Lock the reader, decision, and evidence boundary
30-45 min
30-45 min
Before researching, define the one audience and one decision the white paper should help with. Write the reader's current situation, the business question, the intended CTA, the claims you are allowed to make, and the claims that require outside evidence. Use Claude to turn this into a short editorial brief with a clear scope and exclusion list. The owner must approve the brief before the 48-hour clock becomes a writing sprint with no direction.
An approved editorial brief that fixes the audience, decision, thesis, CTA, and evidence rules.
A narrow decision brief produces a more useful white paper than a broad topic such as 'the future of AI.'
Create an editorial brief for a research-backed white paper.
Topic:
{{topic}}
Primary reader:
{{primary_reader}}
Decision the reader needs to make:
{{reader_decision}}
Our point of view:
{{point_of_view}}
Approved internal proof:
{{internal_proof}}
CTA:
{{cta}}
Claims that need external evidence:
{{claims_needing_evidence}}
Return:
1. Reader situation
2. Core problem
3. Recommended thesis
4. Three supporting arguments
5. Scope and exclusions
6. Evidence required for each argument
7. Recommended CTA
8. Claims that must not appear without verification
9. Review questions for the subject matter expert
Do not invent statistics, customer outcomes, or market claims. Mark missing information as NEEDS INPUT. A human owner must approve the thesis and evidence boundary before research starts.