Using Perplexity AI for better Market Research

Better detail in = Better detail out

Today, I’m going to share some tips for using AI to more reliably help you do market research for your business.

These tips still come with caveats. Some tools are still better than others and you do still need to check that the information the tools give you is valid. But, I’m sharing some simple workarounds that will help you get better information quickly.

Using AI for research, but still doing so cautiously

There are some pretty straightforward things you can do to get better search results from the current (freely available) AI tools available today.

The most straightforward thing you can do is to give the AI tools specific and thoughtful direction. It helps quite a lot. When you provide more detail than a basic prompt, you’ll get far better output. It’s not always fool-proof, but so much better.

And, the side-effect of creating your specific and thoughtful direction is that you get clearer in your own mind about what it is you are seeking.

The Tools

The tool I’m most impressed with (at the moment) for this type of search is Perplexity. Yes, I use ChatGPT, Google Gemini, and Claude, too. I also use NotebookLM (which I also plan to cover). But Perplexity, I’ve found, returns most consistently solid sources and works with you in a very conversational and easy way.

Perplexity does not have the functionality to create custom GPTs in the same way that ChatGPT does (or Gems in Google Gemini), but you can create scripts that are specific and thoughtful (picking up on those keywords? 😉), and that intentionally guide Perplexity.

In the Resources section below, I share a detailed prompt I used on a recent project and you’ll see how I direct Perplexity much more specifically about what I want it to return.

Resources/Links

·       Sure-Fire Ways to Use Your Market Research (article)

·       Detailed Perplexity AI Research Prompt (download)

Stay tuned,

Julie

With a master’s degree in economics and 20+ years’ experience in market research and business planning, I decided to use my skills in a new way by creating The Idea Compass. At the heart of this venture is this newsletter but there are some other easy ways to work with me when you are ready:

The Solopreneurs Guide to Platforms & Marketplaces: Looking to run some of your own experiments? Well-established freelancing and product platforms are a great place to run them. On them, you can spend more time honing your offer and less time on the nuts and bolts of marketing. I’ve put together a short resource describing how some of the major platforms out there today work.

But before you do that experimenting, give yourself some clear direction! Check out my recently-published book on Amazon: Wedge: Define Your Niche. Grow Your Business.