/audience-research

name: audience-research
description: "Discover where your audience actually pays attention online using Rand Fishkin's behavioral intelligence methodology—beyond demographics to actionable media affinity data. Use when: **Find where to reach your audience** beyond Google and Facebook ads; **Discover podcasts, YouTube channels, and publications** your audience follows; **Identify influencers and accounts** with real audience overlap; **Plan PR and media outreach** with data-backed target lists; **Improve ad targeting** on YouTube,..."
license: MIT
metadata:
  author: ClawFu
  version: 1.0.0
  mcp-server: "@clawfu/mcp-skills"

Audience Research

> Discover where your audience actually pays attention online using Rand Fishkin's behavioral intelligence methodology—beyond demographics to actionable media affinity data.

When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when you need to:

• **Find where to reach your audience** beyond Google and Facebook ads
• **Discover podcasts, YouTube channels, and publications** your audience follows
• **Identify influencers and accounts** with real audience overlap
• **Plan PR and media outreach** with data-backed target lists
• **Improve ad targeting** on YouTube, Meta, and other platforms
• **Create content that resonates** by understanding what your audience already engages with
• **Find sponsorship and partnership opportunities** with creators and publications
• **Validate or challenge assumptions** about your target market

This skill is particularly valuable for:

• Marketers who want to reach audiences beyond their current network
• PR professionals seeking hidden gem publications to pitch
• Content strategists planning distribution strategies
• Brands launching into new markets or segments
• Anyone tired of guessing where their audience hangs out

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Methodology Foundation

**Source:** Rand Fishkin - SparkToro / Audience Intelligence methodology

**Core Principle:** Traditional market research (surveys, interviews) cannot reliably tell you where to reach audiences you don't already reach. Behavioral data—what people actually visit, read, watch, listen to, and follow—fills this gap at scale.

> "Audience research has always been about what are the places where this audience pays attention. The beautiful thing about the web is it got way more granular."

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What Claude Does vs What You Decide

| Claude Does | You Decide | |-------------|------------| | Structures production workflow | Final creative direction | | Suggests technical approaches | Equipment and tool choices | | Creates templates and checklists | Quality standards | | Identifies best practices | Brand/voice decisions | | Generates script outlines | Final script approval |

What This Skill Does

When invoked, I will guide you through modern audience research:

1. **Define your audience query** in behavioral terms 2. **Identify affinity data** - websites, podcasts, YouTube, social accounts 3. **Analyze search behavior** - keywords, questions, trending topics 4. **Extract self-description patterns** - bio keywords, hashtags, skills 5. **Map the competitive landscape** - who else reaches your audience 6. **Prioritize actionable channels** for marketing, PR, content, ads 7. **Synthesize into problem-specific insights** (not generic personas)

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How to Use

Provide information about your target audience:

**Example prompts:**

• "Help me find where interior designers spend their time online"
• "I need to identify podcasts and YouTube channels for B2B SaaS marketers"
• "Research the online behaviors of sustainability-focused consumers"
• "Find hidden gem publications for pitching our fintech startup"
• "Discover influencers with real overlap to our developer audience"

**Information that helps:**

• Description of your target audience (role, industry, interests)
• Current assumptions about where they pay attention
• Competitors or comparable brands
• Marketing channels you've already tried
• Specific goals (PR outreach, content strategy, ad targeting, etc.)

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Instructions

Phase 1: Define the Audience Query

**Critical shift:** Don't think in demographics—think in behaviors.

**Wrong approach:**

• "Marketing managers, 35-45, mid-size companies"

**Right approach:**

• "People who search for 'marketing automation tools'"
• "People who follow marketing thought leaders on LinkedIn"
• "People who listen to B2B marketing podcasts"

**Query Formats:**

| Query Type | Example | Best For | |------------|---------|----------| | **Job role** | "Content marketers" | B2B targeting | | **Interest** | "Sustainable fashion" | Consumer markets | | **Search behavior** | "People who search 'CRM software'" | Bottom-funnel intent | | **Social following** | "Followers of @HubSpot" | Competitive intelligence | | **Website visitors** | "People who visit techcrunch.com" | Media affinity |

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Phase 2: Gather Affinity Data

For your defined audience, identify:

Websites & Publications

What do they actually visit and read?

• Industry news sites
• Niche blogs
• Trade publications
• Community forums
• Educational resources

Podcasts

What do they listen to during commute/work?

• Industry-specific shows
• Thought leader interviews
• Educational content
• News and analysis

YouTube Channels

What do they watch and subscribe to?

• How-to content
• Industry commentary
• Product reviews
• Educational series

Social Accounts

Who do they follow and engage with?

• Thought leaders
• Industry experts
• Brand accounts
• Media personalities

Online Communities

Where do they participate?

• Subreddits
• Slack communities
• Discord servers
• Facebook groups
• LinkedIn groups

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Phase 3: Analyze Search Behavior

**Keywords They Search:**

• What problems are they trying to solve?
• What solutions are they exploring?
• What questions do they ask?

**Trending Topics:**

• What's gaining attention in their space?
• What conversations are emerging?
• What content is getting s