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Chapter 10 — Content Research

Before scripting a workflow, you usually want to know what's working in the niche right now. What hooks are people using? Which creators are blowing up? What formats are getting saves and shares vs. just views?

This chapter walks through doing that research and turning it into a creative template the Script Writer and Visual Planner can apply.

Chapter at a glance

flowchart LR
    A[Schwartz<br/>awareness levels] --> B[Research<br/>the niche]
    B --> C[Scan a<br/>creator]
    C --> D[Transcribe<br/>reference videos]
    D --> E[Build a<br/>creative template]

Research that turns into a template the Script Writer + Visual Planner can use.

What you'll learn

  • Why content research matters and when to do it (before scripting, not after)
  • The Schwartz framework — 5 levels of audience awareness and how they shape hook strategy
  • How to research a niche using the last30days skill
  • How to scan a creator's account using the creator-scanner skill
  • How to transcribe reference videos using the whisper skill
  • How to turn research findings into a creative template the Script Writer can use
  • How to hand the template off so the pipeline picks it up correctly

Before this chapter

Read Chapter 9 — Add a Product or Account. Research typically happens for a specific product / niche / account combination.

Sections

  1. Schwartz Framework & Why Research Matters — the lens for organizing research findings
  2. Researching a Niche with last30days — fresh-trend research mechanics
  3. Scanning a Creator with creator-scanner — drill into a specific account's format
  4. Transcribing Reference Videos with whisper — exact dialogue + pacing
  5. Building a Creative Template — synthesize research into a reusable format

Try this

Pick a niche and produce a creative template the Script Writer can use later.

Steps:

  1. Run the last30days skill against your niche to surface what's been working recently (Researching a niche)
  2. From the results, pick one creator whose content lands consistently. Run the creator-scanner skill on them (Scanning a creator)
  3. Pick the strongest viral example from that creator. Transcribe it with the whisper skill (Transcribing reference videos)
  4. Identify the Schwartz awareness level the hook is targeting (Schwartz Framework)
  5. Synthesize findings into a creative template (Building a creative template). The template should capture: person + environment + dominant style + lens feel + camera quality + color palette + vibe + production level

If you hit:

  • last30days returns too much noise → narrow the niche. See Researching a niche for filter strategies
  • Creator-scanner picks up content you didn't ask for → the skill's defaults are wide. See Scanning a creator for tighter targeting
  • You're not sure what awareness level your audience is at → re-read Schwartz Framework. Hook strategy hinges on this
  • Template feels generic → it's missing concrete signal. Go back to the reference video, extract specifics (the exact wardrobe item, the exact background prop) — generic = unusable

When you're ready

→ Next: Chapter 11 — The Pipeline in Detail. Before creating a video from scratch, learn the full agent cast in depth, the prehook concept, PiP format, storyboarding logic, and the architecture patterns that make workflows maintainable.