Business Research Proposal: Developing Engaging Audio Content

1. A defined creative concept and audio format.
2. A step-by-step production roadmap (scripting, voice, sound design).
3. A clear target audience profile and platform strategy.
4. An A/B testing plan to optimize for engagement.
5. Key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure the audio's success.

Recommended Framework: Jobs-to-be-Done (JTBD)

• Are they hiring it to provide a quick laugh while scrolling social media?
• Are they hiring it to find a clever sound they can use in their own video content?
• Are they hiring it as shareable content to send to a friend and build a social connection?

Part 1: Information Collection

1. Web Search

• Queries on "best practices" and "engaging audio": This research helps establish a baseline for quality. Understanding elements like the importance of a strong hook in the first 2-3 seconds, using captions, and keeping the message simple will inform our scriptwriting and editing process. It ensures our final product adheres to the proven conventions of the medium.
• Queries on "viral audio trends" and "trending sounds": This will help us understand the current cultural context of audio memes on platforms like TikTok and Instagram. Knowing what sounds are currently popular helps us decide if we should align with a trend or create a more original piece of audio. It also informs the distribution strategy by identifying which platforms are prioritizing what kind of audio.
• Queries on "sound design for comedy": This provides specific, actionable techniques for making the joke funnier. Comedy often relies on timing, exaggeration, and surprise. This research will give us a toolbox of sound effects (e.g., slapstick sounds, ironic musical stings, using silence) to test.

2. User Interview Planning

• Interview Subjects: Recruit 6-8 individuals who are active daily users of TikTok or Instagram Reels and who have a history of sharing funny content with friends.
• Interview Purpose: To uncover the specific motivations, contexts, and desired outcomes listeners have when they engage with short, humorous audio clips.

1. "Walk me through the last time you shared a funny audio or video clip with a friend. What was the situation, and what about that specific clip made you hit the 'share' button?"
   • Analysis Purpose: This question is designed to uncover the "job" of "social connection." We want to identify the specific emotional and social triggers that lead to sharing. Is it about showing you have a good sense of humor? Is it about relating to a shared experience? The answers will help us craft the joke's delivery to be more relatable and sharable.
2. "Think about when you're scrolling through your feed. What makes you stop and listen to an entire audio clip, especially when you can just keep scrolling?"
   • Analysis Purpose: This helps us understand the "job" of "entertainment" in a high-distraction environment. The answers will reveal what kind of audio hooks (e.g., a strange voice, a recognizable sound effect, intriguing silence) are most effective at capturing attention, which is crucial for the first two seconds of our audio.
3. "Tell me about a funny audio clip you chose not to share. What was it about it that made you think, 'This isn't for my friends'?"
   • Analysis Purpose: This question explores the "hiring criteria" in reverse. It helps us identify the potential "deal-breakers"—is the humor too niche? Is the format too long? Is the quality too low? This will help us define the negative constraints for our production.
4. "If you were to use a sound in your own video, what would you look for in that audio? Describe the perfect 'soundtrack' for a video you might create."
   • Analysis Purpose: This specifically investigates the "job" of "creative material." If this is a key motivation for our audience, the answers will guide us to create an audio clip that is more atmospheric and less like a self-contained story, leaving room for a user's own visual interpretation.

Part 2: Information Analysis

1. To Define the Creative Concept:

• Action: Synthesize the interview responses to identify the primary "Job-to-be-Done." For example, if most interviewees talk about sending clips to a group chat to make everyone laugh, the primary job is "Provide a Quick, Relatable Laugh for a Small Group."
• Analysis: This JTBD tells us the audio should be short, self-contained, and use humor that feels universal rather than niche. This leads to a creative concept like: A 15-second, two-character dialogue with an exaggerated 'whoosh' and 'thud' sound effect to emphasize the punchline, optimized for quick comprehension.

2. To Develop the Production Roadmap:

• Action: Use the web search findings on "best practices" and "sound design" to guide the scriptwriting and production choices.
• Analysis:
  • Scripting: Based on the need for a strong hook, the script will start with the most intriguing part of the dialogue.
  • Voice: Interview feedback on "what makes a voice funny" will inform casting. Do we need a deadpan voice for the student, or an oblivious one?
  • Sound Design: Research on comedic sound design will provide options. We can use the principle of exaggeration by adding a cartoonish sound as the student "goes slow," which can be an A/B testing variable.

3. To Refine the Target Audience & Platform Strategy:

• Action: Combine the demographic data from your interview subjects with the platform trend data from your web search.
• Analysis: If your interviewees are primarily 25-35 year olds on Instagram and your web search shows that dialogue-based humor is trending on Instagram Reels, your strategy becomes clear. Target Audience: Millennials who use Instagram Reels for evening entertainment. Platform: Instagram Reels, posted on a weekday evening.

4. To Create an A/B Testing Plan:

• Action: Identify the single most impactful but uncertain variable from your analysis. Let's assume it's the delivery of the punchline.
• Analysis: Propose a clear A/B test:
  • Version A: The audio ends with the literal "slow walking" sound effect being very prominent.
  • Version B: The audio ends with the teacher's exasperated sigh being the final sound.
  • Hypothesis: Version B will generate more "laughing" emoji comments because it focuses on a relatable human reaction. Post both versions (to different audiences or at different times) and measure the results against this hypothesis.

5. To Define Key Performance Indicators (KPIs):

• Action: Align the KPIs directly with the primary "Job-to-be-Done."
• Analysis: If the JTBD is "Provide a Quick, Relatable Laugh for a Small Group," then the most important metrics are not just views, but indicators of enjoyment and sharing.
  • Primary KPI: Share Rate (specifically, shares via direct message).
  • Secondary KPIs: Completion Rate (did people listen to the end?), Save Rate (do people want to come back to it?), and a qualitative analysis of comments (are people tagging friends or using laughing emojis?).