Intent Pop Editorial Guidelines
Intent Pop · Editorial Guidelines Companion to Voice & Tone

Write to
be cited

We don't publish for volume — we publish to become the answer. Every piece is built so a buyer, a search engine, and an answer engine can all lift the point in one read. This is how we turn expertise into compounding authority.

AUTHORITY OVER VOLUME
ANSWER-FIRST, ALWAYS
COMMERCIAL-FIRST
— PROVEN BY HUMANS
§01
Why we publish

Become the
answer

Buyers form intent inside answer engines. We publish to be the source they get cited from.

A blog that chases keywords is a cost. A library that owns the answer compounds — every piece earns citations, links, and trust that the next piece inherits.

Authority over volume

One definitive guide beats ten thin posts. We'd rather own a question completely than rank shallowly for fifty.

Commercial-first

We write about the problems we get paid to solve. Every cluster maps to a service and a buying decision.

Proven by humans

Real tests, real numbers, a named operator behind the byline. AEO rewards expertise it can verify.

§02
Topical authority model

Pillars,
clusters,
conversions

We don't write posts — we build topic territories. A pillar owns the category; clusters answer everything around it; conversion pages catch the intent.

Pillar · the flagship

Answer Engine Optimisation for B2B SaaS

How to get cited by ChatGPT & Perplexity
AI Overviews: what changes for SaaS
Entity & schema for answer engines
Measuring AI-referral traffic
AEO vs. SEO vs. GEO — the differences
Pillar

Owns the category term.

Comprehensive, evergreen, the page everything else links up to. Targets the head term buyers and engines search.

Cluster

Answers one question fully.

A focused how-to, comparison, or glossary entry. Links up to the pillar and sideways to siblings.

Conversion

Catches the intent.

Service page or audit offer. Clusters link down to it when the reader is ready to act.

Run three to five pillars at a time — one per service in the Pop Loop (Capture, Convert, Compound) plus the category itself. Finish a cluster before starting the next pillar. Depth signals authority; breadth without depth signals a content farm.

§03
Article types

Eight shapes,
one voice

Pick the format that fits the job. Each has a different structure — but all answer-first.

Flagship guide

The pillar

Definitive, evergreen, owns a head term. Long, sectioned, internally linked.

Goal · authority
How-to

Do this, get that

A repeatable process with steps, inputs, and the outcome to expect.

Goal · capture
Comparison

X vs. Y

Honest trade-offs in a table. Names when not to pick us.

Goal · decision
Glossary

Define the term

One concept, answer-first. Built to be the lifted definition.

Goal · citation
Case study

The proof

Real client, real number, real method. Before/after with attribution.

Goal · trust
POV / opinion

Take a stance

Name the old way; argue the new one. A thesis only we would write.

Goal · distinction
Report / data

Original research

Our own numbers, methodology stated. The most link-earning format.

Goal · links
Teardown

Pull it apart

A real funnel or page, critiqued and fixed. Show the work, not the theory.

Goal · expertise
§04
Article anatomy

The fixed
answer-first
order

Every article follows this skeleton. The answer comes before the throat-clearing — always.

01Direct answerFirst 2–3 sentencesAnswer the title question outright, in plain language a machine can lift verbatim. No intro, no "in today's fast-moving world."
02DefinitionFrame the termsDefine the concept and any jargon precisely. This is the paragraph that becomes the cited snippet.
03EvidenceShow the proofNumbers, a chart, a real example, a named test. Every claim earns its place with attribution.
04Trade-offsBe honestWhen this doesn't apply, who it's wrong for, the cost. Honesty is the trust signal AEO can't fake.
05TrustWho says soByline, credentials, method, date. The human and the evidence behind the answer.
06Commercial bridgeThe natural next stepOne relevant link to the service or audit — earned, not bolted on. We helped; here's how we'd help you.
07FAQThe long tail3–6 real follow-up questions, each answered in 2–3 lifable sentences. Structured for answer engines.
§05
Worked model

The anatomy,
annotated

One real opening and outline, marked up so you can see the skeleton through the prose.

glossary · cluster/blog/what-is-answer-engine-optimisation
H1 — the question, verbatim

What is Answer Engine Optimisation (AEO)?

01 · Direct answer — liftable, first

Answer Engine Optimisation (AEO) is the practice of getting your brand cited inside AI-generated answers — in ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google's AI Overviews — rather than just ranking in the blue links below them. Where SEO competes for clicks, AEO competes to be the source the answer is built from.

02 · Definition — frame the terms

An "answer engine" is any system that responds to a query with a synthesised answer and a short list of cited sources. AEO is the work of becoming one of those sources: structured content, clear entities, and proof a model can verify.

03 · Evidence — the proof, attributed

It matters now because the surface is real: Google's AI Mode passed 1B+ monthly users in 2026, and roughly half of a B2B buying decision is formed before a single click. [chart: AI-referral share of pipeline]

04 · Trade-offs"When AEO is not your priority — and the traffic mix where SEO still wins."
05 · TrustByline + "how we measure AI-referral traffic at Intent Pop," dated.
06 · BridgeOne link → the Capture service / a free intent audit.
07 · FAQAEO vs. GEO? · Does schema help? · How do I track citations? · How long does it take?
§06
Headlines, titles & meta

Four lines,
four jobs

The same piece needs a search title, a page H1, a social title, and a meta description — each tuned to its surface, all in our voice.

SERP result≤ 60 char title · ≤ 155 desc
What is AEO? Answer Engine Optimisation, explained
intentpop.com › blog › what-is-aeo
AEO gets your brand cited inside AI answers, not just ranked below them. Here's how it works, how it differs from SEO, and how to measure it.
Page H1the question, plainly
What is Answer Engine Optimisation (AEO)?
Social titlePOV, hookier
Your next customer asks an AI which tool to use — before they ever visit you. That's the game AEO plays. Here's the playbook. ↓
The rules
SEO title
Lead with the term a buyer searches. Under 60 characters. The keyword early, the brand last or not at all.
Page H1
The question, asked plainly. It can differ from the SEO title — match how a human would actually phrase it.
Social title
Our voice, one degree hookier. Name the old way or the stakes. Never clickbait we can't pay off.
Meta / OG
Answer-first in 150 characters: what they'll learn and why it's true. No "read on to discover."
Headline formulas — pull from Voice, tuned for editorial

The plain question

"What is [term]?" · "How do you [outcome]?"

The X vs. Y

"AEO vs. SEO: which moves pipeline?"

The number-led

"We tested [N] pricing pages. [Finding]."

The old-way reframe

"Stop optimising the page. Optimise the answer."

§08
Tone by article type

Same voice,
different dial

The voice never changes; the calibration does. Full voice rules live in Voice & Tone.

GlossaryPrecise
How-toPlain & direct
ComparisonEven-handed
POVPunchy
Case studyConfident
ReportRigorous
Rewrite — weak intro to answer-first opening
Off-brand · buries the answer

In today's rapidly evolving digital landscape, the way customers discover brands is changing faster than ever. In this article, we'll explore the exciting world of answer engines and what it might mean for your business.

On-brand · answer first

Answer Engine Optimisation gets your brand cited inside AI answers — not just ranked below them. If half your buyers decide before they click, that's where the deciding now happens. Here's how it works.

§09
Pre-publish checklist

Nothing
ships
without this

Run it before every publish. If a box is empty, it's not ready.

Substance
Title question is answered in the first 3 sentences
Maps to a pillar, a cluster, and a service
Every claim has evidence and attribution
Trade-offs / "when not to" are stated honestly
SEO & AEO
SEO title < 60 char, keyword early
Meta description answer-first, < 155 char
Liftable definition + tables/lists for snippets
FAQ block with 3–6 real follow-ups
Links & proof
Links down (CTA), sideways (siblings), up (pillar)
Descriptive anchor text — no "click here"
Primary sources cited and dated
Byline, credentials, and updated date visible
Craft & access
Reads in our voice — answer-first, no jargon theatre
One on-brand visual per major section, alt text set
Headings carry the argument on their own
Named operator has reviewed every number
What this document controls · read next

Editorial governs what we publish and how it's structured. The words it's written in live in Voice & Tone; the charts and screenshots in it come from Imagery; and what gets cut for the feed lives in Social. Next: Voice & Tone.

Companion documents