Content brief

Content Brief — Keyword-to-Notion Brief Generator

Generates a structured SEO content brief from a target keyword. Output follows the mandatory Direction prompt format so the text_parser.py script can extract every field for Notion without manual cleanup.

Invocation Triggers

Explicit phrases (any of):

• "create a content brief for [keyword]"
• "brief this keyword: [keyword]"
• "content brief on [topic]"
• "generate a brief for [keyword]"
• "write a brief for [keyword]"
• "run the content brief skill"

Implicit signals:

• User provides a keyword and asks for an SEO spec, editorial spec, or writing assignment
• User pastes a keyword list and asks for briefs

When triggered, run immediately — no upfront intake beyond the keyword itself.

Grill-Me Intake (One Question, Optional)

Run the brief without questions when the keyword is clear.

Ask one clarifying question only when both are true:

1. The target audience or client is not inferrable from context
2. Audience changes the content angle meaningfully (e.g., "project management software" could target PMs or developers)

Quick clarification — who is the primary audience for "[keyword]"?

1. [Inferred persona A — e.g., HR Director]
2. [Inferred persona B — e.g., Operations Manager]
3. Tell me

Why I'm asking: audience shapes the H1, content angle, and writer notes. One question prevents a wrong brief.

Max one question. If audience is inferable, skip and proceed.

Data Gathering (Before Writing the Brief)

Run these steps before generating the Direction prompt output:

Step 1 — Keyword Metrics

Preferred: Ahrefs MCP (keywords_explorer_overview) → volume, KD, CPC, SERP data.

Fallback (no Ahrefs MCP): Use WebSearch to estimate:

• Search [keyword] search volume KD CPC site:ahrefs.com OR site:semrush.com OR site:moz.com
• Extract available volume/KD/CPC estimates
• If no data found, set VOLUME/CPC/DIFFICULTY to [not available — add manually]

Step 2 — Competitor H2/H3 Analysis

• WebSearch [keyword] → identify top 3 organic results (skip ads, maps, featured snippets)
• WebFetch each URL → extract all H2 and H3 headings
• Note: competitor structure informs the H2_OUTLINE. Do not copy — use as gap analysis.

Step 3 — Search Intent Classification

Based on keyword + SERP type, classify as one of exactly four options:

• Informational — user wants to learn
• Commercial — user is comparing options before buying
• Transactional — user is ready to act/purchase
• Navigational — user seeks a specific brand/site

Step 4 — Priority Scoring

Apply routing logic from references/routing-logic.md:

• HIGH: Volume > 200 AND KD < 40 AND intent is Commercial or Transactional
• MEDIUM: Doesn't meet HIGH criteria but has meaningful volume or strategic importance
• LOW: Low volume, high difficulty, or informational with limited conversion value

Direction Prompt Output Format (Mandatory)

This format is non-negotiable. The text_parser.py script performs label-exact extraction. If any label deviates from the format below — wrong case, extra space, missing underscore — the Notion property will arrive empty.

After data gathering, output the brief using EXACTLY this structure:

TARGET_KEYWORD: [keyword]
VOLUME: [number or "not available"]
CPC: [decimal or "not available"]
DIFFICULTY: [0-100 integer or "not available"]
SEARCH_INTENT: [Informational | Commercial | Transactional | Navigational]
AUDIENCE: [persona — job title or role]
RECOMMENDED_H1: [final proposed title]
CONTENT_ANGLE: [one paragraph describing the unique angle, why this beats competitors, what the post must do]
WORD_COUNT: [number]
SCHEMA: [schema type — e.g., FAQ, HowTo, Article, FAQ + HowTo]
PRIORITY: [HIGH | MEDIUM | LOW]
H2_OUTLINE:
- H2: [heading]
  - H3: [subheading]
  - H3: [subheading]
- H2: [heading]
  - H3: [subheading]
FAQ:
- Q: [question the audience actually searches]
- Q: [question]
- Q: [question]
INTERNAL_LINKS:
- [anchor text] → [relative URL or page title if URL unknown]
WRITER_NOTES:
[one paragraph of specific guidance: tone, POV, what to avoid, key differentiators to emphasize, CTAs, any client-specific requirements]

Critical rules:

• Every field label must appear exactly as shown (ALL_CAPS with underscores)
• SEARCH_INTENT value must exactly match one of the four options (capitalized)
• PRIORITY value must be exactly HIGH, MEDIUM, or LOW
• H2_OUTLINE, FAQ, INTERNAL_LINKS, WRITER_NOTES are block fields — content follows on the next line(s)
• No additional text before TARGET_KEYWORD or after WRITER_NOTES block

Workflow Architecture (9 Nodes)

Node	Role	Tool
1 — Input	Accept keyword + optional client/audience context	User message
2 — Keyword Metrics	Pull volume, KD, CPC, SERP type	Ahrefs MCP OR WebSearch fallback
3 — SERP Scrape	Extract H2/H3 from top 3 organic results	WebFetch
4 — Brief Generation	Process data through Direction prompt → structured output	Claude (this skill)
5 — Text Parser	Extract labeled fields → structured variables	scripts/text_parser.py
6 — Conditional Router	Route based on PRIORITY value	Routing logic
7A — Notion Create (HIGH)	Create page, Status = "Briefed: Ready for Assignment"	Notion MCP
7B — Notion Create (MED/LOW)	Create page, Status = "Briefed: Weekly Review Queue"	Notion MCP
8A — Slack Notify (HIGH only)	Post brief summary + Notion link to channel	Slack MCP
9 — Calendar Sync	Create linked entry in Content Calendar database	Notion MCP

In Claude Code without MCP connectors: Nodes 1–5 run automatically. Nodes 6–9 produce a ready-to-paste summary and instruct the user on manual Notion entry.

Batch Processing Mode

Trigger: user provides a CSV with a Target Keyword column (optional Priority Override column).

Process:

1. Confirm CSV is readable and Target Keyword column exists
2. Run each keyword through the full pipeline sequentially
3. Output all briefs in sequence, separated by ---
4. After all briefs: output a summary table (keyword | priority | word count | schema)

Expected throughput: 20 briefs in 20–25 minutes (60–75 seconds per brief).

If any keyword fails (no SERP data, ambiguous intent): note it in the summary table as [FAILED — reason] and continue processing remaining keywords.

Notion Push (When MCP Available)

Map parser output to Notion properties using references/notion-schema.md.

Two paths based on PRIORITY:

HIGH:

• Status → "Briefed: Ready for Assignment"
• Target Publish Date → today + 14 days
• Trigger Slack notification (Node 8A)

MEDIUM:

• Status → "Briefed: Weekly Review Queue"
• Target Publish Date → today + 28 days

LOW:

• Status → "Briefed: Weekly Review Queue"
• Target Publish Date → today + 42 days

After page creation: run Calendar Sync (Node 9) to create linked entry in Content Calendar database.

Pre-check before creating: query Notion for existing page with same TARGET_KEYWORD. If found → route to update_page instead of create_page to prevent duplicates.

Multi-Client Setup

Each client has:

• Separate Notion integration token
• Separate database ID
• Client-specific Direction prompt variant (adjust audience, tone, internal link base URLs)

Onboarding a new client: ~45–60 minutes to configure connector + test one brief end-to-end.

Output When Notion MCP Is Not Connected

If Notion MCP is not available, after generating the Direction prompt output, append:

---
NOTION PUSH: Not connected. To add this brief to Notion manually:

1. Open your Notion database
2. Create a new page
3. Paste the following field values:
   [formatted summary of all extracted fields]

Or run: python scripts/text_parser.py brief.txt --output json
to get a JSON payload ready for the Notion API.
---

Validation Gate

After generating output, mentally verify:

• All 11 simple fields are present and non-empty
• SEARCH_INTENT is one of the 4 valid values
• PRIORITY is exactly HIGH, MEDIUM, or LOW
• H2_OUTLINE has at least 4 H2s each with at least 1 H3
• FAQ has at least 3 questions
• INTERNAL_LINKS has at least 2 entries
• WRITER_NOTES is a substantive paragraph (not a placeholder)

Run scripts/brief_validator.py on the output file for automated validation.

Error Handling

Situation	Behavior
No keyword data available	Set numeric fields to "not available", add note in WRITER_NOTES instructing editor to verify manually
SERP scrape blocked (403/paywalled)	Skip scrape, note "competitor outline not available" in WRITER_NOTES, proceed with brief
Ambiguous search intent	Default to Informational; flag in WRITER_NOTES: "Intent ambiguous — verify before briefing writer"
Select value mismatch in Notion	Capitalize values exactly; Notion select is case-sensitive
Duplicate keyword detected	Route to update_page instead of create_page
>2 empty properties in parsed brief	Flag for manual review; do not push to Notion
Batch keyword fails	Note in summary table, continue processing
CSV missing Target Keyword column	Stop and ask user to confirm column name

See references/error-handling.md for full failure-point catalog.

Tooling

Script	Role
scripts/text_parser.py	Extracts labeled fields from Direction prompt output → structured dict. python text_parser.py brief.txt --output json
scripts/brief_validator.py	Validates all required fields are present, values are in allowed sets. python brief_validator.py brief.txt

References

• references/notion-schema.md — Notion database property config (names, types, allowed values)
• references/routing-logic.md — Priority scoring rules and publish date calculations
• references/error-handling.md — Known failure points and fixes

Anti-Patterns To Reject

• Deviating from the mandatory Direction prompt label format (breaks parser)
• Using lowercase or mixed-case field labels (TARGET_KEYWORD not Target_Keyword)
• Putting SEARCH_INTENT outside the four allowed values
• Generating a brief without first gathering keyword + SERP data
• Asking multiple intake questions before running
• Writing vague WRITER_NOTES ("write a good post about this topic")
• Fabricating keyword metrics when data is unavailable — always flag as "not available"
• Pushing to Notion when >2 fields are empty