From Blank Page to Bookmarked: My Research Process for High-Impact Content

I love romanticizing my work. I really do. There’s something about a fresh notebook, an over-caffeinated brain, and the right playlist that makes it feel like magic’s about to happen. And sometimes, it does.

But the kind of writing that gets bookmarked, forwarded, screenshotted, or quoted in meetings? That’s not magic. That’s method.

It starts long before the writing ever does—with research. Focused, grounded, human-centered research. The kind that lets you step into someone’s world instead of just filling a word count.

Every piece that’s performed well for me—whether it was an ebook, blog post, product narrative, or content strategy doc—started with deep, intentional digging.

This is my research process. Equal parts investigative journalism, emotional detective work, competitive scouting, and creative gut-check. It’s how I turn vague prompts into sharp strategy—and bland briefs into content that connects.

Step 1: Understand Your Audience on a Human Level

I don’t stop at job titles and company size. That’s like launching a brand based only on your font choice. I want to know their mindset, what keeps them up at night, what emails they skip, and what jokes they’d actually laugh at.

How I do it:

• Ask internal teams (sales, CS, product) for the “real talk” version of the persona

• Dig through Reddit threads, Slack groups, Twitter/X replies, community forums

• Scan reviews and testimonials—what made people buy? What made them churn?
  

Goal: Get to a place where I can write a line that makes them say, “Wait, who let this person inside my head?”

And let me be clear: that line? It’s not about you. It’s about them. That’s the real unlock.

Step 2: Dig Deep for Real Voice-of-Customer Insights

This is where I become a quote thief (the legal kind). I’m not looking for polished prose. I’m after messy, unfiltered, mid-rant magic. The raw phrasing that reveals what your customer is frustrated with, dreaming of, or confused by—but won’t say on a sales call.

Where I look:

• G2 and Capterra reviews (for B2B)

• Google, Yelp, and Facebook reviews (for B2C)

• Chat transcripts, NPS verbatims, and customer service call summaries

• YouTube comments, Amazon Q&As, Reddit rants, TikTok comment sections

• In-store or live event feedback (when available)
  

Whether it’s someone saying, “My couch looked nothing like the photos,” or “I just want to know when I’m getting paid,” I treat all of it like insight gold.

Example: I once built an entire content strategy around a G2 review that said, “We don’t even care if the data’s perfect. We just want to stop second-guessing everything.” That line? Straight into a headline

When you treat customers like co-writers, your job gets easier—and your copy gets better.

Step 3: Use AI as a Companion, Not a Crutch

Let’s get this out of the way: AI is a tool. It’s not your strategy. It’s not your gut instinct. And it definitely shouldn’t be your final draft.

How I use it:

• To summarize long call transcripts or pull initial themes

• To ideate headline angles when I’m tapped out

• To play with tone variations or language swaps
  

What I don’t do: copy/paste outputs and call it content. AI can’t hear the sigh in your customer’s voice. It doesn’t know how to connect their frustration to your feature. That’s your job.

AI is great at speed. But resonance? That still takes a human.

Step 4: Analyze the Competitive Landscape Thoughtfully

You know what’s worse than boring copy? Boring copy that sounds exactly like everyone else’s.

That’s why part of my research process includes a competitive sweep—not to “benchmark,” but to:

• See what angles they’re overplaying

• Spot what they’re afraid to say

• Identify the white space no one’s owning
  

Then I come in with content that hits a nerve, not a template.

Step 5: Turn Research into Strategic Direction

This is where everything starts to click. I take all the quotes, insights, frustrations, gaps, and opportunities—and shape them into a narrative with intention.

Before I write anything, I answer:

• What does the audience believe right now?

• What do I want them to believe by the end?

• What objections do I need to ease or reframe?
  

This turns research into movement. Not just informing—transforming.

Step 6: Organize and Structure Before You Write

A strong structure isn’t limiting. It’s liberating. When you know your key beats, your story writes itself.

How I do it:

• Draft a working headline that sets the tone

• Identify 3–5 must-hit messaging beats

• Match insights to emotional turning points

• Place quotes and data where they’ll land hardest
  

Outlines aren’t homework. They’re how I get to the heart of a message faster.

Bonus Lessons From the Trenches

• Boring briefs are not an excuse. Dig deeper. There’s always an angle.

• Great research is empathy in action. It shows up in the writing.

• If you’re stuck, go back to the pain. That’s where the clarity is.

• A well-placed joke is a strategy. Humor builds trust faster.

• AI won’t save you. Curiosity might. Ask better questions. That’s where the gold lives.
  

Final Thoughts: Research Is the Unsung Hero of Great Content

You can’t shortcut clarity. You can’t automate emotional insight. You can’t wing your way to content that connects.

But you can show up, ask better questions, listen harder, and dig deeper.

That’s what I do. That’s how I write. And it’s what I bring into every project I touch—because strategy without research is just guesswork with nicer fonts.

So stop staring at the blank doc. Go listen. Go dig. Go find the stuff no one else is brave or curious enough to uncover.

That’s where your best content lives.