Competitor research is a non-negotiable for onboarding with a new brand and ongoing account health, but while the knowledge uncovered by this research is critical, the hours spent combing through social media activity, press releases, and press coverage can feel like a drain on creativity and bandwidth.
Thankfully, we live in the rise-of-AI era, giving you access to a personal assistant right at your fingertips. With the right prompts, you can use AI tools like Chat GPT and Claude to uncover competitor weak spots, discover communications gaps in the industry, and strategically position your brand to own conversations and win consumer trust.
Here are five prompts you can use to accelerate your competitor research:
1. Analyze the last 10 press releases from [Competitor] and summarize their key message themes.
Press releases provide a direct view into what competitors are prioritizing, from new products and partnerships to industry thought leadership initiatives. By directing AI to review historic press releases and summarize key themes, the tool can help you understand how competitors are positioning themselves and who their key spokespeople are. Use this information to differentiate your messaging and find opportunities to fill gaps they’ve overlooked.
Example: If a competitor’s press releases consistently show holiday product launches 30 days before the holiday, you can work with your team to target a 45-day lead time to get the jump on seasonal launches.
2. Compare the social media strategies of [Client] and [Competitor] over the past month. Provide an assessment of engagement rates and content types and topics.
Social media is an authentic look into audience engagement and brand personality. This prompt can uncover what’s resonating with audiences and where your strategy might lag. AI can identify trends, like the effectiveness of short-form videos and how your competitors interact with followers and consumers.
Pro tip: Use these findings to identify differentiators in brand identity. Where a competitor might be more promotional or formal on their social channels, you may identify and stand out with a more casual and conversational approach.
3. Analyze the spokesperson strategies of [top 3 Competitors]. Who speaks for them, and on what topics?
A great spokesperson can elevate a brand, and this prompt dives into who their thought leaders are and what they stand for. Are your competitors using C-suite executives for thought leadership? Mid-level managers for industry expertise? AI helps pinpoint opportunities to position your client’s executives as leaders in the space.
Actionable Insight: If competitors focus heavily on product managers or technical specs, you can position your C-level leaders as big-picture visionaries to attract different media opportunities and conversations on their personal social channels.
4. Identify the top 5 media outlets covering [Competitor] and suggest potential angles for pitching our client to these same outlets.
Media coverage reveals the outlets most interested in your competitors’ narratives. Use AI to analyze these publications (including podcasts, substacks, and even TikTok news influencers) to develop fresh inspiration for your client’s stories.
Example: If a competitor is earning attention for a specific topic, dig for any slightly contrarian approaches or more innovative ways of doing things at your company that could create follow-up coverage opportunities for your brand.
5. Identify emerging industry topics that our competitors are discussing but we haven’t addressed yet.
Staying ahead of industry trends is crucial, but it can be tough to keep a finger on the pulse of all changes, all at once. AI can highlight topics gaining traction with competitors, allowing you to proactively develop campaigns or content to address them with your brand’s unique approach.
Pro tip: Use these insights to pitch byline thought leadership pieces to trade outlets or launch content marketing efforts on untapped topics, establishing your brand as a trendsetter.
Conclusion
These five prompts open up a world of competitor research, repositioning it from a momentous task to an instant treasure trove of insights. By leveraging AI’s research capabilities, you can find inspiration and focus on creativity and execution, all while ensuring your work is rooted in concrete strategy.
