How to Write a Prompt for Market Research and Content Strategy

Viral Intelligence Lab

Enter a topic. Configure your strategy if needed. Generate a research-first master prompt that makes an LLM investigate the market, competition, audience psychology and content opportunities before recommending what to create.

Topic is the only required input.

01 — Core Topic

Start with just one topic. Everything else can be researched or inferred by the LLM.

Your topic *

Topic treatment Discover the strongest angle independently Explain the topic deeply Challenge a popular belief Investigate a mystery Reveal an overlooked truth Tell a story Compare competing ideas Expose a problem or contradiction Provide a practical solution Explore a controversial debate Investigative journalism

Audience knowledge Infer from research Complete beginner General public Intermediate Expert Mixed knowledge levels

02 — Niche & Audience Intelligence

Identify who cares, what they secretly want to know and why they would stop scrolling.

Niche / sub-niche

Target audience

Geography / market

Content languageDetermine from audience and opportunityEnglishHindiBengali — Kolkata colloquialHinglishBanglishOther / infer best languageMultiple languages

Audience pain, desire or curiosity

Primary audience intentDiscover through researchEntertainmentLearn somethingSolve a problemIdentity / belongingDebate / opinionNews / current affairsInspirationPurchase research

Psychological triggers to investigate

Curiosity gap Surprise / unexpected truth Relatability / identity Practical value Mystery / suspense Shareability Emotion / empathy Evidence-backed controversy Humour Awe / revelation

03 — Platform & Distribution

A viral idea on one platform may fail on another. Analyse native audience behaviour, recommendation systems and discovery mechanisms.

Target platforms

YouTube long-form YouTube Shorts Instagram Reels Instagram carousel / posts Facebook TikTok LinkedIn X Reddit Blog / Google Search Podcast WhatsApp / private sharing

Distribution strategyResearch best organic distribution strategyOrganic onlyOrganic + paid advertisingCreator collaborationsCommunity-led distributionSearch-led evergreen growthMulti-platform repurposing

Account statusResearch assumptions for a typical creatorNew account / zero audienceSmall accountEstablished accountLarge accountUse my existing account data below

Existing audience size

Primary success metricMaximise qualified organic reachViews / impressionsWatch time / retentionShares / sendsSavesComments / discussionFollowers / subscribersLeads / enquiriesSales / conversionsSearch traffic

04 — Format, Length & Production

Ask the model to recommend the format that best fits the evidence, not automatically the trendiest format.

Content formatRecommend format after researchFace-to-cameraFaceless documentaryStory-led narrationInvestigative video essayStreet interviewPodcast / conversationAnimation / motion graphicsAI-generated visual storytellingScreen recording / tutorialList / rankingCase study / experimentNews analysisStatic image / posterCarousel / infographicText post / threadBlog / articleMixed media

Duration / lengthDetermine optimal length through researchUnder 15 seconds15–30 seconds30–60 seconds1–3 minutes3–5 minutes5–10 minutes10–20 minutes20+ minutesText: under 300 wordsText: 300–800 wordsLong-form article

Available resourcesInfer practical minimum production needsPhone onlyPhone + basic editingCamera + editorResearch + stock footageAI tools availableProfessional production teamFlexible budget / resources

Budget / production limits

Creator presenceRecommend best approachCreator appears on cameraVoice-over onlyFaceless, no narrationInterview-ledAI presenterText-led

Publishing capacityInfer sustainable frequencyDaily3–4 times a week1–2 times a weekWeekly flagship contentOne-off campaign

05 — Competition & Content Saturation

Identify direct competitors, adjacent niches, proven formats, repetitive ideas and underserved audiences.

Competition scopeSearch direct and adjacent competitorsLocal / regional creatorsNational creatorsGlobal creatorsEstablished publishers and mediaAll relevant competitor levels

Market saturationMeasure empiricallyLow competition / emerging topicModerate competitionHighly saturated topicOversaturated but seeking a new angle

Competitor research windowRecent 90 days + historical benchmarksLast 7 daysLast 30 daysLast 6 monthsLast 12 monthsEvergreen / all-time

Known competitors / URLs

Competitor analysis requirements

Best-performing content Hooks, titles and thumbnails Comments and audience questions Content gaps Format and pacing Engagement and retention signals Repetition and audience fatigue Small creators outperforming large ones Cross-niche inspiration Competitor weaknesses

06 — Originality & Differentiation

The goal is not merely to find a topic with views. It is to find an angle that feels fresh, defensible and worth sharing.

Originality tests

Check whether the idea already exists Find overlooked details Challenge assumptions Connect different disciplines Find primary evidence Counterintuitive explanations Local / cultural perspective Substantive novelty test

Desired novelty levelHigh novelty with evidence and feasibilityLow-risk proven concept with a new angleUnconventional / out-of-the-boxExperimental / polarising but defensibleEvidence-first, regardless of novelty

Clichés / approaches to avoid

Originality cannot be guaranteed from a search alone. Require the model to report what it searched, what it found, the limits of its verification and how the proposed execution differs from existing examples.

07 — Information Availability & Fact Verification

Check whether the topic can support a strong, accurate piece of content before investing in production.

Evidence to search for

Academic research Official data / reports Primary sources Reliable journalism Search demand Community discussions Existing content Visual assets Expert access Rights and permissions

Research accessUse available browsing and research toolsWeb search onlyResearch tools and supplied filesNo live web access: disclose limitationsUse only sources I provide

Evidence standardStrong evidence; triangulate important claimsPrimary sources wherever possibleAcademic / technical standardJournalistic verificationExploratory; clearly label uncertainty

Freshness requirementCheck current information and publication datesBreaking / last 24–72 hoursLast 7 daysLast 30 daysEvergreen research; recency secondary

Preferred sources / exclusions

08 — Hook, Story & Retention Engineering

Design the entire viewing experience. A powerful opening cannot rescue a weak middle or an unearned conclusion.

Story and retention mechanisms

Multiple hook options Open loops and payoffs Escalation and reveals Pattern interrupts Proof and demonstrations Midpoint revelation Strong payoff Natural pacing Earned interaction Honest resolution

ToneInfer the strongest tone for this topicBold and intellectually provocativeInvestigative and seriousDark / suspensefulConversational and relatableFunny / satiricalEmotional / humanCalm and analyticalUrgent and news-drivenDocumentary realism

Provocation levelBold but evidence-ledConservative and neutralStrongly contrarian when justifiedHigh tension, never misleadingLight, accessible and non-confrontational

Call to actionRecommend based on audience intentNo CTA; pure valueEncourage meaningful discussionEncourage sharingFollow / subscribeSave / revisitVisit websiteLead / enquiry / sale

Brand / creator identity

09 — Packaging & Discoverability

Analyse the promise that earns attention before the content begins, and whether the packaging accurately delivers it.

Deliverables to generate

10 title ideas 10 opening hooks Thumbnail / cover concepts SEO / keywords Captions / hashtags First-frame concepts Platform adaptations Evergreen vs trend

Known keywords / search phrases

10 — Risk, Ethics & Accuracy

Mandatory safeguards

No invented facts Separate fact from inference No deceptive clickbait Legal / policy checks Extra care for high-stakes topics Check bias and stereotypes

Other restrictions

11 — Testing & Performance Forecast

Ask for a reasoned hypothesis and testing plan, not a promise of guaranteed virality.

Testing approachPrioritise low-cost tests and measurable hypothesesCompare multiple hooksCompare titles / thumbnailsTest multiple formatsTest several audience segmentsOne high-quality flagship execution

Performance benchmarkUse comparable content and disclose uncertaintyMy own previous contentRelevant competitorsPlatform / niche benchmarksNo reliable benchmark available

Campaign horizonInitial launch + 30-day learning cycle48-hour trend opportunity7-day test30-day experiment90-day content strategyEvergreen long-term growth

Creative risk toleranceBalanced: evidence-led experimentationLow riskModerate riskHigh creative risk

12 — Final Research Output

Define what the LLM must return, in what order and with what level of detail.

Required output sections

Go / no-go verdict Sources and confidence Demand analysis Competition map Ranked content ideas Originality audit Best concept and angle Detailed content blueprint Packaging and retention Production plan Testing framework Repurposing plan

Research depthDeep research: investigate before concludingFast opportunity scanStandard researchExhaustive research within available access

Presentation styleStructured report, tables and actionable conclusionsConcise strategic briefingDetailed narrative reportStep-by-step execution playbookCreator-ready production document

Additional instructions

Generated Master Prompt

Copy this prompt into an LLM with web research / deep research capabilities where available. The prompt itself does not perform the research.

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