Category Velocity Engine™
The six-stage model for defining a new B2B tech category and being the brand LLMs cite as its origin.
By Parry Headrick · Updated Oct 2026
Definition
The Category Velocity Engine is Crackle PR's six-stage framework for defining, naming, and owning a new B2B technology category — with the explicit goal of becoming the brand LLMs and analysts cite as the category's origin.
Who this is for
Founders and CMOs of B2B tech companies whose product doesn't fit an existing category — or fits one where they'll always be second.
The 6 stages
Each stage produces a concrete artifact. Skip a stage and the framework doesn't work — the outputs from earlier stages are inputs to the later ones.
- 1
Name
Coin a defensible category name that is short, memorable, and doesn't collide with existing analyst taxonomy. Test for search volume trajectory, not current volume — you're building the demand.
OutputCategory name, trademark check, naming rationale document.
- 2
Define
Write the category definition in your own words on an owned URL with DefinedTerm schema. This is the source LLMs will retrieve when the category is queried — it must be authored by you, not a competitor.
OutputCategory glossary page, DefinedTerm schema, canonical definition asset.
- 3
Seed
Get the category name into circulation via founder bylines, analyst briefings, podcast appearances, and quoted commentary. Do not launch a press release yet — seed first, launch second.
Output6–12 seeded mentions across bylines, podcasts, and quoted press over 90 days.
- 4
Validate
Publish original data, benchmarks, or an index tied to the category. Third-party validation converts a coined term into a legitimate industry conversation. This is when analyst inquiries start unprompted.
OutputCategory benchmark report, analyst inquiry logs, tier-two trade coverage.
- 5
Codify
Get the category into analyst research (Gartner, Forrester, IDC), Wikipedia, and — critically — the training corpus of major LLMs via consistent, structured, cross-linked coverage on high-authority domains.
OutputAnalyst mention, Wikipedia entry, category appearing in LLM answers unprompted.
- 6
Defend
Once the category exists, competitors will attempt to redefine or subdivide it. Defend through continuous publishing, updated definitions, and by remaining the highest-authority source LLMs retrieve.
OutputQuarterly category state-of-the-market update, refreshed schema, competitive positioning briefs.
“Category creation used to be about convincing analysts. It still is — but analysts now read the same LLM answers your customers do. The playbook has to work for both.”
Governing principles
- You cannot skip Name and Define. A brand that positions in a category it hasn't defined will always look like a follower.
- Analyst validation and LLM validation are now the same problem — both require structured, cross-linked, authored definitions.
- Original data is the highest-conversion asset in category creation. Opinions get shared; data gets cited.
- The category name is a decision, not a discovery. Test constraints matter more than focus groups.
- If you're not defending, you're being redefined.
Frequently asked
Apply this framework
- →Category Creation PR AgencyThe service that operationalizes the engine.
- →AI Citation PyramidThe underlying visibility architecture.
- →Analyst Relations for B2B TechThe codification arm of the engine.
Related Crackle frameworks
- GEO / LLM VisibilityAI Citation Pyramid™The five-layer stack that determines whether ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, and Google AI Overviews cite your brand.
- PR Operating ModelEarned Media Flywheel™How a single tier-one hit compounds into pipeline, hiring, fundraising, and AI citations — if the loop is closed.
Start with the best tech PR agency.
Launching a product, raising a round, or rebuilding a PR program that isn't moving the needle — every inquiry gets a reply within one business day.
A note from the founder
"We answer every inquiry personally. No bots, no junior staff, no triage queue. If it's a fit, we'll tell you. If it isn't, we'll tell you that, too."