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

Brittani Wynn
May 26
4 min read

TL;DR: Research That Resonates

Great content doesn’t start with writing. It starts with listening, digging, and decoding what your audience actually cares about. This guide breaks down how I go from vague prompts to high-performing content using a repeatable research process rooted in empathy, voice-of-customer gold, and smart competitive insights. Whether it’s scouring Reddit, quoting real customers, or spotting patterns across platforms, this isn’t fluff — it’s fuel for strategy that sticks. AI can support, but human instinct still leads.

Because content that connects? It’s not magic. It’s method. ________________________________________________________________ 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, what podcasts they tune into, 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, and community forums
Watch interviews or listen to podcasts featuring customers, industry experts, or founders
Scan reviews and testimonials to understand what made people buy and 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 is 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, and TikTok comment sections
Podcasts, live interviews, and panel discussions

Whether it’s someone saying, “The dashboard makes no sense,” or “I just need to know if this will integrate with our stack,” 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 went 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 experiment with tone variations or language swaps

What I don’t do: copy and 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 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

I also check out the interviews, keynotes, or industry podcasts they’ve appeared on. Sometimes what’s not said in a blog post is said out loud in a panel discussion or founder AMA.

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, but 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 to 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.