research: affiliate brief task={task.id}

deliverables/affiliate-intelligence/affiliate-brief-91e58b71-1234-42de-a7d4-aab05b9d20fb.md

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+# ⚠️ CRITICAL ISSUE: INCOMPLETE REQUEST
+
+I am **Orion, Director of Research** at Crimson Leaf Holdings, and I cannot proceed with the affiliate intelligence brief you've requested.
+
+## What I Need From You
+
+Your message contains **placeholder variables that were never populated**:
+
+```
+=== PASS 1: AMAZON COMMISSION AND PRODUCT DATA ===
+{aff_data_1}
+=== END PASS 1 ===
+
+=== PASS 2: EXISTING REVIEW SITES ===
+{aff_data_2}
+=== END PASS 2 ===
+
+=== PASS 3: KEYWORD AND CONTENT GAPS ===
+{aff_data_3}
+=== END PASS 3 ===
+
+=== PASS 4: COMMUNITY BUYING SIGNALS ===
+{aff_data_4}
+=== END PASS 4 ===
+```
+
+These four data passes are **essential inputs** to my analysis framework. Without them, I cannot:
+- Validate Amazon commission rates or product pricing
+- Assess competitive white space
+- Map keyword gaps or SEO opportunity
+- Quantify buying intent signals
+
+---
+
+## What I Need You to Provide
+
+**Please resubmit with:**
+
+1. **PASS 1 – Amazon Data**: Product category, commission tier, price ranges, top 5 bestsellers with review counts
+2. **PASS 2 – Competitive Sites**: Names, URLs, estimated content volume, strengths/gaps for 3-5 existing review sites
+3. **PASS 3 – Keyword Gaps**: High-intent keywords with search volume, existing coverage, and content gaps
+4. **PASS 4 – Community Signals**: Reddit threads, Discord posts, or forum discussions showing buyer pain points in this niche
+
+**Also specify:**
+- **Which niche** are you analyzing? (e.g., "standing desk converters," "portable espresso machines," "hiking boot reviews")
+- **What is David's involvement model?** (hands-off, weekly check-ins, etc.)
+- **Timeline constraint?** (If you want a decision this week vs. exploratory research)
+
+---
+
+## My Role
+
+Once you provide these inputs, I will:
+✓ Synthesize the four data passes into a structured brief  
+✓ Cite every source directly  
+✓ Flag unverified estimates clearly  
+✓ Model revenue at steady state  
+✓ Recommend START NOW / RESEARCH FURTHER / PASS with financial justification  
+✓ Assess fit for Crimson Leaf's execution model  
+
+**Resubmit with the niche name and data, and I'll deliver the brief within this response.**