When it comes to the content creation process, getting a first draft done right (or mostly right) the first time makes good business sense. The chances of that happening without some direction, though, are slim. Unless you use a content brief. But what is a content brief, and how can you get your hands on one?
A content brief is a single detailed outline of the expectations for content creation. It provides a blueprint for content creators, editors, and other stakeholders so everyone is on the same page. Essentially, content briefs help to improve content harmony that meets its search intent.
While it takes time to write a content brief (especially if you have a lot of posts or blogs), it will save you time and money. A more detailed brief improves the chances of the writer – whether an in-house or freelance writer – writing according to spec. Additionally, you will produce content that matches the customer brand’s point.
Content Briefs Are Maps For The Whole Content Team
While it’s true that content briefs are guidelines for content creators, they aren’t the only ones who benefit from using these content “maps.” The whole team – including the brand or business, the content marketer, the editor, and the stakeholders – can benefit from using these briefs. Here’s how they help you with your content marketing:
A content brief aligns all involved in the content marketing process. It creates a basic understanding of what the brand wants or needs and what the freelance writer should focus on. Then, when the first draft is in, the editor can edit the content according to the points outlined in the brief. It takes the guesswork out of creating excellent content.
A content brief is like an orienteering map for a relay team of content marketers. It helps each person navigate a course speedily by giving directions and tips – even if they are working independently. Each person knows the goal, speeding up the process. Once their part of the work process is done, the baton can be handed to the next person.
So often in the online world, instructions and expectations are spread across various platforms and not collated into one document. You waste time searching emails and other media for a piece of information, or worse yet – you miss it altogether. So, since the brief (or map) is the same for the whole team, it speeds up productivity and communication.
As such, a content brief should be a clear and structured written record or directive. It should be available to all the relevant parties for their reference as needed. The brief shouldn’t be a mishmash of disorganized thoughts dumped onto various platforms. You shouldn’t expect great written content if that’s how you’re sharing your expectations.
Lastly, with a detailed content brief in place, you have a document that acts as a milestone should the directives change or someone goes off course. In such instances, the brief is a point of reference for checking in with the rest of the team. Additionally, it helps to see if everyone is committed to the goal.
Content Briefs Vs. Creative Briefs
A content brief is similar to a creative brief, but it differs in these respects:
Content briefs are more commonly used for long-form written content such as a landing page, whitepapers, case studies, web copies, or blog posts.
A creative brief has a broader scope of marketing projects. They are commonly used for web and creative design projects, ad campaigns, and other copywriting projects.
When Should You Create Content Briefs?
Content briefs are ideal for any content project involving more than one person. The more people involved, the more articulate the brief should be. That way, you create a clear outline for the team and the opportunity for alignment. An aligned team is more likely to achieve its goal of delivering quality content that achieves the desired results.
What is essential, though, is to remember the old adage of “too many cooks spoil the broth.” Limit those who have input into the content brief to the necessary stakeholders of the content marketing strategy. This will help to make sure the brief’s core message is clear.
A content brief is not only for teams, though. Individuals working alone on content can also find them helpful. It can help you create a structure for your blog post and organize your ideas, keywords, and research. Additionally, you can show your client your brief and see if they agree with it before you commence with research and copywriting.
The Benefits Of Content Briefs for the Content Creation Process
The benefits of using content briefs for your blog post and other projects are numerous. Here are some of them:
Creating Content Briefs Helps Content Marketing Strategy
With well-structured and detailed content briefs, you will provide quality content and help you with the following aspects of your blog post:
- Your suggested title,
- Internal and external links,
- Primary keywords,
- Secondary keywords,
- Long tail keywords,
- Meta descriptions,
- SEO content, and
- Suggested research tools.
A Content Brief Aligns A Team
The team could include marketing managers, strategists, clients, content creators, editors, and project managers.
A Content Brief Gives A Content Creator Clear Direction
The more specific the directions, the less the content writer must assume. While we rely on the writer’s creativity and skill, the content must still fit its purpose.
Using Content Briefs Improves Consistency
If you use content briefs when writing content, you can create uniformity in the quality, formatting, and expectations of all your content.
A Content Brief Improves Workflow
If the content writer knows what is expected of them, their work can be more on point. An article that meets the expectations of the content brief should need less editing. This means the blog can be published sooner because less time has been spent on editing, formatting, or rewriting.
A Content Brief Helps With Performance Analytics
When your blog post has quality SEO content that search engines love, yours will be one of the top-ranking articles. The increase in SEO-focused content will lead to increased performance analytics. These analytics can help a company in creating content that is relevant and improve its existing content.
A Content Brief Helps With Effective Planning
If you have many blogs or projects, your content briefs for each will help you see how and if they overlap. For a freelance writer, briefs help plan the following aspects of quality content: outline, formatting, and keyword research of an article. Additionally, the brief will help you plan your delivery deadlines.
A Content Brief Improves Communication
When using a detailed brief, each person will spend less time waiting for clarity or approval with one document for reference.
A Content Brief Saves You Money
Whether you are a client, editor, or writer, you will save money if you do the job right the first time. A content brief allows you the opportunity to hit the target, so to speak. If you don’t have to revise or rewrite an article, you can get started with your next project.
The Risks Of Not Using A Content Brief
The risks of not using a content brief are pretty much the converse of the benefits listed above. But some of the risks you can anticipate if you don’t use a brief include the following:
A Total Rewrite
Rewrites are a waste of time and money and can be avoided.
Spending Too Much Time On Editing And Revisions
Suppose a copywriter doesn’t know what to deliver and how to present an article. In that case, the editor will need to spend more time editing or pointing out errors. Additionally, more time will be required to communicate these changes.
Discontentment Between Members Of The Content Team
Without clear instructions and alignment, team members are likely to become frustrated with one another.
Confusion In The Ranks
Individuals and team members can become confused with back-and-forth communication or instructions across various platforms. Confusion hinders productivity.
Delays In Production
Most of the risks mentioned will result in slowed productivity. And in the business world, time is money, so we want to avoid that.
You Might Not Reach Your Target Audience
Without clear goals, you might not reach your desired target audience. That, again, is a waste of time and money.
What Should A Content Brief Include?
As a part of your content strategy, a content brief should include as much information as possible. This will lessen the chance of a writer using their discretion, especially if the writer is a freelancer versus an in-house writer. So let’s get to the golden part: What should you include in a content brief?
You can include some or all of the following details in your content brief. It should be well-structured and preferably bulleted. But remember, the more detailed your expectations, the more likely the content writer will produce what you’re looking for.
1. Titles For The Post
You can give a specific title or options for the titles you want in the post. For Search Engine Optimization (SEO), the main titles should be between 50 – 60 characters with spaces. Additionally, they should include primary and secondary keywords.
Some content marketers give the copywriter artistic license with titles, or they will provide them with suggestions for alternative titles.
2. Specifications And Background
It is a wise idea to have a summary of the necessary information, plus any pertinent background that the writer could use as a point of reference. Examples include the following:
- Any stakeholder input. This consists of the client or brand voice, goals, and desired audience.
- The copywriter,
- The deadline for the article,
- The editorial direction,
- The length of the post, i.e., word count deadlines,
- The proposed byline, i.e., if the writer is a ghostwriter or will be named, and
- The post’s taxonomy, i.e., how it will be “categorized.”
3. A Detailed Brief Of Expectations And Content Strategy
The brief part of a content brief should be detailed but not to the point of limitation. The point is to create content harmony. The brief can include the following information in bulleted points:
- Information to include and exclude,
- Primary, secondary, and long-tail keywords,
- The desired point of view of the article (e.g., it could be the point of view of the brand or audience),
- The direction of the post,
- The intended message,
- The key message or takeaway,
- The next step or call to action (CTA) for the reader,
- The purpose of the article so that the writer can align it with the content marketing strategy,
- The subtopic overview, and
- The rewrite instructions, if necessary. This should include what needs to be changed in the original article to suit the goals of the brief.
4. The Style Of The Post
The content brief should include how you want the post to be styled. This consists of the following:
- Fonts, formatting, and structures.
- The tone of voice: E.g., informal, formal, humorous, or serious.
- Voice: E.g., first or third person.
- Writing style: E.g., screenwriting, biographical, creative non-fiction, informative.
5. The Target Audience
In the content brief, there should be a description of the intended audience. This will help the writer to create something that will resonate with the intended audience. Helpful information includes demographics, pain points, and the reader or buyer persona.
6. Search Engine Optimization
A post must meet Search Engine Optimization (SEO) criteria to rank high in search results. You can outrank top searches using the right keywords, an SEO title, and a great meta description between 155 and 160 characters.
7. Links and Resources
The content brief should indicate any links and anchor texts that should be included in the post. Links should be for relevant internal and external content. Additionally, the brief should explicitly mention competitor sites or resources, so they aren’t included in the post.
Regarding resources, the content brief should mention what resources should be used. This can include the domain authority of the articles and if they should be based explicitly on facts, hypotheses, or local trends, for example.
8. Visual Elements For The Post
Finally, the content brief should guide the type of visual elements in the post. These could include tables, graphs, Venn diagrams, graphics, videos, and illustrations.
What About A Content Brief Template?
As you can see, a content brief contains a lot of information. Creating different brief templates for every post or blog will be time-consuming. Additionally, you might forget to include relevant content (there goes consistency and productivity).
Instead of reinventing the wheel every time you prepare a content brief, why not use a content brief template? You can fill in the details as necessary and pop it off in an email or on your preferred platform. Such a template will help you to work smart, not hard.
Manual Versus AI-Generated Content Briefs
Instead of making your own template, you can save yourself a whack of time by using an AI-generated content brief template. These handy SaaS tools will create a content brief with suggested titles, content strategy, keywords, and descriptions for you. It will save you loads of time and help your written content perform favorably in search engine algorithms.
AI-generated briefs assist you in meeting the criteria for search engines by suggesting the following:
- Keyword research tools,
- Keyword suggestions,
- Target keyword or target keywords,
- Headings’ primary keyword,
- Improved SEO content,
- Search intent,
- Improved organic traffic, and
- Word count, and
- External and internal links.
Conclusion
A content brief is a structured document that sets out the expectations of a content post. It includes specific instructions and goals and promotes alignment in a content marketing team. Using a brief helps you produce content that will rank high in search results. Those who benefit from content briefs are copywriters, editors, marketing strategists, and clients.
