This prompt takes your company context from Step 1 and turns it into a structured picture of the market you’re operating in. It researches market size, buyer behaviour, key trends, the competitive landscape, and market risks. All are grounded in real, cited sources rather than assumptions.
Read the full prompt below, upload your context file from Step 1, and add any updates before pasting it into a new chat. You’ll get a market research summary file ready to feed directly into Step 3.
Start a new chat for this prompt. And use the latest ChatGPT/Claude model with extended thinking/deep thinking enabled and web search turned on.
The Prompt
# Deep Market Research
You are a B2B market research analyst conducting in-depth market intelligence. You have a company context file uploaded to this chat that contains the background from Step 1. Now your job is to research the external market this company operates in.
## YOUR TASK
Read the uploaded context file (`01-company-context.md`) first. Then use web search to investigate the market landscape for this company. You are building the factual foundation that will inform TAM sizing, ICP selection, competitive strategy, and messaging in later steps. Prioritize recent, credible sources — industry reports, analyst coverage, trade publications, company filings, and reputable business media.
**Research rules:**
1. **Search, don't guess.** Every market claim should be backed by a source you found, not your training data. If you can't find data on something, say so — don't fabricate numbers.
2. **Cite your sources.** For every key finding, include where it came from and how recent it is. A 2024 Gartner estimate and a 2019 blog post are not equal.
3. **Separate hard data from directional signals.** Label findings as:
- [DATA] — Specific numbers from credible sources (e.g., "Market valued at $12.4B in 2024, Mordor Intelligence")
- [SIGNAL] — Patterns or trends supported by multiple sources but not a single definitive number (e.g., "Multiple sources indicate enterprise buyers are consolidating vendors in this space")
- [GAP] — Areas where you searched but couldn't find reliable data
4. **Use the research priorities from the context file.** Go deep where flagged, skim where flagged as lower priority.
---
## BEFORE YOU START
**Upload your context file** from Step 1 (`01-company-context.md`). This gives the AI the company background it needs to make the research relevant.
**Any updates since Step 1?** If anything has changed or you want to add focus areas, note them here: [e.g., "We've decided to focus on US healthcare specifically" / "A competitor just raised $50M — look into that" / "No changes, proceed with the priorities from the context file"]
---
## RESEARCH AREAS
### 1. Market Overview & Structure
Search for and report on:
- How is this market defined and categorized by analysts and industry sources? (What do they call it? How do they draw boundaries?)
- What is the current estimated market size? (Include the source, year, and methodology if available)
- What is the projected growth rate and trajectory?
- What are the primary market segments or sub-categories?
- What stage is this market in? (Emerging / Growing / Mature / Consolidating / Declining — support your assessment with evidence)
**Why this matters downstream:** This directly feeds TAM Mapping in Step 4. If market definitions are fuzzy or contested, flag that — it means TAM estimates will vary widely depending on how you draw the boundaries.
### 2. Buyer Landscape
Search for and report on:
- Who is buying solutions in this space? (Company types, sizes, industries)
- Who are the typical decision-makers and influencers in the buying process? (Titles, roles, departments)
- What triggers a purchase? (Pain events, business changes, regulatory shifts)
- How long is the typical buying cycle?
- What does the evaluation process look like? (RFP, pilot, committee decision, champion-led, etc.)
- Where do buyers research solutions? (Analyst reports, peer reviews, communities, events, Google search)
**Why this matters downstream:** This feeds ICP Validation in Step 5 and Message Creation in Step 9. Without understanding how buyers actually buy, targeting and messaging will be theoretical.
### 3. Trends & Tailwinds
Search for and report on:
- What are the 3–5 most significant trends shaping this market right now?
- Which of these trends create opportunities for a company like the one in our context?
- Which trends pose risks or headwinds?
- Are there adjacent market shifts (technology, regulation, buyer behavior) that could reshape this space in the next 1–3 years?
For each trend, note whether it's accelerating, plateauing, or early-stage, and include at least one source.
**Why this matters downstream:** This informs positioning in Step 5 and GTM channel selection in Step 7. Trends that align with the company's strengths become messaging angles.
### 4. Competitive Overview (High-Level)
This is NOT the deep competitive analysis — that comes in Step 3. Here, provide a landscape view:
- Who are the major players in this market? (Name the top 5–8)
- How is the market structured? (Fragmented with many small players / Dominated by 2–3 giants / Mix of established players and insurgents)
- What are the primary ways competitors differentiate? (Price, features, vertical specialization, service model, brand, integrations)
- Are there notable recent entrants, exits, acquisitions, or funding rounds that signal where the market is heading?
**Why this matters downstream:** This sets up the focused competitor drill-down in Step 3 and helps identify positioning white space in Step 5.
### 5. Market Risks & Constraints
Search for and report on:
- Regulatory or compliance factors that affect this market (current or upcoming)
- Economic sensitivity — how does this market respond to downturns or budget pressure?
- Talent or operational constraints common in this space
- Technology dependencies or platform risks
Only cover what's genuinely relevant to the company's context. If the research priorities from the context file indicated regulatory isn't a concern, keep this brief.
---
## OUTPUT FORMAT
For each section, provide:
- **Key findings** — the most important things you learned, in order of relevance to the company's situation
- **Data quality note** — how confident you are in the findings and why (e.g., "Multiple recent analyst reports agree" vs. "Only found one dated source")
- **Implication for this company** — one or two sentences connecting the finding to the specific company's context and strategic questions
End with:
### Summary: Top 5 Insights for This Company
Across all sections, distill the 5 most important things the company needs to know about their market. These should be specific and actionable, not generic observations. Each one should directly connect to a decision the company is facing.
### Gaps & Limitations
List any areas where:
- You couldn't find reliable data
- Available data is outdated (pre-2024) or conflicting
- The company's specific niche is too narrow for public market data to be useful
- Primary research (interviews, surveys) would be needed to fill the gap
Be specific about what's missing and why it matters for the steps ahead.
---
## CONTEXT FILE FOR NEXT STEP
After completing the above, create a downloadable file called `02-market-research.md` that contains a condensed version of your findings, structured as follows:
---
# Market Research Summary
## Market Definition & Size
[How the market is defined, estimated size, growth rate, key segments. Include sources.]
## Market Stage
[Emerging / Growing / Mature / Consolidating — with one-line justification]
## Buyer Profile
[Who buys, key titles involved, typical triggers, buying cycle length, how they evaluate]
## Top Trends
[3–5 trends as bullet points, each with a one-line implication for this company]
## Competitive Landscape Overview
[Top 5–8 players listed, market structure, primary differentiation methods]
## Key Risks
[Only the risks that are genuinely relevant to this company]
## Top 5 Takeaways
[The 5 most important findings, carried over from the main output]
## Data Gaps
[What couldn't be found or verified — important for calibrating confidence in later steps]
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Keep this file under 600 words. It should contain findings and sources — no filler, no repeated analysis.
Tell the user: _"Download the context file below. When you're ready for Step 3 (Competitive Intelligence), start a new chat, upload both context files (01-company-context.md and 02-market-research.md), and paste in the Step 3 prompt."