Basics of Research Instructions (Prompts)
The AI in Stratum Flow uses the "Research Instruction" you provide to analyze the web articles and data it collects. The more specific the instructions, the closer the final report will align with your desired format and perspective.
1. Define the Purpose and Target Audience
Clearly define who the report is for and what you want to learn.
- ❌ "Tell me about AI."
- ⭕ "Summarize the latest trends in generative AI and their impact on operational costs for development leaders at B2B SaaS companies."
2. Specify the Output Format
Specifying a format, such as bullet points or comparison tables (pros & cons), makes the report much easier to read.
- ⭕ "Pick three important topics and summarize each as bullet points covering 'Overview', 'Business Impact', and 'Next Actions'."
3. Specify the Tone and Manner
This helps to avoid the robotic writing style typical of AI.
- ⭕ "Write in an objective and professional tone, avoid excessive modifiers, and summarize based on facts."
If there is a site or page cluster you already know should be prioritized, combine the site: instruction with a Seed URL. That gives the search query and the crawl starting point the same target.
Real-world Prompt Examples
Competitor Monitoring
Extract the trends (new feature releases, pricing adjustments, major hires, etc.) of key competitors in the following market, evaluate their threat level to our company (Service X) as High/Medium/Low, and generate a report.
Periodic Industry News Collection
Carefully select 5 important news items from the AI and Cloud Infrastructure industry this week. Provide a 200-character summary for each, explaining the technological background and expected market impact in a way that beginners can understand.