When you create an Audience Edition, the AI asks you one thing: who is this for? Your answer — the audience brief — is what determines how the edition turns out. A vague brief gets a generic edition. A specific brief gets an edition that feels like it was built from scratch for that exact audience.
The good news: you don't need to write an essay. Four sentences is all it takes.
The 4-Sentence Framework
Every great audience brief answers four questions:
- Who are they? — Role, seniority, industry, context
- What do they care about? — The metrics, themes, or outcomes that matter to them
- What do they already know? — Their technical depth and familiarity with your space
- What do you want them to do? — The action you want after they've seen the deck
That's it. Four sentences. The AI does the rest.
Weak Brief vs Strong Brief
Weak Brief
"This edition is for investors."
The AI knows the audience category but nothing else. It will produce a reasonable variation — probably emphasising metrics and team — but it's guessing at what kind of investor, what stage, what they prioritise. The edition will feel generic.
Strong Brief
"Series A VCs focused on B2B SaaS. They care about ARR growth rate, net retention, and TAM. They see 100 decks a month and will spend 3 minutes on ours before deciding whether to take a meeting. We want them to book a call."
Now the AI knows: the audience is time-poor, data-driven, and comparing you to hundreds of alternatives. It will front-load the strongest metrics, keep slides concise, and make the call-to-action unmissable. The edition feels purpose-built.
Ready-to-Use Briefs by Persona
Copy any of these and adjust the details for your situation.
Fundraising Briefs (Ahmed)
Seed VCs:
"Seed-stage VCs who invest in pre-Series A startups. They care about product-market fit signals, early traction, team background, and market size. They're technically literate and see 50-100 decks per month. We want them to schedule a 30-minute partner meeting."
Angel Investors:
"Angel investors, mostly former founders and operators. They invest in people first, numbers second. They care about the founder's story, the vision, and early momentum. They make decisions quickly based on gut feeling. We want them to commit to our round."
Corporate Venture:
"Corporate venture arm of a large enterprise in our industry. They're evaluating strategic fit, not just financial return. They care about integration potential, technology roadmap, and mutual benefit. They have a long decision cycle with multiple stakeholders. We want them to initiate a due diligence process."
Grant Funders (Marcus):
"Government innovation fund panel. They assess applications against specific criteria: innovation, market potential, job creation, and regional impact. They read hundreds of applications and score them objectively. We want to score above the funding threshold on every criterion."
Sales Briefs (Nick)
CTO Prospect:
"CTO at a mid-market fintech company. Technical, detail-oriented, sceptical of vendor claims. Cares about integration, security, API documentation, and migration complexity. Has been burned by vendors before. We want them to approve a technical evaluation."
CFO Prospect:
"CFO at a mid-sized retail company. Not technical — thinks in terms of ROI, cost reduction, and payback period. Wants to see hard numbers on savings, not feature lists. Makes budget decisions quarterly. We want them to approve the purchase order."
CEO Prospect:
"CEO of a 200-person SaaS company. Strategic thinker, time-poor, cares about competitive advantage and growth. Doesn't want technical details — wants to understand the business impact in 5 slides or less. We want them to champion the deal internally."
Proposal Briefs (Sarah)
Fintech Client:
"Head of Digital at a mid-sized bank. Conservative, compliance-aware, risk-averse. They need to see relevant financial services experience, security certifications, and a structured methodology. Everything must feel trustworthy and enterprise-grade. We want them to shortlist us for the final pitch."
Startup Client:
"Founder of a Series B healthtech startup. Fast-moving, design-conscious, wants a partner who 'gets it' quickly. They care about speed, creative quality, and relevant portfolio work. Budget is flexible for the right team. We want them to sign the statement of work this week."
Government Client:
"Procurement officer for a local council. Follows a formal evaluation process with weighted scoring criteria. Needs to see methodology, risk mitigation, social value, and references from similar public sector work. We want to score highest on their evaluation matrix."
Board Briefs (Lisa)
Full Board:
"Non-executive directors meeting quarterly. They want a high-level strategic view: key metrics vs targets, risks and mitigations, major initiatives, and decisions needed. They have 15 minutes for our section. Keep it concise and actionable — they'll read the board pack for detail."
Audit Committee:
"Audit committee members — finance backgrounds, detail-oriented. They want risk registers, compliance status, financial controls, and any audit findings. Conservative presentation style, no flash. They need to feel confident that governance is solid."
Investor Update:
"Existing investors receiving a quarterly update via email. They want the headline numbers fast — ARR, growth, burn, runway — then any strategic updates. They're scanning, not studying. Keep it to 6-8 slides max. We want them to feel confident in their investment."
Other Persona Briefs
Nursery Parents (Emma):
"Prospective parents visiting for an open day. They're anxious about leaving their child somewhere new. They want to see happy children, qualified staff, daily routines, and parent testimonials. The feel should be warm, safe, and reassuring. We want them to book a trial session."
Property Buyers (Priya):
"First-time buyers looking at a 3-bed semi. They care about the neighbourhood, schools, transport links, and help-to-buy eligibility. They're excited but nervous about the biggest purchase of their lives. We want them to book a viewing."
Corporate Wellness (Carlos):
"HR director at a tech company with 500 employees. They care about employee wellbeing ROI, absenteeism reduction, programme structure, and scalability. They need to justify the spend to the CFO. We want them to book a pilot programme."
Sponsorship (James):
"Marketing director at a consumer brand considering headline sponsorship at £50k. They want to see audience demographics, brand visibility opportunities, past sponsor results, and exclusivity terms. They're comparing 3-4 events. We want them to choose ours and sign the sponsorship agreement."
Tips for Better Briefs
Be specific about what they care about
Don't say "they care about the product." Say "they care about integration complexity, security certifications, and time-to-value." The more specific you are about their priorities, the better the AI can adjust emphasis.
Mention what they DON'T need
Sometimes what you leave out matters as much as what you include:
"They don't need technical details — keep it strategic and visual"
"Skip the company background — they already know who we are"
"No need for competitive positioning — they've already chosen us over alternatives"
Include their time constraints
How long someone will spend with your deck changes everything:
"They'll spend 3 minutes scanning before deciding"
"This is a 45-minute boardroom presentation"
"They'll read this on their phone between meetings"
State the action explicitly
The clearest briefs end with exactly what you want:
"We want them to book a demo call" "We want them to approve the budget" "We want them to sign the contract" "We want them to forward this to their CEO"
The Brief Evolves
Your first brief doesn't need to be perfect. Create an edition, see how it looks, and refine the brief based on what the AI produces. If the edition feels too technical, add "keep it accessible." If it's too high-level, add "include specific metrics." The brief is a conversation, not a contract.
What to Read Next
- What Are Audience Editions? — If you haven't read the basics of how editions work.
- Edition Strategies by Use Case — Concrete strategies for how many editions to create and what to vary per persona.
- Managing Multiple Editions — The practical workflow for creating, switching, updating, and sharing editions.
When you create an Audience Edition, the AI asks you one thing: who is this for? Your answer — the audience brief — is what determines how the edition turns out. A vague brief gets a generic edition. A specific brief gets an edition that feels like it was built from scratch for that exact audience.
The good news: you don't need to write an essay. Four sentences is all it takes.
The 4-Sentence Framework
Every great audience brief answers four questions:
- Who are they? — Role, seniority, industry, context
- What do they care about? — The metrics, themes, or outcomes that matter to them
- What do they already know? — Their technical depth and familiarity with your space
- What do you want them to do? — The action you want after they've seen the deck
That's it. Four sentences. The AI does the rest.
Weak Brief vs Strong Brief
Weak Brief
"This edition is for investors."
The AI knows the audience category but nothing else. It will produce a reasonable variation — probably emphasising metrics and team — but it's guessing at what kind of investor, what stage, what they prioritise. The edition will feel generic.
Strong Brief
"Series A VCs focused on B2B SaaS. They care about ARR growth rate, net retention, and TAM. They see 100 decks a month and will spend 3 minutes on ours before deciding whether to take a meeting. We want them to book a call."
Now the AI knows: the audience is time-poor, data-driven, and comparing you to hundreds of alternatives. It will front-load the strongest metrics, keep slides concise, and make the call-to-action unmissable. The edition feels purpose-built.
Ready-to-Use Briefs by Persona
Copy any of these and adjust the details for your situation.
Fundraising Briefs (Ahmed)
Seed VCs:
"Seed-stage VCs who invest in pre-Series A startups. They care about product-market fit signals, early traction, team background, and market size. They're technically literate and see 50-100 decks per month. We want them to schedule a 30-minute partner meeting."
Angel Investors:
"Angel investors, mostly former founders and operators. They invest in people first, numbers second. They care about the founder's story, the vision, and early momentum. They make decisions quickly based on gut feeling. We want them to commit to our round."
Corporate Venture:
"Corporate venture arm of a large enterprise in our industry. They're evaluating strategic fit, not just financial return. They care about integration potential, technology roadmap, and mutual benefit. They have a long decision cycle with multiple stakeholders. We want them to initiate a due diligence process."
Grant Funders (Marcus):
"Government innovation fund panel. They assess applications against specific criteria: innovation, market potential, job creation, and regional impact. They read hundreds of applications and score them objectively. We want to score above the funding threshold on every criterion."
Sales Briefs (Nick)
CTO Prospect:
"CTO at a mid-market fintech company. Technical, detail-oriented, sceptical of vendor claims. Cares about integration, security, API documentation, and migration complexity. Has been burned by vendors before. We want them to approve a technical evaluation."
CFO Prospect:
"CFO at a mid-sized retail company. Not technical — thinks in terms of ROI, cost reduction, and payback period. Wants to see hard numbers on savings, not feature lists. Makes budget decisions quarterly. We want them to approve the purchase order."
CEO Prospect:
"CEO of a 200-person SaaS company. Strategic thinker, time-poor, cares about competitive advantage and growth. Doesn't want technical details — wants to understand the business impact in 5 slides or less. We want them to champion the deal internally."
Proposal Briefs (Sarah)
Fintech Client:
"Head of Digital at a mid-sized bank. Conservative, compliance-aware, risk-averse. They need to see relevant financial services experience, security certifications, and a structured methodology. Everything must feel trustworthy and enterprise-grade. We want them to shortlist us for the final pitch."
Startup Client:
"Founder of a Series B healthtech startup. Fast-moving, design-conscious, wants a partner who 'gets it' quickly. They care about speed, creative quality, and relevant portfolio work. Budget is flexible for the right team. We want them to sign the statement of work this week."
Government Client:
"Procurement officer for a local council. Follows a formal evaluation process with weighted scoring criteria. Needs to see methodology, risk mitigation, social value, and references from similar public sector work. We want to score highest on their evaluation matrix."
Board Briefs (Lisa)
Full Board:
"Non-executive directors meeting quarterly. They want a high-level strategic view: key metrics vs targets, risks and mitigations, major initiatives, and decisions needed. They have 15 minutes for our section. Keep it concise and actionable — they'll read the board pack for detail."
Audit Committee:
"Audit committee members — finance backgrounds, detail-oriented. They want risk registers, compliance status, financial controls, and any audit findings. Conservative presentation style, no flash. They need to feel confident that governance is solid."
Investor Update:
"Existing investors receiving a quarterly update via email. They want the headline numbers fast — ARR, growth, burn, runway — then any strategic updates. They're scanning, not studying. Keep it to 6-8 slides max. We want them to feel confident in their investment."
Other Persona Briefs
Nursery Parents (Emma):
"Prospective parents visiting for an open day. They're anxious about leaving their child somewhere new. They want to see happy children, qualified staff, daily routines, and parent testimonials. The feel should be warm, safe, and reassuring. We want them to book a trial session."
Property Buyers (Priya):
"First-time buyers looking at a 3-bed semi. They care about the neighbourhood, schools, transport links, and help-to-buy eligibility. They're excited but nervous about the biggest purchase of their lives. We want them to book a viewing."
Corporate Wellness (Carlos):
"HR director at a tech company with 500 employees. They care about employee wellbeing ROI, absenteeism reduction, programme structure, and scalability. They need to justify the spend to the CFO. We want them to book a pilot programme."
Sponsorship (James):
"Marketing director at a consumer brand considering headline sponsorship at £50k. They want to see audience demographics, brand visibility opportunities, past sponsor results, and exclusivity terms. They're comparing 3-4 events. We want them to choose ours and sign the sponsorship agreement."
Tips for Better Briefs
Be specific about what they care about
Don't say "they care about the product." Say "they care about integration complexity, security certifications, and time-to-value." The more specific you are about their priorities, the better the AI can adjust emphasis.
Mention what they DON'T need
Sometimes what you leave out matters as much as what you include:
"They don't need technical details — keep it strategic and visual"
"Skip the company background — they already know who we are"
"No need for competitive positioning — they've already chosen us over alternatives"
Include their time constraints
How long someone will spend with your deck changes everything:
"They'll spend 3 minutes scanning before deciding"
"This is a 45-minute boardroom presentation"
"They'll read this on their phone between meetings"
State the action explicitly
The clearest briefs end with exactly what you want:
"We want them to book a demo call" "We want them to approve the budget" "We want them to sign the contract" "We want them to forward this to their CEO"
The Brief Evolves
Your first brief doesn't need to be perfect. Create an edition, see how it looks, and refine the brief based on what the AI produces. If the edition feels too technical, add "keep it accessible." If it's too high-level, add "include specific metrics." The brief is a conversation, not a contract.
What to Read Next
- What Are Audience Editions? — If you haven't read the basics of how editions work.
- Edition Strategies by Use Case — Concrete strategies for how many editions to create and what to vary per persona.
- Managing Multiple Editions — The practical workflow for creating, switching, updating, and sharing editions.