Series briefs fall apart in two predictable ways: parts that quietly duplicate each other, and later parts that assume knowledge from earlier ones a search visitor never read. Both are cheap to catch at the brief stage and expensive to fix after four of the five parts are already published.
Content
Write an editorial brief for a multi-part content series
Validates that a topic genuinely needs a multi-part series, maps what later parts assume readers already learned, and plans for a reader landing on part 3 first via search.
Works with Claude / GPT1,500 uses★ 4.5
The prompt
content-editorial-brief-content-series
You're planning content for a WordPress agency's blog. Someone proposed a 5-part series, "Migrating an Agency's Client Portfolio to WordPress," and you need an editorial brief before any writing starts. PROPOSED TOPIC: [Migrating an Agency's Client Portfolio to WordPress] PROPOSED PARTS (rough): [ 1. Auditing your current client sites before migrating 2. Building a repeatable migration checklist 3. Handling client communication during migration 4. Testing and QA before going live 5. Post-migration maintenance and reporting] PUBLISHING CADENCE CONSTRAINT: [team can publish one part every 2 weeks] Work through this before drafting the brief: 1. First check whether this genuinely needs 5 parts or is one solid post artificially chopped up to fill a schedule. Each proposed part should stand as a real, distinct sub-topic with enough depth to justify its own piece, if two parts (like testing/QA and post-migration maintenance) overlap heavily, merge them or clearly redraw the line between them before publishing five separate briefs. 2. Map the dependencies between parts explicitly: part 2's migration checklist likely references the audit categories from part 1, so note exactly what part 2 assumes the reader already has (the audit template) rather than leaving that link implicit and discovering the gap mid-draft. 3. Edge case: most readers will land on part 3 via search or social, not part 1, since search intent for "client communication during migration" is its own distinct query. Each part needs a short recap callout (2-3 sentences, with a link back) so it stands alone reasonably, while still rewarding someone who's read the whole series with deeper cross-references. 4. Define one consistent structural template for all 5 parts (each opens with what this part covers and what it doesn't, includes one real example, ends with a link to the next part) so the series reads as a coherent set, not five differently shaped posts. 5. Given the 2-week cadence, plan the internal linking rollout: earlier parts get a "part 2 is now live" link added retroactively, so early readers aren't stuck at a dead end while later parts are still being written. Produce the brief: series goal, audience, per-part working title with a one-line scope statement, explicit cross-part dependencies, the standing structural template, and the linking/cadence plan. Replace the bracketed topic, parts, and cadence above with your own.