How do I write a good AI Research brief?

Updated Markdown

The brief you type is the only input AI Research works from, so a specific one finds far more real matches than a vague one. See "AI Research" for the basics of how a run works; this article goes deeper on writing the brief itself and on the ready-made examples the screen offers.

The three-part formula#

Aim for one sentence with three parts, ideally written in English:

  1. Role — who you're looking for (or the kind of company, for a company-level search).
  2. A visible signal — something the person or company actually did publicly, that shows up somewhere on the open web.
  3. Industry or region — narrows the pool so the agent doesn't have to guess what "relevant" means.

Example: "CEOs and founders of B2B SaaS companies in the US that raised seed or Series A in the last few months" — role (CEOs and founders), signal (raised seed or Series A), industry and region (B2B SaaS, US).

Starting from an example#

While the field is empty, click Insert example to drop a full, working brief straight in and adapt it from there. Each source tile under Allowed AI tools also carries its own Example: … → link (its tooltip shows the brief; open a folded group to see its tiles) — clicking one loads a brief built around that specific source (a database lookup, a job-posting signal, a LinkedIn-post signal, and so on) and switches that source on for you.

More research ideas#

Below the sources, the collapsed More research ideas panel holds six ready-made pattern cards, each tagged with the kind of signal it uses — Database, Signal, Intent or Event — for example Who fits (a database profile), Who's hiring (a job posting), Who's talking (LinkedIn comments on a topic), Who's listening (people engaging with one person's posts), Who just raised (funding) and Who's exhibiting (a trade show). Click a card to load its brief into the field and switch on the sources it needs, then adapt the wording — your own region, industry or event — before starting.

Person or company — there's no switch to flip#

A ListPlus-run research has no on/off toggle for people vs. companies — the agent reads your brief and decides. Name a role (CTOs, Heads of Sales, Founders) and it searches for people; describe a company-level trait with no role attached — a funding round, a product launch, a technology migration — and it searches for companies instead. If you want one mode specifically, make that clear through wording rather than looking for a switch.

"AI Research" · "How is AI Research metered, and what do paid sources cost?" · "Getting AI Research hits into a list automatically" · "Segment Search: the audience database".

FAQ#

What counts as a "visible signal"?#

Something the person or company actually did publicly that shows up in a job post, a forum thread, a press release, a company page or a LinkedIn post — hiring for a role, complaining about a tool, switching technology, raising money, launching a product, or speaking at an event. A concrete signal is what lets the agent find and verify real matches instead of guessing.

Where do I find example briefs to start from?#

Click Insert example next to the empty field for one full working brief, or open the source-specific Example: … → link on any tile under Allowed AI tools. The collapsed More research ideas panel below has six further pattern cards — such as Who's hiring or Who just raised — each loading its own brief and switching on the sources it needs.

Can I dictate my brief instead of typing it?#

Yes — use the microphone button next to the input field to dictate your brief instead of typing it; click again to stop and transcribe.

How do I get AI Research to return companies instead of people?#

You don't switch modes; the agent infers it from your wording. Naming a role (Heads of Sales, Founders, CTOs) returns people, while describing a company-level trait with no role — a funding round, a product launch — returns companies instead.

Should I write my brief in English?#

Written in English if possible — the agent still understands other languages, but English briefs tend to find more sources, since most of the public web content it searches (job posts, forums, press) is in English.

Why did my brief return few or no matches?#

A vague brief gives the agent nothing concrete to search for and verify, so it returns few or no real matches. Add a specific role, one visible signal, and an industry or region, following the three-part formula above, and make sure a source that can find that signal is switched on.