Person Research (Exa Deep)

Purpose

Create comprehensive research profiles on individuals using Exa Deep AI search. This skill systematically gathers professional background, social media presence, publications, speaking engagements, company affiliations, and news mentions to build a complete picture of any person. Perfect for beta tester research, investor due diligence, partnership evaluation, hiring research, or speaker vetting.

When to Use

Use this Skill when you need to:

• Research beta testers before user interviews
• Perform due diligence on potential partners or investors
• Prepare for meetings with new contacts
• Evaluate job candidates beyond their resume
• Research speakers or thought leaders
• Build profiles for CRM or outreach
• Document information about clients or prospects
• Investigate founders or executives

Step-by-Step Process

Step 1: Gather Person Details

Ask the user for key identifying information about the person to research.

• Full name (required)
• Company or organization (if known)
• Job title or role (if known)
• LinkedIn URL or other social profiles (if available)
• Any additional context (how you know them, why you're researching)
• Specific areas of interest (professional background, publications, social presence, etc.)

Output Variable: person_details

Step 2: Search Professional Background

Use Exa Deep to find professional information about the person.

Run multiple targeted searches:

• "[Full Name] [Company] professional background career"
• "[Full Name] LinkedIn profile biography"
• "[Full Name] [Title] experience"

Focus on:

• Current and past job positions
• Companies founded or worked at
• Education and credentials
• Professional achievements
• Industry expertise

Tools Used: exa_search Output Variable: professional_background Context Used: person_details

Step 3: Search Social & Online Presence

Search for the person's social media and online footprint.

Run targeted searches:

• "[Full Name] Twitter/X profile"
• "[Full Name] personal website blog"
• "[Full Name] GitHub developer"
• "[Full Name] YouTube speaker"

Look for:

• Twitter/X account and recent activity
• Personal website or blog
• GitHub or technical profiles
• YouTube videos or podcast appearances
• Any other public social accounts

Tools Used: exa_search Output Variable: online_presence Context Used: person_details

Step 4: Search Publications & Thought Leadership

Find any publications, articles, or thought leadership content.

Run searches:

• "[Full Name] article author"
• "[Full Name] interview podcast"
• "[Full Name] speaker conference talk"
• "[Full Name] research paper publication"

Gather:

• Blog posts and articles authored
• Podcast or video interviews
• Conference talks or speaking engagements
• Research papers or books
• Quotes in press or media

Tools Used: exa_search Output Variable: publications_content Context Used: person_details

Step 5: Search News & Media Mentions

Find news articles and press coverage mentioning the person.

Run searches:

• "[Full Name] [Company] news"
• "[Full Name] press release announcement"
• "[Full Name] interview founder"

Focus on:

• Recent news mentions (last 12 months)
• Company announcements
• Awards or recognition
• Funding news (if founder/investor)
• Industry commentary

Use start_published_date parameter to filter for recent content.

Tools Used: exa_search Output Variable: news_mentions Context Used: person_details

Step 6: Deep Dive Key Sources (Optional)

If specific URLs were found that look valuable, scrape them for full content.

Use web_scrape on:

• Personal website about page
• Company team page
• LinkedIn public profile
• Key articles they've written

Extract detailed information not available in search snippets.

Tools Used: web_scrape Output Variable: detailed_content Context Used: online_presence, publications_content

Step 7: Create Research Document

Compile all findings into a structured profile document.

Document structure:

# [Person Name] - Research Profile

## Quick Summary
[2-3 sentence overview of who they are]

## Professional Background
- **Current Role:** [Title at Company]
- **Previous Experience:** [Key positions]
- **Education:** [Degrees/credentials]
- **Expertise:** [Key skills/domains]

## Online Presence
| Platform | Link | Notes |
|----------|------|-------|
| LinkedIn | [URL] | [followers/activity] |
| Twitter | [URL] | [followers/topics] |
| Website | [URL] | [description] |

## Publications & Thought Leadership
- [List key articles, talks, interviews with links]

## Recent News
- [List recent news mentions with dates and links]

## Key Insights
- [Bullet points of interesting findings]

## Research Notes
- **Date:** [Today's date]
- **Sources:** [Number of sources reviewed]
- **Confidence:** [High/Medium/Low based on data quality]

Save document with title: "[Person Name] - Research Profile"

Tools Used: basile_create_document Output Variable: research_document Context Used: person_details, professional_background, online_presence, publications_content, news_mentions, detailed_content

Example Usage

User: > Research John Smith, he's a beta tester who signed up for Basile. His email is john@acmecorp.com

Claude (using this Skill): > I'll use the Person Research (Exa Deep) Skill to help you build a comprehensive profile on John Smith. > > Step 1: Gathering details - I have John Smith at Acme Corp from the email domain. > > Step 2: Searching professional background... > Found: John is VP of Engineering at Acme Corp, previously at Google... > > Step 3: Searching online presence... > Found: Active on Twitter @johnsmith (2.5K followers), has a personal blog... > > Step 4: Searching publications... > Found: 3 Medium articles on engineering leadership, 1 podcast appearance... > > Step 5: Searching news... > Found: Mentioned in TechCrunch article about Acme Corp's Series B... > > Step 7: Creating research document... > > Done! I've created "John Smith - Research Profile" with all findings.

Tips for Best Results

• Provide as much identifying information as possible (company, title, location)
• Include LinkedIn URL if available for more accurate matching
• Specify if you want focus on specific areas (e.g., "focus on technical background")
• For common names, add differentiating details (company, city, field)
• Use Exa Deep mode for best quality results on people searches
• Recent date filters help find current/relevant information
• Consider the context: beta tester research vs. investor due diligence may need different depth

Privacy & Ethics Note

This skill uses publicly available information only. Always:

• Use research for legitimate business purposes
• Respect privacy boundaries
• Don't research individuals without a valid reason
• Be transparent about using research in communications

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Created with Basile.ai