content-brainstorming

Content Brainstorming

This skill provides detailed process knowledge for effective content brainstorming sessions that clarify WHAT to create before diving into HOW to write it.

When to Use This Skill

Content brainstorming is valuable when:

• Content goal is unclear or ambiguous
• Multiple angles could work for the topic
• Audience isn't specified or could be multiple
• Content type/format needs to be decided
• User hasn't fully articulated what they want
• Messaging approach needs refinement

Content brainstorming can be skipped when:

• User has explicit content brief
• Audience, angle, and format are all specified
• User knows exactly what they want to say
• Request references existing content to follow

Core Process

Phase 0: Assess Requirement Clarity

Before diving into questions, assess whether brainstorming is needed.

Signals that requirements are clear:

• User specified content type (blog, newsletter, social)
• User identified target audience (families, professionals, HNW)
• User described the message or transformation
• User referenced existing content to follow

Signals that brainstorming is needed:

• User used vague terms ("write something about passwords")
• Multiple reasonable angles exist
• Audience unclear or could be multiple
• User seems unsure about the approach
• Topic is broad without clear focus

If requirements are clear, suggest: "Your brief seems clear. Consider proceeding directly to /myvault:write with this guidance."

Phase 1: Understand the Intent

Ask questions one at a time to understand the user's content goals. Avoid overwhelming with multiple questions.

Question Techniques:

1. Prefer multiple choice when natural options exist

   • Good: "Who's the primary audience: (a) families, (b) professionals, or (c) high net worth individuals?"
   • Avoid: "Who should this be for?"

2. Start broad, then narrow

   • First: What's the content goal?
   • Then: Who's the audience?
   • Finally: What action should readers take?

3. Validate assumptions explicitly

   • "I'm assuming this is for our primary audience (families). Is that correct?"

4. Ask about success criteria early

   • "What should readers feel or do after reading this?"

Key Topics to Explore:

Topic	Example Questions
Goal	What's the purpose? Why create this now?
Audience	Who's this for? What's their current state?
Content Type	Blog post, newsletter, social, website copy, help docs?
Message	What's the ONE thing they should remember?
Transformation	What changes for them? (Before → After)
Action	What should they do after reading?
Constraints	Any brand rules? Products to mention/avoid?
Existing Assets	Can we build on existing research or content?

Exit Condition: Continue until the intent is clear OR user says "proceed" or "let's move on"

Phase 2: Explore Angles

After understanding the intent, propose 2-3 concrete content angles. Present them creatively—the goal is to help the user see different approaches, not to force a template.

What to Explore:

• Different emotional starting points (chaos → calm, fear → confidence, confusion → clarity)
• Different narrative structures (problem/solution, before/after, myth-busting, how-to)
• Different audience entry points (based on their current state, not demographics)
• Different message emphasis (privacy-first, simplicity-first, intelligence-first)

How to Present Angles:

• Lead with a recommendation and explain why
• Describe each angle naturally—what it is, why it works, when to use it
• Help the user see tradeoffs without prescribing format
• Be creative in how you present the comparison
• Include enough detail that the user can make an informed choice

Brand Voice Guardrails:

• ❌ Never use fear-based messaging ("protect yourself from hackers")
• ✅ Always confidence-based ("your photos stay private")
• ❌ Never make MyVault a personality ("I found your duplicates!")
• ✅ Always tool-based ("MyVault found 12 duplicates")
• ❌ Never use banned words (leverage, utilize, seamless, revolutionary, etc.)

Phase 3: Capture the Content Brief

Create a brief that captures the key decisions without prescribing exact structure. The brief should be clear, concise, and useful for writing—not a rigid template.

What to Capture:

• What we're creating (content type, audience, goal)
• The core message or transformation
• The chosen angle and why
• Any important constraints or brand considerations
• What research or assets are needed
• Next steps

How to Capture It:

• Write naturally—don't force a template
• Include only what's relevant for this specific piece
• Use YAML frontmatter for metadata (date, topic, content-type, audience)
• Make it actionable—the writer should know what to do next
• Keep it concise—details belong in the draft, not the brief

Output Location: docs/content-briefs/YYYY-MM-DD-<topic>-brief.md

Example frontmatter (flexible, not required):

---
date: YYYY-MM-DD
topic: password-security-families
content-type: blog
audience: families
---

Phase 4: Handoff

Present clear options for what to do next:

1. Need research? → Run /myvault:research [topic]
2. Ready to write? → Run /myvault:write [based on this brief]
3. Refine further? → Continue exploring the angle
4. Done for now → User will return later

Content Quality Principles

During brainstorming, actively enforce MyVault standards:

Product Voice (Critical)

MyVault is a tool, not a personality.

Never	Always
"I found 12 duplicates"	"MyVault found 12 duplicates"
"I'm here to help!"	Cut entirely
"I organized your photos"	"Your photos are organized"

Security Messaging

Build confidence, not fear.

Fear-Based (Never)	Confidence-Based (Always)
"Protect yourself from hackers"	"Your photos stay private"
"Don't let big tech spy on you"	"We can't see your photos"
"Before it's too late"	"Always secure"

Simplicity Over Complexity

• Choose the simplest angle that achieves the goal
• Prefer clear, direct messaging over clever wordplay
• One clear message > multiple competing messages
• Defer decisions that don't need to be made now

Incremental Validation

Keep sections short—200-300 words maximum. After each section of output, pause to validate understanding:

• "Does this match what you had in mind?"
• "Any adjustments before we continue?"
• "Is this the direction you want to go?"

This prevents wasted effort on misaligned content direction.

Anti-Patterns to Avoid

Anti-Pattern	Better Approach
Asking 5 questions at once	Ask one at a time
Jumping to writing	Stay focused on WHAT to say, not HOW to say it
Proposing fear-based angles	Always confidence-based messaging
Ignoring existing brand voice	Load brand-kit skill for voice guardrails
Making assumptions about audience	State assumptions explicitly and confirm
Creating lengthy briefs	Keep it concise—details go in the draft
Using banned words in examples	Follow style guide strictly

Integration with Writing

Brainstorming answers WHAT to create:

• Content goal and success criteria
• Target audience and their needs
• Chosen angle and messaging approach
• Design/content pillars to follow

Writing answers HOW to create it:

• Actual draft with headlines, body, CTA
• Specific word choices and examples
• Structure and flow
• Brand voice application

When content brief exists, /myvault:write should detect it and use it as input, skipping its own planning phase.

Source Quality (for Research Phase)

When research is needed, enforce source quality:

Tier	Description	Use For
A	Peer-reviewed, large sample, recent	Key claims
B	Reputable organization, good methodology	Key claims
C	Industry report, smaller sample	Supporting details
D	Single source, unverified, old	Flag clearly

Rule: Tier A/B for key claims. Never single-source without flagging.

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Private by design. Intelligent by nature.