> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.rocket.new/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Best practices

> Get the most value from Rocket Intelligence with proven strategies for following companies, reading Intel, building effective watchlists, and connecting signals to decisions.

export const LlmsDirective = () => <blockquote className="llms-directive">
    For the complete documentation index, see <a href="/llms.txt">llms.txt</a>.
    For a lightweight markdown version of this page, append .md to the URL.
  </blockquote>;

<LlmsDirective />

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.

## Getting started right

<Steps>
  <Step title="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.
  </Step>

  <Step title="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.
  </Step>

  <Step title="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?"
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Choosing what to follow

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Start focused, expand later">
    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.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Tier your universe">
    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.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Only follow companies you can act on">
    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?"
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Reading signals effectively

### 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.

### Recognize cross-pillar patterns

The highest-value Intel comes from connecting signals across pillars. Three pattern types to watch for:

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="Escalation">
    A series of small signals building toward a bigger move.

    | Week     | What you see                                                             |
    | :------- | :----------------------------------------------------------------------- |
    | 1        | Blog post about "the future of AI in our product" (Website intelligence) |
    | 2        | Five new ML engineering roles posted (People & hiring)                   |
    | 3        | Pricing page adds "AI" badge to enterprise tier (Website intelligence)   |
    | **Read** | This competitor is about to make a major AI feature push                 |

    Each signal alone is moderate magnitude. Together they form a High magnitude prediction.
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Convergence">
    Multiple companies making similar moves in the same window.

    | Company      | Move                                                                               |
    | :----------- | :--------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
    | Competitor A | Raises Pro tier price by 15%                                                       |
    | Competitor B | Adds new premium tier                                                              |
    | Competitor C | Reduces free tier limits                                                           |
    | **Read**     | Market-wide repricing driven by shared cost pressures or higher willingness to pay |
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Divergence">
    One company breaking from the group.

    If three competitors are raising prices and one drops theirs, the outlier is often the most important signal. It may indicate a different strategic bet, a struggle for market share, or new funding enabling aggressive growth.
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

### 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.

## Using Intelligence by role

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Sales: pre-deal preparation">
    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
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Marketing: campaign strategy">
    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
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Product: roadmap planning">
    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
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Strategy / Founders: board decisions">
    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
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Investors: portfolio monitoring">
    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
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## When to act vs. when to wait

| Signal type                                              | Magnitude | Recommended response                                                              |
| :------------------------------------------------------- | :-------- | :-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Competitor changes pricing directly affecting your deals | High      | Act immediately. Update battlecards and brief the sales team.                     |
| Escalation pattern forming across pillars                | High      | Investigate soon. Create a [Solve task](/solve/overview) to analyze implications. |
| Key hire or executive departure at a competitor          | Medium    | Note and monitor. Check if supporting signals follow within a week.               |
| Single moderate signal, no supporting evidence           | Medium    | Wait. Note it and watch for corroboration.                                        |
| Convergence pattern across your Tier 1 universe          | High      | Act within the week. A market shift is underway.                                  |
| Routine activity (blog posts, regular social content)    | Low       | Acknowledge and move on.                                                          |

<Warning>
  Intel is based on publicly available data and AI interpretation. For critical business decisions, validate High magnitude Intel with additional research. Use [Solve](/solve/overview) to dig deeper before committing to a response.
</Warning>

## Watchlist best practices

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Write specific lenses">
    The lens is the most important part of a watchlist. It determines which Intel surfaces and how it is framed.

    | Instead of this       | Write this                                                                         |
    | :-------------------- | :--------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
    | "Watch competitors"   | "Track pricing and packaging changes that could affect our enterprise deals"       |
    | "Monitor the market"  | "Identify hiring surges in AI/ML that signal upcoming product launches"            |
    | "Keep an eye on them" | "Surface GTM and content strategy shifts I can use to differentiate our messaging" |
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Answer clarifying questions carefully">
    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.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Check watchlist Intel daily">
    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.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Use multiple watchlists for different questions">
    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.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Common mistakes

| Mistake                                         | What to do instead                                                                                                            |
| :---------------------------------------------- | :---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Following too many companies at once            | Start with 3-5 and expand once you have a rhythm.                                                                             |
| Treating every signal as urgent                 | Use magnitude (High / Medium / Low) to gauge significance. Only High magnitude Intel needs same-day attention.                |
| Never checking Following                        | Review the Following tab periodically for Intel scoped specifically to companies in your universe.                            |
| Reading pillars without checking Overview first | Overview gives context; pillars give depth. Start broad.                                                                      |
| Monitoring without acting                       | When Intel reveals something significant, create a Solve task or brief your team. Intelligence without action is just trivia. |
| Skipping lens setup on watchlists               | Generic watchlists produce generic Intel. Write a specific lens that ties to a decision you need to make.                     |
| Ignoring delivery settings                      | Connect email and set frequency (Daily or Weekly) so Intel reaches you even when you do not open Intelligence.                |

## Intel card anatomy

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

| Component             | Purpose                                         |
| :-------------------- | :---------------------------------------------- |
| **Title**             | What happened, in one line                      |
| **What it means**     | Plain-language interpretation of the signal     |
| **Why it matters**    | How this connects to your business specifically |
| **Magnitude**         | High, Medium, or Low: how significant this is   |
| **Evidence**          | The raw data points behind the Intel            |
| **Trail**             | How the signal was detected and connected       |
| **Confidence**        | How certain the interpretation is               |
| **Counter-narrative** | An alternative explanation to consider          |

## What's next

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Quick start" icon="bolt" href="/intelligence/quick-start">
    Set up your universe and start receiving Intel in minutes.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Key concepts" icon="book" href="/intelligence/concepts">
    Understand signals, Intel, pillars, and personalization.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Watchlists" icon="binoculars" href="/intelligence/feeds/watchlist">
    Group companies with a lens and get scoped Intel.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Company pillars" icon="building" href="/intelligence/pillars/overview">
    How to read company pillars effectively.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>