How to write an effective content brief

An effective content brief gives both internal and external writers the information they need to develop a specific piece of content. At a minimum, your content brief should define the deliverable, its purpose, the target audience and any available sources.

Most marketing and communications teams rely on both internal and external content creators. After all, partnering with external writers can help scale high-quality content development. But how do you ensure you get what you need from writers outside your organization? Answer: Provide guidance with a content brief.

What is a content brief?

One of the most essential parts of a content-related project is the content brief. You can think of it as the blueprint for your project. A content brief gives concrete direction to your writer or team of writers by explaining the purpose and goal of the project, the audience, tone and voice expectations, sources to reference and more — all based on your content strategy.

An effective content brief is clear and concise. And ultimately, it helps both internal and external teams by giving them the information they need to complete project tasks independently — and on time.

Content brief vs. creative brief

Though sometimes used interchangeably, a content brief is different from a creative brief:

• A content brief gives writers instructions and guidelines to follow as they create a piece of content. For example, a blog post, article, webpage or white paper.
• A creative brief usually applies to a larger marketing project or campaign. It may involve designers, web developers and multiple elements.

Content briefs tend to go into more detail about content requirements, such as titles, keywords and word count. This document defines content expectations to maintain accountability, ensure alignment, get faster approvals and receive a better deliverable.

What should a content brief include?

Here are 6 key elements to include in your next content brief that will set up your team for success:

1. Project overview

Give an overview of the project. What is the goal? How will you use the final deliverable as part of your overall campaign or marketing strategy? Share delivery, editing and publishing timelines and any other high-level expectations.

2. Purpose of the requested asset

In one or two sentences, what is the purpose of the content? The more granular you can get in your purpose statement, the more on-target the requested content can be.

If you get stuck, try answering this question: “What is our audience doing now, and what do we want them to do instead?” Share your brand’s point of view on the topic and how this asset could help the target audience more than existing content. How will you measure this asset’s success?

3. Audience

Knowing your audience is extremely important for effective content. A writer must know who they’re speaking to, so they can adjust the tone, style and voice accordingly. In the content brief, define your audience and share any research, personas or information you have about them, such as age, geographic location, life stages or other applicable demographics. Your audience description may be as simple as:

• Established fundraising donors for a competitor hospital
• Gen Xers making healthcare decisions for their parents
• New mothers in a rural community looking to establish primary care

4. Key messaging

Share any approved templates you want the writer to use with relevant information, such as how the writer will mWhat is the most important message you want the audience to take away from your content? Share your unique selling point with your writers. If you aren’t sure, consider what features, benefits or value your product or service provides to your intended audience and prioritize the top three to five.

You can also help writers shape the content message by answering:

• After consuming the content, what should your audience think, feel or do?
• What makes you stand apart from your competition?

5. Deliverables

List the deliverables you expect from the writer, along with formatting requirements. Do you have an approved template to use? Do you have guidance on any of the following?

• Suggested title and headlines
• Meta description
• Recommended word count for the type of asset
• Primary keywords or long-tail keywords
• Linking requirements or recommendations for internal or external links
• A preferred call to action

Additionally, share where this content will live. Will it be print, digital or both? Make any other content requests clear, such as if you want social media posts to accompany the content. It can also help to link to examples of similar content, so the writer has a visual guide. For example, if they are writing a blog post, link to another high-performing blog post that meets your standards.

6. Sources

Your writers will likely do a lot of their own research, but it’s still helpful to provide source material you’ve uncovered that you want them to reference. You can share links to credible sources online that cover a similar topic — but be sure to explain how your content has a different perspective.

If you want your writers to interview internal subject matter experts, note that in the brief as well.

Other documentation that helps guide your writers includes your brand and style guide and tone and voice guidelines.

How to make it easier to write content briefs

You may understand what should go in a content brief, but putting it into practice is another story. Templates can help. Develop a content brief template for every project type. That way, you have a starting point and don’t have to begin from scratch every time you have a writing assignment, which can delay the process.

Just make sure you regularly review and update your content brief template to reflect any changes in brand guidelines, audience demographics or content goals. Schedule a quarterly or bi-annual review of your template and gather feedback from writers and stakeholders to see which updates would be most useful.

Download a content brief template.

Diane Hammons, director of digital engagement at WG Content, also suggests finding ways to leverage AI when writing your content briefs. AI can’t replace institutional knowledge, including information about your audience, or strategic thinking. But the strongest briefs combine AI-assisted research with human expertise.

“You can use AI to generate richer content briefs than before, which can lead to better outcomes from your creative partners,” Diane says. “However, AI doesn’t mean you escape the need for detailed direction (Slop in. Slop out.). When used effectively, it can drive consistency by pulling from and reinforcing your business goals.

Bottom line: Quality content begets quality content

Developing a quality content brief is a crucial step in receiving high-value final deliverables, especially when partnering with outside agencies. An effective brief helps prevent rewrites and reduce the need for revisions. It also helps the writer. And as they say — happy writer, happy project.

OK, they don’t say that — but at WG Content, we do. Give your writing team everything they need by starting with a detailed content brief.

Is your organization looking for the right content partner? Contact us today at WG Content. We have skilled content managers and content writers who give life to your content brief and ensure every project is on time, on budget and on brand.

More tips on writing content briefs:

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