Write a deep-research brief for a competitor teardown

About this exercise

You're asking a deep-research tool to study rival scheduling app Calendry before planning season. Write the brief as exactly 5 numbered lines labeled Question:, Focus on:, Sources:, Exclude: and Output:, where Sources: is limited to Calendry's own changelog, help docs and pricing page plus dated reviews from 2026, Exclude: rules out rumor and leak sites, and Output: asks for a table with Feature, Plan, Date shipped and Source columns. Plain text, under 110 words.

Common mistakes when you ask AI for this

• Asking for a teardown. The AI writes one from memory, full of guesses about features. Try: Say: "Write a brief for a research tool, not the teardown."
• Not limiting sources. Research tools love leak sites and old reviews. Try: Add: "Sources: changelog, help docs, pricing page, dated 2026 reviews. Exclude rumor and leak sites."
• No output shape. The tool writes an essay you can't compare against your roadmap. Try: Add: "Output: table with Feature, Plan, Date shipped, Source."
• Long or formatted output. AI adds an intro, bold labels and tips you didn't ask for. Try: Add: "Only the numbered lines, each under 20 words, plain text."

What a strong prompt includes

• Asks for a brief
• Says what to focus on
• Limits the sources
• Excludes rumors
• Asks for a table

Practice this now ↑

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