Are you looking to create a content strategy that lets you spit out articles that rank in the SERPS? Yet, you must learn how to create a content outline or brief.
Well, that's where that changes today. I will show you and review the best content brief software and tools to help you quickly write better articles.
From outlining your ideas to seeing how your target keywords will perform, these tools have everything you need to create top-notch content that ranks well in the SERPs.
And the best part? Once you learn how to create SEO content briefs, you can repeat this process and potentially outsource it to others, meaning you can ramp up your content creation efforts without breaking the bank.
As we go through this buyer's guide, here are the top content brief tools:
Eddy's Pick
Surfer SEO
Favorite Feature | Jasper Integration |
Promotions: | Free Grow Flow |
Second Option
Dashword
Favorite Feature | Competitor data |
Promotions: | Three Free Credits |
What Is Content Brief Software?
Freelance writers and bloggers use content brief software to help generate content briefs.
After you have completed your keyword research, you'll enter the target keyword into your content editor, and the software will create a brief outline for your article.
This document contains all the information a writer needs to produce content, including the search intent, NLP suggestions, and word count, all based on top-ranking pages.
By doing this, you'll be able to write better blog posts that rank well in the SERPs and save time creating a content destination from scratch.
While these types of tools are only starting to gain traction, some great options are already out there.
Here Are The Best Content Brief Software
So if you are ready to put your content ideas into an SEO-friendly content outline, let's review the best content brief tools.
1. Surfer SEO
Surfer SEO is one of the best content brief generators available, and it uses NLP to create a brief with only the most important information.
While you can use this AI SEO software for free with its grow flow feature or Free AI Article Outline Generator, it's best used when you upgrade to its premium version.
With Surfer SEO, you can generate content briefs that include the most important aspects of a blog post:
- Search intent of your target keyword
- A list of related FAQ questions (based on NLP)
- Semantically similar terms and LSI keywords.
I've been using Surfer SEO for my content brief templates, allowing me to write quality content without guessing keyword stuffing my article.
I also love that Surfer offers other tools for content optimization and topical mapping. Overall, if you are looking for user-friendly and easy-to-use software, Surfer SEO is the tool for you.
Top Features
- Content Editor with SEO guidelines
- Keyword research tool
- Import your published post into a content brief for further optimization
- Change which competitors are used to comparing against your brief
- Accurate content scoring
- An Audit feature that gives you a checklist of content updates needed
Best Overall
Eddy's Take
Creating content for users and SEO can seem complicated, but Surfer SEO completely changed that.
I've learned how to use this content brief generator to create better content that my readers love and rank in search results.
Favorite Feature:
SEO Audit
Annual Discount:
Yes
Ease of Use:
9/10
Pricing:
Free Grow Flow Account - $249
2. Dashword
Dashword is another great option for content writers trying to improve their article outline generation.
This content brief generator can help outline your headers, FAQs, internal and external linking opportunities, and more.
While it doesn't offer as many features as Surfer SEO, Dashword has many great free tools to help you brainstorm your next piece of content.
For example, I use their free meta-description generator and topic research tool to help me develop fresh ideas for my content.
Top Features
- Track and monitor your page's content
- The choice to add suggestions if you outsource your outline
- AI text generation for outlines and meta descriptions
- Key questions to add to your article
- Content monitoring with a Google search console integration
- Google docs add-on
- Easy content grading system
Best For Article Structure
DashWord
Eddy's Take
If you want to optimize your articles and have a solid plan for your content structure, then Dashword is the perfect tool for you. It's easy to use and has a great user interface, making it one of the best tools for content briefs.
Favorite Feature:
Meta Description Generator
Annual Discount:
Contact site
Ease of Use:
9/10
Pricing:
$39 - $249 per month
3. Frase
Frase is not only an AI writing software but can provide content briefs directly within its platform for any number of users.
Frase offers keyword research, topic ideas, SEO suggestions, and organic traffic metrics to help you optimize your content.
It also includes an editor that allows you to easily add keywords to your content so that it's easier to optimize for search engines.
Top Features
- Create SEO content briefs based on competitors
- Wikipedia concept map
- AI writing tools
- Originality Scoring
- Article Rewriter
- Get data on new content published with GSC integration
Best All-In-One Solution
Eddy's Take
After using Frase, they provide content brief templates based on what works today.
This means you can use different content types, such as listicles, product reviews, and alternative round-ups.
Favorite Feature:
Traffic Monitoring
Annual Discount:
Yes
Ease of Use:
8.5/10
Pricing:
$14.99 - $114.99
4. Clearscope
Clearscope is an AI-powered content brief tool among its many SEO features that makes generating content briefs easy and efficient.
With its smart content brief function and optimization, you can quickly generate a robust outline for your article based on the keyword research and topic research provided by Clearscope.
Clearscope also offers other content marketing tools to help optimize your content, such as relevant keyword suggestions and content updates.
Top Features
- Advanced AI algorithms for generating optimized content briefs
- Readability grading
- Keyword research tool
- Word count suggestions
- Shows related keywords to include
- Target a specific search term in your editor
Eddy's Take
Clearscope is great for big marketing teams that need a content brief tool that can scale to the needs of their business. Its focus on foundational content strategy makes it one of the top choices for content briefs.
Favorite Feature:
Content Audits
Annual Discount:
No
Ease of Use:
8./10
Pricing:
$170 - $1,200 per month
5. MarketMuse
Marketmuse is an SEO content brief platform that is widely used by bloggers. With its advanced AI content planning, you can create content with a higher chance of ranking in search engines.
When you create your first content outline using MarketMuse, you'll be able to see the recommended word count, suggested titles, and key questions to include in your brief template.
This makes it easy to hire outsourced writers to work on your article since they will have the perfect content structure to follow.
Top Features
- Audit solutions
- Content management solutions through their applications
- First-page analysis with detailed recommendations
- Content ideas based on your target search term
- Optimization editor
Eddy's Take
Marketmuse is a lifesaver for those searching for an SEO solution that covers all their content needs.
Favorite Feature:
SEO reporting
Annual Discount:
Yes
Ease of Use:
7.5./10
Pricing:
Free - $12,000/yr
6. Scalenut
Scalenut is another AI content writing platform that generates SEO content briefs using your keywords of choice.
Along with their AI copywriter, you can use their cruise mode to help you create content after you've grouped keywords into pillar and cluster topics.
After you've completed your research and have your subheadings ready, you'll see a detailed blog post outline of the content you need to include in your article, including NLP analysis & content grading.
Top Features
- Content Brief Generation
- AI text generation
- Competitor analysis
- 5-Minute Blog Writer
- Keyword Suggestions
- Smart content planner
Eddy's Take
Scalenut makes it easy to create a content outline and nail down your content optimization strategy. I really believe this tool has a lot of potential versus its competitors.
Favorite Feature:
AI Text Writing
Annual Discount:
Yes
Ease of Use:
8.5./10
Pricing:
$29 - $149/mo
7. Outranking
Outranking can help you build your site authority with its optimized SEO platform for comprehensive content creation.
How does it work? Here's how this all-in-one content platform works:
- Build a content strategy: Prioritize your new content and create a topical strategy.
- Build the content briefs: Use their AI writing assistant to generate content for your article.
- Optimize your content: update on-page SEO and focus on featured snippets
- Track and improve: Use their rank-tracking metrics
They have over +12,000 writers and marketing teams using outranking to help them create the content they need to be successful. Whether you're an agency or a solo blogger, this platform is easy to use and will help your content rank higher in search engines.
Top Features
- See content gaps in your site
- Create SEO content briefs
- Build AI-generated blog posts
- Internal link suggestions
- Get Keyword position tracking
- Google Docs integration
- WordPress Plugin
- Native integration with Grammarly
Eddy's Take
If you're looking for an all-in-one SEO tool that can use NLP for content creation and optimization, Outranking is a great choice. Its focus on improving search rankings makes it one of the top choices for content briefs.
Favorite Feature:
AI Content Optimization
Annual Discount:
Yes
Ease of Use:
8./10
Pricing:
$79 - $219 per month
8. Content Harmony
Content harmony is a tool for content briefs, search intent, and topic categorization.
With its Keyword Report tool, you can gather all the data you need to create content that is search engine optimized and engaging for your target audience persona.
You'll then be prompted to create your brief and have the option to share it with your article or paste it into your favorite AI writing software.
Many SEOs use Content Harmony to make money with AI and run their agencies.
Whether you're a seasoned blogger or just starting out, Content Harmony makes it easy to stay on top of the latest trends in SEO and create best-in-class articles.
Top Features
- Content Brief templates for any situation
- Reporting based on Geographic location
- Website content optimization for big teams
- Word count suggestions
- Link difficulty
- AI-powered topic mapping
- Content creation process assistance
Eddy's Take
Content Harmony has a lot to offer which can feel overwhelming, but once you take their free onboarding session, you should be able to start creating winning content briefs quickly.
Favorite Feature:
Primary intent
Annual Discount:
Yes
Ease of Use:
7./10
Pricing:
$99 to custom pricing starting from $1,000 per month
9. NEURONwriter
Nueronwriter is the underdog of SEO content writing platforms, but it's still a great tool for creating content briefs.
With its AI-powered recommendations and keyword optimization, you can be sure that your content will rank well in search engines.
Whether you're a small business owner or a digital marketer, NEURONwriter makes it easy to create comprehensive SEO content briefs and is perfect for publishing quality content.
They gained huge popularity after going live on AppSumo, so it's a tool worth checking out.
Top Features
- Get GPT-3 for writing ideas
- Find related searches and keywords to write about
- Schema data explorer
- Content management system
- Suggestions for internal and external links
Eddy's Take
I think NEURONwriter is a great tool for article outlines. It's one of the main competitors of Surfer SEO and is perfect for content teams. They are also a part of Contadu.
Favorite Feature:
Content Outlines
Annual Discount:
Yes
Ease of Use:
8./10
Pricing:
Special Pricing on Appsumo
10. Keyword Insights AI
Keyword Insights is an AI SEO content brief generator that not only automates the content marketing process of a blog but also includes many other writing tools.
This content brief editor can show you the intent, word count, keywords to have, and more.
So whether you have your blog or work as an in-house SEO, using this content editor will significantly help your business.
Top Features
- Generate a list of terms for your content planner using their keyword discovery tool
- Then, use their keyword clustering tool once you have generated all of your keywords
- The ability to create content briefs based on your keyword
- A content editor, which includes an AI writing assistant
- Get an SEO grade that is comparable to your competitor's blog posts
Eddy's Take
Keyword Insights AI is becoming one of my favorite tools for writers who want to rank through organic search. The content editor is simple and not cluttered with random SEO metrics that don't matter.
Favorite Feature:
Keyword Clustering
Annual Discount:
Yes
Ease of Use:
8/10
Pricing:
Pay As You Go/ Monthly
Why You Should Use SEO Content Brief Tools For Writing
If you're like most content writers, you probably start each new project by asking yourself, "What should I write about?" And then you spend hours (or even days) brainstorming ideas, writing, and researching, only to end up on the same sentence you were on the day before.
How do I know this? Well, it used to happen to me when I organized my content plan or used an editorial calendar.
There's a better way. Instead of agonizing over what to blog about, use a content brief tool to help you organize your thoughts and develop a content strategy that will help you rank higher in search engines and engage your readers.
These SEO content tools outline the goals, target audience, word count, and relevant keywords for a piece of content. It can be as straightforward or as detailed as you want.
So, if you're ready to take your content writing to the next level, use a content brief generator and write with search intent in mind.
Researching Content Brief Tools
After doing the heavy lifting for you and looking for the top article brief software that can drive tangible results, I made sure they could do the following:
- Get real-time SERP data
- Provide SEO tasks
- Make your content workflow easier
- The ability to create high-quality briefs
- Get a share link for your writers
- Have a browser extension for google docs
So I used these rules to find the best content planning tools for you and your writing career.
FAQ:
Using a tool that can generate content briefs can be an excellent resource for busy writers. It can help you develop a content outline quickly and easily without spending hours brainstorming ideas. However, there are also some drawbacks to relying on SEO software.
For one thing, it's important to remember that not all content is created equal. These solutions can help you create a basic outline, but it's up to you to flesh out the details and ensure that the content is engaging and informative.
In addition, a content brief generator can't always capture your unique voice or style. To create content that reflects your brand, doing some work yourself is crucial. But a content brief solution can be helpful if you're short on time or struggling with writer's block.
Yes, using tools to help you create a content outline is worth it, as they can help you create content that meets your specific goals.
Whether you're trying to rank higher in search engines or engage readers, a good SEO metric tool will give you the insights and data necessary to create effective content briefs.
Final Thoughts
Now that you know which tools you can use to help you write templatized content briefs, it's time to start testing them out for yourself.
Whether you're looking for a basic outline or detailed keyword suggestions, these tools for affiliates and SEOs will help speed up the writing process without ruining the quality of your article.
