Creating your first analysis is an exciting milestone in your AI monitoring journey. This guide will walk you through the entire process step by step.
Before You Begin
Prerequisites
- You have an active Microscope.ai account
- You have created and configured a project
- Your project has brand information and products (if applicable)
- You have reviewed the prompts library
What You'll Need to Decide
- Which prompts to include
- Which AI models to query
- Whether to run immediately or schedule
- How to name and describe your analysis
Step-by-Step: Create Your First Analysis
Step 1: Navigate to Project Analyses
- Log in to Microscope.ai
- Select your project
- Click Project Analyses in the left sidebar
- You'll see a list of existing analyses (if any)
Step 2: Start Creating a New Analysis
- Click the + New Analysis or Create Analysis button
- The analysis creation form will open
Step 3: Name Your Analysis
Analysis Name
- Enter a descriptive name
- Be specific about the purpose
- Examples: "Baseline Brand Monitoring", "Product Launch Q1 2024", "Competitive Analysis - Healthcare"
Description (Optional but Recommended)
- Explain the analysis objective
- Note what you're trying to measure
- Document any special context
- Help future you and teammates understand the purpose
Step 4: Select Prompts
This is the most important step. You'll choose which prompts to include.
Viewing Available Prompts
- The interface displays all prompts from your prompts library
- Prompts are organized by category or type
- You can filter by Automatic or Custom
- You can search for specific prompts
Selection Strategies for Your First Analysis
Option A: Comprehensive Baseline (Recommended for first analysis)
- Select all or most automatic prompts
- Include at least a few from each category
- Aim for 20-30 prompts
- Provides a complete picture of your AI presence
Option B: Focused Analysis
- Choose prompts from one category (e.g., Brand or Product)
- Select 10-15 related prompts
- Good for targeted monitoring or specific campaigns
How to Select Prompts
- Check the box next to each prompt you want to include
- Or use "Select All" if starting with all prompts
- Deselect any prompts not relevant to your current goal
- Review your selections before proceeding
For your first analysis, we recommend starting with a comprehensive baseline to understand your overall AI presence before focusing on specific areas.
Step 5: Choose AI Models
Select which AI models to query with your prompts.
Available AI Models
- GPT (OpenAI) - ChatGPT models
- Gemini (Google) - Google AI models
- Claude (Anthropic) - Claude models
- Perplexity AI - Perplexity search models
Selection Considerations
- More models = more comprehensive insights but higher usage cost
- Recommended for first analysis: Select all available models
- This provides the most complete picture
- You can focus on specific models in future analyses
Model Specifics (If Available)
Some platforms allow selecting specific model versions:
- GPT-4, GPT-3.5, etc.
- Gemini Pro, Gemini Ultra, etc.
- Different versions may yield different results
Step 6: Configure Execution Settings
Execution Timing
Choose when to run the analysis:
- Run Now - Execute immediately after creation
- Schedule - Set a future date/time for execution
For your first analysis, Run Now is recommended to get immediate results.
Recurring Execution (Optional)
If scheduling:
- Choose frequency: Daily, Weekly, Monthly
- Select specific day/time
- Set start and end dates (if applicable)
- Enable recurring analysis for ongoing monitoring
For your first analysis, a one-time execution is fine. You can set up recurring analyses later.
Step 7: Review Your Configuration
Before creating the analysis, review:
- Analysis name and description
- Number of prompts selected
- Which AI models are included
- Execution settings
Make any necessary adjustments.
Step 8: Create the Analysis
- Click Create Analysis or Create and Run
- The analysis is created and saved
- If you selected "Run Now", execution begins immediately
You'll be redirected to the analysis detail page or the analyses list.
What Happens Next
If You Selected "Run Now"
- The analysis begins executing
- Prompts are sent to AI models
- You'll see a progress indicator
- Execution typically takes 5-15 minutes
- You can navigate away; results will be available when complete
Notifications
Depending on your settings:
- Email notification when execution completes
- In-app notification
- Status updates in the analyses list
Accessing Results
- Return to Project Analyses
- Find your analysis in the list
- Click on it to view results
- Explore the dashboard and detailed results
First Analysis Best Practices
Start Broad
- Include all categories
- Query all AI models
- Use mostly automatic prompts
- Get a comprehensive baseline
Document Your Objective
- Use the description field
- Note what you hope to learn
- Record any context (e.g., pre-launch, post-optimization)
Review Results Thoroughly
- Spend time understanding the data
- Identify strengths and weaknesses
- Note surprising findings
- Plan follow-up analyses or optimizations
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Too few prompts - Less than 10 prompts may not provide enough insight
- Only one category - Limits your understanding
- Only one AI model - Doesn't show the full picture
- Vague name - Makes it hard to find or remember later
- No description - You'll forget why you created it
After Your First Analysis
Immediate Next Steps
- Review all results
- Identify top performers and underperformers
- Note any inaccurate AI responses
- Document insights and action items
Building on Your First Analysis
- Create focused follow-up analyses
- Add custom prompts based on findings
- Set up recurring analyses for trend tracking
- Optimize content based on insights
Troubleshooting
Analysis Won't Create
- Check that you've selected at least one prompt
- Ensure at least one AI model is selected
- Verify you haven't exceeded your plan limits
- Check for required fields
Execution Fails
- Check execution status for error messages
- Verify AI model availability
- Retry execution
- Contact support if issue persists
Next Steps
Congratulations on creating your first analysis! Now you're ready to:
- Learn how to interpret analysis results
- Explore scheduling and automation options
- Create more targeted analyses
- Set up recurring monitoring