| name | research-content-gap |
| description | Content gap analysis skill for marvinzhang.dev. Reviews existing content on a topic to identify unique angles, underserved audiences, and differentiation opportunities. Use before starting any article to validate that the topic has a unique value proposition worth pursuing. |
| metadata | {"author":"marvinzhang","version":"1.0","tier":"research"} |
Content Gap Research
Validate topic uniqueness and find differentiation angles before writing.
When to Use
- Before starting any new article — "Is this worth writing?"
- When a topic already has extensive coverage elsewhere
- To find a unique angle that justifies the effort
- To understand what existing content misses
Research Process
1. Survey Existing Content
Search for 5-10 existing articles on the same topic:
- Technical blogs (dev.to, Medium, personal blogs)
- Official documentation and guides
- Conference talks and videos
- Books and courses
2. Map the Coverage
For each piece of existing content, document:
| Article | Author/Source | Angle | Depth | Audience | Gap |
|---|
| [Title] | [Source] | [Angle] | Shallow/Medium/Deep | [Who it serves] | [What it misses] |
3. Identify Gaps
Common gaps to look for:
- Depth gap: Existing content is too shallow or too academic
- Audience gap: No content for your specific audience level
- Freshness gap: Existing content is outdated
- Perspective gap: Missing a practitioner/theoretical/comparative view
- Language gap: No quality Chinese content on this topic
- Integration gap: Topic covered in isolation, not connected to broader ecosystem
4. Define Your Unique Value Proposition
Answer:
- What's different? How is your take distinct from what exists?
- Why you? What unique perspective or experience do you bring?
- Why now? What makes this timely?
- For whom? Who specifically will benefit most?
Deliverables
# Content Gap Analysis: [Topic]
## Existing Coverage (Top 5)
| # | Title | Source | Angle | Gap |
|---|-------|--------|-------|-----|
## Identified Gaps
1. [Gap description]
2. [Gap description]
## Unique Value Proposition
**Our angle**: [What makes this article different]
**Target audience**: [Who benefits]
**Timing**: [Why now]
## Recommendation
[Write / Skip / Adjust angle]
Quality Gates
