As any freelance writer will tell you, the information that a client provides you with can vary. Not getting enough information (or the right information) can completely change the entire process and leave it feeling frustrating and unsatisfying on both sides. It also might lead for more revisions, rewrites and content that you’re not happy with.
Taking the time to write a brief for your freelance writer is important. You’re pushed for time and just need them to write, right? Well, not investing in a good freelance brief can lead to content that’s way off the mark.
What To Include In A Freelance Brief
A freelance brief doesn’t need to be really long or convoluted. Keep it relevant, concise and informative to help your freelance writer to nail what you actually want.
Here are the things that are helpful in a briefing document to a freelance writer:
What Type Of Content You Need (And The Objective)
Sometimes there’s confusion about the different types of writing that are out there. It’s important to communicate to your freelancer what type of writing it is that you need. Is it a blog, website copy, an advertisement, SEO content, an email or social media? What’s the intended outcome of creating this piece of content?
It sounds simple, but each different type of content needs a different approach. Understanding that from the off will massively help your writer get on board with what you want to do.
Background About Your Brand
Sharing your brand values, tone of voice, info about your audience and any key information (like unique selling points, prices, interesting info and links to your social channels) can help your freelance writer to understand more about your brand and what makes your audience tick.
Understanding the “why” of your brand and the story behind it can really help a freelance writer craft their content and copy.
Topic, Title and Synopsis
Provide a planned title, what the topic needs to be and what the intent behind the content (e.g. is it a “how to” piece of content or does it need to drive a certain action). If there needs to be specific information or products in there, now’s the time to say. You should also include word count, and what the balance/split of these words needs to be.
If you want support from the freelance writer or expert to come up with topics, let them know upfront as this will take more time and effort on their behalf. Clear communication is key.
Keywords
If you’re commissioning writing with SEO in mind, then you’ll need to provide keywords (based on your research) for the freelance writer to fit into your content in a natural way.
Don’t send a list with hundreds of keywords through and hope for the best. Take the time to sort through them and work out what the right, relevant keywords are for this piece.
Reference Points or Examples
If there are any reference articles, examples of content you love or the type of info you’re trying to emulate then share them. This helps everyone to (quite literally) be on the same page on what the style and outcome needs to be.
Deadlines and deliverables
Giving a clear, reasonable deadline is key. Outline first draft deadlines, review dates and final deadlines for publication. This helps with planning and supports everyone in reaching those deadlines.
If you’re briefing more than one article, be clear on when each deadline is and whether they need to be sent across in a batch or one by one. It sounds simple and like a minor thing, but it can make a big difference to how you work together.
Freelance Writing Brief Templates
Just want something that lays out exactly what to include in a freelance writer brief (and where to include it)? Here are some templates that you might find useful:
Need a Freelance Writer?
If you need a freelance writer with specialist expertise in the beauty industry, get in touch with me to discuss the needs of your brand, project or website. You can also check out my portfolio here.