If you’re on a marketing team and tired of vague content briefs that don’t actually help writers, this guide is for you. We’re going step by step through building a real, useful brief in Clearscope — not just checking boxes, but actually setting your content up to work in the real world. No guesswork, no hype, just the parts that matter.
Why bother with a Clearscope content brief?
Let’s be blunt: Generic content briefs waste everyone’s time. Writers get stuck or go off-track, editors have to play detective, and SEO is left up to chance. Clearscope’s tools promise to fix that by giving you data-backed recommendations so you’re not just making it up as you go.
But Clearscope isn’t magic. If you just run a report and dump the results into a doc, you’ll end up with the same problems—just with more keywords. A good brief uses the platform’s strengths and skips the noise.
Step 1: Nail down your topic and intent (before you touch Clearscope)
Before you log in or run any reports, get clear on two things:
- What’s the main topic? Not just a keyword—what real question or problem are you solving?
- Who’s the reader, and what do they want? Are they looking for how-tos, tools, opinions, or something else?
Pro tip: Talk to your sales/support teams or scan real customer questions. This helps you avoid briefs that sound like they were written for robots.
Don’t skip this. If your goal is fuzzy, Clearscope’s insights will be too.
Step 2: Run a Clearscope report for your main keyword
Now, log into Clearscope and start a new report using your primary keyword. This is where you get the data that’ll shape your brief.
How to do it: 1. Enter your keyword (e.g., “email marketing strategy”) in the Clearscope dashboard. 2. Pick your target region/language if relevant. 3. Wait for Clearscope to crawl and crunch the top-ranking pages.
What you’ll see:
You get a report card showing recommended keywords, content grades, word counts, and a rundown of the top-ranking competing content.
Honest take:
Don’t obsess if your keyword is awkward or super long-tail. As long as it’s what your audience is searching for, Clearscope’s still useful. But if your term is way too broad (“marketing”), the report will be all over the place.
Step 3: Review the SERP and top competitors—don’t just copy them
Clearscope spits out a list of top-performing URLs for your keyword. This is your shortcut to competitive research, but it’s not a substitute for thinking.
What to look for: - What topics do all the top results cover? - What’s missing? Gaps are opportunities. - What’s the format? Listicles, deep dives, templates, reviews?
Ignore:
Don’t just tell your writer, “Copy these 10 competitors.” That leads to bland, me-too content. Use the SERP to spot patterns and avoid traps like clickbait or fluff.
Pro tip:
If you see a lot of user-generated content (forums, Reddit) ranking high, that’s a sign people want authentic answers, not just polished marketing copy.
Step 4: Build your outline—use Clearscope’s data, but stay human
Here’s where most teams go wrong: They treat the Clearscope outline suggestions as gospel. Don’t. Use Clearscope’s “Relevant Terms” and “Top Competitor Outlines” as a starting point, but make sure your outline fits your actual audience.
How to do it: 1. List the major sections you want (intro, key points, conclusion, etc.). 2. Use Clearscope’s recommended terms to guide what each section covers. 3. Fill in gaps or add sections based on your own expertise or customer feedback.
Example:
If Clearscope shows everyone covers “email segmentation” and “automation,” but nobody talks about mistakes to avoid, add a section on that. Writers love specifics.
Honest take:
Don’t force every keyword into your outline. If “email drip campaign” doesn’t fit your angle, skip it. Relevance beats keyword stuffing every time.
Step 5: Pull in must-have keywords and terms (without drowning your writer)
Clearscope gives you a pile of “Relevant Terms” and “Commonly Used Words.” These are the phrases the top content is using, and they help your content rank. But dumping all 50 terms into your brief just overwhelms the writer.
What works: - Highlight 10–20 must-haves. These are the terms that show up in nearly every top result (Clearscope usually bolds or ranks them). - Group them by section if you can. Example: Put “automation,” “segmentation,” and “A/B testing” under your “Advanced Strategies” section. - Mark anything that’s optional or “nice to have,” so writers aren’t paralyzed.
What to ignore:
Don’t copy the exact term frequency or try to “beat” the content grade. Google’s not impressed by stuffing extra keywords in.
Step 6: Add clear guidelines on voice, style, and must-haves
This is where most SaaS briefs get lazy: “Use a friendly, expert tone.” That’s not helpful. If you want useful content, spell out what not to do, too.
What to include: - Do: “Speak directly, avoid jargon, use examples from real-life campaigns.” - Don’t: “No empty intro paragraphs or generic ‘why this matters’ fluff.” - Include: “At least one original screenshot or data point.” (If you have internal resources, say so.) - Linking: List any must-link products, pages, or sources.
Why it matters:
Without these, you’ll get copy-paste content that sounds like every other blog. Writers are happier when they know what’s expected.
Step 7: Call out the CTA and success metrics
A brief isn’t done until it’s clear what the writer should push readers to do — and how you’ll know if it worked.
How to do it: - Spell out the call to action (e.g., “Encourage signups for our free email marketing checklist”). - If you can, include the specific link or asset. - Mention how you’ll measure if the piece worked (organic traffic, downloads, time on page, etc.).
Honest take:
Most teams skip this, then wonder why their content doesn’t convert. Don’t.
Step 8: Package it up—don’t turn it into a novel
You’ve got your outline, terms, style notes, and CTA. Now, put it all together in a brief that’s easy to scan.
What works: - Use headings, bullets, and bold for key info. - Keep it to 1–2 pages, max. If your brief is longer than the article, start over. - Link to the Clearscope report so the writer can check term usage as they go.
Template example:
[Google Doc or Notion link with the following sections:] - Topic & Audience - Primary Goal/Intent - Outline (with sections + key terms) - Style & Voice - Must-Link Resources - CTA - Link to Clearscope report
Pro tip:
Ask someone not on your team to read the brief. If they can’t tell what the article should be about in 60 seconds, it’s too complicated.
Step 9: Review, tweak, and don’t get precious
No brief survives first contact with a real writer. Expect questions and make updates as you go. If your writers keep tripping up on the same parts, your brief probably needs trimming, not more details.
What to ignore:
Don’t treat Clearscope’s content grade as the finish line. If your article is helpful and covers what real people care about, you’re in good shape—even if the grade isn’t perfect.
Keep it simple, and expect to iterate
A good Clearscope brief isn’t about hitting every keyword or copying the competition—it’s about giving your team just enough structure to write something useful and different. Don’t overthink it, and don’t drown your team in rules.
Start simple, see what works, and tweak your process as you go. The best briefs are the ones that actually get used.