Define the reader and the task
“Write an article about catering” is broad. “Help an office administrator choose a lunch package for 30 people in Seremban” provides a reader, a decision and a relevant context.
Write a one-sentence purpose and list the questions that must be answered. Consider dietary information, ordering notice and delivery arrangements only where the business can supply accurate details.
Use search intent to clarify the task before choosing the format.
Give the writer verified information
Supply current service details, examples, source documents and a contact who can resolve uncertainties. Separate confirmed facts from ideas that need checking.
For the catering example, do not ask the writer to invent a minimum order or assume that every dietary request can be accommodated. Those answers belong with the team providing the service.
Google’s helpful-content guidance offers questions for assessing usefulness and reliability. A brief should make it possible to meet those standards with real information.
Suggest an outline with room for judgement
Use headings to cover the reader’s main decisions. A possible outline might include package options, quantities, dietary enquiries, delivery and how to request a quote.
Allow the writer to combine or reorder sections when it improves the explanation. A required heading should have a reason beyond accommodating a keyword variation.
Include relevant existing pages so the writer can link to detailed information without repeating it all. The internal linking guide explains how those references help readers.
A simple brief template
- Reader: Who needs this page?
- Task: What should they understand or do afterwards?
- Scope: Which questions belong here, and which belong elsewhere?
- Evidence: Which facts, examples and sources are available?
- Structure: What order makes the explanation easiest to follow?
- Next step: Where should an interested reader go?
- Review: Who checks facts and approves the finished content?
Use length as a planning guide, not a reason to pad a complete answer. Some subjects need examples or a table; others need a short explanation.
Review the draft against the purpose
Ask whether the intended reader can complete the original task. Check claims and conditions before polishing the headline. Remove repeated sections and unsupported promises.
Make sure the meta description previews the actual content. Record who will keep changing details current after publication.
A finished brief should reduce guessing for the writer and make review more specific than “make it more SEO-friendly.”