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AI Research

Use AI to research prospects, companies, and gather intelligence directly in your Google Sheet. MailNinja offers two powerful AI formulas: Perplexity (for web research) and OpenAI (for general AI tasks).

1. Perplexity Formula​

Fetch fresh web data with cited sources. Perfect for researching real-time information about companies, people, and markets.

Formula Structure​

=PERPLEXITY(prompt, [system_prompt], [ignore_cache])

Parameters​

  • prompt (required): Question to investigate using the live web
  • system_prompt (optional): Role or constraints for the answer
  • ignore_cache (optional): TRUE forces fresh response; FALSE uses cache

Examples​

Estimate number of employees:

=PERPLEXITY("Please output estimated number of employees of HubSpot (only give the number, no other text).")

Research company funding:

=PERPLEXITY("What is the latest funding round of Stripe? Output only the funding amount and date.")

Check company expansion:

=PERPLEXITY("Did Shopify open a new office in Singapore in 2024? Output only YES or NO.")

Bulk Research with CONCATENATE​

Build prompts from cell values to research many rows at once:

=PERPLEXITY(CONCATENATE("Research estimated number of employees of ", A2, ". Output number only"))

This allows you to:

  • Put company names in column A
  • Use the formula in column B
  • Research all companies automatically

Credit Cost​

  • 2 credits per Perplexity query

2. OpenAI Formula​

Use OpenAI's GPT models for intelligent analysis, classification, and content generation.

Formula Structure​

=OPENAI(prompt, [system_prompt], [model], [ignore_cache])

Parameters​

  • prompt (required): Instruction or question for OpenAI
  • system_prompt (optional): Set behavior/context for better control
  • model (optional): Defaults to gpt-4o-mini
  • ignore_cache (optional): TRUE forces fresh response; FALSE uses cache

Examples​

Check company location:

=OPENAI("Please check whether Hubspot has office in Singapore. Output only TRUE or FALSE, no other text.")

Classify company size:

=OPENAI("Based on this description: " & A2 & ", classify this company as Startup, SMB, or Enterprise. Output only one word.")

Extract industry:

=OPENAI("From this company description: " & A2 & ", what industry is this company in? Output only the industry name.")

Analyze fit score:

=OPENAI("Rate how well this company description matches our ICP (B2B SaaS, 50-500 employees, fintech): " & A2 & ". Output only a score from 1-10.")

Credit Cost​

  • 1 credit per OpenAI query

Common Use Cases​

1. Research Company Size​

=PERPLEXITY(CONCATENATE("How many employees does ", A2, " have? Output only the number."))

2. Verify Company Location​

=OPENAI(CONCATENATE("Does ", A2, " have an office in ", B2, "? Output only YES or NO."))

3. Check Funding Status​

=PERPLEXITY(CONCATENATE("What is the latest funding round of ", A2, "? Output format: Series X, $XX million, Month Year"))

4. Classify Prospects​

=OPENAI(CONCATENATE("Based on this LinkedIn summary: ", A2, ", is this person a decision-maker for B2B software purchases? Output only YES or NO."))

5. Research Pain Points​

=PERPLEXITY(CONCATENATE("What are the main challenges facing ", A2, " company in ", B2, " industry? Output 3 key challenges."))

Tips for Better Results​

1. Be Specific in Prompts​

❌ Bad: "Tell me about HubSpot" ✅ Good: "What is HubSpot's employee count in 2024? Output only the number."

2. Request Structured Output​

Always specify the format you want:

  • "Output only the number"
  • "Output only YES or NO"
  • "Output format: Name, Title, Company"

3. Use System Prompts for Consistency​

=OPENAI("Analyze this prospect", "You are a sales qualification expert. Always respond in structured format.")

4. Combine with Other Data​

Reference other cells to build context:

=PERPLEXITY(CONCATENATE("Is ", A2, " (", B2, ") a good fit for ", C2, " industry? Output only YES or NO."))

5. Cache for Efficiency​

  • Leave ignore_cache as FALSE (default) to save credits
  • Use TRUE only when you need the absolute latest information

When to Use Each Formula​

Use Perplexity When:​

  • ✅ You need real-time, current information
  • ✅ You want cited sources
  • ✅ Researching news, funding, employee counts
  • ✅ Checking current company status

Use OpenAI When:​

  • ✅ You need analysis or classification
  • ✅ Working with data already in your sheet
  • ✅ Need content generation or rewriting
  • ✅ Cost efficiency is important (1 credit vs 2)