An advantage of content analysis is that it can reveal patterns or trends which may not have been obvious before the research, or might have been considered an impression gained by a biased or subjective reading.

A disadvantage of content analysis is that the method cannot reveal the reasons for certain patterns of content, or the meanings placed on it, it can merely describe it.

An example of a piece of research that used content analysis as a method is when the Glasgow Media Group researched media bias against trade unionists in the reporting of strikes and industrial relations. It noted that overwhelmingly employers "offered" while unions "demanded" but it would take further research to explore the reasons for this and the meanings that readers and listeners would place on the different language used.