A content brief is an essential communication tool to ensure that anyone working on your content gets it right.
But how do you write a content brief?
If you’ve never written one before, it can feel slightly intimidating.
The Content Brief Template
The Content Brief template outlines all of the key information needed to help anyone writing your content, understand you...
Not to worry, that’s what this post is all about, so stay with us!
We’re going to explain what you need to include in your content brief so that anyone working on your content creation is rowing in the same direction. This is absolutely essential when you’re partnering with an external agency, as all parties need to be workding towards the same goal.
If you’ve yet to check out any of the other brief posts on the Canny blog, we’ve covered:
- How to write a branding brief
- How to write a marketing brief
- How to write a design brief
- How to write a web design brief, and
- How to write an RFP or RFQ
As well as guiding you on how to write a robust content brief, we’ll also be answering some key questions such as:
Who should write a content brief? And what tips should I be aware of when forming my own brief?
We’ll also be touching on some content brief examples to give you a better idea of what your brief could look like.
Let’s begin.
What is a Content Brief?
Let’s start with the basics. What actually is a content brief?
A content brief is a document that outlines what you want, complete with information that steers writers in the correct direction based on your own specifications.
It is a document that tells anyone who is working on your content exactly what you expect from it.
If you’ve only ever produced content yourself, then it can be easy to assume that other people will simply know what you want from a few sentences.
But of course, this is not always the case. Anyone producing your content needs to fully understand the expected content deliverables so that what you receive back fulfils your expectations.
This is extremely useful when you’re outsourcing work to a content marketing agency or a freelancer, as it tells these parties everything they need to know so there is no room for ambiguity.
There’s quite a lot to consider to make sure you’ve covered all bases, and it’s all influenced by the ‘why’ behind your content.
Key things to cover in your content brief are:
- The type of content you want to create (blogs, ebooks, etc.)
- The intended audience of your content
- The goal of your content
Why Write a Content Brief?
Anyone involved in the content creation process needs to understand exactly what is involved before they get started.
Being vague and simply telling your chosen agency or freelancer that you want to create a few blog posts aimed at people aged between 25-50 is obviously not going to lead to the best results.
You’ve not given them any indication of why you’re targeting these specific individuals, the tone of voice you want to convey, or the purpose behind the content.
Without this information, they’re going into the content creation process blind.
Instead, you want to give people all of the information that they might need so they can start creating your content. This not only gives everyone clarity, but it also gives you peace of mind as you know the content is much more likely to fulfil your expectations.
Of course, they might have the odd question or two, but the bulk of the information will be gathered in the content brief — or, at least, it should if you’ve written it properly and covered all bases.
Who Should Write a Content Brief?
The task of writing a content brief usually falls to someone within the marketing department.
For example, if a company is outsourcing their work to a content marketing agency, the marketing manager will usually be the person to put the content brief together to make sure everything is covered.
A marketing manager will have an understanding and overview of upcoming activities and events which could affect content. For example, if a new product is launching in a few months, the marketing manager can include this information in the content brief.
This allows the creator to have full oversight of what is happening so that they can produce content that aligns with relevant marketing activity.
Content Brief FAQs
Before we go any further, let’s cover some content brief-focused questions that we often hear from marketers.
-
How Do I Create a Content Brief for SEO?
If SEO plays an important part in your content (as it should based on its value), then you need to make sure your brief includes any and all keywords that you want to rank for.
This is something you will need to research ahead of time yourself; unless you choose to work with an agency (like Canny) who handles the research for you. All you’d need to work out at that point is what type of content strategy you want.
Long-form or short-form? Informal or formal?
These are the questions you need to be asking yourself.
-
How Long Should My Content Brief Be?
The answer to this question can, and will, vary depending on a multitude of factors. The most obvious being:
What the topic is.
How long your content brief is will also depend on how much information you want to include to help whomever you’re handing this brief to. Be careful though, including too much detail can take a while which can eat into your day!
-
What is the Best Content Brief Tool?
There are many content brief tools at your current disposal, be it Buffer, Trello, or Scoop It.
That said, our content brief template is a lot less complicated to use than anything else on the market (plus, it’s 100% free to download).
-
People Also Ask: What Makes For a Good Brief?
A short and sweet content brief will almost always reign supreme.
They’re less strain for marketers to write, they include everything that is actually relevant (minus the fluff), and it gives the creator enough room to be as creative as possible.
That’s not to say that creators can’t be creative with a long brief either, by the way. We’re just illustrating a point that less tends to equal better results.
Why do you think most content brief examples are so short and simple?
What Should Be Included in Your Content Brief?
Now that you understand what a content brief is, it’s time we looked at what should be included in one. Not every content brief is the same, so use this list as a solid base, rather than the holy grail!
Most content briefs will consist of the following:
- Content Details
- Competitor Analysis
- Content Research
- SEO Research
- Visual Elements
Spending time on this part of the process will save you time in the long run and mean that your content writer knows exactly what’s required, so don’t hold back on the level of detail you provide.
Content Details
Treat this section like an overview. It needs to clearly outline various points such as your titles, word count, target keywords and more.
A standard content brief overview typically consists of the following:
- Title: Here you state the main heading for the piece of content in question (including the main keyword).
- Post Description: A general 101 of the post itself — it should consist of no more than three sentences.
- Headings: Break down all of your headings, from the introduction right down to the conclusion.
- Word Count: How many words would you like this piece of content to be total? Be as specific as you like here (e.g. 1,500-2,000 words or 3,000+).
- Keywords: Outline your main target keyword and any secondary keywords that should be used within the post.
- Target Audience: Mention a few key demographics that you’d like to target with these posts..
How to Write a Content Brief Tip: Try to outline the correct tone of voice that your writers should follow within the post. Remember, the content must represent brand guidelines.
Don’t Forget About the Deadline
A basic, but very important element of an effective content brief is your deadline.
The date and time you choose is completely up to you. Just remember to leave enough time for the work to be completed.
You wouldn’t (or at least shouldn’t!) ask an agency to write you a 3,000 word blog post with 24 hours’ notice, as the quality of the post might suffer for it. Think clearly about whether your deadlines are realistic before you set them.
Competitor Analysis
Like it or not, competitors are an important factor in how you should approach your content briefs and the content you hope to produce.
If you find a blog post you like the look of — this can be from a content or formatting standpoint (anything that you like the look of, basically) — then feel free to copy and paste a link to this post and put it in your content brief.
Putting it in there will provide guidance to writers on your preferences (just make sure they don’t copy it!).
Content Research
Some marketing teams will expect writers to perform their own research based on each brief.
In our experience, the quality of the content brief reflects that of the content itself. Meaning you should be as informative as possible in your briefs if you want the best work possible in return.
It takes seconds to link off to relevant statistics, studies and related blog posts. You probably have them bookmarked already!
Why wouldn’t you include them in your briefs to give writers a head start?
SEO Research
From one type of research to the next.
Search engine optimisation (SEO) research will dictate how the post is titled and formatted. Most content marketing heads will use keywords to actually come up with post topics and titles.
Use an SEO tool like Ahrefs to conduct your keyword research. Ask yourself if the keywords you’re looking at are worth pursuing. Is the volume high enough? And is the keyword difficulty not too high?
You may also wish for the writer to come up with a meta description and linking plan for the content they’re producing. Details like these will vary from one brief to the next, but make sure your content brief includes anything you do want to be included.
Visual Elements
This mostly applies to writers within an organisation, as you wouldn’t usually ask a freelancer to supply images to posts. A) because the quality could be naff, and B) the images might not be free to use.
You might ask them to give you some ideas for visuals that might work in line with what they’ve written, just not for the images themselves.
When writing your content brief, you should probably have an idea of the sorts of images you’d like to include anyway. Images that are relevant to your chosen topic.
We’d recommend you source these images after the content is written. It’s just easier, and you get a better idea of what the finished item will look like!
Hopefully you feel a little more confident in your content brief writing ability now! It’s not a complex process, but remember, the more detail you include, the better.
Take a look at the content brief template we’ve created, and use it as a starting point! The template has everything you should ever need to get the content wheel in motion.
But don’t take our word for it, see for yourself!
Content Brief Examples
A lot of us learn better when we see an example of something in practice.
We’ve created some content brief examples that are directly inspired by those you’ll likely find out in the wild.
Take a look:
Content Brief Example 1: Complete Guide
Title: The Complete Guide to Hybrid Events
Description: This post should serve as a complete end-to-end guide of hybrid events.
Headings should include/be a variation of:
-
- An introduction
- What are hybrid events?
- The benefits of hybrid events
- Costs associated with hybrid events
- Tips when organising a hybrid event
- Examples of hybrid events
- Conclusion
Primary keyword: Hybrid events
Secondary keyword: Hybrid event planning, hybrid event tips, hybrid event examples
SEO title: The Complete Guide to Hybrid Events
Meta description: ‘Hybrid events have become the premium event format. In this post, we look at why that is and give you everything you need to run your own.’
Word count: 5,000+
Internal links: Link to hybrid services page, technology solutions webpage, and get in touch page.
Competitor articles: Check out the blogs from our competitors x and x.
We want the informal tone of those posts to carry over into this one.
CTA: The call to action in this post needs to get people onto our hybrid events page and fill in the web form.
Notes: Please use as many statistics as possible in this post. We will send you a separate document with quotes from members of the team to use too.
Content Brief Example 2: Dog Blog
Title: Dog Walks London: The Best Spots for Your Pooch
Word Count: Between 1,500 to 2,000
Keywords: Dog walks London, dog walking, London dog walks
Description: This post should outline all of the best dog walking locations in London, with additional emphasis placed on local parks and areas known to let dogs roam free in.
Audience: We’re targeting active dog-owners between the ages of 35 and 55.
Notes: Please provide a solution for all weather types. Also, please talk about our line of dog coats at least twice in the post (preferably, somewhere that makes sense and doesn’t feel shoe-horned in).
Content Brief Example 3: B2B Listicle
Blog Title: The 10 Best CRM Software for Small Businesses
Primary Keyword: Best CRM software for small businesses
Secondary Keywords: CRM software for small business, small business CRM, CRM systems
Words: 2,500–3,000
Blog Details: Cover the following CRM platforms, outlining their key features, pricing, pros and cons, and who each platform is best suited to.
- HubSpot
- Salesforce
- Zoho CRM
- Pipedrive
- Freshsales
- Monday CRM
- Capsule CRM
- Insightly
- Less Annoying CRM
- Keap
Additional Notes: Include a short buyer’s guide covering the key features small businesses should look for when choosing CRM software. Keep the focus on practical considerations rather than simply listing features.
Tips on Writing an Effective Content Brief
As we said, writing a content brief doesn’t need to be complicated, but there are still some things to consider.
So let’s take a look at some helpful tips to get the most out of your content brief.
Always Summarise
We’re starting with one of the most important tips to keep in mind when writing your own content brief: Keep it as tight as possible.
Yes, your brief should be detailed, but it should also be concise. Don’t include anything for the sake of it; make sure everything you put into your brief serves a purpose.
Keeping your briefs concise will mean that your writer has enough wiggle room to be creative!
Remember, your content brief is there to help others create written content for you. You shouldn’t be writing the equivalent of a 2,000 word blog post in the brief alone.
Short bursts of information are key. And as long as you cover all the main points (keywords, target audiences and titles) the rest of the process should run smoothly.
Remember to Mention Your CTAs
Your call to actions (CTAs) are how you turn readers into customers, at least from a content standpoint.
They’re crucial parts of the content you create.
So, what does this have to do with how to write a content brief?
Well, CTAs are one of, if not the most important part of the content you create. Which means you might want to mention them in your content briefs as they’re so intertwined with your wider content strategy.
Content should always follow some kind of journey — typically directed by the appropriate sales funnel. Think of your CTAs as the destination.
How can you expect a writer to create effective content for you without knowing the destination?
*Spoiler Alert* You can’t for the most part.
CTAs don’t always appear towards the end of the content you publish either. Dropping them in every now and then will ensure that your content is as relevant/helpful as possible, only with intent.
Use the MoSCoW Matrix
A MoSCoW matrix has multiple applications in the ever-expansive world of marketing and business. It’s also pretty helpful when putting together brief formats of a creative nature.
Adding a small MoSCoW matrix could work wonders for your content briefs, steering writers in the right direction. Here’s a quick rundown of what it might look like:
-
-
- Must haves (what should be included overall)
- Should haves (additional info/guidelines including links)
- Could haves (potential inclusions that wouldn’t hurt)
- Won’t haves (avoid X, Y and Z)
-
Using a MoSCoW matrix is a great way of reining in your content briefs as you’re leaving nothing to chance.
Don’t Go Keyword Crazy
Try to limit how many target keywords you want writers to include. Overloading your content briefs with keywords is just asking for bad content in return.
It’s why you should focus on highlighting a main keyword alongside a handful of secondary keywords -the exact number will vary depending on the topic and length of the finished text.
A post with over 2,000 words does not need a ton of keywords. Are your readers going to be as engaged if they feel like they’re in a keyword pinball machine, bouncing from one to the next in rapid succession?
A calculated approach could work a lot better.
What if instead of cramming multiple keywords in the same post, you create individual posts based on set subtopics that you can internally link to?
That way, your content can breathe a little and encourage readers to spend more time with you and your brand.
How to Write a Content Brief (with Content Brief Template!)
What’s that saying?
“By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.”
Yeah, that applies to content marketing and content generally, and content briefs simply by extension.
Quality content begins with a content brief.
Want to talk through a content idea or find out how working with an agency can function as an extension of your own marketing team?
Reach out, and let’s have a chat.
Other Design Brief Templates in the Series
As well as The Content Brief Template, we’ve also created a whole range of other brief templates that you can download and use completely free.
No matter what sort of creative project you need to write a brief for, we’ve got you covered. Check them out below:
The Design Brief Template
The Design Brief Template will help you get the foundation for any design project right. It’s a good all rounder!
From graphic design to interior design, no matter the type of design project you need – The Design Brief Template is sure to help you out.
The Branding Brief Template
The Branding Brief Template will help you get the brief for your company branding project right.
From straight up branding projects for small businesses, to the full scale branding of larger companies – The Branding Brief Template has all types of branding projects covered.
The Rebranding Brief Template
The Rebranding Brief Template will help you get the brief for your rebranding project right.
From smaller rebranding projects, to full scale enterprise rebranding – The Rebranding Brief Template has all sizes of rebranding projects covered.
The Web Design Brief Template
The Web Design Brief Template will help you get the brief for your web design project right.
Whether you’re creating a new website for your business, or redesigning your existing website – then The Web Design Brief Template is going to be useful.
The Video Brief Template
The Video Brief Template will help you get the foundation for your video project right.
Whether you’re embarking on a corporate video, documentary, explainer, or any other type of video project – then The Video Brief Template is sure to help you out.
The Marketing Brief Template
The Marketing Brief will help you get the brief for any of your marketing projects right.
Whether you’re looking to grow traffic to your website, or increase conversions from existing traffic – then The Marketing Brief Template is here to help.
The Packaging Brief Template
The Packaging Design Brief template will help you communicate the needs of your packaging project.
From cartons and bottles to boxes and envelopes, knowing what to include in your brief can be confusing – that’s why we designed The Packaging Design Brief template, to help you make sense of the packaging madness.
The RFP / RFQ Template
The RFP / RFQ Template will help you to create an easy to understand document that communicates the needs of your project.
Whether you’re embarking on a branding, web design, brochure design, packaging design, or any other type of design project – then The RFP / RFQ Template can help.
The Advertising Brief Template
The Advertising Brief tells your chosen agency everything about your advertisement or campaign.
From understanding your project goals, to detailing examples of work you like – The Advertising Brief Template is sure to help you out.
