Competitor Research Framework Prompt

Create a competitor research analysis for [YOUR BUSINESS/PRODUCT].

Your business:
What you do: [PRODUCT/SERVICE]
Target market: [WHO YOU SERVE]
Stage: [STARTUP/GROWTH/ESTABLISHED]
Main competitors: [LIST 3-5 NAMES]
Research goal: [WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN]

Generate complete research framework:

**Competitor Selection** (Who to research)

Direct Competitors (Same product, same audience):
Competitor 1: [NAME]
Why they matter: [SIMILAR OFFERING]
Size: [REVENUE/EMPLOYEES/CUSTOMERS]
Competitor 2: [NAME]
Why they matter: [SIMILAR OFFERING]
Size: [REVENUE/EMPLOYEES/CUSTOMERS]
Competitor 3: [NAME]
Why they matter: [SIMILAR OFFERING]
Size: [REVENUE/EMPLOYEES/CUSTOMERS]

Indirect Competitors (Different solution, same problem):
Competitor 4: [NAME]
How they solve it differently: [APPROACH]
Competitor 5: [NAME]
How they solve it differently: [APPROACH]

Aspirational Competitors (Where you want to be):
Company: [NAME]
Why study them: [WHAT THEY'RE DOING WELL]

**Research Categories**

Category 1: Product/Service Analysis

For each competitor, document:
What they offer: [CORE PRODUCT/SERVICE]
Pricing structure: [TIERS/COST/BILLING]
Key features: [WHAT THEY INCLUDE]
What they emphasize: [MAIN SELLING POINTS]
What's missing: [GAPS IN OFFERING]
Recent updates: [NEW FEATURES/CHANGES]

Where to find this:
Their website pricing page
Product demos or videos
Free trials (sign up and test)
Product Hunt launches
Release notes/changelog

Category 2: Marketing & Positioning

For each competitor, analyze:
Value proposition: [HOW THEY DESCRIBE THEMSELVES]
Target audience: [WHO THEY SAY IT'S FOR]
Brand voice: [TONE AND STYLE]
Key messages: [REPEATED THEMES]
Visual identity: [DESIGN APPROACH]

Where to find this:
Homepage headline and copy
About page
Social media bios
Ad copy (use Facebook Ad Library)
Marketing emails (sign up for their list)

Category 3: Content Strategy

For each competitor, track:
Blog frequency: [POSTS PER WEEK/MONTH]
Content types: [TUTORIALS/CASE STUDIES/NEWS]
Topics covered: [MAIN THEMES]
Content quality: [DEPTH AND USEFULNESS]
Engagement: [COMMENTS/SHARES]

Where to find this:
Blog archive
YouTube channel
Podcast
Social media content
Guest posts

Category 4: SEO & Traffic

For each competitor, research:
Top keywords: [WHAT THEY RANK FOR]
Estimated traffic: [MONTHLY VISITORS]
Top pages: [HIGHEST TRAFFIC PAGES]
Backlink profile: [NUMBER AND QUALITY]
Domain authority: [SCORE]

Tools to use:
Ahrefs (paid)
SEMrush (paid)
Ubersuggest (freemium)
SimilarWeb (freemium)

Category 5: Customer Acquisition

For each competitor, identify:
Traffic sources: [ORGANIC/PAID/SOCIAL/REFERRAL]
Ad platforms: [WHERE THEY ADVERTISE]
Ad messaging: [WHAT THEY EMPHASIZE]
Partnerships: [WHO THEY WORK WITH]
Affiliate program: [YES/NO/STRUCTURE]

Where to find this:
Facebook Ad Library
Google Ads Transparency Center
Their partner/affiliate page
SimilarWeb traffic sources

Category 6: Customer Experience

For each competitor, evaluate:
Onboarding flow: [SIGN-UP TO ACTIVATION]
User interface: [EASE OF USE]
Customer support: [CHANNELS AND QUALITY]
Community: [FORUM/SLACK/FACEBOOK GROUP]
Educational resources: [DOCS/VIDEOS/WEBINARS]

How to research:
Sign up for free trial
Go through onboarding
Test support (ask a question)
Join their community
Read help documentation

Category 7: Social Proof & Reviews

For each competitor, collect:
Customer reviews: [G2/CAPTERRA/TRUSTPILOT]
Average rating: [SCORE OUT OF 5]
Common praise: [WHAT PEOPLE LOVE]
Common complaints: [WHAT PEOPLE HATE]
Review volume: [NUMBER OF REVIEWS]

Where to find this:
G2.com
Capterra
Trustpilot
App store reviews
Reddit discussions
Twitter mentions

Category 8: Pricing Strategy

For each competitor, analyze:
Entry price: [LOWEST TIER]
Mid-tier price: [MOST POPULAR]
Premium price: [HIGHEST TIER]
Pricing model: [PER USER/FLAT/USAGE-BASED]
Free trial: [YES/NO/DURATION]
Discounts: [ANNUAL/VOLUME/NONPROFIT]

Pricing psychology:
Which plan do they highlight?
How do they justify premium tier?
What's included in free tier?
How do they handle enterprise?

**Competitive Advantages Matrix**

Create comparison table:
Feature/Factor | You | Comp 1 | Comp 2 | Comp 3
Price | [YOURS] | [THEIRS] | [THEIRS] | [THEIRS]
Ease of use | [RATING] | [RATING] | [RATING] | [RATING]
Support | [RATING] | [RATING] | [RATING] | [RATING]
Features | [COUNT] | [COUNT] | [COUNT] | [COUNT]

Identify:
Where you win: [YOUR ADVANTAGES]
Where you lose: [THEIR ADVANTAGES]
Where you're equal: [PARITY FEATURES]

**Gaps & Opportunities**

Market gaps you identified:
Gap 1: [UNSERVED NEED]
Opportunity: [HOW YOU COULD FILL IT]
Gap 2: [UNSERVED NEED]
Opportunity: [HOW YOU COULD FILL IT]
Gap 3: [UNSERVED NEED]
Opportunity: [HOW YOU COULD FILL IT]

Competitor weaknesses:
Weakness 1: [WHAT THEY DO POORLY]
Your advantage: [HOW YOU DO IT BETTER]
Weakness 2: [WHAT THEY DO POORLY]
Your advantage: [HOW YOU DO IT BETTER]

**Strategic Insights**

What's working in the market:
Pattern 1: [COMMON SUCCESSFUL APPROACH]
Should you adopt: [YES/NO/MODIFIED]
Pattern 2: [COMMON SUCCESSFUL APPROACH]
Should you adopt: [YES/NO/MODIFIED]

What's NOT working:
Anti-pattern 1: [WHAT TO AVOID]
Why it fails: [REASON]
Anti-pattern 2: [WHAT TO AVOID]
Why it fails: [REASON]

**Differentiation Strategy**

Based on research, differentiate by:
Option 1: [FEATURE DIFFERENTIATION]
How: [WHAT TO BUILD/EMPHASIZE]
Option 2: [AUDIENCE DIFFERENTIATION]
How: [WHO TO FOCUS ON]
Option 3: [POSITIONING DIFFERENTIATION]
How: [HOW TO MESSAGE DIFFERENTLY]

Recommended approach: [WHICH OPTION AND WHY]

**Monitoring Plan** (Ongoing competitive intelligence)

Weekly checks:
Their social media posts
Blog updates
Product changelog

Monthly checks:
New features launched
Pricing changes
New content themes
Traffic trends

Quarterly checks:
Full SEO analysis
Customer review trends
Market positioning shifts
New competitors entering

Tools to set up:
Google Alerts for competitor names
RSS feeds for their blogs
Social media lists
Email subscriptions

**Research Documentation**

Create spreadsheet with tabs:
Product comparison
Pricing comparison
Marketing messages
Content topics
SEO keywords
Customer feedback themes

Update frequency: [MONTHLY/QUARTERLY]

**Ethical Boundaries**

DO:
Sign up for trials under your real name
Read public reviews and social media
Analyze public marketing materials
Study their content and SEO
Learn from their approach

DON'T:
Pose as a customer to get inside info
Steal intellectual property
Copy designs or content
Spread misinformation about them
Violate terms of service