Deep Research

Discovery

Tool: Perplexity Deep Research  ·  Why: live web access, citations on every claim, will say "I don't know" instead of hallucinating

The prompt

You are a book market analyst. I'm writing a book in the
[YOUR NICHE] space.

Find me the 10 books that have the strongest signals of CURRENT
sales momentum (not all-time bestsellers — books moving NOW in 2026).

For each, return:
- Title + author
- Author credentials (MD/PhD/RD/journalist/none)
- Approximate review count (Amazon + Goodreads)
- Year published
- Subtitle (verbatim)
- The author's backend offer (program/course/coaching) if visible
- Any 2026-specific signal (recent press, podcast tour, new edition)

Hard rule: if you cannot find a citation for a data point,
mark it [UNVERIFIED] — do not estimate.

Output as markdown table sorted by review count descending.

The output (10 candidates)

Verification

Tool: Comet (Perplexity's agentic browser)  ·  Why: Amazon and Goodreads block scrapers. Comet browses as a logged-in user — not a bot.

The prompt

For each book in the table I'm pasting below, open its Amazon page
and pull these data points TODAY:

- Current Best Seller Rank (overall + category, with timestamp)
- Total review count
- Reviews in the last 30 days (look at recent review dates, count them)
- Most recent review date
- Current price (Kindle + paperback)
- Author's website URL

Flag any book where:
- BSR > 100,000 (= barely selling)
- No reviews in last 60 days (= momentum dead)
- Mark these [STALE] in the output.

Output as markdown table. Add a "Momentum Score" column (1-10)
based on review velocity vs. lifetime average.

What you're looking for

Strong current momentum: books with BSR under 50K, fresh reviews in the last 30 days, an active author podcast or new edition, a visible backend offer.

Stable but not breakout: books with steady review velocity but no new media wave.

[STALE] flag: books that show on bestseller listicles but were published 5+ years ago with no new reviews this quarter. Selling once does not mean selling now.

Pattern Decoding

Tool: Claude Code (with web access)  ·  Why: best at structural pattern-finding. Feed it 10 book descriptions, subtitles, and cover lines — it finds the formula in minutes.

The prompt

You are a positioning strategist. I'm pasting in 10 verified
bestselling book listings from the [YOUR NICHE] niche, including:
- Title
- Subtitle
- Author credentials
- Cover description
- Amazon book description (first 200 words)
- Backend offer (if known)

Find the patterns. Specifically:

1. TITLE STRUCTURE — what formats appear repeatedly?
2. SUBTITLE FORMULA — what's the dominant promise structure?
3. THE ONE PROMISE — if each book had to fit on a billboard, what's the single line?
4. AUTHORITY SIGNALS — how is credibility established?
5. BACKEND OFFER STRUCTURE — what's the value ladder behind the book?
6. COMMON METAPHORS — what mental models do they use?

Then identify GAPS:
- What promise is overused (= crowded)?
- What angle is missing (= opportunity)?
- What credentials combo is rare in the top 10 (= differentiator)?

Output as a positioning brief, not a list of facts.

The output — what we found in gut health

Title structure (3 dominant patterns):

Subtitle formula — the dominant pattern is the Triple-Promise List:

[Action verb] [Outcome 1], [Outcome 2], and [Outcome 3]

• "Lose Weight, Restore Your Health, and Optimize Your Microbiome" — Fiber Fueled
• "Lose Weight, Heal Your Gut, and Live Lectin-Free" — Plant Paradox Cookbook
• "Taking Control of Your Weight, Your Mood, and Your Long-term Health" — The Good Gut
• "Reprogram Your Microbiome, Restore Health, and Lose Weight" — Super Gut

The triple-promise is so dominant in this niche it's almost mandatory. Always: weight + something internal (gut, mood, energy) + something aspirational (longevity, freedom).

The one promise (billboard test): Every winning gut book reduces to "Fix your gut → fix everything." The "everything" varies — weight, mood, fatigue, brain fog, autoimmune — but the architecture is identical.

Authority signals: 8 of the 10 top books are authored by an MD, PhD, or Professor. The two exceptions are scientists writing as journalists. You need credentials or a credentialed co-author. No exceptions in the top 10.

Backend offer structure — the value ladder:

Every successful author in this space runs the same ladder:

Examples in this niche:

• Will Bulsiewicz — Plant Fed Gut Masterclass (7-week certified program) + Microbiome Method Coaching + podcast
• Steven Gundry — Gundry MD supplement empire + Gundry Health telemedicine app + Dr. Gundry Podcast
• Megan Rossi — Bloating Masterclass + London clinic + product line

Gap analysis — where the opportunity is

Crowded angles (avoid head-to-head):

• Plant-based / fiber-first (Bulsiewicz owns this)
• Anti-lectin / restriction-based (Gundry owns this)
• Bloating-specific consumer book (multiple players)

Missing in the top 10 (the open lanes):

• A practicing clinician writing from inside an active practice — not a bestselling-author-side-hustle
• A book positioned for healthcare professionals who treat gut patients (B2B angle)
• Functional medicine integrated with conventional GI — the bridge book
• The concierge-medicine angle: "what your specialist won't tell you"

If your real-world story matches one of these missing angles, you have an opening that the current top 10 cannot reach.

Live Ad Intelligence

Tool: Comet + Facebook Ad Library  ·  Why: longevity = conversion. Ads running 90+ days are working. Ads running 5 days are tests.

The prompt

Open the Facebook Ad Library at facebook.com/ads/library.
Search keyword: [niche keyword — e.g., "gut health", "bloating"]
Filter: Active ads only.

For each advertiser running 5+ ads OR ads that have been
running 90+ days:
- Take a screenshot of the longest-running ad
- Note: advertiser, hook (first 5 words), ad format
  (image / VSL / UGC), CTA

Bring me the top 10. I'm looking for what's CONVERTING
(longevity = converting in paid traffic).

What we found in gut health

Hook patterns running 90+ days:

• "NEVER eat these [3/5/7] foods" — running for 5+ years across multiple variations
• "Why your bloating is actually [X]" — symptom into reframe
• "If you're over 50 and still tired, watch this" — age plus symptom
• "I'm a doctor. I'd never eat this." — authority plus contrarian

Format patterns:

• Long-form Video Sales Letters (VSLs), 30–60 minutes — the dominant format. Once a VSL converts, it can run for years.
• UGC testimonial reels (real customers, phone-shot) outperform polished ads
• Doctor-on-camera explainer (15–90 seconds) used as top-of-funnel before VSL

The replay-ability rule: A working hook in this niche can run for years with a strong authority figure on camera. Don't reinvent — refine.