# The content plan

> The content plan turns a gap into a page you publish yourself. Autopilot outlines it, writes a draft with every fact pinned to a source, and hands you the file.

sourcesignal documentation, Content. Updated 2026-10-17. The page for people: https://www.sourcesignal.ai/docs/content/the-content-plan. Every article: https://www.sourcesignal.ai/llms.txt

The content plan is where a topic becomes a page on your site. Autopilot outlines the page from the evidence behind the topic, writes the draft with each fact pinned to a source, and hands you the file. You decide at every step.

Open Content in the rail, then "Articles" (the page is titled "Content plan"). In a project, press g then l to open it from anywhere.

> **Note:** Nothing is published for you. You download the file, fill what only you know, and publish it yourself.

## What you see

- **Your progress first:** a line such as "You finished 2 pages. 1 draft is ready to download." with a meter for the topics in your plan.
- **Stages:** the "Outlines" and "Drafts" tabs with their counts, and a "More" menu for "Downloaded", "Not now" and "All".
- **The list:** one row per page, with its state in words. Pick a row to open its window beside the list (full screen on a phone). Use ↑ and ↓, or j and k, then Enter.

| State | What it means |
|---|---|
| Outlining | Autopilot is writing the outline. You can leave the page. |
| Outline ready | The outline waits for your review. |
| Draft queued, Writing | The draft is about to start, or Autopilot is writing it. |
| Draft ready | The draft waits for your review. |
| Downloaded | You downloaded the whole draft at least once. |
| Not now, Discarded | You set the page aside. Nothing is deleted. |
| Did not finish, Could not start | The work stopped. "Retry" starts it again. |

## How a page gets made

### 1. Pick a gap

On Gaps, press "Outline it" on a topic where AI answers pass you over (see [Content gaps](https://www.sourcesignal.ai/docs/content/content-gaps.md)). On Improvements, "Outline the changes" does the same for a page you already have (see [Page improvements](https://www.sourcesignal.ai/docs/content/page-improvements.md)). The page opens under Outlines while Autopilot works.

Each topic holds one open page at a time. If it is already planned, the press opens that page with "This topic is already planned."

### 2. Review the outline

The lead says what Autopilot made, such as "Autopilot outlined a comparison page: 7 sections, each answering a tracked prompt." The facts under it say whether it is a "New page" or improves a page of yours, what you will need to supply, and any phrase from your never-include list still in it. Hover a heading to see the prompts it answers.

- **"Edit outline"** changes the working title, headings, points, table captions and FAQ questions in place. "What to fix" names anything out of bounds: an outline needs 3 to 9 sections of 2 to 6 points, and every tracked prompt needs a section or an FAQ question that answers it.
- **"Outline again"** writes a new outline from the same topic. It replaces this one, your edits included.
- **"Download outline"** saves the brief, the outline and its sources as Markdown.
- **"Write it"** starts the draft when the outline is right.

### 3. Review the draft

The window counts the sections as they are written ("Writing section 3 of 7"), and you can leave the page. "Stop writing", under "More actions", sends the page back to its outline.

When the window reads "The draft is ready", check three facts:

- **Placeholders to fill:** where a fact had no source, the draft leaves a marked spot for you. "Go to placeholder 1" jumps to each one.
- **Facts pinned to sources:** the "Sources" tab shows what each sentence rests on: "Your page", "Your approved claim", or an AI answer from a named engine on a date.
- **Your never-include list:** any phrase from it is flagged, never removed for you.

"Notes from the checks" lists what changed on the way, such as sentences turned into placeholders for want of a source. To change the draft, open "More actions":

- **"Edit"** changes one section in place, in Markdown, with a live preview. Your words are checked, never rewritten.
- **"Rewrite a section"** asks Autopilot for a new version of one section. The current version stays until the new one is written.

If a section could not be written, "Retry" writes it again.

### 4. Download

"Download" saves the Markdown file. "Other formats", the arrow beside it, offers the rest.

| Format | What you get |
|---|---|
| Markdown | One file with the brief, the draft, its sources and what to fill in. |
| HTML | The same draft as a web page, ready to paste into your site. |
| Print or save as PDF | A print view in a new tab. |

Open placeholders do not block the download. The page moves to Downloaded ("You downloaded this on 28 Sep, with 3 placeholders open.") and stays editable. If you change it later, "Changed since your download" appears: press "Download again". "Find pages to pitch this to" opens the pages AI answers cite for these prompts in Opportunities, and "Next up:" opens the next topic with room for a page.

## What the file holds

Every format carries the same document:

1. **Brief:** why this page, who it is for, the prompts it answers, what AI answers say today and where it lives. On a page you improve, it also says where each change goes.
2. **Before you publish:** every placeholder, numbered `[[PLACEHOLDER 1]]` and on, with what to fill, plus any section that could not be written.
3. **The draft**, with numbered source footnotes.
4. **Sources.**
5. **Appendix: outline** and **Appendix: claims ledger** (each sentence, what it rests on, and the quote).

## The print view

"Print or save as PDF" opens the same document the HTML file holds in a new tab, black on white. Save it as a PDF from your browser's print menu, and the file name is offered for you. It counts as a download. If the tab does not open, allow pop-ups for the site and try again.

## Set a page aside

Both choices sit under "More actions".

- **"Not now"** sets the page aside for 30 days. "Plan it again" brings it back sooner.
- **"Drop"** (an outline) or **"Discard"** (a draft) takes it out of the plan. Nothing is deleted: find it under All and press "Restore".

## Let Autopilot outline for you

Owners and admins can turn on "Autopilot outlines" under "Set up" and set the weekly number ("Up to 2 a week") anywhere from 0 to 7. From the next data check, Autopilot outlines the highest priority gaps up to that number each week, and the count resets on Mondays. It skips topics you set aside, dropped or already planned, and any topic you dropped, or whose page you discarded or downloaded, in the last 90 days.

Each outline waits under Outlines and reaches your deck as a "Content outline" card. Any draft that is ready also reaches the deck, as a "Ready to download" card (see [The deck](https://www.sourcesignal.ai/docs/autopilot/the-deck.md)). Autopilot never writes a draft or downloads a page without you.

"Voice and claims", also under "Set up", shows what outlines and drafts may say about you, read from your outreach brief: "About your business", "Approved claims", "Never include" and "Voice". "Edit in Outreach" takes you there to change them.

## Plans and limits

- **Every plan:** Gaps, the topic windows, Improvements and Technical.
- **Growth, Agency and Enterprise:** outlines, drafts, rewrites and downloads. On Brand these read "Content plan outlines and drafts are on Growth, Agency and Enterprise.", and owners and admins see "Upgrade".
- **The 14-day trial:** runs on Growth's limits, so outlines and drafts are open. "Read your site", the full read of your own site, is on Growth, Agency and Enterprise, and on a trial it waits for a paid plan. It reads up to 300 pages on Growth and 1,000 on Agency.

Outlines, drafts and downloads use none of the usage limits in Settings, Billing. Three pacing limits apply instead:

- 6 outlines per project per hour, "Outline again" and a retried outline included.
- One draft per project at a time ("A draft is already being written.").
- While a section is being written, the other section presses on that draft are held: "A section of this draft is being written. Try again when it is done."

While an account is held after a trial ends or a payment fails, no new outline or draft starts until you choose a plan or pay the open invoice. See [Plans and limits](https://www.sourcesignal.ai/docs/account-and-billing/plans-and-limits.md) and [the pricing page](https://www.sourcesignal.ai/pricing).

## Good to know

- Spot can list your pages and propose an outline as a change card ("Outline a page on" and the topic) for you to apply (see [Change cards: apply and undo](https://www.sourcesignal.ai/docs/spot-and-agents/change-cards-apply-and-undo.md)). Writing and downloading stay with you.
- Your agent can set topics aside, drop them or plan them again, move a page, check a live page and rank the plan for you. With an owner's or admin's access it can also read and accept your voice and set Autopilot outlines. Each is a change card you apply, unless you let your agent make that kind of change on its own; switching Autopilot outlines on, raising the weekly number or changing the words of your voice always waits for you.
- A figure or a word like "best" in an outline heading must come from a prompt or a source, or the outline will not save.

## Related

- [Content gaps](https://www.sourcesignal.ai/docs/content/content-gaps.md): A content gap is a question where AI answers pass you over and the fix is a page or an asset of your own, not a pitch. This article shows where to find content gaps, what each one recommends, and how to brief a writer or your PR lead.
- [Page improvements](https://www.sourcesignal.ai/docs/content/page-improvements.md): Improvements puts each page you already have beside the pages AI answers cite most for its topic, and lists what most of them have that yours lacks. When you are ready, you can turn that list into an outline of the edits.
- [The deck](https://www.sourcesignal.ai/docs/autopilot/the-deck.md): Your deck deals the decisions only you can make, one card at a time. This article covers every card, the keys, undo, the daily budget and what a cleared deck means.
- [Plans and limits](https://www.sourcesignal.ai/docs/account-and-billing/plans-and-limits.md): What Brand, Growth, Agency and Enterprise include, how each limit counts and what happens when you reach one. When a plan is smaller than what you track, nothing is deleted: you choose what stays and the rest is paused.
- [Change cards: apply and undo](https://www.sourcesignal.ai/docs/spot-and-agents/change-cards-apply-and-undo.md): Every change Spot or your own agent prepares reaches you as a change card, unless your setting under Settings, Agents applies that kind of change at once. A card changes nothing in your project until you press Apply, and many changes can be undone for 10 minutes.