Content briefs help writers avoid missing the target (with template)

I recently found out I had been hired to write an article through an introductory note to the interview subject with little context about the topic and nothing about length or the media outlet.

That was followed a few days later when I was approached by a healthcare client who gave me a bit more context and then told me AFTER I did an in-depth interview and wrote the story that it was going to be sponsored content and it needed to be a third of the length and promote the client.

I recognize this was my fault for not asking questions from the outset. But then I talked (OK, ranted) to a few content-creator friends and was told they’re seeing a similar lack of direction from their clients. And then I talked to a writer for a big company communications department and heard the same sad story about internal assignments.

Then I realized that only I had only one client in the past six months who treated content briefs as an integral part of their creative process. Content briefs serve as both inspiration and guide to collaboration between writers, editors, designers, and photographers, among others. They help the writer – whether internal or an external freelancer – get a jump start by laying out audience, messaging, length, and how success will be measured.

This isn’t to say that creative briefs, once delivered, need to be set in stone.

But they are a starting point that help us define our research, identify keywords, and streamline the approval process (and frankly, give us a reason to charge additional if we deliver what is asked but the client changes direction at the last minute).

The best content brief paints a clear picture for the writer (or other creator) of precisely what is expected from them and hopefully leaves them with little-to-no uncertainty. It’s a discussion document and helps us to deliver our best work.

I’ve created a template for a Content Brief that may help those of you who don’t do them all the time. As the client, you need to find the right balance between too much information and too little, and you should consider SEO too. Some of us have a basic understanding of SEO, but you (or someone on your team) can help with keywords that we can incorporate into headlines, subheads, leads, and content.

Finding that balance between TMI and not enough is also important to ensure clients or managers don’t say to themselves, “It would have been easier if I’d just done it myself.”  

Four important questions the writer needs to know

Four things I ask clients who want to collaborate on fine-tuning the content brief for their websites are:

1.      Why are we writing this story? That’s probably a bit obvious, but can it be done in one sentence?

2.      What questions are the target audience asking? If we answer those questions, it will make it far easier for your sales team to give their customers or prospects a link that will help them and build trust.

3.      Which stage of the funnel are we targeting? As the template shows, your content will vary based on whether your reader is in Awareness, Consideration, or Action parts of the funnel (or for the old-schoolers reading this – Top, Middle, or Bottom of the funnel).

4.      What’s our Call to Action? What do we want the reader to do after they read this?

This template is not just for clients. It may help content creators educate less sophisticated or super-busy clients who don’t want to pay extra or get something they can’t use.

Either way, download the template and use it to make your life a bit easier. And if I can help by walking you through it or helping you do the first one, reach out.

And if you go to my Resources page, you’ll be able to download other templates — without having to provide your email address. Topics include writing great responses to RFPs, writing strong case studies, and building strong partner relationships.