Before the Hook, There’s Homework: How I Research for Social Content

Scroll. Tap. Scroll. Swipe. Exit.

That’s the brutal reality your social content is competing with—especially in a sea of "just-post-it" strategies. The kind where posts are scheduled out of habit, captions feel like fillers, and the best-performing asset is a product photo someone found on their phone.

But content that actually connects on social? It’s not an accident—and it’s definitely not "just vibes." It’s researched. It’s observed. It’s intentional.

This is my process for ideating, researching, and building social content that earns more than a glance. Whether I’m writing for a B2B SaaS brand, a DTC lifestyle product, or a local boutique—this framework holds. And no, it doesn’t start with a trending audio.

Step 1: Listen Before You Write

I don’t brainstorm in a vacuum. I start with social listening—the low-key superpower of every good content strategist.

Here’s where I listen:

• Comments (your own, your competitors’, your dream brand’s)

• TikTok stitches and replies

• Instagram post threads and DMs

• Reddit threads and customer forums

• Facebook Groups
  

I want to know:

• What people are asking

• What they’re confused about

• What they’re loving (or dragging)
  

These moments are where the story starts. Not in a scheduled prompt—but in the raw, unfiltered spaces where people say what they really think.

Step 2: Audit What Already Works (and What Flopped)

Before I even touch a caption, I check:

• What content has your audience engaged with lately?

• What format, tone, or hook consistently lands?

• What’s getting saved, shared, commented—not just liked?
  

For clients, I pull performance reports and stack them against visuals and voice. Sometimes your best-performing content is that story slide you almost didn’t post. Other times, it’s the caption you wrote in 12 seconds and now everyone thinks you’re a genius. Wild, right?

I document what’s working (and what bombed) to reverse-engineer momentum.

Step 3: Steal Like a Strategist (Not a Copycat)

Trends are just patterns. And patterns are research.

I look across industries—not just competitors—to see:

• What’s resonating?

• What angles are getting people to stop?

• What formats are performing (carousels, raw reels, subtitled stories)?

  
  

I save anything with a hook, pace, or narrative structure that feels fresh—even if it’s about something wildly different.

The goal isn’t to copy—it’s to remix like the resourceful content DJ you are.

Step 4: Turn Insights Into Ideas

This is where I map:

• One pain point → three ways to post about it

• One customer quote → a caption, a reel, and a poll

• One trend → a brand-relevant spin
  

Social content doesn’t need to be shallow. It needs to be skim-smart.

Each post idea answers at least one of these:

• Will someone feel seen?

• Will someone want to share this?

• Will someone think, “That’s exactly it”?
  

If not, it goes back in the drafts. No hard feelings.

Step 5: Match Format to Energy

Not everything needs to be a reel. Not every post needs a caption essay.

I choose formats based on:

• How fast it needs to land

• Whether the message is visual or emotional

• How much friction I want (poll = low, IG carousel = medium, long caption = high)
  

Sometimes a photo says more. Sometimes a three-word slide hits harder than 30 seconds of video.

I don’t chase formats—I use them.

Final Thoughts: Social Isn’t Random—It’s Responsive

The best social content feels effortless. But the best strategic social content? That’s built from research, listening, trend-spotting, and a little intuition.

My best posts—the ones that exploded engagement or flipped followers into buyers—always started with listening.

So if your content calendar feels like a graveyard of “meh” posts, or you’re stuck thinking the algorithm just doesn’t get you…

Go back to the source: the comments, the questions, the complaints, the fan love, the unhinged memes.

That’s where your next post is waiting.