← DictionaryGuide
also called how-to guide
A structured explanatory piece that teaches a reader to do or understand something.
A proper teaching piece.
What It Is
Guide sits on the Content side of the work, in the Formats area. The canonical meaning is a structured explanatory piece that teaches a reader to do or understand something.
It is a label with a settled working definition, so the value is in using it the same way every time. That is the version worth keeping, because it survives contact with a real project.
How It's Used
Guide earns its keep in editorial planning, briefs and the day-to-day work of publishing. It is usually discussed together with Long-Form Content, Lead Magnet and Cornerstone Content. The practical test is whether everyone in the room means the same thing by it.
Why It Matters
The cost of being vague about Guide shows up later, not today. When it is unclear, output goes up and effect goes sideways. It is worth pinning down before anyone builds on top of it.
Think of it as a name on a box. Open the box and this is what is inside: A proper teaching piece.
Termshift™
How the meaning shifts depending on who is using it, and where.
Practitioners use Guide as shorthand and expect no explanation — a structured explanatory piece that teaches a reader to do or understand something.
Outside the industry, most people would just say: a proper teaching piece.
The Bottom Line
Treat Guide as a decision, not a description. A proper teaching piece.