# How do I write a good AI Research brief?

Source: https://listplus.ai/en/help/find-contacts/write-a-good-research-brief
Last updated: 2026-10-15

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](https://listplus.ai/en/help/find-contacts/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.

## Related topics

"[AI Research](https://listplus.ai/en/help/find-contacts/ai-research)" · "[How is AI Research metered, and what do paid sources cost?](https://listplus.ai/en/help/find-contacts/research-costs-and-sources)" · "[Getting AI Research hits into a list automatically](https://listplus.ai/en/help/find-contacts/research-results-to-a-list)" ·
"[Segment Search: the audience database](https://listplus.ai/en/help/find-contacts/categories-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.