The short answer
A content brief should define the reader decision, page ownership, unique contribution, primary evidence, expert reviewer, required sections, internal links and update owner. It should not be a keyword list with a word count.
Write the reader and decision
Name who needs the page, what they already know, the decision they must make and the next useful action. This keeps the page from drifting into broad background content.
Record page ownership
List the canonical route, primary intent, closely related pages and the difference between them. Decide whether existing content should be improved or consolidated before creating another URL.
Define the unique contribution
State what the page can add through first-hand experience, original analysis, examples, data, tools or qualified expertise. If the answer is only a summary of existing results, the brief is not ready.
Set evidence and review requirements
List primary sources, internal subject experts, claims that require approval and the person responsible for factual review.
- Source URL and access date
- Claim or section supported
- Expert reviewer and role
- Known uncertainty or limitation
Prepare the publishing package
Include title direction, description, heading outline, internal links, media needs, structured data context, conversion path, author or editorial attribution and the next review date.
Primary sources used
External guidance is linked so you can check the current source and context directly.