Stop starting your content workflows with keyword research. If you don’t trust me, trust someone way smarter than me — and learn why it’s just one piece of the puzzle.
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Here’s what we covered
- Why customer research should come before keyword research
- How to use keywords to validate demand, not generate ideas
- What “net-new value” content actually looks like
- Why original research scales distribution across AI, PR & social
- How research turns your brand into a source, not a commentator
This conversation will hopefully change how you think about generating ideas for your content.
Net new value content explained
Creating a bunch of “what is” articles that say what’s been said a hundred times already is a waste of resources. What you should do instead is create net new value content. Let me explain.
Margaritas definition: Content that AI cannot easily synthesize from what’s already online.
This includes proprietary data, customer research, thought leadership, unique points of view. Basically, the content you need to be seen as an authoritative source for AI to reference and cite, but also for people to share and talk about.
My practical framework for actually creating net new value content
1) Tap into internal proprietary data
Think about what data sources you have internally that others don’t have access to.
A great example I’ve seen recently is Ramp, the US-based spend management company. They analyzed their corporate card transaction data to prove that San Francisco tech workers are actually working Saturdays now (the whole 996 schedule trend).
They looked at employee transactions for restaurants, delivery, and takeout by hour of the week. Compared 2025 to 2024. Found a pronounced jump in Saturday activity that wasn’t there before.
This is data only Ramp has. Nobody else can create this analysis. It got shared everywhere.
2) Create research through external surveys
If you don’t have unique internal data, you can create it by surveying your industry.
A great example I’ve seen for this is from Paddy Moogan (The New Leader), and Rand Fishkin (SparkToro). Paddy surveyed 600+ agency owners about revenue growth, sales pipelines, remote work trends, and AI impact.
They didn’t have this data sitting in a database. They went out and collected it. The result? One of the most comprehensive reports on the state of digital agencies.
Once you have these insights, here’s the multiplier effect You can create multiple formats from one research piece.
- Series of blog posts
- Social posts with takeaways
- Interviews with people who participated
- Infographics that highlight key highlights
- Podcast episodes discussing the findings
This is how you turn one piece of research into a content engine.
