User Direction

Sometimes you know exactly what you want a particular post to do - lead with budget tips, skip the jargon, mention a specific customer, or steer clear of pricing talk. User Direction is the box where you tell the AI that, in plain language, for one post only.

Think of it as a sticky note you hand the writer right before they start: "For this one, focus on X and don't mention Y." It doesn't change your project settings or any other post - just the single blog you're about to generate.

Where to find it#

Open any blog from your Content SEO dashboard that hasn't been generated yet. On the blog detail page you'll see a field labeled Your instructions for this post, marked Optional.

The field only appears before a post has content - that is, while it's still waiting to be generated (or after it was rejected and is ready to try again). Once the post has been written, the box disappears so it doesn't clutter the editing view. Your saved instruction is kept on the post either way.

How to use it#

1. Open the blog you want to guide from the Content SEO dashboard.
2. In Your instructions for this post, type what you want the AI to know before it writes. A few examples:

- *Focus on budget-conscious strategies.*

- *Emphasize automation over manual steps.*

- *Mention our partnership with Acme Corp and keep the tone practical, not salesy.*

- *Don't talk about pricing.*

1. Click Save. A small green Saved note confirms it's stored.
2. Generate the post as usual. The AI reads your instruction and writes to it.

If you change your mind before saving, click Cancel to revert the box to whatever was last saved. Saving requires a click - nothing is stored as you type.

What it actually does#

When you generate the post, your text is added to the writing prompt as a dedicated Additional Direction from User block, and the AI is told to treat it as the highest-priority steering signal for that specific post. In practice that means it overrides the AI's default assumptions about:

• The angle - how the post is framed and who it's written for.
• Examples - what gets referenced and what to weave in concretely.
• Emphasis - what to lead with and dwell on.
• Avoidance - what to leave out entirely. "Don't mention pricing" means no pricing language anywhere; "avoid the word 'leverage'" means that word never appears.

Your direction also wins over the post's auto-generated description if the two ever conflict - the description was written earlier, your instruction is your current intent. Standard SEO structure still applies (heading hierarchy, natural keyword use), but the AI won't ignore an explicit instruction in the name of SEO best practices.

The more specific you are, the better. "Reference our 2024 launch" or "frame this for in-house teams, not executives" gives the AI something concrete to work with.

The one thing it can't override#

User Direction steers tone, angle, and emphasis - it cannot turn off theStacc's content-integrity protections. These guardrails exist to keep you out of legal and trust trouble, so they hold no matter what you type.

The clearest example: if you write *"include promo code SAVE20"* or *"mention our 30% off sale"*, theStacc treats that as a direction to discuss promotions in general - not a license to print the exact code or percentage. Unless that specific code or discount is part of your verified business information, the post uses hedging language like "ask about our current promotions" instead of writing a number it can't confirm.

The same applies to invented statistics, fake testimonials or customer quotes, and made-up certifications - User Direction can't authorize any of them. For the full list of what's protected and why, see AI Content Safety & Integrity Guardrails.

Clearing your direction#

To remove an instruction, delete the text from the box so it's empty and click Save. An empty value clears the saved direction, and the next generation runs with no special instruction - just the post's plan, description, and your project context.

Length limit#

User Direction holds up to 2,000 characters - roughly a few short paragraphs, which is plenty for a focused instruction. A live counter under the box shows how much you've used.

The box stops accepting input once you hit 2,000 characters. As a safety net, if a longer instruction ever reaches the writer (for example, pasted in through another path), anything past 2,000 characters is silently trimmed before the AI sees it - so keep your most important guidance near the start.

A few tips#

• One idea per instruction works best. "Focus on budget-conscious strategies" lands more cleanly than a paragraph trying to do five things at once.
• Be concrete about names and angles. The AI weaves in specifics like a customer name or a particular perspective far better than vague hints.
• Use it to subtract, too. Telling the AI what to avoid is just as powerful as telling it what to include.
• It's per-post. For preferences you want on *every* post (brand voice, banned words, default tone), set those in your project settings instead - User Direction is for the one-offs.

Related#

• Blog Generation - how a post is written end to end, and where your direction fits in.
• AI Content Safety & Integrity Guardrails - the protections that User Direction can't switch off.