How to write a copywriting brief that inspires magical content

As writers who have conjured content for everyone from solopreneurs to multinational brands and household names (and plenty of digital agencies), we’ve seen a fair few copywriting briefs in our time. Some give us all the clarity and information we need, paving the way for inspiration to flow. Others are vague, cryptic, or downright confusing...

We’ve also written a lot of briefing documents, too. And we always make it our mission to give any freelancers in our circle a strong and purposeful starting point — because nobody can write magic out of thin air.

If you’re outsourcing your content, it’s important to remember that your writers are real-life humans who can do a lot of wonderful things with words but (most likely) can’t read minds. No matter how intuitive they may be, a few initial pointers will set them in the right direction so they can whip up a blog, landing page, or product description that evokes your brand and expresses your message in the clearest, most effective way.

In essence, the better the brief, the better the copy.

So, how do you go about writing a copywriting brief? It doesn’t have to be a time-consuming task — in fact, it can save you time in the long run. We’re going to walk you through the essential features of a creative copywriting brief that will make your writer breathe a sigh of relief and lead to better content with fewer edits.

What is a copywriting brief?

First, what do we mean by a copywriting brief? Put simply, it’s a document that explains to a writer what you want them to do.

(We know there are lots of posts all over the shop about the differences between copywriting and content writing, but we’re not going to worry about that here. When we talk about ‘copywriting’ briefs, we’re covering everything from a brief outlining snappy headlines to long-form blogs and guides). 

How to write a strong copywriting brief 

Writing a strong copywriting brief is all about being clear, concise, and specific. In our experience, the most useful briefing documents are detailed while remaining succinct. 

They also:

• Have a logical layout: Start with the essential, such as the client, the title, the word count, etc., and then include more detail.

• Are clearly formatted: You can make it your own, but we recommend using H1/H2/H3 tags or bold headings, bullet points, and tables — whatever helps your writer scan the document quickly and absorb the info without digging.
  

• Have clearly identifiable names: You’d be surprised how much difference having a relevant and unique document title makes when juggling multiple clients and deadlines.
  

What should your copywriting brief include?

A dreamy copywriting brief doesn’t need to be long but it does need the right ingredients. Here’s what to include to give your writer all the essential elements to work their magic

Some of these elements might seem pretty obvious or like things your writer should inherently know, but popping it all in one place streamlines the whole process. 

This can lead to less back-and-forth ironing out details, fewer rounds of edits, and happier folk all-round.

1. The client name

This might be your own brand, or—if you’re an agency—one of several clients. Either way, pop it at the top with a link to the relevant website if available.

2. The content type

Is it a blog? A product description? Extra FAQs for a page. Set it out nice and clearly near the top.

3. The required word count

Having a target or estimate can make sure your writer goes into the right amount of detail. Is this a catchy sales pitch or a 1,500-word deep dive? 

4. Your target audience

Who do you want the writer to speak to? Any information you can give on demographics and reader intent can ensure your writer gears the content to the right audience.

5. Tone of voice guidelines

For the team here at The Content Coven, this might be THE most important element of a copywriting brief. You want your writer to be able to emulate your brand’s tone of voice (TOV). To do this, they need to understand what you want — is your TOV professional and corporate? Do you want to showcase sensitivity and gentle support? Providing TOV details will help your writer choose the best words, phrases, and sentence structures to complement your existing content and make sure the new copy feels like a seamless extension of your brand.If you want more info and inspiration, check out our guide on the importance of tone of voice and tips on how to uncover your unique TOV.

6. Keywords

If your copy is designed with SEO in mind, keywords are indispensable. These little gems help search engines divine what your content is about and make it more likely to appear in front of the right people. If you’re carrying out your own SEO strategy, you should ideally have your list of relevant keywords good to go — so add them to your brief. 

We also find it helpful when clients add in a couple of FAQs or People Also Ask (PAA) questions that put the keywords into context a bit more.

7. Links to include

Do you have particular pages you want the copy to link to? Internal links are another key part of SEO. 

You may have a couple in mind — whether it’s simply linking to your ‘contact’ page in the call to action (CTA), or there’s a specific product or service you’d like the writer to include. Remember, your copywriter can’t read your mind! 

Yes, they might find these links naturally during their research, but if it’s important, don’t leave it to chance. Include them up front and you’ll save everyone time, edits, and a few mild stress headaches.

Top tip: If your strategy includes particular keywords you want to anchor links to, add those here, too. Otherwise, your writer can use the most logical and instinctive text anchors. 

8. Content guidelines 

This is your chance to paint a clear picture of what you want the content to look and feel like. You don’t need to write an essay — just give your writer an overview of your expectations. Is there a particular angle or message you want to lead with? Maybe there’s a certain structure you’d like them to follow or specific subheadings you want them to make sure they include.

If you already have a layout in mind (like intro → benefits → CTA), add it in. But if you’re open to the writer using their creative license, say that too! A little direction goes a long way, but giving your writer room to shape the content can often lead to even stronger results. After all, it’s what they do best.

9. Deadline

You might have already discussed this with your writer in person, via email, or elsewhere. But as with many other aspects we’ve gone through, keeping everything in one place is helpful for everyone. So when in doubt, add the deadline in nice and clear terms, so all parties are kept accountable!

Craft the perfect copywriting brief and let the magic unfold

We find that a strong copywriting brief sets the intention and lets your writer’s creativity do the rest. It might seem like an extra task at first, especially when you’re juggling multiple accounts or trying to run all other aspects of your business. But trust us, it’s a small step that leads to powerful results — saving time, reducing edits, and helping everyone feel more aligned from the start.

To make things even easier, we’ve conjured up a free copywriting brief template you can use and adapt for your own projects. Want to check it out? Summon us at hello@thecontentcoven.co.uk, and we’ll send it your way.

And if you’re also looking for someone to help with your copywriting and content creation, we can do that too! Please don’t hesitate to get in touch to learn more about our copywriting packages and services and to discuss your requirements.