Content brief: a step-by-step method and prompt

A content brief is a one to two page document that tells a writer exactly what to produce: the target keyword and intent, who it is for, the angle, the outline, questions to answer, sources, internal links, length and meta. A good brief is the difference between a draft you publish and a draft you rewrite.

What it is

The brief is the research step made portable. It captures what the top results already cover, what they miss, and what your company can say that nobody else can. Whether the writer is a freelancer, a teammate or a model, the brief carries the context they lack.

When to use it

• Before every article that targets a keyword.
• When handing work to a new writer or agency.
• When an AI draft keeps coming back generic.
• When refreshing a page that lost rankings, to reset its scope.

Step-by-step method

1. Set the keyword and intent. Choose one primary keyword and three to five secondary ones. Write the intent in a sentence: "The reader wants a template they can copy today."
2. Review the top results. Read the top five pages. Note their format, length range, shared sections and what none of them cover. That gap is your angle.
3. Define the reader and the outcome. Who is reading, what they already know, and what they should be able to do after reading.
4. Write the angle. One or two sentences on what makes this piece different: first-hand data, a worked example, a contrarian take, or a template.
5. Draft the outline. H2s and H3s, each with a note on what it must say. Put the direct answer at the top.
6. List questions, sources and examples. Add four to six reader questions for the FAQ, two or three authoritative sources to cite, and any product examples or screenshots to include.
7. Add links and meta. Three to five internal links with suggested anchors, a title under 60 characters, and a meta description between 120 and 155 characters. The meta description generator helps with length.
8. Set length and done criteria. Give a word count range and a short checklist the draft must pass.

Ready-to-use prompt

You are a senior content strategist. Write a content brief.

Company: [COMPANY], selling [PRODUCT] to [AUDIENCE]
Primary keyword: [KEYWORD]
Secondary keywords: [LIST]
Top 5 ranking pages (url plus their H2s if you have them): [PASTE]
Our unique knowledge or data on this topic: [NOTES]
Pages on our site to link to: [URLS]

Output a brief with these sections:
1. Search intent (one sentence) and target reader
2. Angle: what this piece does that the top results do not
3. Title options (3, under 60 characters) and one meta description (120 to 155 characters)
4. Outline: H2s and H3s with one line each on what to cover; the intro must answer the query in 40 to 60 words
5. FAQ: 4 to 6 real questions
6. Sources to cite (name the organization; I will verify links)
7. Internal links with anchor text
8. Word count range and a 6 point done checklist

Be specific. No generic advice like "make it engaging".

Checklist

• One primary keyword, three to five secondary
• Intent written as one sentence
• Top five results reviewed for format and gaps
• A clear, specific angle
• Outline with notes under every heading
• Answer-first intro specified
• FAQ questions from real queries
• Sources and internal links listed
• Title and meta drafted within length
• Word count and done checklist set

How Thig automates it

The Writer agent starts every article with a research brief built from live search results, your strategy documents and your internal link map, then shows it to you before drafting. You can edit the brief and rerun only the steps after it. Pair it with the blog post skill for the drafting stage.