‘The perfect copywriter brief’ may be a misnomer, because every copywriter wants something different when it comes to a brief. Some are happy to take a half-baked idea and run with it, while others want the finer details.
I’m onboard with either, but I think the best results happen when both client and copywriter are aligned on a shared goal for a project. That way, the client knows what they’ll get and the copywriter knows what to deliver.
Some clients prefer to give me a vague theme and word count, and leave it up to me to do research, conjure up a topic and present it as I please.
But other clients have a clear idea of what they want from the outset. They know who they’re targeting, what they want to say and how they want to say it. All that’s missing for them is the time to write it, so they enlist me to turn their brief into website copy or long-form content.
Tips to help you prepare the best possible tech copywriter brief
1. Define the purpose of each blog post, white paper chapter and web page before you do anything else.
If this isn’t the very first thing you do, at least do it in the very early stages. Broadly speaking, every piece of copy or content fits into one of these core purposes: to educate someone, to help them complete a task, to make them think, or to help them reach a (buying) decision.
What exactly are you trying to do with this specific piece of content? Most importantly, think about what action you want someone to take next, and how you want to guide their thinking. If you’re not sure, my first mission will be to help you decide.
2. The more I know about your company and your customers, the better the end result will be.
Tell me everything you know about who you’re selling to, why they love you or why they would love you if they tried you out. Give me your company’s brand purpose, describe your niche and what makes you stand out.
Knowing your what, how and why, makes it simple to write something that will educate and inspire your audience. Because word choice, messaging and personality all shape your readers’ perceptions and the meaning they attach to your brand.
3. The brief is a starting point – you’ll probably need to have a conversation too.
As a copywriter, I’m obviously a big fan of the written word, and email is definitely my favourite communication channel. But there are some things best suited to a call or Skype session.
You can talk me through what your company does and walk me through website wireframes. As a result, I can get to know you better, familiarise myself with your technology or solution, and understand exactly what you want and need.
Copywriter Brief Templates
Use these templates as a guide and you should end up with a pretty solid description of what you’re looking for. As a result, your copywriter will be more likely to craft the content of your dreams and get it right first time.
For Blog Posts
Working Title: Or, if you don’t have one, a rough idea of what it’s about.
Target Audience: Who is going to be reading this (job titles, industries buyer personas)?
Purpose: What would you like your audience to think or do as a result of reading the blog post?
Format e.g. How-to, List, Opinion: What’s your ideal way of presenting this blog post?
Tone of Voice: Do you have a house style and brand guidelines, or a set of values?
Word Count: For blogs this is normally 1,000-1,200 words.
Things to Mention: Is there anything I absolutely need to talk about?
Things not to Mention: Do you have a competitor or topic you’d rather not include?
For White Papers
Working Title: Or just the overall theme of the white paper.
Target Audience: Who is going to be reading this (job titles, buyer personas)?
Purpose: What would you like your audience to think and do as a result of reading the white paper?
Word Count: For white papers, this is normally 3,000-5,000 words.
Things to Mention: Is there anything I absolutely need to talk about?
Things not to Mention: Do you have a competitor or topic you’d rather not include?
Sources to Include: Any reputable industry sources I have to weave in?
Sources to Avoid: Are there any sources you’d rather not reference?
For Website Copy
Your Services and Solution: What do you do, and how do you do it?
Brand Purpose: What is your why?
Target Audience(s): Who are your ideal customers and buyer personas (job titles, industries, needs and challenges)?
Total Number of Pages: Lets me know the scope of the project.
Page URLs and Titles: Gives an idea of structure and content of your website, for example:
Home – hightechhayley.com
Portfolio – hightechhayley.com/portfolio
Blog – hightechhayley.com/blog
Any Extras: Like pop-up content, for example.
For Each Individual Web Page
Content: What information needs to be included (key facts, services, messages etc.)?
Structure and Subheadings: How will the information be arranged on the page?
Word Count: Usually 100-700 words.
Purpose: What would you like your audience to think and do as a result of reading this page?
Got a brief or project I can help you with?
