content-research

Content Research Skill

Gather and synthesize raw information on a single topic into a structured brief that serves as the foundation for multi-platform content creation.

Workflow

1. Receive topic from user or identify trending topic in niche
2. Research using web search, news, and authoritative sources
3. Synthesize findings into the Research Brief format
4. Output structured brief for downstream content generation

Research Goals

When researching a topic, focus on:

1. 3-5 significant recent developments - What's new and noteworthy?
2. 1-2 surprising statistics - Data that challenges assumptions or creates shock value
3. Core narrative - What's the bigger story or trend?
4. Key players - Companies, tools, or people driving the change
5. Actionable takeaway - One clear action the audience can take

Output Format

Always structure the research brief as follows:

## Research Brief: [Topic]

**Core Narrative:** [1-2 sentence summary of the main story or trend]

**Key Developments:**
1. [Development 1]: [Brief description with source]
2. [Development 2]: [Brief description with source]
3. [Development 3]: [Brief description with source]

**Surprising Data:**
- [Statistic]: [Context and source link]

**Key Players:**
- [Company/Tool/Person 1]
- [Company/Tool/Person 2]

**Actionable Takeaway:** [Single, clear action someone can take]

**Sources:**
- [Source 1 URL]
- [Source 2 URL]

Quality Checklist

Before completing the research brief, verify:

• All claims have credible sources
• Statistics are recent (within last 6 months preferred)
• Core narrative is clear and compelling
• Takeaway is specific and actionable
• Brief is concise (under 500 words)

Next Steps

After completing the research brief, proceed to:

• twitter-thread-generator - Convert brief into Twitter thread
• linkedin-post-adapter - Adapt for LinkedIn audience
• newsletter-expander - Expand into full newsletter issue