Compelling copy makes marketing work. After all, storytelling is at the heart of every successful strategy. And when you don’t have the bandwidth within your team to create the content you need – whether that’s for your website, marketing materials or PR outreach – it’s time to work with a copywriter.
Sounds simple, but without a thorough grounding in exactly how to write an effective brief, you may find yourself wasting yet more time and, eventually, money. If you don’t spend time creating a workable brief, you are in danger of receiving 1000 words from a copywriter that you just can’t use.
And then comes the endless amends to undo the first draft. In short, if you want to avoid hassle, lost time, wasted money and a lot of aggravation, use the following guide to brief your copywriter.
The framework you need for effective briefing
1. Begin every brief with key information
Whether you’re briefing a freelancer you’ve worked with for years or a new in-house copywriter/content creator, treat every brief as if it’s the first.
2. Put yourself in the writer’s position
Imagine you are being asked to write something for a totally new organisation or institution. What would you want to know?
A good copywriting brief includes lots of information and detail. Even if the writer doesn’t use all the information in the final piece of content, it still helps to guide them in the right direction. This also slashes the odds of having to go through endless rounds of amends – if the copywriter has the information up front, then the chances of it being right first time are far higher.
Given that most freelancers charge by the hour, this can cut costs significantly. When the writer understands exactly what you need the piece of content to do – who it’s aimed at, what it’s for, how it fits into a wider strategy – then they’re fully equipped to deliver what you need first time.
3. Create a briefing template
By creating a clear and accessible template now, you will save a lot of time and energy later on. Your brief should be framed in a way that it can be amended to cover every kind of content you need.
Here’s what it should include:
• The content you want
Always first on the list – exactly what you need from the writer. What is the final deliverable? Specify whether it’s an optimised article, web content or media coverage for a third party site.
• Context
It’s always helpful for the writer to have an understanding of where this piece fits in to a wider marketing strategy. You don’t need to give details of every part of the project, but some context will help the writer achieve what you need in fewer iterations.
Within this section provide examples of content you like and where this will be placed.
• Length
Be exact – specify the limit on copy. If you need the writer to advise on the appropriate length, then factor this in to the fee.
Tip: The best-performing emails are between 50 and 125 words, and blog posts are 600-800 words unless you’re outlining long form content with a table of contents.
• Exact subject
While you may see this as a piece of overall marketing for your school, the writer needs specifics on the subject you want covered. If it’s a thought leadership blog on edtech then specify where it will be placed and the style it must follow. Similarly, if it’s a piece of advertising copy for your website, then lay this out clearly.
• Style guide
If you don’t have a style guide, consider creating a simple list that covers your institution’s branding, tone of voice and communications style, preferred structure. To make it even more powerful, include links to examples of work that brings your style guide to life.
• Target demographic
Who is the piece for? Information on your target demographic is always useful, ideally backed up with data. Be as specific as you can on not only what they look like, but what motivates them.
• SEO keywords
The chances are you want the content optimised in order to ensure it’s filed by Google as worthy of the first page. If this forms part of your marketing strategy, then include the appropriate keywords in the brief. Some content creators will carry out keyword research and analytics for you, but this will add time and cost on to the job.
• Multimedia content
This is not necessarily a regular part of a freelance writer’s role, so if you do want images or videos included, this needs to be specified.
• Extra information
Take a few lines to add some flesh to the bones of your brief, including any extra information on phrases or words to avoid and any links you want included.
4. Tie up contractual loose ends
The final part should cover the deadline (date and time if necessary), how many rounds of edits that this fee includes, the fee itself, your payment terms (how and when will the writer get paid) and how they submit their invoice.
5. Work smarter, not harder
If you’re concerned that creating a brief sounds like a time suck, think of it this way. By creating the perfect briefing template once, you can then repurpose it quickly and easily for every subsequent piece of content you need. It’s a win/win.
The bottom line
• Creating a brief up front will save you time and hassle later on.
• Treat every brief like it’s the first, even if you’ve worked with the copywriter before.
• You can never include too much information.
• Be clear about deadlines, wordcount, what you need and when.
• Don’t assume the copywriter knows your industry inside out – any extra information will always help.
• Specify how many rounds of amends you expect.
• Give clear feedback.
If you need more help, download our copywriting brief template or get in touch if you’d like help finding your company’s perfect messaging.
Jo
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