Use a how-to article when customers know what they want to do. Use troubleshooting when they can describe what went wrong. Use a policy article when they need to know what is allowed. Pick the template that matches the question, not the one your team usually uses.
1. How-to article template
1# How to [complete one task]2
3[What this accomplishes and who can do it.]4
5Before you start: [role, plan, or prerequisites].6
71. Open [exact menu or screen].82. Select [exact control].93. [Finish the task.]10
11You'll know it worked when [visible result].12If you can't find [control], check [common cause or next step].2. Troubleshooting article template
1# Fix [visible error or symptom]2
3You'll see [exact error or behavior] when [what is known].4
51. Check [first safe check]. If [result], do [next action].62. If the issue continues, check [second safe check].73. Verify that [observable success condition].8
9Still stuck? Contact support with [safe diagnostic details].10Do not include [passwords, tokens, or other sensitive information].3. Policy article template
1# [Policy question as a customer would ask it]2
3[Direct answer in one sentence.]4
5Who this applies to: [plan, region, or role].6Effective date: [date, if applicable].7Exceptions: [what changes the answer].8What to do next: [action or support path].Keep policy ownership and review reminders in your editorial tracker. Put the effective date and exceptions in the public article when they affect the answer.
Worked example: from a ticket to a troubleshooting article
Suppose a sanitized ticket says: “I can see the invoice in Billing, but Download is greyed out.” A draft that says “go to Billing and click Download” repeats the problem. A better draft explains why the control is unavailable and gives a next step.
Example article: Why is Download invoice disabled? In this fictional product, only workspace owners can download invoices. Open Billing → Invoices as a workspace owner and select Download next to the invoice. The PDF should appear in your browser downloads. If you're a member, ask an owner to download it. If you're an owner and Download is still disabled, contact support with the invoice month and the exact error, if one appears. Never send your payment details in chat.
Before publishing your own version, reproduce the issue in a test account. Verify the role, button label, and contact path. A screenshot can show where to click, but the permission rule belongs in the text so readers and chat tools both get it.
Use real knowledge base examples to see how articles fit into a published site, and the release checklist to keep them accurate after launch. If you're evaluating a new public site, see the branded help center examples.