How to Use Deep Research in ChatGPT

I've been experimenting with something powerful lately … a new agent called Deep Research in ChatGPT. By that, I mean using ChatGPT not just for surface-level answers, but to create rich, structured, and detailed reports that explore complex topics in depth. And honestly, it’s starting to feel like having a personal analyst on demand, 24/7.

Deep research is a function of ChatGPT available to paid users. OpenAI defines Deep Research as:

We already know ChatGPT can summarize, brainstorm, and write like a champ. But when you want real depth—a custom research report, market breakdown, or strategic insight - it gets even more interesting.

A Trick To Maximize Your Deep Research Results

Before diving into Deep Research, it helps to spend a few minutes thinking clearly about your objective. What exactly do you want to learn or understand? Is it a market overview, a trend analysis, a competitor deep-dive, or something else? The more clarity you have upfront, the more effective your research prompt will be.

Here’s the technique that works surprisingly well:

Start with a rough idea of what you want. Then ask something like:

ChatGPT will return a first draft—often broken into subtopics, clearer questions, or better phrasing.

Then ask it:

Repeat this back-and-forth for 3–5 rounds. Each time, the prompt becomes sharper, more structured, more powerful.

Once the prompt is ready, copy it into a new window and select the Deep Research option to enable it. After you submit the prompt ChatGPT will need 10 minutes or more to generate a reply.

BONUS IDEA: In step one I like to use the Dictate option to explain what exactly am I researching and what kind of outcomes am I looking for. This helps ChatGPT prepare a better prompt. It’s also easier than typing.

Real Example: Manufacturing in Europe

I recently used this approach to do a deep market analysis on the manufacturing industry in Europe. The final prompt took me about 20 minutes to refine through a few iterations.

The result? ChatGPT generated an incredible 200-page market report - complete with:

• Market size estimates by country and industry segment

• Trend analysis and historical context

• Competitive landscape and major players

• Key challenges and growth opportunities

• Supply chain and production cost breakdowns

• Regional and regulatory insights

It would have taken me weeks to build something like that manually. Or we would have had to pay thousands of euros to a research firm. And yet, here it was: 90% of what we needed, generated in minutes.

Why This Is a Big Deal

If you’re an entrepreneur, strategist, analyst, or even just a curious builder, this should get your attention. You’re no longer limited by budget, time, or access to traditional reports.

You can build your own custom report—on exactly the topic you care about—at a fraction of the time and cost.

This has the potential to seriously disrupt the research industry - especially for firms that rely on traditional, time-consuming methods. With tools like ChatGPT now able to produce deep, structured insights quickly and affordably, the value proposition of expensive, long-turnaround reports is being challenged.

Yes, you still need to validate facts and cross-check key data. But for brainstorming, planning, exploring new markets, or preparing an internal strategy deck? This is next-level.

When to Use It (and When Not To)

While Deep Research with ChatGPT is incredibly powerful, it’s not a replacement for everything. Here are some best use cases:

• Early-stage market exploration

• Preparing internal strategy documents

• Brainstorming new product ideas

• Gaining fast context on unfamiliar topics

And here are some limitations to keep in mind:

• It won’t have access to real-time or proprietary data unless you provide it

• Factual accuracy may vary—always double-check important claims

• It lacks firsthand interviews, surveys, or original data collection

• It works best when guided by a user who knows how to evaluate and refine outputs

Think of it as a fast, flexible research assistant - not a full replacement for human expertise or high-stakes due diligence.

Final Thoughts

If you’re just using ChatGPT to rewrite emails or summarize PDFs, you’re missing the real magic. The real breakthrough comes when you use ChatGPT as a co-pilot to design prompts that unlock real insight.

I’ll likely share more of these prompt patterns in future posts. But in the meantime, try it for yourself. Ask ChatGPT to help you design your next research prompt.

And then ask it to make that prompt even better.

You’ll be surprised how far it can go.

Read about the other useful ways of how I use ChatGPT!