research-content-gap

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• Freshness gap: Existing content is outdated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

• Reviewed 5+ existing articles on the topic
• Gaps clearly articulated (not just "we haven't written about it")
• Unique value proposition is specific and defensible
• Target audience identified
• Clear recommendation: write, skip, or adjust angle