# Research collections, playbooks, and recordings

> Turn your own documents, ideas, posts, and recordings into reviewed social drafts and editable carousels, using playbooks and past results.

Canonical: https://help.spacebrain.ai/social-media/research-and-playbooks/
Last modified: 2026-09-25T00:00:00.000Z

Research helps you write social posts from things your business already knows: approved documents, saved ideas, past posts, and your own recordings. You choose the exact text the AI may use, check it, and get drafts you can edit before anything is published. This guide is for marketers and business owners who want posts grounded in real facts.

> **Note — Research may not be enabled yet**
>
> If the page says **Research is not enabled for this workspace yet.**, the feature hasn't reached your workspace. Drafts you already saved stay available in Publisher.

## Before you begin [#before-you-begin]

* Open **Social Media → Research**. You need edit access to create collections and run AI.
* Have at least one source ready:
  * a document in **Knowledge** (you'll approve a short excerpt from it),
  * an idea saved in **Content Intelligence**,
  * or a post you've already published.
* Optional: an active **Brand Kit**, so drafts match your voice.
* Building a collection, reviewing sources, previewing playbooks, and arranging the canvas are free. Only the final AI generation uses credits, and you see the maximum charge first.

## How it works [#how-it-works]

1. **Collection** – a folder for one campaign, product, or theme.
2. **Sources** – up to 12 pieces of approved text, each with a role.
3. **Brief** – what you want to create, for which network, with which Brand Kit.
4. **Review AI context** – you see the exact text the AI will receive.
5. **Quote and run** – you confirm a maximum charge.
6. **Results** – saved drafts or an editable carousel that you review before Publisher.

## Create a collection and add sources [#create-a-collection-and-add-sources]

1. Open **Social Media → Research**.
2. Enter a **Collection name**, for example "Autumn menu launch", and select **Create collection**.
3. Open the collection and select **Add sources**. The **Add research sources** window opens.
4. Choose a **Source type**: **Knowledge excerpts**, **Saved ideas**, **Social posts**, **Published content**, or **Competitor inspiration**. Use **Search sources** to find items.
5. Select each source you want (up to 12), then select **Done**.
6. For each source under **Selected context**, set a **Source role**:
   * **Facts** – true information the post can state, such as prices, dates, or features.
   * **Brand** – how you talk and what you stand for.
   * **Inspiration** – examples to learn from, not copy.
   * **Framework** – a structure to follow, such as "problem, solution, proof".
7. Select **Save changes**.

**What you should see:** each source shows **Ready** or **Review needed**. The counter shows how many of 12 you've used.

### Approve a Knowledge excerpt [#approve-a-knowledge-excerpt]

Knowledge sources must be reviewed before the AI can use them.

1. On a source marked **Review needed**, select **Review excerpt**.
2. In **Review excerpt for Social**, edit **Approved excerpt** so it contains only text that may appear in public posts.
3. Fill in **Review owner** and **Review through (UTC)**, the date the approval should last until.
4. Select **Approve excerpt**. Use **Revoke approval** later if the text becomes out of date.

## Write the brief and check the AI context [#write-the-brief-and-check-the-ai-context]

1. Go to the brief panel (on a phone, the **Brief** tab).
2. Describe the post in **Creative brief**: the audience, the message, and the call to action.
3. Choose the **Platform** and a **Brand Kit** (or **No Brand Kit**).
4. Select **Review AI context**.
5. Read **Context ready for your review**. It lists every source, its role, and the exact text, plus the Brand Kit revision.

If something is wrong, change the sources or brief and review again. Nothing has been charged yet.

## Get a quote and generate [#get-a-quote-and-generate]

1. Select **Get generation quote**, then **Get credit quote**.
2. Check the **Maximum charge** and your **Available balance**.
3. Select **Confirm and run**.

### How AI credit quotes work [#how-ai-credit-quotes-work]

* A quote lasts 15 minutes. If it expires, you'll see **This quote has expired. Request a new quote before running.** Select **New quote**.
* You're charged no more than the maximum. If the run costs less, the difference is returned automatically. If the AI provider fails, you're refunded.
* If you close the page mid-run, come back and select **Check saved status**. Spacebrain collects the saved result without starting another paid run.

## Review the results [#review-the-results]

Results appear under **Saved results** (on a phone, the **Results** tab). Each draft lists the **Sources** it used.

* For posts, select **Review drafts**. This opens **Review saved drafts**, where you pick an account, edit, and create Publisher drafts. See [Review saved drafts](/social-media/plan-and-reuse-content/#review-saved-drafts).
* For carousels, select **Open carousel**. The slides open in Creative Studio, where every page stays editable.
* Earlier runs are listed with their date and status. Select **Recover result** to reopen one without generating again.

### Finish an editable carousel [#finish-an-editable-carousel]

1. Edit the slides in Creative Studio and export them.
2. In **Review exported pages**, choose the **Destination** (**LinkedIn**, **Facebook**, or **Instagram**) and write the **Caption**.
3. Select **Review draft plan**, choose the connected account, and create the draft.

Creating the plan doesn't publish anything or use credits.

## Start from a playbook [#start-from-a-playbook]

Playbooks are ready-made recipes, such as a carousel or a set of posts, that tell you which sources you need.

1. In Research, select **Browse playbooks**. Previewing is **Free to preview**.
2. Use **Search playbooks** or **Category** to find one, then select **Preview playbook**.
3. Read **What you need**. It explains which sources the playbook requires, often at least one **Facts** source.
4. Select **Choose a collection**, then pick or create the collection to use.
5. Continue with the brief, context review, and quote as above.

## Use past results (measured evidence) [#use-past-results-measured-evidence]

You can base a new draft on how your posts actually performed.

1. In Research, select **Measured evidence**.
2. Choose a **Source cohort** (**Own accounts** or **Competitor inspiration**), a **Provider**, a **Metric**, and a **Publication window**.
3. Select **Inspect evidence** on a post to see its numbers and the posts it was compared with.
4. Select **Use in playbook**, choose a **Research collection** and **Playbook**, then **Continue to playbook**.

This page only uses results already saved. To refresh numbers, use **Analytics** or **Competitors**. A missing number means "not available", not zero.

After you publish, the **From sources to outcomes** panel in your results links drafts to the posts they became and their reported results. These numbers show what happened. They don't prove that a source or playbook caused it.

## Use the canvas (optional) [#use-the-canvas-optional]

Prefer to see everything on one board? In a collection, select **Canvas view**.

* Drag cards, or select **Arrange cards**, **Zoom in**, **Zoom out**, or **Fit cards**.
* Lines connect sources to the results they produced. Select **Refresh connections** to update them.
* Select **Save layout**. You'll see **Layout saved. AI context unchanged.** Moving cards never changes what the AI uses.

Select **List view** to go back.

## Turn a recording into Knowledge and Brand Kit updates [#turn-a-recording-into-knowledge-and-brand-kit-updates]

Use this when a founder interview or talk captures your voice well.

1. In Research, select **Recordings & brand**.
2. Under **1. Add an owned recording**, pick a **Knowledge base**, choose a WAV file (PCM WAV, up to 10 minutes, 25 MB maximum), and tick **I own this recording or have permission to process and use its content.**
3. Select **Upload privately**, then **Review transcription quote** and **Confirm extraction**.
4. Under **2. Review the transcript**, listen and correct the text, then approve an excerpt with **Review excerpt for Social**.
5. Under **3. Refine your Brand Kit**, choose a Brand Kit, select **Review brand context**, then **Review proposal quote** and confirm.
6. Compare **Current** and **Proposed** for each field. Tick only the changes you want and select **Apply selected fields** (the button shows the count).
7. Select **Prepare content with this brand** or **Continue to content brief** to write posts with the updated Brand Kit.

Only the audio is transcribed. Visuals and speaker names aren't analyzed.

## If something goes wrong [#if-something-goes-wrong]

| What you see                                           | What to do                                                                                               |
| ------------------------------------------------------ | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Review AI context** is greyed out                    | Save collection changes, make sure every source shows **Ready**, and add the source a playbook asks for. |
| **Save collection changes before reviewing context.**  | Select **Save changes** first.                                                                           |
| **No sources found.**                                  | Add a document in **Knowledge** or save an idea in **Content Intelligence**, then search again.          |
| **Create a Knowledge base before adding a recording.** | Select **Open Knowledge** and create one.                                                                |
| **Choose a WAV recording under 25 MB.**                | Convert or trim the file, then try again.                                                                |
| **Upload interrupted.**                                | Select the same file again to resume.                                                                    |
| **This Brand Kit changed since generation.**           | Select **Review brand context** again for a fresh quote before applying changes.                         |
| **Source review required** on a saved draft            | A source changed after generation. Select **Review sources**.                                            |

## FAQ [#faq]

### Will Research publish anything? [#will-research-publish-anything]

No. Research creates drafts. Publishing still needs an account, any required approval, and your action in Publisher.

### Can I use competitor posts? [#can-i-use-competitor-posts]

Only as **Competitor inspiration**. Their role is fixed so they're never treated as facts. Keep your own **Facts** sources in the collection too.

### What happens to my recording? [#what-happens-to-my-recording]

It becomes a private, timestamped transcript in the Knowledge base you chose. Only excerpts you approve are used for Social.

## Next step [#next-step]

Keep drafts on-brand with [Brand Kit and analytics](/social-media/intelligence-and-engagement/), or schedule them from [Publisher](/social-media/publishing/).