Help center

Running AI Focus Groups

Guides for GEO reports, AI Focus Groups, scores, sharing, and the Partner API.

AI Focus Groups run as part of a brand analysis cycle after GEO—not from a standalone create form. The product builds a blind competitor panel from GEO gaps, runs the session, then opens progress and results. How to read the report (tabs, scores, votes back into GEO) lives on the Focus Groups overview pages.

How Focus Groups start

After GEO (full pipeline)

Start GEO with Focus Groups + VeritasScore on. When GEO finishes, FG builds a blind panel from GEO gaps and starts automatically.

Continue from dossier

On a completed brand: Continue analysis → or Generate focus group. Starts FG for that GEO without a separate create form.

Re-run / continue incomplete

Re-run analysis can resume an incomplete cycle into Focus Groups when the product offers continue_focus.

There is no standalone Create Focus Group form in the happy path — /focus-groups/create sends you back to start an analysis first.

Example: the three practical ways Focus Groups start today.

Prerequisites

  • A GEO analysis for the brand (completed or ready to continue into FG).
  • An unlocked / paid analysis cycle on that GEO when the product requires it—otherwise the start may charge one analysis from your plan allowance.
  • Self-serve users work from My Dashboard (/dashboard); company-linked users may also continue from their workspace GEO entry points.

From My Dashboard

On a brand card after GEO completes, use Continue analysis → or Generate focus group. The app starts the GEO-linked session (brief and personas derived from the analysis) and moves you to the Focus Group progress page. While a session is running, the card shows View progress →; when done, open Focus group from the menu.

Dossier brand — GEO done

Northwind Analytics

GEO complete · Focus Group ready

Next: FG
Continue analysis →Generate focus groupView dossier →
Example: dossier CTAs when GEO is done and Focus Group is next.

From the full GEO pipeline

When you start GEO with After GEO completes, automatically run Focus Groups and VeritasScore (full pipeline / one analysis), Focus Groups begin after GEO finishes—no extra form. The marketing funnel uses the same idea once the analysis cycle is unlocked past the value wall. You may see an in-app notice that perception analysis via focus groups has started, with a link to results when ready.

Progress and results

Track the live run at /focus-groups/{sessionId}/progress. When finished, open /focus-groups/{sessionId}/show for the Focus Group report (overview, discussion, insights, competitor choice, risks, transcript, scores).

After Focus Group starts

  1. 1

    GEO ready

    Paid / unlocked analysis cycle

  2. 2

    FG starts

    Brief from GEO gaps · blind panel

  3. 3

    Progress

    /focus-groups/{id}/progress

  4. 4

    Results

    /focus-groups/{id}/show

Example: GEO ready → FG starts → progress → results.

Analyses and billing

Currency is subscription analyses, not token packs. Continuing Focus Groups inside an already paid GEO cycle usually does not charge again. Starting Focus Groups when that cycle is not yet paid typically spends 1 analysis and unlocks the cycle. See Plans, analyses & limits for Free vs paid tiers.