Outline Skill

Turn the research dossier into the article's bones. The output is a detailed outline a writer (human or AI) can expand into prose without further research. The outline is bound by the dossier's BEAT SPEC — section count, item count, word targets, and required formats come from the SERP, not from habit.

Input

For slug {slug}, reads:

• content-pipeline/1-research/{slug}.md (required — especially BEAT SPEC, "Recommended angle", consensus/gap topics)
• content-pipeline/2-reference/{slug}.md (recommended — brand context)
• content-pipeline/0-context/{slug}.md (if exists — user-provided angle; overrides everything else on conflict)
• brand-config.md (audience, voice)
• references/bluf-mece-rules.md (structural rules — must enforce)
• ../../../templates/outline-template.md (the file structure)
• ../../../templates/visual-types.md + ../../../templates/editorial-principles-visuals.md (visual decisions)
• examples/ — read examples/README.md, then 1 structure example + 1 niche example closest to this content type

Process

1. Read all inputs. Restate the BEAT SPEC numbers at the top of your outline file so the draft stage sees them without re-opening the dossier.
2. Choose the article title. Direct, includes the primary keyword early, under 60 characters when possible.
3. Write the thesis. One sentence. The article's central argument.
4. Decide content type. Follow the beat spec's format. Deviating from the modal SERP format requires an explicit justification line in the outline ("SERP is listicles; we're doing X because …") — absent that, format parity is mandatory.
5. Draft the H2 list — sized by the beat spec, not a fixed cap.
   • Explainer/guide SERPs: typically 5–8 H2s.
   • Listicle/comparison SERPs: one H2 (or H3 under a roundup H2) per item, item count ≥ beat spec's item target. A 9-app SERP gets ≥9 apps — never compress to 4 "picks" unless the user's context file explicitly asks for a short list.
   • Every consensus topic from the beat spec maps to a section or a substantial subsection. List which H2 covers which consensus topic in a coverage map at the bottom of the outline.
   • At least one section delivers the beat spec's information gain — mark it [GAIN].
   • Read the H2 list aloud as a sequence: does it argue the thesis? Is it MECE?
6. For each H2, write:
   • BLUF (one sentence; the section's opening line or close to it)
   • Key points (2–4 bullets)
   • Evidence (stat / quote / example / walkthrough — cite which dossier section it comes from)
   • Word target — per-section targets must sum to the beat spec's total ±10%. Weight by SERP attention: comparison/criteria sections get more, boilerplate sections get less.
   • Transition to next section
   • Visuals — one or more typed micro-specs (screenshot / action-shot / image / table / chart / video / external / gif / none), format:

     **Visuals:**
       Visual 1: {type: image, sub: concept-illustration, prompt: <specific structured prompt>, safety: sfw}
       Visual 2: {type: screenshot, target: create, what: voice profile selector, annotate: arrow on speaker icon}
     

     Apply the decision sequence in templates/editorial-principles-visuals.md. The default for any non-trivial section (>300 words) is "this section deserves a visual; what kind?". For brand-product UI: screenshot if a single URL shows the state, action-shot if it takes clicks (routed to /capture-visuals). For quoted Reddit/tweets/news: external with a selector.
7. Comparison table (when the beat spec requires one). Spec it as a real markdown table skeleton in the outline: columns (from the beat spec's required-columns list), one row per item, plus a Visual: {type: table} entry on the section. The draft authors the table in GFM markdown; /format-for-publish converts it for the site renderer. Do NOT pre-degrade tables into bullet lists at outline or draft time.
8. Plan the intro. Hook + thesis + preview. 150–200 words. The hook earns attention with something specific, surprising, or contrarian — never "In today's digital age".
9. Plan the conclusion. Restated thesis + one next step (often a 2-reference/ link). 80–150 words.
10. Run the visual sanity check (two-way) — for every H2 with a visual, confirm it earns its place (concrete info lost without it, supports the BLUF, MECE across sections); for every none section, check whether a labeled diagram/screenshot/chart/table would make it twice as good. Density target per editorial-principles-visuals.md (5/8/10/12 for <1.2k / 1.2–2k / 2–3k / >3k words), ≥3 distinct types.
11. Run the structural self-check in references/bluf-mece-rules.md.
12. Run the beat-spec self-check (NEW, blocking):

• Section word targets sum to target word count ±10%
• Item count ≥ beat spec item target (if list-shaped)
• Every consensus topic appears in the coverage map
• [GAIN] section exists and is genuinely not on page 1
• Comparison table specced iff required If any box fails, fix the outline before saving — do not hand the debt to /draft.

13. Save to content-pipeline/3-outlines/{slug}.md using templates/outline-template.md structure (beat-spec restatement at top, coverage map at bottom).

Output

content-pipeline/3-outlines/{slug}.md — typically 600–1,200 words. Detailed enough that /draft can expand without re-doing research.

Quality checklist

• Title direct, includes primary keyword, <60 chars
• One-sentence thesis
• H2 list MECE, supports thesis, sized by beat spec (no arbitrary 4–7 cap)
• Each H2: BLUF, key points, evidence source, word target, transition, typed Visuals
• Word targets sum to beat-spec total ±10%
• Coverage map: every consensus topic → a section
• [GAIN] section present
• Table skeleton present iff beat spec requires
• Visual density within range, ≥3 distinct types
• Intro = hook + thesis + preview; conclusion = restated thesis + next step
• Zero forbidden phrases (brand-config)

Common failure modes to avoid

• Compression — the SERP demands 9 items and you outline 4 "best picks". That's how we shipped a 1,100-word listicle into a 2,500-word SERP. Match or beat; never shrink.
• Section overlap — "Why X matters" and "Benefits of X" are the same section. Pick one.
• Consensus amnesia — research lists must-cover topics; outline silently drops two. The coverage map exists to make that impossible.
• Skipping the BLUF — throat-clearing openers lose skim-readers.
• Hook that says nothing — "In today's competitive landscape…" is not a hook.