The "Competitive Intel One-Pager" (Prompt)

Stop reading 40-page industry reports. Get the signal in 5 minutes.

CONTEXT

Use this prompt when you have scattered information about a competitor—news articles, earnings snippets, job postings, or app reviews—and need a sharp, structured summary of their trajectory and the implications for your team.

THE PROMPT (Copy & Paste)

Act as a competitive intelligence analyst specializing in consumer fintech.

I'll give you raw information about a competitor — this could include news articles,
earnings call snippets, product changelog notes, LinkedIn job postings, app store reviews,
or press releases.

Produce a structured one-pager with exactly these four sections:
1. What they're doing (notable product, market, or partner moves in the last 90 days)
2. What they're NOT doing (notable gaps, retreats, pauses, or areas they're avoiding)
3. Their likely 6-month trajectory based on the signals above
4. One concrete strategic implication for us

Tone: Sharp, direct, no fluff. Max 400 words total. No hedging language.

[PASTE COMPETITOR INFO HERE]

WHAT IT DOES

Competitive awareness decays fast in fintech. This prompt converts scattered signals — a job posting here, an app update there — into a structured read on where a competitor is heading. Especially useful before a board meeting, a partnership pitch, or a product planning cycle.

EXAMPLES

Raw Data:

Possible Finance posted 3 new roles in "bank partnerships" this month. Their iOS app now shows a "Build Credit" tab that wasn't there 60 days ago. TechCrunch noted they closed a $50M Series C in October. Their Twitter/X support account has gone dark for 6 weeks.

Result:

What they're doing: Pivoting from pure payday-alternative to a credit-building product. The new "Build Credit" tab + bank partnership hiring suggests they're building toward a secured card or credit-builder loan adjacent to their core installment product. The $50M raise gives them ~18 months of runway to execute.

What they're NOT doing: Customer support investment — 6 weeks of dark support channels signals either a platform migration or a deprioritization of servicing quality. They're building acquisition, not retention.

6-Month Trajectory: Likely launch of a credit-builder product (card or savings-linked loan) positioned as the "graduation" step from their installment product. Will compete more directly with Self Financial and Chime Credit Builder than with OppFi.

Strategic Implication: Low overlap threat in the near term — their pivot up-market actually vacates some of the underbanked origination space we serve. Worth monitoring whether their bank partner hiring targets our existing partners.