# How do I write a good AI Research brief?

Source: https://listplus.ai/en/help/find-contacts/write-a-good-research-brief
Last updated: 2026-09-28

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.

## 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: "Heads of Sales at fintech startups in Germany that are hiring
SDRs right now" — role (Heads of Sales), signal (hiring SDRs right now),
industry and region (fintech, Germany).

## Signal examples that work well

Under **Try an example**, the AI Research start screen shows six example
cards, each built around one kind of signal: **Who's exhibiting** (trade
shows), **Who's building sales** (job postings), **Who just started** (new
role), **Who just raised** (funding), **Who's on stage** (speakers at an
event) and **Who's near you** (local businesses). Each card is tagged
**Companies** or **Contacts** for what it returns; click one to load its
full brief into the field and use it as a template, or click **Insert
example** for another ready-made brief. The cards and **Insert example**
show while the field is empty, and the card set follows your app language. A microphone button next to the field lets
you dictate your brief instead of typing it.

## 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 · research-costs-and-sources · 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?

While the field is empty, the AI Research screen shows six example cards under Try an example — such as Who's exhibiting, Who's building sales or Who just raised — each tagged Companies or Contacts. Click a card to load its full brief into the field and adapt it (for example your own region or industry), or click Insert example for another ready-made brief.

### 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 (tooltip **Dictate**; 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 people. Add a specific role, one visible signal, and an industry or region, following the three-part formula above.