# Content Brief Word Counter

> Writers and editors work to briefs: a total length and an outline. Paste a draft with # headings to see how many words each section uses, and compare it with the plan in your brief.

- URL: https://wordcounter.pk/content-brief-word-counter/
- Type: Interactive tool (runs in the browser; nothing is uploaded)
- Updated: 2026-10-15

## How to use the content brief word counter

1. Paste your draft and mark headings with # lines (## for subheadings).
2. Read the words-per-section list in the side panel.
3. Compare each section with the word budget in your brief.
4. Trim sections that run long and expand any that fall short of the planned depth.

## Budgeting words in a brief

A good brief gives every section a purpose and an approximate length. For a 1,500-word guide, a typical plan is a 100-word introduction, five sections of 220 to 250 words, and a 100-word conclusion with calls to action. Budgets prevent the common failure where the first half of the article is rich and the last half rushed.

The per-section view shows this instantly. Write the plan as headings with target counts, then compare the actual figures as you draft.

## Working with writers

Agencies often pay by the word and need an agreed method of counting. State up front whether headings, meta text and image captions are included. Use the [Heading Counter](https://wordcounter.pk/heading-counter/) to check the heading structure of the final HTML. For overall length and reading time, use the [Blog Word Counter](https://wordcounter.pk/blog-word-counter/). Clients who want to review keyword usage can run the [Keyword Density Checker](https://wordcounter.pk/keyword-density-checker/).

## Frequently asked questions

### How do I mark headings?

Start a line with # for a main heading, ## for a subheading, and so on.

### Are headings included in the section count?

The heading line is excluded from its own section count.

### Can I export the figures?

Copy the list from the side panel.

## Related

- [SEO Word Counter](https://wordcounter.pk/seo-word-counter/index.md): Check page copy length, section balance and repeated words.
- [Heading Counter](https://wordcounter.pk/heading-counter/index.md): Count H1–H6 headings, view the outline and flag multiple or missing H1s.
- [Blog Word Counter](https://wordcounter.pk/blog-word-counter/index.md): Count blog post words and get the reading-time label.
- [Meta Title Length Checker](https://wordcounter.pk/meta-title-length-checker/index.md): Check title tag length in characters and estimated pixel width.
- [Meta Description Length Checker](https://wordcounter.pk/meta-description-length-checker/index.md): Check meta description length in characters and estimated pixels.
- [SERP Snippet Preview](https://wordcounter.pk/serp-snippet-preview/index.md): Preview your title, URL and description as a Google result on desktop and mobile.
- [N-gram Analyzer](https://wordcounter.pk/ngram-analyzer/index.md): Find the most frequent 1- to 5-word phrases in any text.
- [Readability Checker](https://wordcounter.pk/readability-checker/index.md): Flesch Reading Ease, Flesch–Kincaid, Gunning Fog and Coleman–Liau scores.

## Images

- ![Content Brief Word Counter: Track words per heading against a content brief’s plan. (WordCounter.pk cover graphic)](https://wordcounter.pk/img/content-brief-word-counter/content-brief-word-counter-cover-1200.webp)
- ![How to use the content brief word counter: Paste your draft and mark headings with #…; Read the words-per-section list in the side…; Compare each section with the word budget in…](https://wordcounter.pk/img/content-brief-word-counter/content-brief-word-counter-how-it-works-1200.webp)
- ![Key numbers for the content brief word counter: 1,500 words default target; words headline count; paragraphs headline count](https://wordcounter.pk/img/content-brief-word-counter/content-brief-word-counter-reference-1200.webp)
- ![Map showing how Content Brief Word Counter connects to SEO & Content, SEO Word Counter, Heading Counter, Blog Word Counter and more on WordCounter.pk](https://wordcounter.pk/img/content-brief-word-counter/content-brief-word-counter-related-tools-map-1200.webp)
- ![Quick answer card: How do I mark headings? Start a line with # for a main heading, ## for a subheading, and so on.](https://wordcounter.pk/img/content-brief-word-counter/content-brief-word-counter-quick-answer-1200.webp)