Write an article brief that answers one reader’s question

A good article brief prevents a draft from becoming a generic overview. Give the reader a specific question and decide what they should be able to do after reading.

Prepare the input

Provide the audience, question, approved product facts, relevant experience or examples, and trustworthy sources. Do not claim first-hand experience you do not have. Identify adjacent topics the article should link to rather than repeat.

Run the workflow

Ask for a direct answer, an outline organized around decisions, and a concrete example. Require a reason for every section. Search wording should guide clarity, not force repetitive phrases into the text.

Prompt to copy

Reader: [reader]. Question: [question]. Sources and facts: [material].
Create an article brief with a direct answer, original contribution,
outline, worked example, evidence gaps, and one appropriate next action.
Keep the article distinct from these existing topics: [topics].
Do not invent statistics, customer experience, or search volume.
Flag claims needing verification before drafting.

Review a worked example

Illustrative question: “What should we check before AI writes to our CRM?” The article should explain record identity, permissions, confirmation, and retries. A long history of AI would not serve that question. Check whether each heading helps the reader make the intended decision.

Check for overlap with another article. If the proposed piece reaches the same answer through slightly different search wording, merge the useful material into the existing topic. Keep a separate article only when it serves a distinct decision or workflow. This makes the library easier to navigate and gives each page a clear reason to exist.

Use it again

Review the full draft against the brief and sources. A strong outline is not proof that the finished claims are correct. See Bot for writing preparation or contact Golub for a connected editorial process.