---
name: sales-articos
description: "Articos (articos.com) platform help — a synthetic-user research tool: AI personas built on 30 Big-Five facets + cognitive-bias mapping run user interviews, concept tests, and A/B tests → a synthesized report (motivations, objections, recommendations) + a Talk-to-Research chat, in ~30 min, no recruiting. Its edge is enforced stance diversity (deliberately generates skeptics, not just fans) and a peer-reviewed 86% accuracy claim — but it's synthetic (an AI opinion), not a real panel. Self-serve: free trial + 2 researches, then Starter/Pro or a one-time Research Pack; UI-only, no API. Use when setting up an Articos study, picking interview vs concept vs A/B mode, describing an audience, reading the report, judging the 86% claim, budgeting researches, exporting without an API, or Articos vs a real panel. Do NOT use for the validate-before-building method or comparing research tools (use /sales-idea-validation), real-panel testing (use /sales-wynter or /sales-pickfu), or synthetic usability (use /sales-uxia)."
argument-hint: "[describe what you need help with in Articos]"
license: MIT
version: 1.0.0
tags: [sales, market-research, platform]
---

# Articos Platform Help

Articos (articos.com) is a **synthetic-user research** tool. You describe a target audience, and Articos
generates **AI personas** — each built on **30 Big Five personality facets** plus **cognitive-bias mapping** —
then runs one of three modes and synthesizes a **research report** (motivations, objections, recommendations)
in **~30 minutes**, with **no recruiting**: **User Interviews** (explore an audience/problem/concept),
**Concept Testing** (message/value-prop/positioning variants), and **A/B Testing** (a landing page or two
variants). Plus a **"Talk to Research"** chat and **probing follow-ups**; reports are shareable, **white-label
on Pro**.

Its niche: **synthetic, not a real panel** — the cheap/fast pre-flight counterpart to real-panel testers
(`/sales-wynter` B2B, `/sales-pickfu` consumer) and a peer of the synthetic-study tools (`/sales-syntheticusers`,
`/sales-ditto`, `/sales-atypica`). **Two real differentiators:** (1) **enforced stance diversity** — it
deliberately generates **skeptics/detractors, not just fans**, which *mitigates* (doesn't cure) the "personas
skew agreeable" bias the whole cluster suffers, and the objections are the highest-signal output; and (2) a
**peer-reviewed 86% accuracy** claim (46 studies / 9 domains, 86% recall vs expert research, marketed **7.5× over
a bare LLM**) — better-sourced than peers' self-reports, but best-effort. **Self-serve:** free trial + 2
researches, then Starter/Pro or a one-time Research Pack.

**The double caveat to say almost every time:** (1) a synthetic result is an **AI opinion, not real behavior** —
even with 30 Big-Five facets and enforced skeptics it carries bias, can't reproduce *observed* behavior, and
Articos itself says ~**70–80% of insights hold up**; trust **relative** comparisons + the **objections/rationale**
over absolute reads, and **validate the winner with real people**. (2) Even real resonance is **not demand** —
take the willingness-to-pay / conversion go/no-go to a **real behavior test** via `/sales-idea-validation`.

## Step 1 — Gather context

If `references/learnings.md` exists, read it first for accumulated platform knowledge.

Ask only what you can't infer:

1. **What do you want from Articos?**
   - A) **Set up a study** — pick the mode (**User Interviews / Concept Testing / A/B Testing**) and what
     you're testing (audience/problem, message/value-prop, or a landing page/variants)
   - B) **Describe the audience** — the buyer/user you want personas matched to
   - C) **Read results** — the synthesized report (motivations, objections, recommendations), per-persona
     answers, and the **Talk-to-Research** chat / **probing follow-ups**
   - D) **Budget** — researches per plan, Starter/Pro vs the one-time Research Pack, the free trial
   - E) **Get data out** — export/automation (there is **no API/webhooks/MCP**)
   - F) **Choose** — Articos (synthetic) vs a real panel (`/sales-wynter` / `/sales-pickfu`) or another
     synthetic-study tool (`/sales-syntheticusers`, `/sales-ditto`)
2. **Is a decision riding on this, or is it a fast pre-flight?** This decides how hard to push the "synthetic
   is directional; validate the winner with real people / real behavior" message.

Skip-ahead: if the user wants the **validate-before-building method** or a **cross-tool comparison**, that's a
`/sales-idea-validation` question — route in Step 2.

## Step 2 — Route or answer directly

| If the user's question is about… | Route to |
|---|---|
| The **validate-before-building method**, or comparing research/validation tools across the market | `/sales-idea-validation {question}` |
| A **REST API / webhook / MCP**-native research pipeline (Articos has none — it's UI-only) | `/sales-userintuition {question}` |
| Running a **real behavior** demand test (smoke-test page, waitlist, pre-sale) after a synthetic study | `/sales-idea-validation` or `/sales-funnel` `{question}` |
| **Real-panel B2B** message/positioning testing (verified professionals in your ICP) | `/sales-wynter {question}` |
| **Real-panel** consumer creative/message split-testing (real people vote + explain) | `/sales-pickfu {question}` |
| A **census-calibrated** synthetic panel with a **studies API + free tier** | `/sales-ditto {question}` |
| The **pure-play synthetic interview-study** tool with a documented **REST studies API** | `/sales-syntheticusers {question}` |

When routing, give the exact command: "This is a {domain} question — run: `/sales-idea-validation {original question}`"

Otherwise, answer Articos-specific questions using Step 3.

## Step 3 — Articos reference

**Read `references/platform-guide.md`** for the full reference — the three research modes + the
automation-surface table (everything is UI-only), the persona architecture (30 Big-Five facets, cognitive-bias
mapping, enforced stance diversity), the 86%-accuracy methodology and how to caveat it, best-effort pricing
(Starter/Pro/Research Pack + trial) and plan gates (probing follow-ups, Talk-to-Research queries, white-label),
the Study → Persona → Report data model, how to write a clean audience + variant set, and how to read the
synthesized report + objections (relative, not absolute).

There is **no `articos-api-reference.md`** — Articos has **no public API/webhooks/MCP** (best-effort; confirm
at articos.com). Don't invent endpoints.

Answer using only the relevant section — don't dump the full reference.

## Step 4 — Actionable guidance

- **Lead with the double caveat: synthetic = AI opinion, and resonance ≠ demand.** Whatever the user asks,
  make explicit that (1) Articos personas are **synthetic — an AI opinion**, so even a clean report is **not
  real behavior** (the vendor itself says ~70–80% of insights hold up); and (2) even real resonance is
  **stated preference, not a purchase**. Both caveats stack: trust the **written objections/rationale** and
  **relative** comparisons, validate the winner with **real people**, and take the willingness-to-pay / conversion
  go/no-go to a **real behavior test** via `/sales-idea-validation`. Credit the **enforced stance diversity**
  (deliberately generating skeptics) as a *genuine* bias mitigation — but not a cure that makes synthetic output
  real behavior, so still route the decision to real validation.
- **Frame the 86% accuracy claim honestly.** It's **peer-reviewed** (46 studies / 9 domains, 86% recall vs
  expert research, a marketed 7.5× lift over a bare LLM) — a stronger provenance than the cluster's
  self-reported claims — but it's still a **recall benchmark on past studies, not a guarantee for the user's
  audience**, and Articos itself caveats ~70–80% hold-up. Present it as best-effort, not proof.
- **Match the mode to the job, and describe the audience well.** Recommend **User Interviews** for exploring an
  audience/problem, **Concept Testing** for "does my message/value-prop land", and **A/B Testing** for picking
  between landing-page variants — reserving Articos for the **fast, cheap synthetic pre-flight** (route real-panel
  decisions to `/sales-wynter` / `/sales-pickfu`, build-or-not to `/sales-idea-validation`). A vague audience
  yields generic personas — describe the buyer specifically, and use **probing follow-ups** / **Talk-to-Research**
  to interrogate the *why*.
- **Treat automation as UI-only, and don't invent endpoints.** When any API/webhook/export/integration comes
  up, state that Articos has **no public REST API, webhooks, Zapier/Make, or MCP server** (best-effort — confirm
  at articos.com); data-out is **manual export/sharing** (report link, PDF). Don't design a REST/webhook pipeline
  or guess endpoints; if a programmatic pipeline is a hard requirement, route to `/sales-userintuition`.
- **Size a run by researches, and call pricing best-effort.** Cost is a **subscription** (Starter ~10/mo; Pro
  unlimited + white-label) or a **one-time Research Pack** (credits, no expiry) — pick by how many studies you'll
  run. Present every number as **best-effort** (point to articos.com/pricing) and note the **free 7-day trial (2
  researches, no card)** for a first run. Running more personas/studies tightens the average — it doesn't turn an
  AI opinion into demand.

If you discover a gotcha or tip not in `references/learnings.md`, append it there with today's date.

## Gotchas

*Best-effort from research (2026-07) — Articos's pricing (Starter/Pro rates, Research Pack, launch-promo
discounts), research quotas, persona architecture, accuracy methodology, and export options change; verify at
articos.com and articos.com/pricing.*

- **Synthetic ≠ real behavior (enforced skeptics mitigate, don't cure).** Personas are an **AI opinion**; even
  with 30 Big-Five facets and deliberately-generated **skeptics** they inherit **bias amplification** and can't
  reproduce *observed* behavior — the skeptic design reduces agreeable bias but doesn't upgrade output to demand.
  Articos itself says ~**70–80% of insights hold up** — trust **relative** comparisons + the objections, validate
  the winner with real people.
- **Resonance ≠ demand.** A strong report or a persona "I'd use this" is what lands with a *reader-model*, not
  a purchase. Take the go/no-go to a real behavior test (smoke test, pre-sale) via `/sales-idea-validation`.
- **The 86% accuracy figure is a benchmark, not a guarantee.** It's **peer-reviewed** (46 studies / 9 domains,
  86% recall vs expert research, 7.5× over a bare LLM) — better-sourced than peers' self-reports — but it's a
  recall stat on *past* studies, not proof it'll match *your* audience. Present as best-effort.
- **No public API/webhooks/MCP/Zapier — automation is manual export.** Data-out is a report link / PDF export;
  don't invent endpoints or design a webhook pipeline (that's a `/sales-userintuition` job). Best-effort —
  confirm at articos.com.
- **Priced by researches, not personas.** Starter is quota-capped (~10/mo), Pro is unlimited + white-label,
  and a one-time **Research Pack** never expires — pick by re-run count. A bigger synthetic run tightens the
  average, it doesn't make an AI opinion into demand.
- **It's synthetic user *research*, not usability or idea validation.** For a *built* product/prototype use
  `/sales-uxia` (synthetic) or `/sales-uxtweak` (real); for real-panel message testing use `/sales-wynter`
  (B2B) / `/sales-pickfu` (consumer); for build-or-not use `/sales-idea-validation`.

## Related skills

- `/sales-idea-validation` — The tool-agnostic validate-before-building method + the full research/validator tool landscape (use to decide build-or-not; a synthetic "yes" is an AI opinion, not demand). Install: `npx skills add sales-skills/sales --skill sales-idea-validation -a claude-code`
- `/sales-syntheticusers` — Synthetic Users, the **pure-play synthetic interview-study** peer with a documented **public REST studies API** — the pick when you need to run synthetic studies programmatically. Install: `npx skills add sales-skills/sales --skill sales-syntheticusers -a claude-code`
- `/sales-ditto` — Ditto, the **census-calibrated** synthetic-panel peer with a **studies API + free-tier key** and Claude Code skills — pick it for census filtering or an API pipeline. Install: `npx skills add sales-skills/sales --skill sales-ditto -a claude-code`
- `/sales-societies` — Artificial Societies, the **network simulator** Articos positions against (predicts how a post/message *spreads*, not isolated reactions) — the self-serve synthetic alternative shoppers compare Articos to. Install: `npx skills add sales-skills/sales --skill sales-societies -a claude-code`
- `/sales-wynter` — Wynter, the **real-panel B2B** message-testing counterpart (80k+ LinkedIn-verified professionals in your ICP). Pick Wynter for real B2B positioning signal; Articos for a synthetic pre-flight. Install: `npx skills add sales-skills/sales --skill sales-wynter -a claude-code`
- `/sales-pickfu` — PickFu, the **real-panel consumer** counterpart (15M+ real people vote *and* explain, with a real REST API/MCP/CLI). Pick PickFu for a real-panel decision; Articos for a fast/cheap synthetic pre-flight. Install: `npx skills add sales-skills/sales --skill sales-pickfu -a claude-code`
- `/sales-userintuition` — The REST-API/webhook/MCP research peer — the pick when you need a programmatic pipeline Articos's UI-only surface can't offer. Install: `npx skills add sales-skills/sales --skill sales-userintuition -a claude-code`
- `/sales-do` — Not sure which skill to use? The router matches any sales objective to the right skill. Install: `npx skills add sales-skills/sales --skill sales-do -a claude-code`

## Examples

### Example 1: "Articos personas loved my concept and gave strong scores — should I build?"
**User says**: "I ran a concept test in Articos and the personas were really positive about my SaaS idea, and even the skeptics came around. Green light to build?"
**Skill does**: Names the **double caveat** — the personas are **synthetic (an AI opinion), not real behavior**
(vendor says ~70–80% of insights hold up) and even real resonance is **not demand** — credits the enforced-skeptic
design as mitigation not a cure, reframes the output as **relative signal + objections** not a verdict, and routes
the user to **validate with real people** (`/sales-wynter` / `/sales-pickfu`) + a **real behavior test** via `/sales-idea-validation`.
**Result**: The user keeps the objections + winning direction and earns the go/no-go from real behavior, not a synthetic report.

### Example 2: "How do I pull Articos results into our data warehouse automatically?" (developer/automation)
**User says**: "I want a webhook to fire when an Articos study finishes and POST the report into BigQuery. What's the endpoint and how do I authenticate?"
**Skill does**: States plainly that Articos has **no public REST API, webhooks, Zapier/Make, or MCP server**
(best-effort — confirm at articos.com), so there's **no endpoint or key to build against**, and does **not**
invent one — the only data-out is **manual export / a shared report link**. Routes an automated
completion-to-warehouse pipeline to `/sales-userintuition` (API + webhooks + MCP).
**Result**: The user stops hunting for an API that doesn't exist and either exports manually or moves the pipeline to an API-native tool.

### Example 3: "Articos or Artificial Societies for a fast pre-launch read?"
**User says**: "I want a cheap synthetic read on my launch message before I publish. Articos or Societies?"
**Skill does**: Frames the trade-off — **Articos** runs **studies** (interviews / concept / A/B) on bias-diverse
personas → a report with objections; **Artificial Societies** (`/sales-societies`) models a **network** predicting
how a post **spreads** — a different question. Picks Articos for "what do people think / what objections surface",
Societies for "how far will this post travel"; **both are synthetic (AI opinions)**, so validate the winner with
a real panel and take demand to a real behavior test.
**Result**: The user picks the synthetic tool that matches the actual question and keeps demand as a separate, real test.

## Troubleshooting

### "Can I trust the Articos report — how accurate is it?"
**Symptom**: The user wants to know whether the synthesized report reflects how real people will react.
**Cause**: Personas are **synthetic** — LLM models built on 30 Big-Five facets + cognitive-bias mapping with **enforced skeptics**. The **86% accuracy** is a **peer-reviewed recall benchmark** (46 studies / 9 domains, 7.5× over a bare LLM), stronger than peers' self-reports, but it's a stat on *past* studies; Articos itself says ~70–80% of insights hold up.
**Solution**: Read the report as a **relative** signal + the **written objections** (the enforced skeptics are the most useful part), not a calibrated verdict. **Validate the winner with real people** (`/sales-wynter` / `/sales-pickfu`) and take the go/no-go to a real behavior test (`/sales-idea-validation`).

### "Where's the Articos API / webhook to export results?"
**Symptom**: You're looking for an API key and a webhook to fire when a study completes.
**Cause**: Articos is **UI-only** — **no public REST API, webhooks, Zapier/Make, or MCP server** (best-effort; confirm at articos.com). Data-out is **manual export / a shared report link**.
**Solution**: Export or share the report from the dashboard. For a programmatic warehouse/CRM pipeline, use an API-native tool — route to `/sales-userintuition`. Don't build against guessed endpoints.

### "Which Articos plan do I need, and is there a way to try it first?"
**Symptom**: The user wants to budget and de-risk a first run.
**Cause**: Articos bills by **researches** — **Starter** is quota-capped (~10/mo), **Pro** is unlimited + **white-label**, and a one-time **Research Pack** (credits, no expiry) suits occasional use — plus launch-promo discounts that change (best-effort).
**Solution**: Start with the **free 7-day trial (2 researches, no card)** to see real output, then pick by **re-run count**: the one-time pack for a few studies, Starter for steady monthly use, Pro for high volume or white-label. Confirm current rates at articos.com/pricing. More researches tighten the average but don't make a synthetic result into demand.