26 Aug 2025

A Prompt Template to Generate the Best Result from ChatGPT Deep Research (by ChatGPT)

For someone too cheap to pay for ChatGPT's $20/month subscription, I only have fewer than 5 times of deep research each month. And I want to take great advantage of that. So, I asked ChatGPT how to best do it. And here are the results (feel free to copy the prompts).

Quick principles (what makes a prompt work)

Be concrete about the goal. Say exactly what decision or product you want from the research (e.g., “a 2-page investor memo”, “top 10 content ideas with search volumes”, “market sizing for US manufactured homes 2025”).
Set the scope & recency. State geography, industries, date range, and whether to use only public sources or proprietary files you’ll attach.
Request deliverables & format. Tell me the exact outputs you want (bullet lists, tables, CSV, slide deck, TL;DR + detailed findings).
Name constraints and preferences. E.g., prefer academic sources, include news links, avoid paywalled content, or require citations.
Tell me how to evaluate success. e.g., “I can act on this without more data” or “I need a reproducible method and data sources.”

Mandatory pieces for your initial deep-research prompt

Objective — one sentence: what decision/action this supports.
Deliverables — list outputs and formats (e.g., “executive summary (200 words), detailed report, bibliography with links, 1-page action plan”).
Scope & constraints — geography, time period, industries, excluded items.
Priority questions — top 3–6 questions you want answered.
Sources / evidence rules — prefer scholarly, include Google Maps, include X, avoid Y, require citation format.
Data you’ll attach — mention files (CSV, transcripts) and their structure.
Level of depth & tone — high-level + supporting numbers, or step-by-step playbook; tone: investor memo, blog post, technical.
Deadline/recency requirement — “include data up to Aug 2025” (use absolute dates).

Useful extras (make the product much better)

Example audience (VC, content writer, local gov official).
Comparable companies or benchmarks to analyze.
Keywords / competitors you care about.
Metrics you care about (TAM, CAC, LTV, search volume, # of skateparks).
Preferred citation style (links inline, numbered list, or endnotes).
If you want assumptions listed and sensitivity ranges.

Templates (copy / paste & fill in)

Objective: [One sentence — decision this supports]
Deliverables:
- Executive summary (150–250 words)
- Deep report (3–6 pages) answering Qs below
- 1 excel/CSV with data points and sources
- 5 tactical recommendations and next steps

Scope & constraints:
- Geography: [e.g., US only]
- Time range: [e.g., 2018–Aug 26, 2025]
- Sources to prefer: [e.g., gov data, industry reports, Google Maps]
- Sources to avoid: [e.g., paywalled academic journals]
- Use only public sources unless I attach files.

Priority questions:
1) [Q1]
2) [Q2]
3) [Q3]
(etc.)

Data attachments: [list files you will upload or paste — format & column names]

Audience: [e.g., early-stage investors]

Tone & depth: [e.g., investor memo with numbers and citations]

Evaluation: I will consider this successful if I can [action you’ll take]

Other notes / constraints: [e.g., max 2000 words, include top 10 competitors]

Example — manufactured-home market research

Objective: Create a 4–5 page executive industry briefing to evaluate whether starting a media + investment research firm focused on manufactured homes is viable.

Deliverables:
1. Executive summary (200–300 words)
2. Detailed report (4–5 pages) covering:
- Market overview, TAM/SAM/SOM (US, 2025) with sources
- Value chain mapping (manufacturing, financing, retail, park ownership, aftermarket services)
- Key players (top 20+ globally and in the US) with revenues, HQ, segments, and 1-sentence differentiation
- Growth drivers and risks (economic, regulatory, reputational)
- 3–5 investment or media business opportunities (e.g., newsletters, data products, events, deal origination)
3. Data table (Excel/CSV) with company list: Name | HQ | Revenue (est.) | Segment | Source link
4. Action plan: 5 next steps (datasets to buy, contacts, possible first products)
5. Weakness analysis: 5 assumptions or blind spots to challenge

Scope & Constraints:
- Geography: US & Canada, with global context for leading players
- Timeframe: market data up to Aug 2025
- Prefer sources: gov data (HUD, Census), industry associations, public filings, reputable industry media
- Avoid paywalled academic journals unless summaries exist
- Provide direct links/citations for all claims

Priority Questions:
1. What is the size and trajectory of the US manufactured home market (2025)?
2. Who are the leading players across the value chain?
3. What are the structural opportunities for a business media + investment research firm?
4. What regulatory or reputational factors matter most?
5. What datasets/KPIs would be critical for building data products?

Audience: Industry practitioners across the manufactured housing value chain, primarily executives (director-level and above) with decision-making and purchasing authority.
Tone & Depth: Executive industry briefing — authoritative, data-driven, and practical.
Evaluation: I should be able to use this briefing to (a) understand the market landscape, (b) identify monetizable gaps in industry information, and (c) design a first-step go-to-market for a media/research product.

Other Notes:
- Include charts or simple diagrams where useful
- Use bullet points for clarity in lists

Result

The result is very in-depth and I haven't finished reading it. I will paste it here and in the next article and let you judge how good/bad it is.