Every content team dreams of kicking off projects with a clear, actionable brief. But most AI-generated briefs are vague or overhyped, and manual briefs take forever. If you want a method that’s fast but not brainless, this guide’s for you. I’ll walk you through how to use Surfer SEO’s AI Content Brief feature—what works, what doesn’t, and how to avoid the usual pitfalls.
Let’s dive in and get your team out of “blank page” mode.
Why Content Teams Use AI Content Briefs (and What Usually Goes Wrong)
Before you start, know this: AI can save you hours, but it won’t magically understand your audience or business goals. Surfer SEO’s AI Content Briefs can handle the SEO grunt work—keyword suggestions, structure, headings—but you’ll still need to bring your own brain.
Common headaches: - Briefs are stuffed with keywords no human would use - Outlines are either too generic or way too rigid - AI misses important context (like: what actually matters to your readers)
So think of AI as your assistant, not your strategist. You’ll get the most out of these tools if you tweak, not just copy-paste.
Step 1: Set Up Your Surfer SEO Project
First, make sure you’ve got access to Surfer SEO’s Content Editor (AI Briefs are built into this). If you’re on a team, set up shared projects so everyone’s on the same page.
Checklist: - Log in to your Surfer SEO account - Click “Content Editor” from the dashboard - Enter your target keyword(s) and select your target country/language
Pro tip: Don’t dump in a laundry list of keywords. Pick 1-3 core keywords to keep things focused. If you try to please everyone (or every keyword), you’ll end up pleasing no one—including Google.
Step 2: Generate a Draft AI Content Brief
Once your Content Editor loads, you’ll see an option to “Generate Brief” or “AI Content Brief.” Click it. Surfer will analyze top-ranking pages for your keyword and spit out a draft brief in a few seconds.
What you’ll get: - Suggested structure (H1, H2s, H3s) - Questions to answer (from People Also Ask, forums, etc.) - Key terms and phrases to include - Word count range and competitor info
What’s good: Surfer’s suggestions are generally solid for SEO basics. The question prompts can help you cover the gaps competitors miss.
What’s not: The outlines can be cookie-cutter. Some suggestions are clearly written for robots, not people.
Step 3: Gut-Check the Outline (Don’t Just Accept It)
Here’s where most teams go wrong—they treat the AI’s output as gospel. Don’t. Skim the outline and ask:
- Does this actually match the search intent?
- Are these headings useful, or just keyword-stuffed?
- Is there anything missing that your team knows from experience?
What to fix: - Delete fluff: If a suggested heading is just “What is X?” and your readers are experts, cut it. - Add context: Drop in notes for your writers about tone, target audience, or product mentions. - Rearrange: AI sometimes puts things in a weird order. Move sections around as needed.
If you skip this step, your writers will get frustrated, and your content will sound like it was written by a bot.
Step 4: Refine the SEO Guidelines, But Don’t Go Overboard
Surfer gives you a big list of “Terms to Use.” It’s tempting to treat this as a checklist, but that’s how you get unreadable copy.
Here’s what actually works: - Prioritize the most natural, relevant terms. Ignore anything awkward or ultra-specific. - Set a realistic word count range. If Surfer suggests 4,000 words for “best dog leashes,” maybe question that. - Use the competitor snapshot to spot what’s missing—not just to play copycat.
Warning signs: - If your brief has 50+ terms to use, your writers will ignore it. - If you’re forcing keywords into every heading, the end result will sound ridiculous.
Step 5: Add Human Notes and Brand Requirements
AI can’t read your brand guidelines—or your mind. Add a section at the top or bottom of the brief with anything the AI missed, such as:
- Target reader persona (newbies vs. pros, B2B vs. B2C)
- Tone of voice (friendly, direct, formal, etc.)
- Internal links and must-mention products or services
- Examples of content you like (or hate)
Keep this short: A couple of bullet points is usually enough. Too much detail = nobody reads it.
Step 6: Share the Brief and Get Feedback
Export the brief as a shareable link or copy it into your team’s doc template. Encourage your writers to ask questions or flag anything that doesn’t make sense.
What works: - Use comments for clarifications, not long email threads. - Update the brief if you spot recurring issues—don’t assume the AI will “learn” next time.
What doesn’t: Handing off the brief with zero context or follow-up, then blaming the writer when it flops. AI can’t fix bad communication.
What to Ignore (and What to Watch Out For)
- Ignore: Overly rigid “must use every keyword” checklists. Google cares about useful content, not box-ticking.
- Ignore: AI-generated FAQs that don’t match your audience’s real questions.
- Watch out for: Surfer sometimes pulls in outdated or irrelevant competitor sites—always sanity-check the sources.
- Watch out for: Over-optimizing for SEO at the expense of clarity or usefulness.
Pro Tips for Getting the Most Out of Surfer SEO’s AI Briefs
- Start simple, then layer on complexity. Don’t try to automate everything on day one. Use the AI brief as a skeleton, then add your own muscle.
- Customize your templates. Save time by building your own brief template with space for human input.
- Train your team. Make sure everyone knows how to read—and question—AI briefs. Blind trust leads to bland content.
- Keep iterating. The more feedback you gather from real projects, the better your future briefs will be.
Keep It Simple—and Don’t Let the Robots Take Over
AI content briefs can help your team move faster, but they’re not a silver bullet. Use Surfer SEO to handle the boring parts, then step in and add your own expertise. Your writers (and your readers) will thank you.
Don’t get hung up on making the “perfect” brief. Ship it, see what works, and tweak as you go. The simplest system is usually the one your team actually uses.