GUIDE · PART OF SEO CONTENT OPTIMIZATION
How to write a content brief
that gets the article you wanted.
Most disappointing articles were decided at the brief. The writer, or the AI, did what was asked, and what was asked was a keyword and a word count. A good brief takes fifteen minutes and saves the rewrite. This guide sets out what goes in one, with a template you can copy.
What is a content brief?
A content brief is a short document that tells a writer what to produce and why. It names the reader and what they want, the search the page should answer, the questions it must cover and the format it should take. A good brief also says what the page needs that others lack: an example, a figure, a point of view. It applies just as much when the writer is an AI, because a vague instruction produces a generic draft either way.
Key facts
- A brief states who the page is for, what they want and what the page must contain
- The reader's intent comes before the keyword. It decides the format of the whole page
- List the questions the page has to answer. They become its sections
- Say what makes this page worth reading: the example, the data or the experience only you have
- A brief should fit on a page. Longer ones don't get read
- In SEORCE, Content Studio builds a brief from a one-sentence idea, with keywords, intent and an outline you can edit
Last reviewed 15 October 2026 by the SEORCE team.
"Write 1,500 words on invoicing software."
That is a brief in many companies. It tells the writer the topic and nothing about the reader, the search or what a good answer would look like. The draft that comes back is exactly as vague.
Nothing about the reader
The writer has to guess who it's for and what they want, and guesses differently from you.
The same article everyone has
Without something specific to say, the page repeats what already ranks.
Four pages of instructions
A brief that tries to specify everything is skimmed, and the important line is missed.
What goes in a brief, and what to leave out.
Ten parts, most of them a line each. The discipline is keeping it to a page.
Start with who, and why.
Everything else follows from this. Get the reader's intent wrong and the page will be the wrong kind of page, however well it's written.
- Who it's forOne sentence. Their role and their situation.
- What they wantTo learn, to compare, or to decide.
- The search it answersA primary keyword, a few secondary ones, and the intent behind them.
- What ranks nowSo the writer knows the standard to beat.
Say what the page must cover.
This is the part that stops the page being generic. Be specific about the questions, and about what only you can add.
- Questions to answerThe ones people search and the ones buyers ask AI. Each becomes a section.
- What makes it differentA worked example, your own data, a view you hold.
- Facts and sourcesAny figure the writer must include, and where it comes from.
- What to leave outTopics that belong on another page.
For: agency owners billing clients abroad. They want: to know how to do it and what it costs.
- Primary keyword: multi-currency invoicing
- Questions: Can I invoice in euros? Who pays the conversion fee?
- Format: how-to guide, answer first
- Must include: a worked example with current rates
- Links to: pricing, VAT guide
Decide the format before the first word.
An outline agreed in advance is the cheapest edit you'll ever make. It takes minutes to change a heading and hours to restructure a draft.
- Page typeGuide, comparison, product page. Chosen from the intent.
- OutlineThe headings, in order, with the answer near the top of each section.
- Internal linksWhich pages this one should link to, and from.
- Voice and lengthA line on tone, and a rough length taken from what ranks.
Writing a brief in fifteen minutes.
Do these in order. Each one is quick once the one before is settled.
Name the reader and their intent
One sentence each.
List the questions
From search, from AI prompts and from your own customers.
Question keywords →Add your angle
The example, figure or experience that makes this page yours.
Hand it over
To a writer or to software. Then judge the draft against the brief.
Content brief →Check the finished page against the brief.
When the article comes back, the extension shows whether its outline matches the one you asked for, and the content checker scores how well the text is built to be cited.
A brief template, in ten parts.
| Part | What to write | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Working title | What the page is, in plain words. | Keeps everyone talking about the same page. |
| Reader | Who it's for and their situation. | Decides the level and the examples. |
| Intent | Learn, compare or decide. | Decides the type of page. |
| Keywords | One primary, a few secondary. | Says which search the page answers. |
| Questions | What the page must answer. | Becomes the sections. |
| Angle | What this page has that others lack. | Stops it being generic. |
| Evidence | Figures, sources, examples to include. | Gives readers and engines something to trust. |
| Outline | Headings, in order. | The cheapest place to make changes. |
| Links | Pages to link to, and from. | Connects it to the rest of the site. |
| Format | Page type, tone, rough length. | Sets expectations before drafting. |
From one sentence to a brief.
In Content Studio you describe the article in a sentence and it builds the brief: a title, a template, primary and secondary keywords with volume, competition and intent, and an outline with the keyword placement planned. You edit any of it before the draft is written. The angle is still yours to add.
Frequently asked questions.
A content brief is a short document that tells a writer what to produce and why: who the page is for, which search it answers, the questions it must cover and the format it should take.
Ten things: a working title, the reader, their intent, keywords, the questions to answer, your angle, evidence to include, an outline, internal links and the format. Most are a line each.
One page. A longer brief gets skimmed, and the instruction that mattered gets missed.
The outline is one part of the brief. The brief also covers who the page is for, why it exists and what it must contain.
More than ever. An AI given a keyword and a word count returns the average of what already exists. A specific brief is what makes the draft worth editing.
Whoever understands the reader and the search. Often that's an SEO or content lead, with a line from someone in sales or product on what buyers ask.
Yes. SEORCE has a free content brief generator, and the reference table on this page works as a template too: copy the ten parts and fill them in.
Turn an idea into a brief.
Add your site and describe one article in a sentence. You'll get a brief with keywords and an outline to edit.
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