Research methods that will unlock winners and scale accounts
10 different methods you can start implementing today...
Recently, I was on the DTC Diaries podcast speaking about all things creative strategy (you can view that here if you haven’t already). And off the back of that, I had a few people message me about the different research methods, saying that was the most interesting part of the podcast. I thought it was worth expanding on it a bit and offering an actionable takeaway: different research steps you can implement today to go deeper into your brand and the market, and to unlock new winning angles and personas.
Just to note, most of these you can do from your laptop, but others will require either the product or access to the founder or the warehouse where the product is made.
1. Read reviews
Amazon, Trustpilot, Google reviews, anywhere customers leave unprompted feedback. Look for the exact phrases people use to describe their problem before they found you. That’s hook language, sitting right there for free.
2. Run those reviews through AI
Drop 50+ reviews into Claude and ask it to cluster recurring themes, objections, and “before state” language. Look for patterns that occur from this that are being repeated that you haven’t touched on in your ads.
TIP: You can also use Claude Cowork to access these platforms and get a summary, or even scrape for specific types of reviews.
3. Check what competitors are running
Use Foreplay or the Meta Ad Library to see what’s live and for how long. The key is to filter by longest-running, because that means the ad has been running for a very long time. This means that it’s been successful; otherwise, the brand would just turn it off.
Action: Look at the angle, not just the execution. What belief is the ad trying to shift?
4. Mine Reddit and niche forums
Search your category + “worth it” or + “alternative” and read the comments, not just the post. People are far more honest in forums than in reviews.
5. Check Google autocomplete and “People also ask”
Type your product category into Google and see what it suggests. Cheap, fast, and tells you what people are actually confused about.
6. Use the product yourself
Order it the way a new customer would. Unbox it, use it for a week. You’ll notice friction points and details that never make it into a brief, obvious, but are skipped constantly.
7. Talk to the founder
Ask why they started the brand, what they tried that didn’t work, and what they think most people in the category get wrong. Founders are usually sitting on a unique mechanism they don’t realise is unique, because they’ve lived with it for years.
8. Listen back to customer service or sales calls
This is unfiltered language; people explain their problems differently to a real person than they do in a review. Listen for hesitations, the exact words they use to describe frustration, and the moment they decide to buy.
Action: If you can’t get on live calls, ask for recordings. Even old ones are gold.
9. Get on calls with real customers
This is one of my favourites and genuinely one of the best ways to get insights that you might not realise unless you speak to someone who’s really going through the pain points at the brand fix. I speak about this on the DC Diaries podcast. If you click the link here, you can see what I have to say at 9:00 and how to structure your calls to get the most from them:
10. Visit where the product is made
If you can get to the factory, warehouse, or production facility, go. You’ll pick up details about materials, process, or quality control that the founders stopped mentioning because it’s old news to them. To a customer, it’s often the whole story.
This kind of research should be done regularly. This isn’t a one-and-done. You constantly refresh your research on a brand, ideally every month, so you can capture any new insights or catch anything you might have missed.