# 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.

:::note
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

:::tip
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](/docs/ideation) | [Learn more about AI Agent Chat](/docs/agentic-create)

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