Should my brief tell the writer to include everything competitors cover?
Q: My content briefs list every subheading the top 10 results use. That's best practice, right?
A: Short answer: no — copying the competitor outline produces an average page, not a winning one. Longer answer: "include all the terms and headings the top results have" feels safe, but it just rebuilds the consensus everyone already ranks for. If you only match what's there, you give searchers no reason to prefer you. The competitor scan is useful for spotting must-cover basics and gaps — but the brief's real job is to define your angle: the firsthand insight, the better example, the thing the others got wrong or skipped. Use the gap, not the overlap. A brief that says "cover these 14 headings" without a point of view briefs your writer into mediocrity.
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Should my brief tell the writer to include everything competitors cover?
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