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The difference between Intelligence that drives decisions and Intelligence that becomes background noise comes down to how you set up and use it. These strategies help you get maximum value with minimum effort.

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Getting started right

1

Complete your profile

Provide your business URL and select your role during first login. Intelligence uses your role (Founder, Product manager, Marketing/CMO, Sales, Investor, Growth, or Operator) to rank and frame Intel. Without it, personalization cannot work properly.
2

Follow 3-5 companies

Start with the competitors your sales team loses deals to, the ones your customers compare you to, and the one you are most worried about. You can always expand later. You can follow up to 10 companies.
3

Set up a watchlist with a clear lens

Create your first watchlist and give it a specific lens, a plain-language description of what you want to know. The lens drives which Intel surfaces, so be precise. A good lens answers the question: “What strategic question do I want this group of companies to help me answer?”

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Choosing what to follow

More companies means more Intel and more time reviewing. Start with 3-5 companies you can act on, then expand once you have a rhythm.
Organize the companies you follow into tiers:
  • Tier 1 (2-3 companies): Direct competitors you encounter in sales and product decisions every week.
  • Tier 2 (2-3 companies): Adjacent competitors who overlap with part of your market or serve the same buyer differently.
  • Tier 3 (optional): Aspirational or tangential companies. Check these via For You before committing to Follow.
If a company’s Intel would not change any decision you make, do not follow them. Every company in your universe should connect to a real question: “If this company changes something, would we respond?”

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Reading signals effectively

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Start on Overview, then go deep

The Overview tab on any company gives you a cross-pillar scan. Only open individual pillar tabs (Website intelligence, Social media, News & media, GTM, Product & technology, People & hiring, Business & finance, Reviews & community) when something on Overview warrants investigation. This prevents getting lost in detail on quiet days.

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Recognize cross-pillar patterns

The highest-value Intel comes from connecting signals across pillars. Three pattern types to watch for:
A series of small signals building toward a bigger move.Each signal alone is moderate magnitude. Together they form a High magnitude prediction.

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Absence matters

Watch for what stops happening:
  • A competitor that posted daily goes quiet
  • A regularly updated changelog stops getting entries
  • Hiring in a department suddenly freezes
Silence can be as significant as activity. It may indicate a pivot, a reorg, or a strategic pause.

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Using Intelligence by role

Before a competitive deal, open the competitor’s company overview. Check:
  • Website intelligence: current pricing and positioning
  • Product & technology: what they shipped recently that might come up
  • Reviews & community: what their customers complain about (your ammunition)
  • News & media: recent press that might affect the buyer’s perception
Before planning campaigns, check:
  • Social media: what content themes competitors emphasize
  • GTM: what channels and creative they are running
  • Website intelligence: how they position against you
  • News & media: what narratives are gaining momentum in your space
Before locking priorities, check:
  • Product & technology: what competitors shipped and release velocity
  • People & hiring: where they are hiring (signals what they build next)
  • Reviews & community: what pain points their customers report (your opportunity)
  • Website intelligence: what they promote and deprioritize
For strategic reviews, check:
  • Overview: cross-pillar summary of each competitor
  • Business & finance: funding, partnerships, pricing model evolution
  • News & media: press narrative and sentiment direction
  • People & hiring: executive movements and organizational shifts
For ongoing portfolio awareness, check:
  • Overview: quick health scan across all pillars
  • Business & finance: funding rounds, valuation signals, financial disclosures
  • People & hiring: leadership stability and hiring velocity
  • Product & technology: shipping cadence as a proxy for execution quality

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When to act vs. when to wait

Intel is based on publicly available data and AI interpretation. For critical business decisions, validate High magnitude Intel with additional research. Use Solve to dig deeper before committing to a response.

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Watchlist best practices

The lens is the most important part of a watchlist. It determines which Intel surfaces and how it is framed.
When creating a watchlist, Rocket may ask clarifying questions to refine the lens. Take time to answer precisely. These answers shape what Intel you receive for the lifetime of the watchlist.
Watchlist Intel is scoped and actionable by design. Spending 2-3 minutes daily reviewing your watchlist feed keeps you ahead without information overload. Set delivery to Daily via email for a consistent rhythm.
You can create multiple watchlists. The same company can appear in different watchlists with different lenses, one tracking pricing moves, another tracking hiring patterns. Each produces different Intel because the lens differs.

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Common mistakes

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Intel card anatomy

Every Intel card you see has a consistent structure. Understanding it helps you scan faster:

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What’s next

Quick start

Set up your universe and start receiving Intel in minutes.

Key concepts

Understand signals, Intel, pillars, and personalization.

Watchlists

Group companies with a lens and get scoped Intel.

Company pillars

How to read company pillars effectively.