Source Acquisition Strategy

Source acquisition is the process of deliberately adding new sources to fill gaps identified in your coverage matrix. Not all sources are found — many of the best sources are built. Setting up an automated monitor on a vendor's changelog page is building a source. Joining a specialized Discord community and establishing a reputation as a knowledgeable participant is building a source. Subscribing to an analyst service is finding a source. The distinction matters because built sources are proprietary — your competitors cannot replicate them by subscribing to the same service.

1. Identify the Gap Start with the coverage matrix. Which cells are empty or single-sourced? Which of those cells cover actors or signal types that are strategically critical? Prioritize acquisitions that fill the highest-impact gaps first.
2. Evaluate Source Options For each gap, identify 2-3 potential sources. Evaluate each on four criteria: coverage (does it actually address this gap?), reliability (how often is the information accurate?), timeliness (how quickly after an event does the source report it?), and cost (subscription fees, time investment, or relationship capital required).
3. Onboard and Validate Add the source to your monitoring rotation for 30 days. During this trial period, check every signal from the new source against your existing sources. Does it provide information you were not getting? Is the information accurate when verified? Does it arrive in time to be actionable? After 30 days, decide: keep, adjust, or drop.