library to Competitor A, identify what they covered that you didn't, then frantically create 47 blog posts about "best practices" nobody actually searches for.

This created a race to the bottom. Everyone covering the same topics, using the same keywords, making the same arguments. The result? Commodified content that barely ranks and converts even worse.

The problem wasn't execution—it was the question itself. "What is my competitor doing that I'm not?" is fundamentally defensive positioning. You're always playing catch-up, always reactive, never actually differentiating.

The better question: "What is nobody doing that the market actually wants?"

AI Can Map the Entire Competitive White Space in Seconds

Perplexity just changed the game for strategic content planning by making true white space analysis accessible without hiring a research team.

Here's how it works: Feed Perplexity your domain and 2-3 key competitors, then ask: "What are the latest trends in [your category] that neither we nor [competitors] are covering?"

Take this real example from an air purifier company, Aeroasis, competing against IQAir. One simple prompt returned seven substantial content opportunity areas that neither brand was meaningfully addressing:

Outcome-based wellness positioning (best air purifiers for sleep quality, cognitive performance, baby lung development)

Service and subscription business models (maintenance programs, filter subscriptions, air quality monitoring services)

Emerging tech integrations (hybrid plasma photocatalytic filtration, embedded IoT sensors, smart home connectivity)

Sustainability as core promise (low-waste systems, energy efficiency, circular economy models)

Data transparency and third-party proof (independent testing results, real-time air quality reporting)

These aren't minor subtopics. These are entire strategic positioning opportunities that could define a brand's market differentiation—and both companies were leaving them on the table.

White Space Beats "Me Too" Content Every Time

Think about the strategic implications here. While Aeroasis and IQAir are probably battling over "best HEPA filter" and "air purifier comparison" keywords, there's an entire conversation about outcome-based wellness positioning that nobody owns.

Imagine being the first brand in your category to comprehensively cover "air purifiers for cognitive performance" or "sleep optimization through air quality." You're not competing in an oversaturated keyword space—you're creating a new category and owning it from day one.

This is how you build actual thought leadership instead of just adding to the content noise. You're not the 47th company explaining what HEPA filters are. You're the definitive source on air quality's impact on deep sleep—a topic with massive search interest and zero authoritative content.

Scale This Across Your Entire Competitive Set

The real power move? Don't stop at one competitor. Feed Perplexity your company plus 6-8 competitors and ask the same question.

Now you're getting a comprehensive market-level view of content opportunities. You're identifying trends that your entire industry is collectively ignoring—which usually signals either emerging demand or topics that require more sophisticated positioning than most brands can execute.

Both scenarios represent opportunities. Either you're early to a growing trend, or you're demonstrating expertise in an area where competitors haven't invested the resources to build authority.

This Changes Your Content Strategy from Reactive to Strategic

Instead of building your editorial calendar around "what are competitors publishing this month," you're making strategic bets on:

• Emerging trends before they hit peak competition
• Use cases and outcomes your category underserves
• Business models and positioning angles that differentiate by default
• Technical innovations that signal where the market is heading

Your content strategy stops being a defensive response to competitors and becomes genuine market development work. You're not fighting for scraps of attention in oversaturated topics—you're cultivating entirely new conversation territories.

The Brands That Win in 2025 Will Own White Space, Not Keywords

We're moving past the era of "publish more content and hope some of it ranks." The AI content explosion means there's no shortage of generic topic coverage. What's scarce is strategic positioning in underserved areas.

The marketers winning this year will be the ones using AI to identify content white space, then moving fast to own those territories before the herd catches up. Because once everyone else notices the opportunity, you're back to commodity competition.

Want help identifying the content gaps your competitors are missing? Winsome Marketing's growth strategists can map your competitive white space and build a differentiated content strategy that positions you ahead of market trends, not behind them.