What a counter-signal is
A counter-signal is something measured that points the other way, or that weakens the argument. If searches for generator repair are rising, a counter-signal might be that fuel prices have fallen, which could soften the urgency behind repair plans.
Why it used to be optional
Including counter-signals in a brief used to be optional, and most briefs left them out. It is easy to see why. A brief reads better when everything lines up, and a writer under time pressure stops looking once the case is made.
What changed when we made them mandatory
Some briefs got noticeably weaker. A few conclusions that had looked clean now came with a real argument against them. That was the point.
A reader who sees the strongest objection and still acts is making a decision. A reader who never sees it is being sold something.
How to use them
- Read the counter-signal before the conclusion, not after.
- Ask whether it would change what you do if it kept moving.
- Record it on your decision as something that would prove you wrong.
That last step is built into the product: when you record a decision you also record what would prove you wrong, and Semradr comes back on your review date to ask whether it held. The changelog has the release, and the product page shows an evidence screen with a counter-signal on it.