Perplexity Prompt to Research Competitor Analysis

This prompt helps you use Perplexity’s AI research capabilities to quickly gather comprehensive competitor intelligence. Perfect for product managers, marketers, and business strategists who need to understand what competitors are doing, their positioning, pricing, and market moves. Perplexity aggregates real-time web data so you get current intelligence in minutes, not weeks.

Works Best With: Perplexity | Also works with: Spreadsheet analysis, strategic planning docs, investor pitches

The Prompt

Research and provide a comprehensive competitive analysis on the following:

Research scope:
– Company/Competitor name: [COMPETITOR NAME]
– Your company: [YOUR COMPANY]
– Industry: [INDUSTRY]
– Market segment: [YOUR MARKET SEGMENT – e.g., “SMB CRM,” “enterprise HR software”]

Research areas to cover:
1. Business model: [How do they make money? Pricing model?]
2. Target audience: [Who are their main customers?]
3. Product positioning: [How do they position against competitors?]
4. Key features/differentiators: [What makes them unique?]
5. Recent news/updates: [Latest product launches, funding, partnerships]
6. Pricing strategy: [What do they charge? Pricing tiers?]
7. Market share: [What % of market do they own, if available?]
8. Strengths: [What do they do well?]
9. Weaknesses/gaps: [Where are they weak or missing?]
10. Customer sentiment: [What do customers say? Reviews, satisfaction?]

Additional context:
– Depth: [QUICK OVERVIEW OR DEEP DIVE?]
– Focus areas: [ANY SPECIFIC AREAS OF CONCERN?]
– Use case: [WHY YOU’RE RESEARCHING – competitive threat, market entry, partnership opportunity?]

Format your response with clear sections and specific data/citations where possible. Focus on actionable insights, not just information.

When to Use This Prompt

• You’re entering a new market and need to understand existing players quickly
• You’re updating your competitive positioning and need current intel
• You’re pitching to investors and need to explain your competitive advantage
• You want to identify product gaps and opportunities in your market

What You’ll Get

A comprehensive competitive analysis with current business model and positioning information, pricing and feature comparisons, recent market moves and updates, strengths and weaknesses analysis, customer sentiment and reviews summary, and actionable insights about market gaps and opportunities.

Why This Prompt Works

• Real-time data: Perplexity searches the live web, so you get current information—not training data from months ago. Critical for fast-moving markets

• Structured approach: By specifying research areas upfront, you ensure Perplexity covers everything important and nothing falls through the cracks

• Multiple competitors: Run this prompt for each competitor and compare results side-by-side. Patterns emerge fast

• Actionable output: The prompt asks for insights, not just data. You get strategic takeaways, not just facts

How to Customize This Prompt

1. [COMPETITOR NAME] — Name the specific competitor you’re researching
2. [YOUR COMPANY] — Context helps Perplexity focus the analysis on what matters to you
3. [MARKET SEGMENT] — Be specific. “CRM” is different from “SMB CRM” is different from “real estate CRM”
4. [RESEARCH AREAS] — Add or remove based on what you actually need to know
5. [DEPTH] — Quick overview if you need something in 10 minutes, deep dive if you have time

Pro Tips

• Research multiple competitors: Create a matrix comparing 3-5 competitors on the same dimensions

• Track over time: Run this quarterly and track how competitors evolve. Patterns reveal strategy

• Customer research: Cross-reference Perplexity data with actual customer interviews. What Perplexity finds + what customers say = truth

• Set a reminder: Market intelligence has a shelf life. Refresh this monthly or quarterly