client-competitor-research

name	client-competitor-research
description	Runs full competitor and trend research for a BCA client across the internet and every major social platform. Use when onboarding a new client, refreshing an existing client's content strategy, looking for content gaps, or asking "what's trending in [client industry]", "what are competitors doing", "what should [client] post about", "research [client industry]", "find content ideas for [client]", "what's working in [niche] right now", or any request involving competitor analysis, trend research, or landscape mapping for a BC client. This skill scans Google, ChatGPT-style search intent, Reddit, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, and LinkedIn to find what's trending, what's working, and where the white space is. It then outputs a structured research report into the client's Notion strategy doc plus a shortlist of ready-to-script content ideas.
metadata	{"version":"1.0.0"}

Client Competitor Research — Better Collective Agency

Purpose

This skill runs a full competitor and trend research pass for a BCA client. The output powers:

1. Client onboarding — the research goes into the strategy doc so Abbie can sign it off
2. Ongoing campaigns — refreshed every quarter so content stays aligned with what's actually trending
3. Content idea generation — feeds the Content Scripter skill with niche-specific, trend-backed ideas

The goal is simple: never let a BC client post into a vacuum. Every campaign should be informed by what's trending in their niche right now, what their competitors are doing well (and badly), and where the white space is.

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When To Use This Skill

Trigger when the user asks:

• "Research [client] or [industry]"
• "What's trending in [niche]"
• "What are [client]'s competitors doing"
• "Find content ideas for [client]"
• "What should [client] post about this month"
• "Refresh [client]'s strategy"
• "Competitor analysis for [client]"
• "Onboarding research for [new client]"
• Any request involving landscape mapping, white space, trend scanning, or benchmarking for a BC client

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Inputs Required

Before running the skill, collect:

1. Client name (for output destination in Notion)
2. Client industry / niche (be specific — "plumber" is too broad, "emergency plumbing + hot water repair in Brisbane Northside" is right)
3. Location (city/region for local relevance)
4. Target audience (demographic, psychographic, stage of buyer journey)
5. Known competitors (3-5 direct competitor names or handles, if available)
6. Service type (trades, psych, finance broker, physio, etc.)
7. Research scope — Ask the user:
   • Quick pulse (20 min — key trends + 10 content ideas)
   • Full research (45-60 min — competitors, trends, white space, 20 content ideas)
   • Strategic deep-dive (2+ hours — includes positioning recommendations and 30+ ideas)

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The 7 Research Streams

Run these streams in parallel where possible. Not every client needs every stream — quick pulse mode skips LinkedIn and deep Reddit analysis.

Stream 1: Google + Search Intent Research

Use WebSearch to find:

• Top-ranking articles in the client's niche (what questions are people asking?)
• "People Also Ask" data (the actual questions being searched)
• Industry news, regulatory changes, or trends shifting the market
• Local SEO competitors (Google Maps top 10 in the area)
• Any Google Trends spikes related to the niche

What to extract:

• 10-20 search queries people are making right now
• 5-10 pain points surfacing in articles
• 3-5 industry trends or shifts worth mentioning in content

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Stream 2: ChatGPT / LLM Search Intent

Query the web for what people are asking AI tools about this niche. Use WebSearch with queries like:

• "most asked questions about [niche]"
• "[industry] pain points [current year]"
• "[niche] mistakes customers make"
• "[service] how to choose"

What to extract:

• The questions AI search is being asked (these become Value Add Talking Head topics)
• Common misconceptions (great for confrontational hooks)
• Decision criteria buyers use

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Stream 3: Reddit Deep Dive

Use the reddit-insights skill or WebSearch with site:reddit.com.

Search for:

• Pain points in the niche ("my plumber did [X], is this normal?")
• Buying triggers ("I need a [service] because...")
• Horror stories and frustrations (gold for hooks)
• Recommendations people give each other
• Specific subreddits for the niche (e.g. r/HomeImprovement, r/AusFinance, r/mentalhealth)

What to extract:

• 10-15 raw pain point quotes (verbatim) that can become hooks
• Top 5 recurring questions in the niche
• Unmet needs nobody's talking about

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Stream 4: YouTube Trends

Use WebSearch for:

• site:youtube.com [niche] [current year]
• Most-viewed videos in the niche (YouTube Search with sort by views)
• Rising creators in the space
• Top trending formats (long-form how-tos vs shorts vs vlogs)

Alternatively use the youtube-summarizer skill if a specific video is worth analysing.

What to extract:

• 5-10 top-performing video topics
• Hook styles that are working (first 3 seconds)
• Format patterns (talking head, B-roll heavy, voiceover, etc.)
• Average engagement on top content

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Stream 5: Instagram Trends + Competitor Analysis

Use WebSearch and/or the apify-competitor-intelligence skill to pull:

• Top performing Reels in the niche (hashtag searches)
• Competitor accounts posting consistently (follower count, engagement rate)
• Trending audio being used in the niche
• Hook formats that are getting reach
• Hashtags competitors are using successfully

For each competitor analysed:

• Posting cadence (how many per week)
• Content pillar mix (what % talking head vs BTS vs promotional)
• Average reach and engagement
• Their best post in the last 90 days (with link)
• What they're NOT posting (white space for BC's client)

What to extract:

• 5-10 top-performing Reel examples (with links)
• 3-5 hook formulas that work in this niche
• Trending audio list
• Posting cadence and content mix benchmark

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Stream 6: TikTok Trends

Use WebSearch for:

• site:tiktok.com [niche]
• [niche] TikTok trends [current month] [current year]
• Trending sounds relevant to the industry

Same analysis as Instagram stream but focused on TikTok's distinct format (more casual, audio-led, faster pace).

What to extract:

• Top 5 viral formats adapted to this niche
• TikTok-specific hooks that worked
• Audio trends worth jumping on this week

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Stream 7: LinkedIn (B2B-relevant clients only)

Skip this for trades. Use for psych, finance, B2B service providers.

Use WebSearch for:

• site:linkedin.com [industry] [current year]
• Top voices in the niche
• Trending topics in industry hashtags
• Thought leadership content performing well

What to extract:

• 3-5 thought leadership angles
• Industry conversations the client could join
• B2B hook styles that work

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Output Format

Create a structured report in the client's Notion workspace under Strategy → Competitor + Landscape Research (or create this section if it doesn't exist).

Report Structure

# Competitor + Landscape Research — [CLIENT NAME]
**Date:** [YYYY-MM-DD]
**Researcher:** [Claude via skill]
**Scope:** [Quick / Full / Deep-dive]

## 1. Executive Summary
- Top 3 trends we should lean into this quarter
- Biggest white space opportunity
- One-line positioning recommendation

## 2. Search Intent + What People Are Asking
### Google + ChatGPT search queries
- [List of 10-20 real queries]

### Top pain points surfacing across search
- [List of 5-10 pain points with source]

## 3. Reddit Intelligence
### Verbatim pain points (use as hook material)
- [Quote] — source: [subreddit]
- [Quote] — source: [subreddit]

### Recurring questions in the niche
- [Question 1]
- [Question 2]

### Unmet needs (white space)
- [What nobody's talking about]

## 4. YouTube Performance
### Top performing videos in the niche
| Title | Channel | Views | Format | Why it worked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ... | ... | ... | ... | ... |

### Hook styles that work
- [Pattern 1 with example]

## 5. Instagram Competitive Analysis
### Competitor snapshot
| Account | Followers | Cadence | Best post (link) | Strength | Weakness |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... |

### Top performing Reels in the niche
- [Link + 1 line why it worked]

### Trending audio worth using
- [Audio name] — best for [content type]

### Hook formulas that are working right now
1. [Pattern with example]
2. [Pattern with example]

## 6. TikTok Trends
### Top viral formats adapted to this niche
- [Format 1]

### Trending audio (this week)
- [Audio 1]

## 7. LinkedIn Intelligence (if applicable)
- [Thought leadership angles]

## 8. White Space Analysis
**What BC's client should own that nobody else is doing:**
- [Opportunity 1 with reasoning]
- [Opportunity 2 with reasoning]
- [Opportunity 3 with reasoning]

## 9. Content Idea Shortlist
Ready to feed into the Content Scripter skill. Map each to a BC content pillar.

| Idea | Pillar | Funnel stage | Hook angle | Source of insight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ... | Value Add Talking Head | Middle | ... | Reddit pain point |
| ... | Founder-Led | Top | ... | YouTube trend |

## 10. Recommended Next Actions
- [ ] Abbie reviews and signs off
- [ ] Top 10 ideas added to client's Content Ideas database
- [ ] Content Scripter skill run against the shortlist
- [ ] Refresh this research in [3 months]

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Writing Into Notion

Target: The client's strategy doc in their Notion workspace. Find it via the notion-search tool using the client name.

If the strategy doc doesn't have a "Competitor + Landscape Research" section yet, create one as a new toggle heading and write the report inside.

Also populate:

• The client's Content Ideas / Shoot Briefs database with the shortlist from Section 9. Set Status = "Idea" and assign the correct Content Type for each row. Put the hook, source, and funnel stage in the page body.

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Paired Skills

This skill works alongside:

• reddit-insights — deeper semantic Reddit search for Stream 3
• last30days — if the user wants a fast "what's trending right now" cut across Reddit + X + web
• apify-competitor-intelligence — for full Instagram / TikTok / YouTube competitor extraction
• apify-market-research — for geographic + pricing + consumer behaviour data
• competitive-cartographer — for the positioning recommendation layer (Section 8 white space analysis)
• deep-research — if the user wants a 2-10 minute autonomous deep research pass via Gemini
• content-scripter — consumes the Section 9 idea shortlist and turns it into shoot briefs

When the user requests deep strategic work, orchestrate these together rather than doing everything inside this one skill.

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Research Cadence

• New client onboarding: Full research (Stream 1-6, + 7 if B2B). Mandatory before any scripting.
• Quarterly refresh: Quick pulse. 20 minutes. Surface what's changed.
• Monthly idea injection: Streams 3, 5, 6 only. Feed new ideas into the Content Ideas database.
• Ad hoc: When the user asks "what's trending in [client's niche]" — run a quick pulse and summarise.

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Rules

1. Never skip the client context inputs. Guessing a niche leads to generic research.
2. Always tie findings back to the BC content pillars — Value Add Talking Head, Personality, Founder-Led, BTS, Fun/Trending, Promotional, Social Proof.
3. Every idea in Section 9 must map to a pillar and a funnel stage. No loose ideas.
4. Verbatim Reddit quotes are gold. Use them as hooks directly, or adapt. Real human language beats anything Claude generates.
5. White space > copying competitors. The goal isn't to do what they do, it's to find what they're missing.
6. Output goes into Notion, not just the chat. The team needs to be able to find it later.
7. Date-stamp every report. Trends age fast — a report older than 3 months needs refreshing.
8. Flag regulated industries. For psych, finance, and medical clients, double-check any claims made in suggested content ideas. Don't output legally risky hook angles.

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Quality Check Before Outputting

• All 7 streams run (or explicitly skipped with reason)
• Report written into the client's Notion strategy doc
• Section 9 shortlist has at least 10 ideas (Quick) / 20 ideas (Full) / 30+ ideas (Deep)
• Every idea is mapped to a BC pillar + funnel stage
• Verbatim Reddit quotes included where relevant
• Date stamped
• Summary of top 3 trends in Section 1 is punchy and actionable
• White space analysis is specific, not generic
• Next actions include Abbie sign-off

The standard: a BC coordinator should be able to open this report and start building a campaign immediately, with zero guessing about what the client's niche actually cares about right now.