Marketing · 15 min

Run a competitor scan with Researcher

Copilot app, Researcher agent

Short answer: Open Researcher under Agents in the Copilot app. Paste the prompt with your competitors and what to compare. Tell it whether to use the web, your files, or both. Read the cited sources before you share the summary.

Last checked against Microsoft docs: Oct 21, 2026

You've seen people ask ChatGPT deep research or Grok DeepSearch for a competitor rundown. Here's how in Copilot: the Researcher agent searches the web and your work content and returns a cited report.

A common situation (composite)

Someone forwards a competitor's launch.
Now leadership wants a comparison by Thursday.
I don't have a research team.

What you get

Data: public web pages plus any internal notes on competitors.
Does: researches and compares across sources.
Output: a cited comparison table and summary.
How often: monthly or before planning.

Before you start

Needs: Microsoft 365 Copilot. Not sure what you have? Start here.
Where: Copilot app, Researcher agent.
Access: Copilot only uses content you already have permission to open. Use only information your company allows in Copilot.

The steps

Open the Copilot app and select Researcher under Agents.
Paste the prompt with the competitor names.
Answer Researcher's clarifying questions about scope.
Open every source behind a claim you plan to repeat.

Copy this prompt

Compare [competitor A], [competitor B] and [competitor C] against [our product].

Use public web sources and my work files.

Table columns: positioning in one line, target customer, pricing (only if published), recent launches in the last 6 months, how they describe themselves vs how we do.

Then: 3 things they do that we don't talk about, and 3 gaps we could use.

Cite every row. If pricing isn't public, write NOT PUBLISHED.

(Prompt from stuckwithcopilot.com/guides/competitor-scan/)

Data tip: use this with your work Copilot, and leave out passwords, payment details and anything your company marks restricted.

What a good result looks like

Every cell has a source. Pricing says NOT PUBLISHED unless you can see it on their site.

If a feature is missing

Without Researcher, use Copilot Chat with web search and ask for one competitor at a time.

Make it smarter

Keep a short "What it got wrong" note. Paste it above the prompt next time, like "Don't invent dates".

Not sure what to ask? Copy the quick note for your Copilot admin.

For sales: the fit story

A competitor scan is half the picture. Buyers care whether your product fixes the thing they told you about. Turn the research into a fit story that's honest about gaps.

Market conditions: ask what's changing in the customer's market this year, with sources.
Fit story: match each customer goal to a product, with proof, and admit where nothing fits.
Claims about competitors: only repeat what you can link to.

Prompt

Customer goals, from their annual report and our calls: [paste]. Our products: [paste short descriptions]. For each goal, say which product helps, how, and what proof we have. If nothing fits a goal, say so plainly.

(Prompt from stuckwithcopilot.com/guides/competitor-scan/)

Make it better

Run this next, in the same chat.

Turn that into three sentences I could say in a meeting, starting with their biggest goal. Leave out anything without proof.

(Prompt from stuckwithcopilot.com/guides/competitor-scan/)

Data tip: use this with your work Copilot, and leave out passwords, payment details and anything your company marks restricted.

Questions people ask

Run a competitor scan with Researcher?

Open Researcher under Agents in the Copilot app. Paste the prompt with your competitors and what to compare. Tell it whether to use the web, your files, or both. Read the cited sources before you share the summary.

What do I need for this?

Microsoft 365 Copilot. Without Researcher, use Copilot Chat with web search and ask for one competitor at a time.

Is it safe to repeat what Copilot says about competitors?

Only if it gives you a source you've opened and checked. A wrong claim about a competitor can cost you the deal.

Next step

Try it once, then make it yours.

Run the prompt on one real task this week. Then pick your next workflow.

See the workflow library ↗

Cite or share this guide

Run a competitor scan with Researcher. Stuck with Copilot. https://stuckwithcopilot.com/guides/competitor-scan/ Last checked Oct 21, 2026.

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Official references

What is Researcher agent in Microsoft Copilot?

Last checked against Microsoft docs: Oct 21, 2026.