Shape the post before it exists. Convert the six principles from evaluation criteria into creative instructions.
Stage · pre-production. Read this before a single line of copy or pixel of design exists. Run once per post, at the start.
Pairs with the Review Checklist, which scores the draft after this brief has shaped it. For deep work on one dimension, open the matching principle file and use its Use for ideation section.
The review checklist judges a post that already exists. This brief shapes the post before it exists. It converts the six principles from evaluation criteria into creative instructions, so the work starts close to target rather than getting patched on review.
The mandate, in one line.
Make something new and valuable that makes the audience feel something, executed with craft, clear at a glance, and rewarding on a second look.
Aim for a concept only a small fraction of creators would reach. Novel, surprising, and valuable.
Trigger a specific emotion. Intrinsic investment reads as authenticity; exaggerated features fire the reward circuits.
Land in the pleasing band between dull and chaotic. Structure and meaningfulness drive likability more than raw novelty.
Render the idea cleanly enough that craft never undercuts it. Novelty rendered with errors forfeits its value.
Plant one connection the audience did not see coming. Generate loose, unlikely pairings first, then find the meaning.
Carry two layers. Too obscure frustrates. Too obvious bores. The sweet spot is a clear point with a reward underneath.
Originality and Unexpected Associations push toward the strange. Technical Execution and Interpretability pull toward the clear. A post must be both.
Aesthetic Appeal lives in the middle. Depth and surprise add arousal; structure and clarity remove it. Keep the total in the pleasing band.
Rarity rewards the strange; recognisable structure rewards the familiar. Resolve it by making the concept rare and the form legible.
A richer image can add depth and cost comprehension. If the second layer hides the first, the first layer wins.
The six principles hold everywhere. The weighting shifts with the platform and audience.
| Platform | Weight up | Watch closely |
|---|---|---|
| Aesthetic Appeal, Expressiveness. Polished, evocative, on-brand imagery. | Feed cohesion; correct format for Feed vs. Stories vs. Reels. | |
| Interpretability & Depth, Technical Execution. A real insight, professionally rendered. | Surprise stays professional: a cross-field analogy, not a meme. | |
| X (Twitter) | Originality, Unexpected Associations. A sharp, novel line and wit. | Attached media stays clean and uncropped in-timeline. |
| Expressiveness, Interpretability. Story and emotional pull. | Native video: captions, strong thumbnail, gripping first seconds. |
Answer all eight before generating. The answers are the brief for this specific post.
Where does this run, and who is scrolling?
What one feeling should this trigger?
What does the audience grasp in three seconds?
What reward sits underneath for the audience who looks again?
What is uniquely ours here, and which three obvious approaches are we refusing?
What is the one unexpected association, and what truth does it reveal?
What structure and colour/type system keeps this in the pleasing band?
What are the exact dimensions, ratio, and format constraints for this platform?
When all eight are answered and consistent with each other, begin production. Hand the draft to the Review Checklist.