Research
Research is where you collect the posts, links, colors, and ideas that catch your eye, and turn any of them into a ready-to-develop content idea. Instead of screenshotting things into a random camera roll folder, save them here and put them to work.
Research is a separate page from Ideate's Research Mode. Ideate's Research Mode generates new ideas from trend and competitor data on a topic you give it. The Research page is your curated board of references you collect yourself -- the two work together, but they are not the same thing.
Three Tabs
| Tab | What It's For |
|---|---|
| Winners | See your own top-performing published content, surfaced automatically by the learning loop |
| Inspiration | Your board -- save references from anywhere and convert them into ideas |
| Configure | Tune what the board and winners feed track for your brand |
Adding a Reference
Inspiration uses a single capture bar: paste a post URL, website, @handle, hex color, or a plain-text note -- or drop an image directly onto the board. Each reference is saved automatically:
- Post URLs are pulled in with their content so you can see what made them work
- Images upload directly and can double as visual style references
- Colors and notes save as-is, useful for capturing a palette or a one-line idea before you lose it
Convert a Reference into Action
Every tile on the board has a menu of actions that turn it from a saved reference into real content:
- Generate from this -- sends the reference (and any note you attached) into the creation flow as a prompt seed, so the idea it inspired gets built out
- Repurpose this -- routes the reference into the Repurpose flow (a saved YouTube link goes through the clip path; articles and other links go through the article path)
- Use as style reference -- for saved images, applies the visual style to your brand's generation context
- Add to brand assets -- saves an image into your brand's visual asset library for reuse
Not every reference needs the same action. Save a competitor's post for "Generate from this," and save a color palette you love for "Add to brand assets" -- the board tracks all of it in one place regardless of what you eventually do with it.
Why Curate References at All
Ideation modes like Brainstorm and Trends are good at generating volume. The Research board is good at capturing taste -- the specific things that caught your eye for a reason you can't always put into words yet. Converting a reference turns that gut reaction into a concrete, brand-matched idea instead of losing it in a bookmarks folder.
How Research Fits the Pipeline
| Stage | What Happens |
|---|---|
| Collect | Save references you find compelling -- posts, links, colors, notes |
| Convert | Turn a reference into a content idea or send it to Repurpose |
| Create | Send the idea to a Studio or Agent Chat to produce the content |
| Distribute & Analyze | Publish and track performance -- top performers can resurface in the Winners tab |
Learn more about Ideate | Learn more about AI Agent Chat
Ready to try this? Sign up free and get 50 free credits to start.