The Workflow Edit | Practical AI Tool Tutorial
How to Use Perplexity Without Generic AI Instructions
When you need vendor research with real sources instead of sponsored posts, Perplexity searches the live web and cites every claim — if your prompt specifies what to compare and how.
Dear Suzannah
Dear Suzannah, my boss just asked me to compare three CRM vendors by tomorrow morning and every search I run sends me to a blog post written by one of the vendors. I need actual facts with real sources, not a sponsored listicle.
Ask for a side-by-side comparison with cited sources you can click and verify.
The real use case
Research a vendor comparison with cited, verifiable sources instead of relying on sponsored blog posts.
The tool-specific prompt to use
This prompt is specific to this tool and use case. Paste it in, then replace the bracketed notes with your real details.
Compare these three CRM vendors: [Vendor A], [Vendor B], [Vendor C]. I need this for a purchasing decision by [date]. Company size: [number of employees]. Budget range: [monthly or annual budget]. Key requirements: [contact management, email automation, reporting, integration with our existing tools]. Must-have integrations: [list specific tools like Slack, QuickBooks, Mailchimp, Zapier]. Deal-breakers: [no annual contract, must export data, must support custom fields]. For each vendor, find and cite sources for: (1) Pricing for a company our size — per-seat cost, any minimums, and what features are included vs. extra. (2) Key features that match our requirements, with specific examples. (3) Known limitations or complaints from user reviews on third-party sites, not the vendor's own testimonials. (4) Integration support for our must-have tools — confirm the integration exists and is current. Present the results as a comparison table with one row per vendor. Below the table, include a one-paragraph recommendation explaining which vendor best fits our requirements and why, with one caveat to watch out for. Cite a source for every claim. If you cannot find reliable pricing information, say so — do not estimate. Flag any source that looks like it was written or sponsored by the vendor itself, and exclude vendor blog posts from the comparison.
Prompt length: 209 words.
Make the result less generic
- Name the specific vendors instead of asking for ‘the best CRM’ so the tool compares real options, not a generic shortlist.
- Include your company size and budget range so pricing research targets your tier, not enterprise or solo plans.
- List the integrations you actually need so the tool checks compatibility instead of assuming all CRMs connect to everything.
- Ask the tool to flag sponsored or vendor-written sources so you can weight the information accordingly.
- Request a comparison table format so the output is ready to share without reformatting.
Quick human check
- Can I click through to a real source for every pricing claim in the comparison?
- Does the tool flag any sources that look vendor-sponsored or biased?
- Are the features compared against my actual requirements, not just a generic feature checklist?
- Does the recommendation address my budget and company size, or is it generic?
- If my boss asks ‘where did you get this number,’ can I point to a specific source for each claim?
