Content Briefs and Strategic Planning

Originally published at thatdevpro.com. This framework reference is part of the 14-tier Engine Optimization stack from ThatDevPro, an SDVOSB-certified veteran-owned web + AI engineering studio. You are reading the dev.to mirror; the source-of-truth canonical version with embedded validation tools lives at the link above.

The Pre-Writing Operational Standard for Aligning Keyword Intent, Information Gain Pre-Commitment, Competitive Differentiation, Editorial Calendar Architecture, Approval Gates, and Brief-to-Publish Handoff

A comprehensive installation and audit reference for the content brief discipline. A brief is the controlled document that bridges keyword research and writing. Without briefs, writers default to whatever they think the topic is, intent gets misclassified, Information Gain is left to chance, competitive gaps go unfilled, and the same article is reinvented every time a freelancer rotates. This document specifies the brief anatomy that turns research into a producible artifact, the intent classification rules that prevent the most common ranking failure, the competitive gap analysis that determines what differentiation the article must contribute, the Information Gain pre-commitment that forces the writer to articulate novelty before drafting, the brief template library for each major content type, the editorial calendar architecture that schedules briefs across topical pillars and seasonal cycles, the approval workflow that catches bad briefs before they consume writing hours, the brief-to-publish handoff protocol, the post-publish retrospective that closes the learning loop, and the audit rubric that scores brief program maturity. Dual purpose: installation manual and audit document.

Cross stack implementation note: the code samples in this framework are written in plain HTML and Bash for clarity. For React, Vue, Svelte, Next.js, Nuxt, SvelteKit, Astro, Hugo, 11ty, Remix, WordPress, Shopify, and Webflow equivalents of every pattern below, see framework-cross-stack-implementation.md. For pure client rendered SPAs (no SSR/SSG) see framework-react.md. For Tailwind specific concerns see framework-tailwind.md.

1. Document Purpose

1.1 What This Document Is

This is the canonical operational reference for the content brief discipline. The brief is the document that converts keyword research into a writable artifact. It is the contract between editorial strategy and writing production. The brief states the target query, intent class, audience, success criteria, Information Gain commitment, structural outline, schema obligations, internal link targets, competitor gaps, format and length envelope, byline and reviewer assignments, publish channel, and refresh cadence. If any of those fields are missing or wrong, the article is at best generic and at worst a ranking liability that drags site quality signals down.

The BetterBriefs Project (1,700 plus marketers and agency staff across 70 plus countries, IPA, October 2021) estimated 33 percent of marketing budgets are wasted due to poor briefs and misdirected work, with 78 percent of marketers believing they write good briefs while only 5 percent of creative agencies agreed. Rebriefs were reported by 69 percent of marketers and 73 percent of agencies. Content Marketing Institute benchmarking finds 40 percent of content marketers documented their content plan in 2022; the SEMrush 2026 State of Content Marketing reports 73 percent of B2B and 70 percent of B2C marketers now have a documented strategy, with organizations citing 3x more leads per dollar from documented programs. Briefs are the highest leverage operational artifact in the content stack and the most commonly underspecified.

This framework treats the brief as a production gate. A bad brief is caught at the brief approval step and rewritten before it consumes any writer hours. A brief that cannot articulate an Information Gain commitment is rejected. A brief whose intent classification disagrees with SERP evidence is rejected. The brief approval rate, brief-to-publish conversion rate, and brief retrospective findings are tracked over time as program health indicators.

Sections 4 through 12 cover anatomy through retrospectives. Sections 13 and 14 are audit rubric and maintenance.

1.2 Three Operating Modes

Mode A, Install Mode. Establish brief infrastructure for a site with no current brief practice. Sections 2 through 14 in order.

Mode B, Audit Mode. Evaluate an existing brief program. Skip to Section 13.

Mode C, Hybrid Mode. Audit first, then install for failing items.

1.3 How Claude Code CLI Should Consume This Document

Section 2 client variables. Section 3 to anchor what a brief is and is not. Section 4 to install the brief anatomy template. Sections 5 and 6 to drive intent classification and competitive gap analysis per query. Section 7 to enforce Information Gain pre-commitment. Section 8 to select the right template for the content type. Section 9 to schedule briefs through the editorial calendar. Section 10 to install the approval workflow. Section 11 to run retrospectives after publication. Section 13 audit at engagement start and quarterly thereafter. Section 14 maintenance and reporting.

1.4 Conflict Resolution Rules

1.5 Required Tools

Keyword research per framework-keywordresearch.md (Ahrefs, Semrush, GKP, AnswerThePublic, AlsoAsked, GSC); SERP analysis (manual or SerpAPI / DataForSEO at scale); brief authoring (Frase, MarketMuse, Clearscope, SurferSEO, ContentHarmony, or plain Markdown); brief queue (Airtable, Notion, Linear, Trello, or flat YAML); approval gate (PR review, Notion comments, kanban transitions); GSC and GA4 for retrospective measurement; schema validator and structured data preview tools per framework-schema.md.

1.6 Relationship to Neighboring Frameworks

This framework is the pre-writing planning standard. Keyword discovery and intent basics in framework-keywordresearch.md. HCS quality criteria the brief commits to in framework-hcs.md. Information Gain pre-commitment standard in framework-infogain.md. E-E-A-T author and reviewer credentialing in framework-eeat.md. YMYL stricter brief requirements in framework-ymyl.md. Content portfolio decisions that drive what to brief in framework-contentaudit.md. Refresh briefs in framework-contentrefresh.md. Topical authority architecture in framework-topicalauthority.md. Schema obligations in framework-schema.md. Internal link targets in framework-internallinking.md. Entity salience in framework-entitysalience.md. Brand voice in the Phase 2 brandvoice framework. AI assisted drafting workflow in the Phase 2 ai-content-workflow framework.

2. Client Variables Intake YAML

# CONTENT BRIEFS FRAMEWORK CLIENT VARIABLES

# Business Context (REQUIRED)
business_name: ""
primary_domain: ""
business_industry: ""
ymyl_status: ""                     # ymyl / ymyl-adjacent / non-ymyl

# Current Brief State (REQUIRED, answer honestly)
has_documented_brief_template: false
brief_template_includes_intent_class: false
brief_template_includes_information_gain_commitment: false
brief_template_includes_competitive_gap_analysis: false
brief_template_includes_schema_obligations: false
brief_template_includes_internal_link_targets: false
brief_template_includes_author_reviewer_assignment: false
brief_template_includes_refresh_cadence_pre_commitment: false
brief_approval_gate_pre_writing: false
brief_approval_gate_post_draft: false
brief_to_publish_conversion_rate_known: false
brief_retrospective_practice_exists: false

# Content Volume (REQUIRED)
articles_published_last_90_days: 0
articles_in_brief_queue: 0
average_articles_per_week_target: 0
content_types_in_scope: []           # informational / commercial / local / programmatic / news / product / comparison
seasonal_cycles_relevant: []

# Team Structure (REQUIRED)
in_house_writers_count: 0
freelance_writers_count: 0
brief_authors_count: 0               # Strategists writing briefs, not articles
editors_reviewers_count: 0
subject_matter_experts_available: []
brief_approver_role: ""              # editor / strategy_lead / owner / client

# Keyword Research Inputs (REQUIRED before briefing)
keyword_research_completed: false
intent_classification_per_target_keyword: false
serp_analyzed_for_target_keywords: false
people_also_ask_mined: false
competitor_top_ranking_pages_reviewed: false
information_gain_opportunities_documented: false

# Existing Brief Failures (RECOMMENDED, audit baseline)
articles_published_without_brief_last_90_days: 0
articles_revised_3_plus_times_last_90_days: 0
articles_failed_to_rank_position_30_after_90_days: 0
articles_with_intent_mismatch_post_publish: 0
articles_with_zero_information_gain_post_publish: 0

# Calendar Architecture (RECOMMENDED)
has_topical_pillar_map: false
publishes_against_pillars_or_ad_hoc: ""    # pillars / ad_hoc / mixed
news_jacking_practice_exists: false
refresh_briefs_in_same_calendar: false

# Tools In Use
brief_authoring_tool: ""             # frase / marketmuse / clearscope / surferseo / contentharmony / custom / none
keyword_research_tool: ""
people_also_ask_tool: ""
calendar_tool: ""                    # airtable / notion / trello / linear / coschedule / custom
approval_tool: ""                    # pr_review / notion_comments / kanban / email

3. What a Content Brief Is

3.1 The Bridge Document

A content brief is the controlled document that converts keyword research and editorial strategy into a writable artifact. It is the contract between the strategist who decided the article should exist and the writer who has to produce it. Everything upstream (keyword discovery, intent analysis, portfolio gap detection, refresh decisions) is research. Everything downstream (drafting, editing, schema markup, publish, internal linking, distribution, measurement) is production. The brief is the handoff.

The dominant failure mode in content programs is treating the brief as a glorified outline. An outline is "here are the H2s I want." A brief is "here is the user, the query, what they will find on the SERP, the gap we have detected, the novel contribution we are committing to make, the schema, the internal links, the author, the reviewer, the publish channel, and the refresh cadence we are pre-committing to." A writer given the first produces a generic article. A writer given the second produces a specific article designed to win a specific query for a specific user.

3.2 What Briefs Are Not

A brief is not a draft outline that a writer can fill in by paraphrasing competitors. Not a Frase or MarketMuse export pasted into a Google Doc without strategist review. Not the keyword research spreadsheet. Not optional for "quick posts." Not "the title, the keyword, and the word count." Not retroactive (written after the article).

3.3 The Brief Approval Gate

A brief that passes approval is a green light. A brief that fails approval is rewritten before any writer is assigned. The cost of rewriting a brief is minutes. The cost of rewriting an article that was briefed wrong is hours per round, sometimes the entire piece. The brief approval gate is the cheapest quality control point in the pipeline.

Most common rejection criteria at the brief gate, in order of frequency observed across engagements. Intent class does not match SERP evidence. Information Gain commitment absent or generic. No competitor gap analysis. Audience too broad. Schema obligations unspecified. Internal link targets not allocated. Author or reviewer unassigned (E-E-A-T failure waiting to happen). Refresh cadence not pre-committed.

3.4 The Brief As Living Documentation

The brief is preserved after publish. It becomes the historical record for the post-publish retrospective (Section 11) and the input to future refresh briefs (the same brief with decay data attached becomes the next refresh brief). Treating briefs as throwaway documents discards institutional memory that compounds across publications.

4. The Brief Anatomy

Every brief in the program, regardless of content type, contains the following fields. Templates by content type (Section 8) extend this anatomy with type-specific fields. The shared anatomy is mandatory. Fourteen field groups follow, presented as a single canonical YAML.

# 4.1 BRIEF HEADER
brief_id: ""                         # Sequential or pillar-prefixed, e.g. PILLAR1-2026-014
brief_status: ""                     # drafting / in_review / approved / assigned / in_writing / in_edit / published / retired
brief_author: ""                     # Strategist who wrote the brief
brief_date_created: ""
brief_date_approved: ""
brief_approved_by: ""
target_publish_date: ""
assigned_writer: ""
assigned_reviewer: ""                # SME reviewer for E-E-A-T

# 4.2 TARGET QUERY AND INTENT
primary_target_query: ""
secondary_target_queries: []         # 2 to 8 related queries
intent_class: ""                     # informational / commercial_investigation / transactional / navigational / mixed
intent_subtype: ""                   # how-to / comparison / review / definition / near-me / etc.
intent_evidence: []                  # SERP observations supporting classification
mixed_intent_handling: ""            # Resolution if mixed

# 4.3 PRIMARY AUDIENCE
audience_role: ""                    # Job, role, or life context
audience_expertise_level: ""         # beginner / intermediate / expert
audience_pain_point: ""              # The specific problem when they search
audience_decision_stage: ""          # unaware / problem_aware / solution_aware / comparing / ready_to_act
audience_pre_existing_knowledge: ""  # What they already know (don't repeat)
audience_objection_to_address: ""
audience_emotional_state: ""         # frustrated / curious / urgent / anxious / exploratory

# 4.4 SUCCESS CRITERIA
primary_success_metric: ""           # rank_top_3 / rank_top_10 / ao_citation / form_submission / click_to_pricing
secondary_success_metrics: []
target_rank_window: ""               # 30 / 90 / 180 days
expected_monthly_organic_clicks: 0   # Honest forecast
expected_conversion_action: ""
expected_internal_link_value: ""

# 4.5 INFORMATION GAIN COMMITMENT (see Section 7; mandatory; reject brief if blank)
information_gain_type: ""            # original_research / first_hand_experience / proprietary_data / expert_synthesis / structural_advantage / recency / unique_perspective
information_gain_specific_claim: ""  # The concrete novelty in one sentence
information_gain_evidence_source: "" # Survey, interview, lab test, internal data
information_gain_validation_method: "" # How readers see we did the work

# 4.6 STRUCTURAL OUTLINE
working_title: ""
meta_title_target: ""                # Under 60 characters
meta_description_target: ""          # Under 155 characters
h1: ""
h2_outline:                          # H2 with purpose and target PAAs
  - h2: ""
    purpose: ""
    target_paas: []
recommended_length_words: 0          # Range, e.g. 1800 to 2400
recommended_length_basis: ""
required_visuals: []
required_data_points: []

# 4.7 SCHEMA REQUIREMENTS (see framework-schema.md)
primary_schema_type: ""              # Article / HowTo / FAQPage / Product / LocalBusiness / Recipe
secondary_schema_types: []
faq_schema_required: false
faq_questions_to_mark_up: []
review_schema_required: false        # Subject to YMYL restrictions
schema_validation_method: ""         # rich_results_test / schema_validator / both

# 4.8 INTERNAL LINKING TARGETS (see framework-internallinking.md)
must_link_to: []                     # [{target_url, anchor_text, rationale}, ...]
must_be_linked_from: []              # [{source_url, anchor_text, rationale}, ...]
hub_role: ""                         # pillar / cluster_supporting / leaf / comparison_hub

# 4.9 COMPETITOR GAP INPUTS (see Section 6)
top_3_ranking_pages: []
competitor_gaps_identified: []
elements_we_will_outperform_on: []
elements_we_will_match: []
elements_we_will_consciously_skip: []

# 4.10 LENGTH, FORMAT, TONE
content_format: ""                   # long-form_guide / listicle / comparison_table / how-to / case_study / data_study / tool_landing / local_landing / news
tone_register: ""                    # authoritative_technical / conversational_practical / academic / journalistic
brand_voice_doc: ""                  # Phase 2 brandvoice
reading_level_target: ""             # grade_8 / grade_10 / expert
ai_assist_policy: ""                 # no_ai / ai_outline_only / ai_draft_human_polish (Phase 2 ai-content-workflow)

# 4.11 BYLINE AND REVIEWER (see framework-eeat.md)
byline_author: ""
byline_author_url: ""                # /authors/[slug]/
reviewer: ""                         # SME reviewer (mandatory for YMYL)
reviewer_url: ""
reviewer_credential_displayed: false
contributor_acknowledgments: []

# 4.12 PUBLISH CHANNEL AND DISTRIBUTION
primary_publish_url: ""              # Pre-allocated slug
canonical_strategy: ""               # self_canonical / redirect_from_old_slug / cross_post_canonical_origin
syndication_plan: []
email_newsletter_inclusion: false
social_promotion_plan: ""
indexnow_push: true

# 4.13 PRE-COMMITTED REFRESH CADENCE
refresh_cadence_pre_committed: ""    # 30_days / 90_days / 180_days / 365_days / trigger_only
refresh_owner: ""
refresh_first_review_date: ""
content_type_decay_profile: ""       # news_fast_decay / evergreen_slow_decay / annually_updated / regulation_driven

4.14 Brief Approval Checklist

Nine pass / fail criteria plus signature and date. Intent class matches SERP evidence; Information Gain articulated in one sentence; audience specific (role, expertise, pain, stage); competitor gaps documented with coverage matrix; outline addresses target PAAs; schema specified; internal links allocated; author and reviewer assigned; refresh cadence pre-committed. Plus approval signed-off-by and approval date.

Every criterion must be true before the brief moves to approved status. One unchecked equals one rejection.

5. Intent Class Definition

The intent class is the single most consequential field in the brief. An article whose content type fights the SERP intent will not rank regardless of how well written it is. SERP evidence wins over editorial assumption every time.

5.1 The Four Primary Classes

Informational. User wants to learn. Queries like "what is", "how does", "history of", "best practices for". SERP shows guides, explainers, definitions, encyclopedic content. Featured snippets common. Long term conversion path: trust building, subscriber capture, retargeting. Content type: long-form guide, explainer, definition page, glossary entry.

Commercial Investigation. User researching before committing. Queries like "best [category]", "[A] vs [B]", "[product] review", "[service] alternatives", "is [product] worth it". SERP shows comparisons, listicles, reviews. Medium conversion path: capture for the comparison shortlist. Content type: comparison article, listicle, head-to-head, review, buyer's guide.

Transactional. User ready to act. Queries like "buy [product]", "[service] pricing", "[product] coupon", "hire [role]", "book [appointment]". SERP shows product pages, pricing, service pages, Shopping ads. Immediate conversion path. Content type: product page, service page, pricing, signup landing, booking page.

Navigational. User wants a specific destination. Queries like "[brand] login", "[product] dashboard", "[brand] contact", "[brand] support". SERP dominated by the brand. Direct conversion path. Content type: brand pages, login, contact, support, the specific URL the user is trying to reach.

5.2 Intent Modifier Signals

The query text often carries intent modifiers that override naive keyword-volume thinking. From keyword research and SERP studies (Backlinko 306M keyword study 2020; Backlinko 11.8M search results study; Ahrefs annual SERP feature breakdowns).

• Informational modifiers. "what is", "what are", "how to", "how does", "why does", "definition", "meaning", "guide", "tutorial", "history of", "examples of".
• Commercial modifiers. "best", "top", "leading", "review", "reviews", "compare", "comparison", "vs", "versus", "alternative", "alternatives", "worth it", "pros and cons", "should I".
• Transactional modifiers. "buy", "purchase", "order", "pricing", "cost", "price", "discount", "coupon", "promo", "near me", "in [city]", "free trial", "demo", "consultation", "hire", "book", "schedule".
• Navigational modifiers. "[brand] login", "[brand] signin", "[brand] dashboard", "[brand] app", "[brand] contact", "[brand] support", "[brand] customer service".

5.3 The SERP Always Wins

The brief author verifies intent classification against the live SERP, not from the modifier. From Greenlane Marketing intent alignment analysis (October 2024) and Search Engine Land commentary: the most common reason commercially-intended pages fail to rank is publishing transactional content when Google's SERP for that query is dominated by informational results. The intent of the keyword is what Google's algorithm thinks it is, not what the marketer assumes.

The SERP audit protocol the brief must run. (1) Search the primary target query in a clean browser session (incognito, location-neutral if possible). (2) List top 10 organic results by URL and content type. (3) Note SERP features (featured snippet, People Also Ask, knowledge panel, image pack, video pack, shopping carousel, local pack, sitelinks). (4) Identify the dominant content type among the top 3. (5) Classify intent based on what is winning. (6) If the dominant content type contradicts the editorial assumption, re-classify the intent or reject the query.

5.4 Mixed Intent Handling

Some SERPs show mixed results (commercial mixed with informational, or transactional mixed with comparison). The brief must explicitly resolve mixed intent.

• Dominant intent skews 70 / 30. Brief for the dominant intent. Mention the minor angle in a single section.
• Evenly mixed 50 / 50. Either pick the angle that fits the site's content type and accept partial coverage, or split into two pages with different slugs and resolve cannibalization upstream.
• SERP evolving. Note the evolution in the brief. Plan a refresh at 90 days. Track SERP shifts.

5.5 Intent Class Mismatch As a Predictable Failure

Across content audits (see framework-contentaudit.md and framework-coreupdates.md), intent mismatch is among the top three reasons a page never reaches top 30 after 90 days. Intent mismatch is detected at the brief gate, not after publication. A brief that classifies intent based on SERP evidence is the cheapest defense against the most common ranking failure.

6. Competitive Gap Analysis

The brief commits to specific differentiation against specific competitor pages. "We'll be more comprehensive" is not gap analysis. "Top 3 ranking pages describe the regulation but none provide a worked example with real numbers; we will provide a 2026 worked example using IRS Pub 17 numbers" is.

6.1 The Gap Analysis Protocol

Four steps. (1) Collect top pages: pull the top 10 for the primary target query; save URLs; capture publication and last-modified dates. (2) Audit coverage: build the Section 6.2 matrix covering URL, primary angle, depth score (1 to 5), original data, first-hand experience, credentialed author, schema quality, page experience, Information Gain signals, publish date, last modified. (3) Identify gaps: what does every top page cover (table stakes); what do some cover but not all (partial differentiation); what does none cover (full differentiation); what is outdated (recency opportunity); where do they fail E-E-A-T (credentialing opportunity). (4) Commit to differentiation: name must-match table stakes, will-outperform dimensions, will-skip SERP norms with rationale, and will-contribute-uniquely novelty.

6.2 Coverage Matrix Template

| URL | Primary Angle | Depth (1-5) | Original Data | First-Hand Exp | Credentialed Author | Schema Quality | Last Modified | IG Signal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| competitor1.com/post | "what is X" general | 3 | none | none | byline only | Article + FAQ | 2024-03 | weak |
| competitor2.com/post | "what is X" + history | 4 | none | none | bio with creds | Article only | 2025-08 | medium |
| competitor3.com/post | "what is X" how-to | 4 | screenshots | yes (claimed) | bio + LinkedIn | HowTo + FAQ | 2025-11 | medium |

6.3 Differentiation Categories

The brief picks at least one differentiation category and commits to it concretely.

• Original data. Survey, analytical data, internal usage analytics, lab tests, A/B test results. Example: "Survey of 487 tax preparers conducted March 2026 by [firm] on K-1 reporting practices."
• First-hand experience. First-person account of doing the thing, with specifics that can only come from having done it. Example: "Walked through the K-1 amendment process for a client in February 2026, screenshots included."
• Expert synthesis. Credentialed expert provides analytical synthesis that goes beyond aggregation. Example: "CPA with 18 years federal practice ranks the four most common amendment scenarios by audit risk."
• Proprietary dataset. Internal data not available to competitors, presented responsibly. Example: "From 2,400 audit defense cases [firm] handled in 2024-2025, the three most cited 1099-K issues are..."
• Structural advantage. Better information architecture (calculator, interactive table, decision tree, comparison matrix). Example: "Interactive K-1 amendment decision tree with 11 branching scenarios."
• Recency. Most authoritative coverage of a recent change. Time-bound advantage. Example: "Coverage of IRS Notice 2026-12 issued 2026-04-30, while top pages cover only the 2024 guidance."
• Unique perspective. Viewpoint or framework not present in the top results. Example: "Argument for a contrarian position with substantive support, not contrarianism for its own sake."

6.4 Anti-Patterns at the Gap Analysis Step

• "We'll cover the topic more comprehensively." Vague. Reject.
• "We'll have better writing." Not a measurable gap. Reject.
• "We'll use better keywords." Not a content gap. Reject.
• "We'll add a FAQ." Schema is table stakes, not differentiation.
• "We'll publish a fresher article." Recency is valid only with substantive update.
• "We'll target a sub-keyword instead." That is keyword strategy, not gap analysis. The brief is for the original query.

7. Information Gain Pre-Commitment

The most important section of the brief and the most commonly skipped.

7.1 The Pre-Commitment Standard

The Information Gain framework (framework-infogain.md) covers the patented signal rewarding novel contribution beyond what exists in the corpus. Information Gain is dominant in 2026 (Digital Applied April 2026 commentary; Animalz Information Gain analysis 2024-2025). At the brief stage, the requirement is simple: state in one sentence what novel contribution this article will add. If you cannot articulate it before writing, you will not deliver it.

7.2 The One-Sentence Rule

Bad examples (reject these). "This article will be more comprehensive than competitors." "We'll cover the topic in depth." "Our take on K-1 amendments." "Updated for 2026."

Good examples (concrete; reader can imagine the artifact). "First publicly available analysis of K-1 amendment timing windows using IRS Notice 2026-12 plus a worked example from a March 2026 client case." "Survey of 487 tax preparers (March 2026) on which K-1 amendment scenarios trigger CP-2000 notices, with state-by-state breakdown." "Decision tree covering 11 K-1 amendment scenarios mapped to audit risk score, derived from [firm]'s 2,400 case 2024-2025 dataset." "First-hand walkthrough of the March 2026 amendment process including screenshots of the IRS portal and CPA reviewer commentary at each step."

The pattern is concrete: source, year, sample.

7.3 Information Gain Categories Mapped to Brief Source

7.4 The Rejection Criterion

A brief that cannot articulate Information Gain is rejected. Not a personal judgment, an operational rule. The brief returns to research until Information Gain is identified. If none can be identified, the article should not be written. Three remedial paths: reframe the topic to a narrower question where the team has unique perspective; conduct original research (survey, lab test, interview); drop the topic and re-allocate the writer.

7.5 Information Gain at Scale

Programs that publish at high volume (multiple posts per week) are the most prone to skipping Information Gain pre-commitment. Three rules at scale.

• Weekly publishing quota. If the quota exceeds the rate of Information Gain availability, the quota is wrong, not the brief gate.
• Pillar-based allocation. Each topical pillar (Section 9) has a known Information Gain reservoir. Plan publishing against the reservoir, not against keyword volume.
• Reservoir replenishment. New surveys quarterly, client case studies monthly, internal data analyses bi-weekly, expert interviews monthly. Replenishment is a calendar event, not an aspiration.

8. Brief Templates

The shared anatomy (Section 4) applies to every brief. The templates below extend the anatomy with content-type-specific fields. Each template is named with the brief field group it adds.

8.1 Informational Article Brief

Question landscape: target PAAs; AnswerThePublic question variations; AlsoAsked branches. Comprehension progression: prerequisite concepts; sequence of explanation; glossary terms to define. Worked examples: minimum 2 required, each with scenario, inputs, outputs, source. Visualizations: diagrams required; chart types (bar / line / decision tree / flow). Authoritative citations: minimum 3 primary sources (government, peer-reviewed, industry-standard); inline format "(Source, Year)".

8.2 Commercial Comparison Brief

Comparison axis: products or services compared; dimensions (price, features, support, integrations); weighting logic (equal or weighted by audience priority). Scoring methodology: documented in article; score basis (vendor docs, hands-on testing, customer interviews); affiliate disclosure if applicable per framework-eeat.md. Recommendations: best overall; best for use case A; best for use case B; not recommended for. Competitive neutrality pre-commitment: findings based on stated methodology, not vendor influence; disclosure of relationships. Comparison table required with named columns.

8.3 Local Landing Brief

Geo modifiers: primary city; primary state or region; secondary locations; NAICS code. Local signals required: NAP consistency verified per framework-localseo.md; service area described; local landmarks referenced; locally relevant examples. Schema obligations: LocalBusiness; geo coordinates present; opening hours specified; review aggregateRating subject to YMYL rules. Uniqueness versus other locations: each local landing has unique copy; boilerplate plus city find-replace fails the unique value test; minimum 3 differentiation paragraphs.

8.4 Programmatic Landing Brief

Template definition: template name; variable inputs; data source; instance count target. Unique value per instance: minimum 200 unique words; unique data per instance; quality floor. Thin content safeguards: instances with insufficient data set to noindex; consolidation threshold; crawl budget consideration (sitemap segmentation, robots rules). Programmatic Information Gain: each instance has at least one data point or insight not available elsewhere for that location, product, or filter. See framework-saas-seo.md and framework-ecommerceseo.md.

The programmatic brief is the highest-risk brief type. The March 2024 Core Update widened the quality discount on templated thin pages and the discount can extend beyond the templated pages to the rest of the domain.

8.5 News Article Brief

Newsworthiness: event name; event date; proximity to publish (hours from event to publish target); angle (the lens). Reporting obligations: minimum 2 primary sources; sources named; anonymous source justification if applicable; fact-checked by. Schema obligations: NewsArticle; datePublished required; dateModified protocol per framework-contentrefresh.md. Freshness window: expected decay fast; update protocol in event of developments. See framework-newsseo.md.

8.6 Refresh Brief (Existing Content)

Refresh briefs are first-class briefs. They follow the framework-contentrefresh.md workflow but use this brief template as the controlling document.

Decay diagnosis: decay score per framework-contentrefresh.md Section 4; decay signals present. Refresh route: refresh / rewrite / consolidate / retire; rationale. Substantive update commitment: new Information Gain added; sections rewritten; sections removed; sections added. Schema preservation: dateModified change justified; FAQPage schema preserved; Review schema preserved.

8.7 Product Page Brief

Product identity: product name; SKU; category; parent collection. Required elements: above the fold (product name, price, primary image, primary CTA, key benefit); detail sections (description, specifications, use cases, compatibility, FAQ); Product schema; review handling per framework-ymyl.md. Conversion path: primary CTA; secondary CTA; abandoned recovery per framework-cro.md. See framework-ecommerceseo.md and framework-shopify.md.

9. Content Calendar Architecture

The calendar is the editorial program's operating tempo. A calendar is not a list of titles with dates. It is the architecture that allocates publishing capacity against topical pillars, seasonal cycles, refresh obligations, and the news jacking window.

9.1 Pillar-Based Cadence

Four steps. Define 3 to 7 topical pillars (per framework-topicalauthority.md). Set capacity as total briefs per quarter the team can produce, edit, review, and publish. Allocate against pillars by strategic priority, not keyword volume. Each pillar gets a target cadence (e.g. pillar A 2 briefs per month, pillar B 1 per month, pillar C 1 per quarter). Refresh briefs count against capacity at the same weight as new briefs; sites that calendar new content but not refresh accumulate decay debt.

9.2 Seasonal Planning

Industry cycles to map: tax professional (IRS regulation calendar, quarter end, 1099 season, April 15, extensions); retail (holiday season, back to school, Memorial Day, Black Friday, post-holiday returns); education (enrollment windows, graduation, back to school, exam seasons); real estate (spring buying, fall buying, quarterly market reports); fitness (new year, summer body, back to school routine).

Three rules. Map industry cycles to the calendar 90 days in advance. Briefs for seasonal content are written at least 30 days before publish target. Refresh briefs for seasonal content are scheduled at the start of each cycle.

9.3 News Jacking Discipline

High reward when done right and high risk when done wrong. The brief gate stays in place.

Qualification: event genuinely relevant to a topical pillar; site can contribute Information Gain beyond reporting; author has credential to comment substantively; window from event to publish is short enough to matter (24 to 72 hours typical).

Abbreviated brief acceptable. Still required: target query, intent class, Information Gain commitment, byline author, schema. Relaxed: extensive outline, long SERP audit, internal link targets (added within 24 hours post-publish).

Prohibition. News jacking does not waive the Information Gain commitment. A reaction post that paraphrases the news adds nothing and is detected as low value.

9.4 Refresh-in-Calendar Integration

Refresh briefs share calendar capacity with new briefs. From framework-contentrefresh.md and framework-contentaudit.md, most evergreen content begins to decay between months 12 and 24. The calendar reserves refresh capacity proportional to portfolio age. New site under 50 articles: 100 percent new briefs. 50 to 200 articles: 80 percent new, 20 percent refresh. 200 to 500 articles: 60 percent new, 40 percent refresh. 500 plus articles: 40 percent new, 60 percent refresh.

Refresh queue priority. (1) Pages with decay score 8 plus and proven historical value. (2) Pages within YMYL strict review cadence. (3) Pillar pages and cluster hubs. (4) High traffic leaf articles with stale data. (5) Comparison and pricing pages with outdated competitor or pricing info.

9.5 Calendar Tool Choice

Any tool that supports brief queue states, due dates, owner assignments, and approval flags. Common choices: Airtable, Notion, Trello, Linear, CoSchedule, ClickUp, Jira. A YAML file in version control works equally well if the team can read it. The discipline is the brief anatomy and approval gate, not the tool.

10. Brief Approval Workflow

The approval gate is the single most leveraged quality intervention in the content program. Approval happens before any writer hours are consumed.

10.1 The Approval Gate Sits Pre-Writing

The pipeline: keyword research feeds brief drafting; the brief approval gate is the controlled gate; approved briefs become writer assignments; drafts go to editor review; editor approval becomes publish.

The brief gate (pre-writing) is the cheap one: rejections cost minutes. The editor gate (post-draft) is the expensive one: rejections cost hours. Push as much quality filtering as possible to the cheap gate.

10.2 Who Approves What

• Brief author. Strategist who wrote the brief. Owns Section 5 intent classification, Section 6 gap analysis, Section 7 Information Gain commitment.
• Brief approver. Editor or strategy lead, distinct from brief author for non-trivial sites. Verifies Section 4 anatomy, intent class against SERP, and Information Gain concreteness. Approves or rejects.
• Client or owner. Required for YMYL, regulated industry, or strategic content. Confirms angle alignment and byline / reviewer assignment.
• Legal or compliance. Required for finance, health, legal content per framework-ymyl.md. Pre-review of claims; disclosure requirements.

10.3 Approval Checklist

The brief approver runs through the explicit checklist before signing off. A single failing item rejects the brief.

Intent alignment. Primary target query is unambiguous and named. Intent class is named with SERP evidence. Mixed intent resolution documented if applicable. Top 3 ranking pages reviewed and characterized.

Audience specificity. Audience role is named (not "anyone interested in X"). Pain point is concrete. Decision stage is named. Pre-existing knowledge is named (so the article does not repeat it).

Information Gain. Articulated in one sentence. Novelty source named (survey, internal data, expert, etc.). Validation method named (methodology section, photos, citations).

Competitive gap. Top 10 ranking pages URL-listed. Coverage matrix filled. Differentiation category named (one of seven). Will-skip elements named with rationale.

Structural. H2 outline aligns with intent. PAAs and AlsoAsked branches mapped to H2s where applicable. Required visuals named. Required citations named with source, year, and sample where applicable.

Technical. Schema type named. Internal link targets named (in and out). Slug pre-allocated. Canonical strategy stated.

E-E-A-T. Byline author named with /authors/[slug]/ URL. Reviewer named if YMYL. Reviewer credential is verifiable.

Refresh cadence. Pre-committed cadence set. Owner of the first refresh review named.

10.4 Rejection Patterns

Common reasons briefs get rejected and the remediation.

• Intent assumed not SERP verified (brief classifies query as commercial but top 3 are explainers). Re-classify or reject the query.
• Information Gain generic ("more comprehensive than competitors"). Identify specific novelty source. Add survey, interview, internal data, or first-hand experience.
• Audience too broad ("marketers"). Narrow to a role, expertise level, and pain point.
• No byline or reviewer (article has no named author or YMYL reviewer). Assign author with credential. Assign reviewer with credential for YMYL.
• Competitor pages not audited (brief lists target keyword but no SERP audit was performed). Run the coverage matrix per Section 6.2.
• Schema unspecified (brief does not name the schema type). Specify per framework-schema.md and content type.
• No pre-committed refresh (brief does not commit to a refresh cadence). Assign cadence per content type decay profile and refresh owner.

10.5 Approval Speed Versus Quality

Counter-argument from production teams: the approval gate slows publishing. The data argues otherwise. Sites running brief approval pre-writing (Outranking 2025 brief analysis; Search Atlas brief software comparison 2026; Roboticmarketer template analysis 2026) report fewer revision rounds at the draft stage and faster time-to-publish overall. Minutes spent at the brief gate are recovered at the editor gate. The 69 percent rebrief rate from the BetterBriefs 2021 study disappears when the brief is approved before writing.

11. Brief Retrospectives

The brief is preserved after publish. The retrospective compares predicted to actual performance and closes the learning loop.

11.1 Retrospective Timing

• 7 days. Initial indexation. URL submitted to GSC, rich result preview verified, indexation confirmed, initial impressions logged.
• 30 days. First measurable signal. Rank check for primary target query, impressions vs forecast, CTR vs expected, AI Overview citation status.
• 90 days. Performance evaluation. Did article meet primary success metric, did it convert, was Information Gain delivered, brief retrospective worksheet filled.
• 6 months. Long term value. Cumulative traffic, cumulative conversions, backlinks earned, AI Overview citations earned, first refresh review per pre-committed cadence.

11.2 The Retrospective Worksheet

Header. Brief id and article URL; brief written date; article published date; retrospective date; days post-publish.

Prediction versus actual. Table columns Field, Predicted, Actual, Variance. Rows: primary success metric; target rank window; expected monthly clicks; expected conversions; secondary metrics as relevant.

Information Gain delivery. Pre-committed (the one-sentence commitment from Section 7); delivered (what actually shipped); match (yes / partial / no); reader response evidence (comments, shares, citations, backlinks, AI Overview pickup, time on page).

Intent verification. Brief classified vs SERP post-publish observed; match (yes / no); action (none / re-classify and refresh / refresh with intent shift).

Brief quality findings. What the brief predicted accurately; what it missed; what surprised us; what the writer reported about brief usability.

Adjustments for next brief. Template changes; approval checklist additions; pillar capacity adjustments.

11.3 Aggregate Retrospective Patterns

Across the brief program, certain patterns emerge over 30 to 90 retrospectives. Five aggregate signals to track each quarter.

• Intent misclassification rate. Target under 10 percent of briefs. If higher, the SERP audit step is being skipped or rushed.
• Information Gain delivery rate. Target over 85 percent. If lower, writers are not equipped to deliver the commitment, or the commitment is too aspirational at brief time.
• Forecast accuracy. Target monthly click forecasts within 50 percent variance. If higher variance, keyword research is over-promising and forecasts need recalibration.
• Primary success metric hit rate. Target over 60 percent within target window. If lower, either target windows are too aggressive or briefs are not selecting winnable queries.
• Rebrief rate. Target under 15 percent. If higher, the approval gate is not catching weaknesses and the Section 10 checklist needs tightening.

11.4 Closing the Loop

Retrospective findings feed back into the calendar (Section 9), the approval checklist (Section 10), and the templates (Section 8). The brief program is a learning system. Programs that publish briefs and never review them learn nothing. Programs that retrospect and adjust compound improvements quarter over quarter.

12. Common Brief Mistakes

The top 10 anti-patterns observed across content audits. Each maps to a remediation step from the framework.

12.1 The Top 10

12.2 The 11th Mistake (Honorable Mention)

Briefs lifted from a tool (Frase, MarketMuse, Clearscope, SurferSEO, ContentHarmony) and shipped to the writer without strategist review. The tools produce starting points based on competitor analysis. They do not produce briefs. The strategist must verify intent, articulate Information Gain, set the angle, allocate internal links, and assign byline. Skipping that step means the program is buying tool-driven briefs that look like every other tool-driven brief, with no site-specific differentiation. From the 2026 comparison commentary (Genesys Growth Surfer Clearscope MarketMuse comparison 2026, Growth Marketing Pro Clearscope Frase MarketMuse Surfer review 2026, NeuronWriter 2026 content optimization tools comparison): tools are complementary to brief strategy, not substitutes.

13. Audit Rubric

This section is used in Mode B (audit) and Mode C (hybrid). Three scopes: per-brief, brief program, and first-90-days subset.

13.1 Per-Brief Audit

Run on a representative sample of recent briefs (10 to 20 briefs).

Score out of 12 per brief. Aggregate across the sample. World-class brief practice scores 11 plus on 90 percent of briefs.

13.2 Brief Program Audit

Evaluate the program as a system.

Score out of 15. World-class brief program scores 13 plus.

13.3 First-90-Days Subset Audit

For the most recent 10 to 20 briefs that have hit the 90-day post-publish mark, run the per-brief retrospective worksheet (Section 11.2) and tally: briefs audited; briefs that hit the primary success metric; briefs that delivered Information Gain; briefs with intent classification verified correct; briefs with forecast within 50 percent variance. Roll up to signals with targets: Information Gain delivery rate (target over 85 percent); intent classification accuracy (target over 90 percent); forecast accuracy; primary metric hit rate (target over 60 percent); rebrief rate (target under 15 percent).

13.4 Audit Report Skeleton

Header: client and date. Sections: methodology (sample selection, evaluation criteria, scoring rubric); per-brief findings (score distribution across 12 criteria across n briefs); brief program findings (score on 15 program criteria); first 90 days subset (per-brief retrospective findings); critical failures (briefs missing Information Gain, intent misclassified, byline missing); quick wins (top 5 changes to brief template or approval checklist that close 80 percent of gaps); strategic recommendations (pillar capacity, calendar architecture, tool choices); sign-off.

14. Maintenance Schedule and Report Templates

14.1 Maintenance Schedule

• Per brief. Approval gate before writing. Retrospective at 30 days and 90 days.
• Weekly. Brief queue review. Rejection log review. Calendar slip detection.
• Monthly. Aggregate retrospective (intent miss rate, IG delivery rate, rebrief rate, forecast accuracy). Template refinement based on rejection patterns. Pillar capacity rebalance if needed.
• Quarterly. Section 13 audit on a fresh sample. Retrospective worksheet template review. Calendar architecture refresh (pillars, seasonal cycles, refresh percentage). Tool stack review.
• Annually. Full brief program audit. Brief template versioning. Team training refresh on intent classification and Information Gain.

14.2 Weekly Brief Queue Report

Sections: In Drafting (brief id, target query, owner, target_approval_date); In Review (brief id, target query, owner, days_in_review); Approved Awaiting Writer (brief id, query, writer, target_publish_date); In Writing (brief id, writer, target_draft_date); In Edit (brief id, editor, target_publish_date); Published This Week (brief id, url, publish_date); Retrospectives Due (brief id, url, publish_date, retrospective_owner); Calendar Slip Risk (brief id, days_overdue, reason).

14.3 Monthly Brief Program Health Report

Volume: briefs drafted; briefs approved with rate; briefs rejected with rate; briefs published.

Quality signals (90 day retrospective basis): intent classification accuracy; Information Gain delivery rate; primary success metric hit rate; forecast accuracy; rebrief rate.

Pillar coverage: briefs per pillar versus target per pillar.

Refresh capacity: new briefs share; refresh briefs share; target ratio met.

Top brief rejections this month: pattern, count, remediation taken.

Sign-off.

14.4 Quarterly Brief Program Audit Report

Per-brief sample findings (Section 13.1 scores on n sampled briefs); brief program findings (Section 13.2 scores on 15 criteria); first 90 days subset findings (Section 13.3 metrics on the maturing cohort); trend versus last quarter (delta on quality signals); strategic recommendations (template, approval, calendar, tool changes); open questions for client decision; sign-off.

End of Framework Document

v1.0. Created 2026-05-14. By ThatDeveloperGuy.

Content briefs are the highest leverage operational artifact in the content stack. The brief converts research into a writable artifact. The approval gate sits pre-writing, catches bad briefs at minutes-cost rather than hours-cost, and enforces intent classification, Information Gain pre-commitment, competitor gap analysis, audience specificity, schema obligations, internal link allocation, byline and reviewer assignment, and refresh cadence pre-commitment. Programs that adopt this discipline see fewer revisions, faster time-to-publish, higher rank attainment, higher Information Gain delivery, and lower rebrief rates. The BetterBriefs 2021 evidence (33 percent of marketing budgets wasted on poor briefs) and the SEMrush 2026 documented strategy correlation (3x leads per dollar from documented programs) point in the same direction. Briefs are not an editorial nicety; they are the production gate.

Apply this framework before content is written. Apply framework-contentaudit.md to decide what to brief. Apply framework-contentrefresh.md for refresh briefs. Apply framework-hcs.md, framework-infogain.md, framework-eeat.md, and framework-ymyl.md to enforce quality commitments the brief makes.

Companions

• framework-keywordresearch.md, keyword discovery and intent basics that feed the brief
• framework-hcs.md, Helpful Content System the brief commits to
• framework-infogain.md, Information Gain pre-commitment standard
• framework-eeat.md, author and reviewer credentialing the brief assigns
• framework-ymyl.md, stricter brief requirements for YMYL content
• framework-contentaudit.md, portfolio decisions that drive what to brief
• framework-contentrefresh.md, refresh briefs and trigger-based queue
• framework-topicalauthority.md, pillar architecture the calendar serves
• framework-schema.md, schema obligations the brief specifies
• framework-entitysalience.md, entities the brief must surface
• framework-internallinking.md, internal link targets the brief allocates
• framework-aicitations.md, AI engine citation outcomes
• framework-aioverviews.md, AI Overview citation defense
• framework-searchgpt.md, SearchGPT surface targeting
• framework-gscanalysis.md, GSC retrospective data source
• framework-cross-stack-implementation.md, per-stack equivalents
• framework-react.md, SPA-specific brief considerations
• framework-tailwind.md, styling concerns
• SEO-Search-Appearance.md, multi-engine surface map
• SERP-Optimization.md, feature targeting playbook
• Phase 2 framework-brandvoice.md (sibling)
• Phase 2 framework-ai-content-workflow.md (sibling)
• 14 tier Engine Optimization Stack, Tier 2 Content Optimization Layer

From the ThatDevPro Engine Optimization framework library. Studio: ThatDevPro (SDVOSB veteran-owned web + AI engineering). Sister property: ThatDeveloperGuy. Source: https://www.thatdevpro.com/insights/framework-contentbriefs/.