When you’ve decided to outsource copy or content for your business, the key to getting what you want from a writer is nailing the brief. And there are a few basic things that you’ll need to communicate in order to make the process go as smoothly as possible.
1. Job context
You’d be surprised how many clients don’t think to tell the copywriter what the point of the writing job is. In fact, sometimes they haven’t thought it through themselves. Any bit of copy that you write (or brief in someone else to write) needs some context or background about how it’s going to be used, and why. Ideally, it should fit in with an overall marketing or communications strategy – and that’s something the copywriter needs to know about. Include as much detail as you have, and are comfortable sharing.
2. Deadlines
All jobs are urgent, that goes without saying. But unless you really, really need a piece of copy or content by a certain date (for example you need to submit your Annual Report to ASIC, or you have a trade show) then it’s better to talk to the copywriter about how long they need to get to draft 1 stage, and be as flexible as possible about dates. Crucially, you need to give them time to come back to you with questions. So build in plenty of time in your brief right from the beginning. Rushing never ends up saving time.
3. Where the buck stops
If the person briefing the job in isn’t the end-client, it’s really important for the writer to know. That way they can ask pertinent questions about who has final sign-off on the copy, and at what stage they are likely to be involved. Ideally, this person should see and sign off on the brief if they have a say in what the final copy will look like, or the right of veto. You’ll need to factor this into your timeline, along with any holidays they might be taking.
4. Audience
Who will read the copy? Where will they be? Are they an existing client or a prospect? What do they know about your business already? What do you know about them? The more information you can provide a copywriter about the audience they’re writing for, the better. And it should never be ‘everyone’. There will always be a segment that is your primary audience for your message – otherwise you’ll reach no one.
5. Supporting materials
The key here is providing relevant documents, not everything you’ve got. If you have a 50pp report with some vital information buried in it, then extract or highlight that information – or be prepared to pay the copywriter for the time it will take for them to wade through it.
6. Tone and style
If you have a style guide, provide it with the brief. Providing examples of other written content that you like the sound of can also be useful, as can existing content that your company has produced in the past, or is currently using (eg on your website). Depending on the audience, you might want to change things up a bit – but be careful that there is some consistency in what you’re producing and what you’ve already got. 7. Call to Action/Response This is a really vital bit of the brief, and one that is often left out. What exactly is it that you want your audience to do once they’ve read your copy? Sign up to a newsletter? Buy your product? Attend an event? Feel warm and fuzzy? Knowing what kind of response you want will help you work out whether the copy has been successful – and it’s really important that this is part of the brief to begin with. If you start with these basic 7 steps to briefing, you’ll have a good basis for a copywriter to provide a solid first draft.
