Template · 8 checks · 20 minutes · printable

Content Visibility Checklist

Eight checks to run on any article you care about — once before you publish, then again 90 days later. Print this, tape it next to your monitor, and stop guessing whether an article was launched well.

  1. 01

    Title names the reader's question

    Not your framing. The sentence the reader would actually type or speak when they have this problem.

  2. 02

    Direct answer in the first 100 words

    If a reader stops after the intro, they should still have the answer.

  3. 03

    At least three useful internal links out

    In-prose, contextual, pointing to articles a satisfied reader of this one would also want.

  4. 04

    At least one high-traffic page links in

    Existing top pages have authority and traffic this new article does not yet. Plumb them together.

  5. 05

    Clear, concrete next step at the end

    Something the reader can act on in the next ten minutes. Not a CTA. A small move.

  6. 06

    Mentioned in email or social on day one

    Two hundred words and one post. Day one, not day three.

  7. 07

    Reuse plan inside two weeks

    Newsletter, sales email, onboarding page, social, customer call — at least one named reuse.

  8. 08

    Refresh date on the calendar

    Ninety days from publish. Calendar event, link back to the article. Done in thirty seconds.

The longer argument behind these eight checks lives in Why Your Content Gets Published But Never Seen. The two-day routine that pairs with the checklist is What To Do In The First 48 Hours After Publishing Content.