Content Research Skill

# Content Research Skill

> Research topics, trends, competitors, and audience questions to generate content briefs. Combines web search, community mining, and keyword analysis into actionable research documents.

## When to Use

Use this skill when the user wants to:
- Research a topic before writing content
- Find trending subjects in their niche
- Discover what questions their audience is asking
- Analyze competitor content for gaps and opportunities
- Build a content brief with sources and angles
- Find statistics, quotes, or references to support a piece

Trigger phrases: "research this topic", "what's trending in", "content ideas for", "what are people asking about", "competitor content analysis", "find sources for", "research before writing"

## Prerequisites

1. **Web search access** — Claude Code's `WebSearch` tool must be available
2. (Optional) **Ahrefs API** for keyword data — if the Ahrefs MCP server is connected
3. (Optional) **Notion database** for saving research briefs — see `content-writing-notion.md` skill

No API keys are strictly required — the core workflow uses web search. Additional tools enhance depth.

## Workflow

### Phase 1 — Define the Research Scope

1. Ask the user:
   - **Topic or keyword**: What area are we researching?
   - **Purpose**: Blog post? Video script? Social content? Product positioning?
   - **Audience**: Who are we writing for? (role, experience level)
   - **Depth**: Quick scan (10 min) or deep dive (comprehensive)?
2. Set the research plan based on depth:

| Depth | Sources | Output |
|---|---|---|
| Quick scan | Top 5 web results + 1 community source | Bullet-point brief |
| Standard | Top 10 results + 3 communities + keyword data | Structured research doc |
| Deep dive | 15+ sources + competitors + keyword + trends | Full research report |

### Phase 2 — Web Research

Search for the topic across multiple angles:

**Core topic search:**
- `"{topic}" best practices 2025`
- `"{topic}" tutorial guide`
- `"{topic}" common mistakes`

**Audience questions:**
- `"{topic}" reddit` — find real questions people are asking
- `"{topic}" site:stackoverflow.com` — technical questions
- `"{topic}" "how do I"` — beginner intent
- `"{topic}" vs` — comparison intent (auto-suggest reveals alternatives)

**Trend signals:**
- `"{topic}" trends 2025`
- `"{topic}" new features`
- `"{topic}" announcement`

**Expert perspectives:**
- `"{topic}" site:news.ycombinator.com` — Hacker News discussions
- `"{topic}" conference talk`
- `"{topic}" case study`

For each source, extract:
- **Key claims** (with attribution)
- **Data points** (statistics, benchmarks, numbers)
- **Unique angles** not covered elsewhere
- **Controversies or debates** (great for engagement)

### Phase 3 — Community Mining

Dig into community sources for authentic audience questions and pain points:

**Reddit:**
Search relevant subreddits for the topic. Focus on:
- Top questions (sorted by upvotes)
- Pain points mentioned repeatedly
- "I wish..." or "Why can't..." patterns
- Advice threads (what practitioners actually recommend)

**Dev.to / Hashnode / Medium:**
Search for existing content on the topic. Note:
- Which articles performed well (claps, reactions, comments)
- What angle they took
- What's missing or outdated in existing coverage

**Stack Overflow / GitHub Discussions:**
For technical topics:
- Most common errors or confusion points
- Frequently asked questions
- Popular workarounds (sign of a gap in documentation)

### Phase 4 — Keyword & SEO Data (if Ahrefs available)

If the Ahrefs MCP server is connected, pull keyword data:

1. **Keyword overview**: Search volume, difficulty, CPC
2. **Related terms**: Long-tail variations and question keywords
3. **SERP overview**: Who currently ranks and what type of content
4. **Content gap**: What competitors rank for that you don't

Without Ahrefs, use web search to estimate:
- Google autocomplete suggestions (search and note suggestions)
- "People also ask" boxes
- "Related searches" at the bottom of Google results

### Phase 5 — Competitor Content Audit

Identify the top 3-5 existing pieces on this topic:

For each piece, document:

```markdown
### [Article Title](URL)
- **Author / Site**: Who published it
- **Word count**: Approximate length
- **Format**: Tutorial / listicle / opinion / case study
- **Key points covered**: Bullet list
- **Strengths**: What they did well
- **Gaps**: What's missing, outdated, or shallow
- **Engagement signals**: Comments, shares, backlinks (if visible)
```

Synthesize the audit into:
- **Table stakes**: Points every article covers (you must include these)
- **Differentiators**: Angles no one has taken yet
- **Outdated info**: Things that have changed since competitors published

### Phase 6 — Assemble the Research Brief

Compile everything into a structured document:

```markdown
# Content Research Brief: {Topic}

**Date**: {today}
**Researcher**: Claude Code
**Depth**: {quick / standard / deep}

## Topic Overview
{2-3 sentences summarizing the landscape}

## Target Audience
- **Who**: {role, experience level}
- **What they need**: {information, guidance, validation}
- **Where they are**: {platforms they frequent}

## Key Findings

### What the audience is asking
1. {Question from Reddit/community} — [{source}]({url})
2. {Question from Stack Overflow} — [{source}]({url})
3. {Question from forums} — [{source}]({url})

### Data points & statistics
- {Stat 1} — [{source}]({url})
- {Stat 2} — [{source}]({url})
- {Stat 3} — [{source}]({url})

### Expert opinions & quotes
- "{Quote}" — {Expert Name}, {Context} [{source}]({url})

### Trends & signals
- {Trend 1}: {why it matters}
- {Trend 2}: {why it matters}

## Competitor Content Audit
| Article | Site | Strengths | Gaps |
|---|---|---|---|
| {title} | {site} | {strengths} | {gaps} |

## Keyword Data
| Keyword | Volume | Difficulty | Intent |
|---|---|---|---|
| {keyword} | {vol} | {diff} | {intent} |

## Recommended Content Angles
1. **{Angle 1}**: {Why this works — gap it fills}
2. **{Angle 2}**: {Why this works — unique perspective}
3. **{Angle 3}**: {Why this works — audience demand}

## Suggested Outline (for top recommended angle)
- H1: {Title}
- H2: {Section 1}
- H2: {Section 2}
- H2: {Section 3}
- H2: {Conclusion / CTA}

## Sources
1. [{Title}]({url}) — {one-line summary}
2. [{Title}]({url}) — {one-line summary}
...
```

### Phase 7 — Save & Handoff

1. Save the research brief locally:
   ```bash
   mkdir -p ./research
   # Save as: research/{slugified-topic}-{date}.md
   ```
2. (Optional) Push to Notion if the content-writing-notion skill is available
3. If the user wants to proceed to writing, hand off to the content-writing skill with the brief as context

## Customization Points

| Variable | Description | Where to Set |
|---|---|---|
| Niche / industry | Changes which communities and keywords to focus on | Phase 1 input |
| Competitor list | Pre-define competitors to always check | Create `competitors.json` |
| Keyword tool | Ahrefs (MCP), or manual Google suggestions | Depends on available tools |
| Output location | Local `./research/` dir or Notion database | Phase 7 config |
| Research depth | Quick / Standard / Deep — controls thoroughness | Phase 1 input |

## Troubleshooting

| Issue | Fix |
|---|---|
| Web search returning irrelevant results | Narrow the query with quotes and site-specific operators |
| No community discussions found | Try broader terms or adjacent topics. Some niches are quieter. |
| Ahrefs not available | Fall back to Google autocomplete and "People also ask" mining |
| Research brief too long | Use "Quick scan" depth. Limit to top 5 sources. |
| Competitor content is paywalled | Note it as a gap — your free content can capture that audience |
| Topic too broad | Ask the user to narrow to a specific subtopic or angle |