Getting started
How to write a good brief for Slaide
In short
A good request tells Slaide what the document is, who reads it and what it should achieve, and gives the figures, tone and sources that matter. A few sentences are enough, and long material belongs in attached files. Leave out what Slaide decides itself, such as the language and the page format. Five examples below are ready to copy.
What should a good brief contain?
Say what the document is, who reads it and what it should achieve. Everything else is optional, but each detail you add saves Slaide an assumption.
- Write your brief in the box: what the document is, who reads it and what it should achieve.
- Attach files adds source material, such as a PDF, a Word, PowerPoint or Excel file, an image or a text file.
- Plan first lets you check a page plan before Slaide builds, on a computer.
| What | What to say | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Type and length | The kind of document and how many pages | A 10-slide presentation |
| Audience | Who reads it and what they already know | Five board members who know the business |
| Goal | What should happen afterwards | They approve the hiring plan |
| Facts and figures | The numbers and names that must appear | Revenue 2.4 million euros, margin 58 percent |
| Tone and look | The style in a few words | Sober, one accent color, little text |
| Sources and brand | Files, links or your website for the brand | The survey results as an Excel file |
What can I leave out?
Leave out whatever Slaide decides on its own. A short request with the right facts beats a long one with filler.
- The language. Slaide writes in the language of your request; see Change language and translate documents.
- The page format. Slaide picks it from the kind of document and shows it in the plan: slides for presentations, A4 for reports. Name a format only if you want something else.
- Layout and fonts. Slaide designs the pages, and uses your brand if you set one up on the Brand page.
- Long source text. Attach it as a file. A request can hold up to 100,000 characters. Put long source material in an attached file and keep the request itself short and focused.
What do good briefs look like?
Five requests for kinds of documents Slaide builds. Copy one, replace the details with yours and click Generate.
Create a 10-slide presentation for our quarterly board meeting. Audience: five board members who know the business but have not seen the Q3 numbers. Goal: show how Q3 went and get approval for the Q4 hiring plan. Structure: summary, revenue and margin trend, three biggest wins, two risks with countermeasures, hiring plan, decision requested. Key figures: revenue 2.4 million euros (up 12 percent on Q2), gross margin 58 percent, churn 1.9 percent. Tone: sober and precise, one accent color, little text per slide.
Create an 8-slide pitch deck for investors in our pre-seed round. We are two founders building a booking app for independent physiotherapists in Germany. Slides: problem, solution, product, market, business model, traction, team, ask. Traction: 40 practices on the waitlist, 6 in a paid pilot. Ask: 400,000 euros for 18 months. Style: modern and confident, dark slides, one warm accent color, big numbers, very little text. Use only the figures I gave you.
Write a 6-page A4 report on our customer survey for the management team. Use the attached Excel file as the only source for numbers. Structure: summary, method and sample, results by topic with one chart each, three recommendations with estimated effort, appendix with the questions. Tone: neutral and clear, short paragraphs, plenty of white space, one accent color.
Create a one-page offer for our workshop “Prompting for HR teams”. Audience: HR managers at companies with 50 to 500 employees. Content: what the workshop is, three benefits, the agenda in four blocks, price per participant and group size, two date options and a contact person. Friendly and clear, one A4 page, real headings.
Build an Excel budget model for a small bakery with two shops. Assumptions sheet: rent 3,200 euros per shop and month, three employees per shop at 2,400 euros gross each, ingredients 28 percent of revenue, revenue 18,000 euros per shop and month in year one, growth 2 percent per month. Monthly overview for 12 months with revenue, costs and profit, plus a year summary with totals and margin. Use formulas so I can change the assumptions.
What carries over to your own request is the structure: type and length, audience, goal, content, figures and tone. More about the kinds of documents: Document types.
What are the most common mistakes?
- Too vague. “A presentation about our company” leaves audience, length and goal open, so Slaide has to ask or assume.
- Several goals in one document. Decide what the reader should do afterwards and build towards that one thing.
- Missing figures. Slaide cannot know your internal numbers. If they should appear, put them in the request or attach the file. Otherwise Slaide may ask whether to use your real data or placeholders.
- Links Slaide cannot open. Slaide reads public web pages you link, up to three. Pages behind a login, or pages that only show content through scripts, come back as “Could not read” with the site name.
- One huge correction message. After the first draft, ask for one change at a time. Ten corrections in one message are harder to follow than ten short ones.
How do I improve the result afterwards?
Treat the first result as a draft. Short follow-up requests in the chat work best, and every AI change saves a version you can go back to.
- Name the page. “Slide 3: add a footnote that explains the win rate.”
- Select an area of a page to change only that part.
- Say what to keep. “Keep the structure, make the tone more formal.”
- Fix small things by hand. Click text on the page and type: see Edit text and design.
Frequently asked questions
How long should a brief be?
A few sentences are enough to start. Add detail where it matters: figures, structure and tone. A request can hold up to 100,000 characters, and longer material belongs in attached files.
Do I have to write in English?
No. Slaide writes the document in the language of your request, so a German request gives a German document. If you want another language, say so in the request.
Can I put links in my request?
Yes. Slaide reads public web pages you link, up to three per request. Pages behind a login, or pages that only show their content through scripts, cannot be read, and Slaide tells you with “Could not read” and the site name.
Should I say how many pages I want?
Yes, if it matters. The plan then shows that many pages, and you can still change it. On the free plan, the first 3 pages of a plan with up to 12 are built, see Plans and pricing.
What if I do not know exactly what I want yet?
Describe the goal and the audience, then let Slaide plan. Answer the first question, then choose I'll take it from here, read the plan and change what is off. Changing a plan is faster than rewriting a request.