Free PESTLE analysis template
A PESTLE analysis template
that says what it means for you.
Six branches for the outside world. Each factor gets its evidence, its size, its direction and what it means for you.
Use it free — no card, no trial →
- Free forever — not a trial
- Up to 10 maps, kept for good
- Every export included
Free has no end date — upgrade only if you outgrow 10 maps. Opens with all six branches — political, economic, social, technological, legal, environmental — already laid out.
Six branches, ready. Political, economic, social, technological, legal and environmental. Add factors under each. Drop a branch you don't need.
Rate and track each factor. Impact is low, medium or high. Trend is rising, stable or falling. One look shows which forces are growing.
Write the "so what". Every factor has an implication field. That line is what your plan, or your SWOT, picks up next.
How to do a PESTLE analysis, step by step
PESTLE grew out of Francis Aguilar's 1967 book on scanning the business environment. He used four headings; later versions added legal and environmental. It looks only at the outside world: forces you can't control but must plan for.
- Set the scope. Name the business, the market and the time frame: "our courier firm, this city, next three years". It goes at the centre.
- List factors under each letter. Political: policy, funding, elections. Economic: prices, wages, demand. Social: habits and values. Technological: new tools. Legal: laws and rules. Environmental: climate, emissions, waste.
- Keep only what touches you. A factor belongs on the map if it could change your sales, costs or ways of working. Cut general news that doesn't.
- Add evidence, impact and trend. Write the source for each factor. Rate its impact. Mark whether it is rising, stable or falling.
- Write the implication. One line per factor: what it means for you. "Fuel costs are rising" is a fact. "Our price gap to van couriers widens" is the implication.
- Pick the top moves. Take the high-impact, rising factors. Decide what to do about each. Carry them into a SWOT as opportunities and threats.
PESTLE analysis example: a cargo-bike courier
Greenleg Couriers delivers parcels by electric cargo bike in one city. The founders want to know what could help or hurt them over the next three years. This is the map shown above.
- 🏛️ Political
- Council funds cargo-bike pilotsEvidence: Grant scheme opens in April · Impact: Medium · Trend: Rising · Implication: Apply to fund two more bikes
- Low-emission zone from 2028Evidence: City transport plan, adopted in May · Impact: High · Trend: Rising · Implication: Vans pay to enter the centre; we don't
- 💵 Economic
- Van leases and fuel costs risingEvidence: Two rivals raised prices this year · Impact: High · Trend: Rising · Implication: Our price gap to vans widens
- Small shops cutting delivery budgetsEvidence: Three clients asked for lower rates · Impact: Medium · Trend: Rising · Implication: Offer a cheaper next-day tier
- 👥 Social
- Shoppers expect same-day deliveryEvidence: Client order data, last 12 months · Impact: High · Trend: Rising · Implication: Same-day is our main product
- Residents back car-free streetsEvidence: Survey in the council street plan · Impact: Low · Trend: Stable · Implication: Use it in our sales pitch
- 💻 Technological
- Route apps cheap for small fleetsEvidence: Three tools under €50 a month · Impact: Medium · Trend: Stable · Implication: More drops per rider per hour
- ⚖️ Legal
- Gig-worker status under reviewEvidence: Government consultation, closes in March · Impact: High · Trend: Rising · Implication: Budget for riders as employees
- E-cargo bike weight and speed rulesEvidence: Current national rules · Impact: Low · Trend: Stable · Implication: Check new bikes comply before buying
- 🌱 Environmental
- Clients ask for carbon reportsEvidence: Two tenders asked for delivery emissions · Impact: Medium · Trend: Rising · Implication: Report CO₂ saved per client
- Hotter summers slow ridersEvidence: Fewer drops per hour last July · Impact: Low · Trend: Rising · Implication: Shift summer rounds to mornings
- 🎯 Next moves
- Pitch city-centre shops before 2028
- Model costs with riders as staff
The low-emission zone could sit under political, legal or environmental. Pick one branch, then link it to the others if it matters there too. What counts is that it is on the map with its implication.
Let ChatGPT or Claude draft it
Connect Atlas Red to ChatGPT or Claude once. It is free. Then ask:
Make a PESTLE analysis map in Atlas Red for [your business] in [your market] over [time frame]. Use the PESTLE analysis template. Give each factor evidence, impact, trend and an implication. Add a branch with the top three moves.
You get the same template, filled in, in your own account. Fix what it got wrong by hand. Or ask for another round.
Questions people ask
What is a PESTLE analysis?
A scan of six outside forces that affect a business: political, economic, social, technological, legal and environmental. You list the factors under each, rate them and write what they mean for you. Strategy teams, consultants, public bodies and students use it before planning.
What is the difference between PEST, PESTLE and PESTEL?
PEST covers four forces: political, economic, social and technological. PESTLE adds legal and environmental. PESTEL has the same six letters in a different order. Use PEST for a quick scan, PESTLE when laws or climate could change your plans. This template starts with all six; delete the branches you don't need.
Is this PESTLE analysis template free?
Yes. It is part of Atlas Red's Free edition: up to 10 maps, kept with no end date, every export included, no credit card. Pro is a one-time $99 payment for unlimited maps.
Can I export the PESTLE analysis template to Word or PowerPoint?
There is no direct Word or PowerPoint export. Every edition exports PDF, PNG, JPEG and SVG images, slides, an interactive web page, Markdown, OPML and plain text. Markdown keeps your fields as "Label: value" lines and pastes into Word or Google Docs.
Can ChatGPT or Claude do a PESTLE analysis for me?
They can draft one. Connect Atlas Red to ChatGPT or Claude — free, never metered. Ask for a PESTLE map of your market. It builds the map from this template in your workspace. Check every factor and source. An assistant can be out of date on new laws and local policy.
PESTLE or SWOT — which comes first?
PESTLE first. It looks only outside the business. A SWOT analysis then adds your own strengths and weaknesses. The high-impact PESTLE factors become its opportunities and threats. For competition inside your industry, use Porter's five forces.
Where does a factor go if it fits two letters?
Put it where its main effect lands. A low-emission zone is a political decision, a legal rule and an environmental goal. If it changes your costs through a new law, file it under legal. Then link it to the other branch. Don't list it twice.