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8 Content Brief Examples to Streamline Your Workflow in 2025

8 Content Brief Examples to Streamline Your Workflow in 2025

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8 Content Brief Examples to Streamline Your Workflow in 2025
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A great article doesn't start with a writer; it starts with a great plan. Without a solid content brief, you’re relying on guesswork, leading to missed deadlines, inconsistent quality, and content that fails to rank or convert. This guesswork is why so much content underperforms, never reaching its intended audience or achieving its business goals. A well-crafted brief is the blueprint for success, aligning your writer, SEO specialist, and marketing goals into a single, actionable document.
This guide moves beyond simple templates to break down eight battle-tested content brief examples from industry leaders and specific use cases. We'll dive deep into the strategic thinking behind each one, showing you why certain elements are included and how they contribute to creating high-impact content. You'll learn how to move from a vague idea to a precise, goal-oriented plan that any writer can execute flawlessly.
Our focus is on actionable takeaways. For each example, we'll dissect the structure, highlight key tactics, and provide replicable strategies you can immediately apply to your own content creation process. Forget generic advice; we are providing a behind-the-scenes look at how top-tier content is planned and executed. Let's build a better foundation for your content strategy.

1. HubSpot's SEO Content Brief Template: The Inbound Powerhouse

HubSpot, a leader in inbound marketing, provides a comprehensive SEO content brief template designed to align writers with strategic marketing goals. This template is a prime example of a document built for ranking high on search engines. It’s less about creative freedom and more about data-driven precision, making it perfect for teams focused on generating organic traffic.
The core of this template is its heavy emphasis on SEO elements. It mandates the inclusion of a primary keyword, secondary keywords, and specific questions the article must answer. This structure ensures the final piece of content directly addresses user search intent, a critical factor for Google's algorithm.

Strategic Breakdown

HubSpot's approach is methodical. The template forces the content strategist to conduct thorough keyword research and competitive analysis before a single word is written. This pre-planning is its greatest strength.
  • Target Audience & Goal: It starts by defining the reader persona and the specific goal of the article (e.g., generate leads, build awareness). This aligns content with the broader business strategy.
  • SEO & SERP Analysis: It requires a detailed breakdown of the target search engine results page (SERP). This includes analyzing top-ranking competitors, identifying common subtopics, and outlining a structure that can outperform them.
  • On-Page Elements: The brief explicitly lists requirements for the meta description, title tag, URL slug, and internal linking strategy. This removes guesswork for the writer and streamlines the optimization process.
Key Insight: HubSpot’s template treats content creation like an engineering project. Every component is defined and measured against a clear SEO objective, minimizing risk and maximizing the potential for organic visibility.

Actionable Takeaways

To implement HubSpot’s methodology in your own content brief examples, focus on data first.
  1. Mandate SERP Analysis: Before assigning an article, require the strategist to list the top 3-5 competing articles and identify their key talking points and structural weaknesses.
  1. Be Specific with Keywords: Don't just list keywords. Specify their placement, such as "Use the primary keyword in the H1, the first paragraph, and at least one H2."
  1. Outline with Intent: Create a detailed outline based on "People Also Ask" questions and common themes from top results. This ensures your content is comprehensive and directly answers user queries.
This template is ideal when your primary goal is to capture organic search traffic for competitive, high-value keywords. You can find their template and detailed guide directly on the HubSpot blog.

2. Contently's Strategic Content Brief: The Storytelling Blueprint

Contently, a powerhouse in content marketing platforms, champions a brief that prioritizes storytelling and brand narrative over pure SEO mechanics. This template is designed for creating thought leadership and branded content where the primary goal is audience engagement and building brand affinity, not just climbing the SERPs. It’s built for teams focused on the "why" behind the content.
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The foundation of Contently's approach is its focus on the strategic purpose of each piece within a larger marketing funnel. It asks content creators to think like brand journalists, focusing on emotional triggers, unique angles, and maintaining a consistent brand voice. This makes it a go-to for Fortune 500 companies and financial firms creating high-value educational content series.

Strategic Breakdown

Contently’s method is less about keywords and more about the core message. The brief compels the strategist to define the narrative arc and desired emotional response before outlining the structure, making it one of the most writer-centric content brief examples.
  • Content Mission & Funnel Stage: It starts with a clear "content mission" and maps the piece to a specific stage in the customer journey. This ensures every article has a clear purpose beyond just existing.
  • Audience Empathy: The brief requires an understanding of the audience's pain points and emotional state. It pushes the writer to create a connection, not just provide information.
  • Tone & Style Guidance: Instead of just listing brand adjectives, it encourages including examples of existing content that hit the right note. This provides a clear, tangible benchmark for the writer.
Key Insight: Contently’s template treats content as a conversation, not a commodity. The focus is on building a relationship with the reader by telling a compelling story that aligns with the brand's core identity and values.

Actionable Takeaways

To use Contently's methodology, shift your focus from metrics to message. You can find more details on this approach by exploring how to build a powerful content strategy.
  1. Define the "Big Idea": Start every brief with a single sentence explaining the core message or key takeaway for the reader. This becomes the guiding star for the entire piece.
  1. Ask "How Should the Reader Feel?": Mandate a section that describes the intended emotional outcome. Should the reader feel inspired, relieved, or empowered after reading?
  1. Provide Creative Guardrails: Instead of a rigid outline, provide key talking points, required brand messaging, and a list of things to avoid. This balances creative freedom with brand consistency.
This template is ideal when your goal is to build brand authority, nurture leads, and create memorable content that resonates with your audience on a deeper level than a simple search query.

3. Clearscope's AI-Assisted Content Brief: The Data-Driven Co-Pilot

Clearscope pioneered the use of AI to automate the most labor-intensive parts of creating an SEO brief. Their briefs are a hybrid of machine-generated data and human strategy, designed to give writers a clear, quantifiable path to creating top-ranking content. This approach is ideal for teams needing to produce expert-level content at scale, as seen with users like Asana and Oracle.
The system uses natural language processing (NLP) to analyze the top 30-50 search results for a target keyword. It then generates a report highlighting essential terms, themes, common questions, and a target word count. The brief essentially provides a data-backed blueprint for what Google's algorithm currently rewards for a specific query.
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Strategic Breakdown

Clearscope's strength is its ability to turn SERP analysis into a set of actionable instructions. It quantifies the "what" and "how" of content creation, leaving the "why" and the narrative to the human writer. This makes it a powerful example of AI-assisted content creation.
  • Semantic Term Suggestions: Instead of just keywords, Clearscope provides a list of semantically related terms and entities that top pages cover. This pushes writers to create more comprehensive and contextually rich articles.
  • Competitor Outline Analysis: The brief includes an outline view of top-ranking competitors, allowing strategists and writers to quickly identify structural patterns, content gaps, and opportunities to create a more thorough resource.
  • Content Grading: Each brief comes with a target "content grade" (e.g., A+). As a writer drafts the article within Clearscope's editor, this grade updates in real-time, gamifying the optimization process and providing immediate feedback.
Key Insight: Clearscope’s brief transforms content optimization from a subjective guessing game into an objective, data-informed process. It acts as a co-pilot, guiding the writer toward comprehensiveness without dictating the exact prose.

Actionable Takeaways

To apply Clearscope’s AI-powered methodology to your content brief examples, focus on turning data into clear directives.
  1. Prioritize Semantic Themes: Use an AI tool to identify core concepts and entities in top results. Instruct your writer to cover these themes, not just sprinkle in keywords.
  1. Use Questions as Subheadings: Pull "People Also Ask" questions and common competitor headings directly into your brief's outline. This ensures the content structure directly matches user intent.
  1. Set Quantifiable Goals: Establish a target word count, readability level, and a "must-include" list of terms based on your analysis. This provides writers with clear success metrics beyond just finishing the draft.
This type of brief excels when you need to quickly scale high-quality SEO content without sacrificing depth. To further streamline your content workflow and leverage cutting-edge technology, you might also explore other top AI marketing tools.

4. Content Marketing Institute's Editorial Brief: The Publisher's Blueprint

The Content Marketing Institute (CMI), a cornerstone of the content marketing industry, champions an editorial brief built for consistency and scale. This template is designed for teams operating like media outlets, managing ongoing content series, and coordinating multiple contributors. It prioritizes brand voice, editorial standards, and series cohesion over single-article SEO wins.
This brief format is less about dominating one SERP and more about building a loyal audience through a consistent stream of high-quality, on-brand content. It ensures every piece, regardless of the author, feels like it comes from a single, authoritative source, making it one of the best content brief examples for brand-led publishing.

Strategic Breakdown

CMI’s approach focuses on the macro-level editorial strategy. The brief serves as a tool for maintaining quality control and thematic consistency across a content program, acting as the connective tissue for an entire content series.
  • Editorial & Brand Alignment: The brief starts by defining the content's role within a specific series or editorial theme. It often references a master style guide for tone, voice, and formatting to ensure brand consistency.
  • Contributor Guidance: It provides clear instructions for contributors, including deadlines, word count, key messaging, and examples of previously successful articles. This minimizes back-and-forth and empowers writers to succeed.
  • Process & Workflow: The brief outlines the entire editorial workflow, from first draft submission to final approval. This is critical for managing an editorial calendar and coordinating with designers, editors, and other stakeholders.
Key Insight: CMI’s brief treats content as a product of a publishing system. Its primary function is to ensure each piece fits perfectly into the larger editorial machine, reinforcing brand authority and audience trust over time.

Actionable Takeaways

To adopt CMI's publisher mindset for your content briefs, focus on systemization and clarity.
  1. Create a Master Style Guide: Don't repeat brand voice rules in every brief. Link to a central style guide that covers grammar, tone, and formatting, keeping the brief focused on the specific article.
  1. Build Series-Specific Templates: If you have a recurring content format, like a weekly industry roundup or a monthly interview series, create a dedicated brief template for it. This speeds up creation and ensures consistency.
  1. Define the Workflow: Clearly list the key deadlines for each stage: first draft, editorial review, design, and final approval. This transparency is crucial when working with multiple internal or external contributors.
This editorial-focused brief is ideal for B2B companies with regular blog series, media brands managing freelancers, and any organization prioritizing long-term audience building over short-term SEO gains.

5. Animalz's Positioning-First Content Brief

Animalz, a renowned content marketing agency for B2B SaaS, champions a brief that prioritizes strategic positioning over pure SEO metrics. This template is designed to create thought leadership content that carves out a unique space in a crowded market. It's less about winning a specific keyword and more about winning an argument, making it ideal for brands aiming to establish category leadership.
The core of this brief is its focus on a unique angle or contrarian insight. It forces the strategist to answer the question, "What can we say that no one else is saying?" This approach ensures the final asset provides genuine value and differentiation, which is crucial for B2B audiences tired of generic advice.
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Strategic Breakdown

Animalz's method is built on intellectual rigor and market awareness. The brief requires deep thinking about the company's point of view before SEO considerations come into play. This pre-emptive positioning is its most powerful attribute.
  • Unique Insight & Angle: It starts by articulating the core argument or "key insight" of the piece. This is the non-obvious, valuable takeaway that will make the content memorable and shareable.
  • Target Audience Pain Points: The brief goes beyond simple personas to detail the specific, nuanced pain points the content will solve. This ensures the unique angle is still highly relevant to the reader's challenges.
  • Balancing SEO and Positioning: While positioning is first, SEO is not ignored. Keywords are selected to support the core argument, not dictate it. This ensures the content is discoverable without sacrificing its strategic edge.
Key Insight: The Animalz brief treats content as a strategic asset for market positioning. It’s built on the belief that the best way to win in search is to first have something original and valuable to say, creating demand for an idea, not just a keyword.

Actionable Takeaways

To use the Animalz methodology in your own content brief examples, focus on differentiation.
  1. Mandate a "Point of View": For every brief, include a mandatory section titled "Our Unique Angle" or "What We Believe." Force the strategist to define the core argument before outlining.
  1. Base Angles on Data: Encourage the use of proprietary data, customer interviews, or expert insights as the foundation for your unique perspective. This makes your angle defensible and credible.
  1. Find the Content Gap: Require an analysis of what competitors are saying about a topic. The brief should explicitly state how your content will fill a gap, correct a misconception, or offer a contrarian view.
This brief is perfect for B2B SaaS companies trying to stand out or for any brand whose primary goal is to build authority and be seen as a thought leader. You can learn more about their philosophy on the Animalz blog.

6. GatherContent's Structured Content Brief: The Scalable System

GatherContent champions a structured content approach, turning the content brief into a blueprint for reusable, multi-channel assets. This model treats content not as a monolithic article but as modular data, designed for consistency and scalability. It is perfect for large organizations managing complex content ecosystems across websites, apps, and various digital platforms.
The philosophy here is to separate content from its presentation. Instead of creating a brief for a single "blog post," you create a brief for a structured content type, like a "Product Feature" or "Case Study." This ensures every piece of content of that type has the same core components, regardless of where it's published.

Strategic Breakdown

GatherContent’s method is architectural. It requires a significant upfront investment in content modeling but pays dividends in efficiency, consistency, and future-proofing your content operations.
  • Content Modeling First: The brief is a direct output of a pre-defined content model. For an e-commerce product, the model might include fields like "Short Description," "Key Features," "Technical Specs," and "User Benefit," each with its own character limits and guidelines.
  • Emphasis on Reusability: The brief defines content components that can be mixed and matched. A "Key Feature" component, for instance, could be used on a product page, in a marketing email, or on a social media card.
  • Governance and Consistency: By defining the structure, taxonomy, and metadata within the brief, it ensures all content creators adhere to the same standards. This is critical for large teams and complex website redesigns or CMS migrations.
Key Insight: GatherContent’s brief shifts the focus from the final output (a page) to the underlying structure (the data). This "content as data" approach makes governance manageable and prepares content for technologies that don't even exist yet.

Actionable Takeaways

To apply GatherContent's structured thinking to your own content brief examples, focus on modularity.
  1. Define Content Models: Before writing a brief, map out the required components for recurring content types. Identify the essential fields, their character limits, and their purpose.
  1. Use Consistent Taxonomy: Create a controlled list of tags and categories and require their use within the brief. This makes content easier to find, manage, and repurpose.
  1. Template Everything: Build standardized brief templates for each content type (e.g., case study, press release, employee bio). This accelerates the entire content creation workflow and enforces consistency.
This structured brief is ideal when managing content at scale, planning a site migration, or needing to publish the same core information across multiple channels with absolute consistency. You can explore their methodology on the GatherContent website.

7. Conversion-Focused Landing Page Brief: The Persuasion Blueprint

This specialized brief is engineered for one purpose: to drive action. Used heavily by growth marketers and conversion copywriters, this template shifts the focus from informing or entertaining to persuading and converting. It’s the go-to document for creating landing pages, sales pages, and any content where a specific user action, like a purchase or sign-up, is the primary goal.
Unlike informational briefs, this format prioritizes persuasive architecture. It dives deep into the customer’s mindset, focusing on their awareness level, pain points, and potential objections. The resulting content is less about SEO keywords and more about psychological triggers and compelling value propositions.

Strategic Breakdown

The strength of this brief lies in its meticulous attention to the user’s journey toward conversion. It forces the strategist and writer to think like a sales expert, mapping out every element needed to guide a user from skepticism to trust.
  • Audience Awareness Level: The brief explicitly defines whether the audience is problem-aware, solution-aware, or product-aware. This dictates the entire messaging strategy, from the headline to the call-to-action.
  • Conversion Goal & Traffic Source: It clarifies the single, primary action the user should take (e.g., "Request a Demo") and where the traffic is coming from (e.g., a specific Facebook ad). This context is critical for aligning the page's message with the user's initial click.
  • Persuasive Elements: It requires specific inputs for value propositions, social proof like testimonials or case studies, and a plan for handling common objections. This ensures the copy is built on a foundation of trust and benefit-driven language.

Actionable Takeaways

To apply this conversion-first approach to your own content brief examples, prioritize persuasion over raw information.
  1. Define the 'One Thing': Start every brief by defining the single most important action you want the user to take. All content must support this one goal.
  1. Map Out Objections: Require the strategist to list at least three potential user objections and provide the counter-arguments or social proof needed to address them directly in the copy.
  1. Specify Social Proof: Don’t just ask for testimonials. Specify which testimonials to use and where they should be placed to address specific user concerns at key points on the page.
This brief is essential when creating high-stakes pages for paid ad campaigns, product launches, or lead generation funnels. You can see these principles in action on platforms like Unbounce and Copy Hackers.

8. Agile Content Brief (Sprint-Based)

The Agile content brief applies software development principles to content creation, focusing on speed, iteration, and flexibility. This approach is built for teams operating in sprints, prioritizing the launch of a "minimum viable" piece of content that can be rapidly improved based on real-world performance data. It's the antithesis of the exhaustive, long-term planning model.
This lightweight format is perfect for growth teams at startups, news-focused content that requires a rapid response, or any environment where experimentation is valued over perfection. The goal is to get content published quickly, gather data, and continuously refine it in subsequent sprints. This makes it a powerful component in a set of content brief examples for fast-moving organizations.

Strategic Breakdown

The Agile brief's strategy is rooted in responsiveness and learning. Instead of trying to create the perfect article from the start, it encourages creating a good-enough version and making it great over time. This de-risks content investment by avoiding a huge upfront commitment to an unproven concept.
  • Minimum Viable Content (MVC): The brief defines the absolute essential elements needed to publish. What is the core value or answer the content must provide? Everything else is pushed to a backlog for future iterations.
  • Clear 'Done' Criteria: To prevent scope creep within a sprint, the brief clearly defines what "done" looks like for the initial version. This ensures the team can meet its rapid publication deadlines.
  • Data-Driven Iteration: The brief is a living document. After publication, performance metrics (traffic, engagement, conversions) are used to inform the next sprint's tasks, such as expanding sections, adding new keywords, or improving the CTA.

Actionable Takeaways

To adopt an agile approach for your content, focus on speed and structured iteration.
  1. Define the MVC: For any new content idea, ask: "What is the smallest version of this piece we can publish that still delivers value?" Define this clearly in the brief.
  1. Plan for Iteration: Schedule a follow-up sprint for analysis and improvement before you publish the first version. This builds the habit of continuous optimization.
  1. Use Checklists and Templates: To maintain speed, use standardized brief templates and checklists that can be filled out quickly. Pairing this with tools that can help automate parts of the process can be incredibly effective, and you can learn more about content automation tools on outrank.so.
This model is ideal when you need to respond to market trends quickly, test new content formats, or operate with limited resources where every piece must prove its value fast.

Content Briefs Comparison Matrix

Content Brief
Implementation Complexity 🔄
Resource Requirements 🔄
Expected Outcomes 📊
Ideal Use Cases 💡
Key Advantages ⭐
HubSpot's SEO Content Brief Template
Medium-High (45-90 min per brief)
SEO knowledge, Keyword research tools
SEO-optimized, data-driven content with clear KPIs
Mid to large companies with SEO/content teams
Highly SEO-focused; scalable; collaboration-oriented
Contently's Strategic Content Brief
High (60-120 min per brief)
Brand strategy expertise, stakeholder input
Brand storytelling, audience engagement
Enterprise brands focusing on thought leadership
Strong brand focus; emotional engagement
Clearscope's AI-Assisted Content Brief
Low-Medium (15-30 min per brief)
Subscription to AI tool, some SEO familiarity
Fast, data-driven SEO content optimized by AI
SEO teams producing high-volume, ranking-focused content
Speeds SERP analysis; objective scoring
Content Marketing Institute's Editorial Brief
Medium (30-60 min per brief)
Established editorial processes
Consistent, high-quality editorial content
Organizations with multiple contributors & ongoing content series
Ensures consistency; supports collaboration
Animalz's Positioning-First Content Brief
High (90-180 min per brief)
Deep market & competitive insights
Differentiated content with thought leadership
Competitive markets seeking unique positioning
Unique insights; strategic alignment
GatherContent's Structured Content Brief
Medium (30-45 min per brief after setup)
Technical knowledge; CMS integration
Structured, reusable content across channels
Large orgs with multi-channel, large-scale content
Enhances governance; content reusability
Conversion-Focused Landing Page Brief
Medium-High (60-90 min per brief)
Conversion optimization expertise
High-conversion, persuasion-driven content
Marketing teams focused on lead gen and sales pages
Clear focus on conversions; supports testing
Agile Content Brief (Sprint-Based)
Low (15-30 min per brief)
Analytics tools, rapid iteration mindset
Rapid content production and continuous improvement
Fast-paced startups/growth teams prioritizing speed
Fast, flexible; encourages iteration

From Blueprint to Published: Choosing and Implementing Your Brief

We've explored a diverse collection of content brief examples, from HubSpot's SEO-driven template to Animalz's strategic, positioning-first document. Each one serves as a powerful reminder that a content brief is much more than a simple set of instructions; it is the strategic blueprint for creating content that performs. The most effective brief is not a one-size-fits-all document but a tailored tool designed to achieve a specific objective.
The core lesson is this: the brief dictates the outcome. A detail-rich, data-backed brief like one from Clearscope will almost always lead to a more comprehensive, SEO-optimized article. In contrast, a brief focused on brand narrative and audience pain points, like the one from Contently, is engineered to build authority and connection. Your first step is always to define success. Are you aiming for top-ranking keywords, driving conversions on a landing page, or establishing thought leadership? Your answer determines which brief structure is the right starting point for you.

Actionable Takeaways for Your Content Workflow

As you move forward, the goal is to transform this knowledge into a repeatable process. Don't be afraid to create a hybrid model that serves your unique needs. You can combine the structured keyword data from an SEO brief with the deep audience insights of a strategic brief to create something truly powerful for your team.
Here are the key principles to implement immediately:
  • Adapt, Don't Just Adopt: Select a template that aligns with your primary goal, whether it's SEO, conversion, or brand authority. Then, customize it by adding or removing sections to fit your team's workflow and specific project needs.
  • Establish a 'Single Source of Truth': Your brief should consolidate all critical information, from target keywords and audience personas to internal linking targets and brand voice guidelines. This prevents confusion and ensures everyone involved works from the same strategic plan.
  • Make it a Living Document: For larger projects, treat the brief as an agile tool. As you conduct more research or get initial feedback, update the brief to reflect new insights. This ensures the final piece of content is as relevant and effective as possible.
Ultimately, mastering the art of the content brief is about building a system for success. It’s about turning a creative process into a predictable, scalable operation. This methodical approach shares many principles with other crucial business documentation. For a broader understanding of how structured documentation can streamline workflows, consider the principles behind creating effective Standard Operating Procedures.
By investing time in crafting excellent content brief examples for your own projects, you are not just assigning a task; you are engineering a successful outcome, aligning your team, and ensuring every piece of content you publish has a clear, strategic purpose.
Ready to eliminate the manual work and create data-driven content briefs in minutes, not hours? Outrank automates the research and analysis process, pulling SERP data, top competitor outlines, and key topics into a comprehensive brief. Start building better content strategies today with Outrank.

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