Learn · 2026-09-30 · 2 min read
Which prompts should a SaaS startup track in AI search?
A SaaS startup should track the prompts a buyer types when they are choosing, not the ones they type when they are researching: "best [category] for [audience]", "alternatives to [incumbent]", "[you] vs [incumbent]", "[category] that integrates with [tool]", "is [you] worth it", and "how much does [you] cost". Twenty to thirty of those, held steady for months, is a better measurement than two hundred that change every week. The templates below are the six shapes with four fills each; swap in your category, audience, incumbents, and integrations.
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The six shapes
| Shape | What it tells you | Example fill |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Whether you are in the consideration set at all | best invoicing tool for freelancers |
| Alternatives | Whether you win when the buyer is leaving an incumbent | alternatives to QuickBooks for freelancers |
| Comparison | Whether the engine knows how you differ | [you] vs FreshBooks |
| Use case | Whether you are named for a specific job | invoicing tool with recurring billing for consultants |
| Integration | Whether you are named for the stack the buyer already has | invoicing tool that integrates with Stripe |
| Trust | What the engine says when someone checks you out | is [you] legit / how much does [you] cost |
See what the engines say about your brand.
Ten of your prompts on ChatGPT and Gemini, twice, with the actual answers and your brand highlighted.
The 24 templates
Category (4)
- best [category] for [audience]
- best [category] for small teams
- top [category] tools in 2026
- [category] recommendations for a startup
Alternatives (4)
- alternatives to [incumbent 1]
- alternatives to [incumbent 2] for [audience]
- cheaper alternative to [incumbent 1]
- [incumbent 1] alternatives with [key feature]
Comparison (4)
- [you] vs [incumbent 1]
- [you] vs [incumbent 2]
- [incumbent 1] vs [incumbent 2]
- [you] or [incumbent 1] for [audience]
Use case (4)
- [category] for [specific job 1]
- [category] with [key feature]
- [category] for [audience] that [constraint]
- how do I [job your product does]
Integration (4)
- [category] that integrates with [tool 1]
- [category] that works with [tool 2]
- [tool 1] [category] integration
- best [category] for [platform] users
Trust (4)
- what is [you]
- is [you] worth it
- how much does [you] cost
- [you] reviews
How to run them
- Fill the templates once and freeze the list. Share of voice is only comparable across a fixed set.
- Track the same prompts on every engine. ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and Perplexity answer the same question differently.
- Mark the four or five that matter most as daily and leave the rest weekly. On helloAISearch, Studio gives you ten daily slots.
- When a prompt shows a competitor and not you, write the page that answers that prompt. Then leave the prompt in the list and watch it.
Write a comparison page for “alternatives to Competitor A”
This prompt came up 4× this week and Competitor A took every mention. A direct comparison page closes a 9-point Share of Voice gap. About an hour.