Research Leads and Build Prospect Lists With Perplexity

1. Log into Perplexity and click Spaces in the left sidebar
2. Click New Space (sometimes shown as "Create a space")
3. Name it something specific to this research goal, such as "Prospecting: Real Estate Agents, Austin," rather than a vague label you won't remember the purpose of later

What you should see: A new, empty Space with a place to add instructions and, separately, a place to start asking questions. Troubleshooting: If Spaces isn't visible in the sidebar, make sure you're logged into your account rather than using Perplexity in a signed-out browser tab.

Look for an Instructions or System Prompt field inside the Space's settings.

1. Click into it and describe what you're researching and how you want answers formatted
2. Save your instructions

Example instructions to copy and adapt:

I'm a freelance virtual assistant building a prospect list of small business owners who could use AI-ops support. Focus on solo real estate agents and small teams in the Austin, Texas area. For each result, tell me their name, business name, a note on their current online presence (do they have a website, are they active on social media), and any public contact method. Prioritize sources from the last year.

1. From inside the Space, type a specific research question rather than a broad one
2. Use Focus or Research mode if you see the option, since it prompts a more thorough, evidence-backed search rather than a quick single-pass answer
3. Read the response along with its numbered citations

What you should see: A written answer with inline citation numbers, and a list of source links you can click to verify any claim.

1. Ask a follow-up question inside the same Space to expand the list or narrow the criteria
2. Copy the results, including names and any contact detail Perplexity surfaced, into a spreadsheet or your lead-tracking sheet
3. Click through at least a few of the cited sources for entries you plan to actually contact, to confirm the information is current

What you should see: A spreadsheet row per prospect, with a note on where each detail came from so you can double-check it before reaching out.

Keep using the same Space for this target segment instead of starting a new chat each time.

1. Return to the Space whenever you want to add more prospects or check for new activity from a segment you've already researched
2. Update the Space's instructions if your target segment shifts

What you should see: A running research history inside the Space, so later sessions build on earlier ones instead of starting from zero.