platform-research

Run this before planning or writing anything. Never plan a platform from memory. Platforms change their ranking, formats and what they push every few months, and the marketer will know if the plan is stale (e.g. "X is giving more reach to video now").

Do everything below for each platform in scope: the ones the marketer named, or the 2–3 recommended for them. Do it free first and ask nothing. The free pass ends in the draft report; paid reads only deepen it, after one credit yes.

1. How the platform works right now (free, web search)

Run web searches dated to the last 6 months (put the current month and year in the query):

• <platform> algorithm <month> <year>
• <platform> reach video vs text <year>
• <platform> what's working <niche> <year>
• <platform> premium / verified reach replies <year> (e.g. X Premium: its effect on reply ranking, reach and video length)
• the platform's own announcements, e.g. <platform> creator update, <platform> engineering blog ranking

Prefer, in order:

1. the platform's own posts, help pages and executives' statements;
2. reporting on them (tech press, creator-economy newsletters);
3. large-sample studies, with the sample size and dates named.