Moonrank

Article Brief skill

The playbook Moonrank's Writer Agent uses to turn a target query into a production-ready brief — angle, outline, proof, and a definition of done.

Download the methodology, see how the agent sets the angle, or run it live inside the Writer Agent.

Get the skill fileTry the Moonrank Writer Agent
Category
Writer
Agent
Writer Agent
Format
article-brief.md
Price
Free to download

The skill file

article-brief.md
---
name: article-brief
description: Turn a target query into a production-ready brief a writer or agent can draft from without asking follow-up questions.
owner: Moonrank Writer Agent
---

# Article Brief
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Free to download · account requiredTry the Moonrank Writer Agent
About this skill

What is the Article Brief skill?

The Article Brief skill is how Moonrank's Writer Agent decides what an article should argue before a word is written: reading the SERP, naming the searcher, fixing the angle, and specifying exactly what proof the piece needs.

It's written as a SKILL.md, a plain-language instruction format that people and AI agents can both follow. Read it to brief your own writers, standardize what your freelancers receive, or let the Writer Agent generate briefs and draft from them.

Downloading the playbook is free with a Moonrank account. Generating briefs from your live query data and drafting against them daily is what the Writer Agent does.

Example

See it in action

You ask

“Every draft comes back generic. The writers aren't bad — the briefs must be.”

Agent does

Your briefs specify a keyword and a word count, and nothing else. That's a prompt for a summary of page one. The fix is three fields: who's searching and what they do next, the one argument this piece makes that the ranking pages don't, and the specific proof required. Same writers, same budget, different output.

How it works

From input to fix list

  1. 1

    You provide the target query

    The query the piece should win, and the audience it's written for.

  2. 2

    Moonrank reads the SERP

    The Writer Agent identifies the format that ranks and decides whether to match it or beat it.

  3. 3

    It fixes the angle and outline

    One sentence of argument, then H2s in the order a reader actually needs them.

  4. 4

    It defines done

    Proof required, internal links with exact anchors, the direct-answer paragraph, and the CTA.

What's included

Everything it checks

SERP format read

Guide, listicle, comparison, or tool — matched deliberately, not by default.

Named searcher

Who types this, at what funnel stage, and what they do next.

One-sentence angle

The argument this piece makes that the pages already ranking don't.

Question-led outline

Every H2 paired with the question it answers, in reading order.

Required proof

The specific stats, examples, and sources the draft must contain.

Definition of done

Length range, internal links, direct-answer paragraph, and CTA — no ambiguity.

Use cases

When to reach for it

  • Stop rewriting drafts that came back off-angle.
  • Brief freelancers so two writers produce the same shape of article.
  • Give an AI agent enough context to draft something publishable.
  • Standardize quality across a content team that's growing fast.
  • Turn a keyword list into a production queue.
Questions

Frequently asked questions

It's the Writer methodology Moonrank's Writer Agent follows — written out step by step, so you can read exactly how the work gets done rather than trusting a black box.

A plain-language instruction file that both people and AI agents can follow. Open it in any editor, paste it into Claude or ChatGPT, or drop it into an agent framework that reads skill files.

Yes. Every skill file is free with a Moonrank account — we ask for an email, not a credit card. Running the skill continuously against your site is what the paid product does.

Absolutely. The file is yours to adapt. Hand it to your team as a standard, run it manually, or point your own agent at it. Nothing in it depends on our platform.

The Writer Agent runs this methodology against your site on a schedule, prioritizes what it finds, and ships copy-ready fixes — no manual runs, no downloads to manage.

Related skills

Pair it with these skills

Writer

Topical Map

Plan the full set of pages that makes you the obvious authority on a topic.

SEO

Quick Wins

Find the pages ranking 5–20 and ship the one change that moves each to page one.

Find out what AI says about your brand.