Today, a considerable amount of content can be found online, and a decreasing amount is created in-house.
SMEs need to have the skills or resources to create a professional copy. Employees are better off focusing on high-value tasks.
Many companies outsource their marketing content for this reason. Communication and clarity are essential in a distant relationship.
If the person or agency responsible for writing your website needs to have all the information they need to write it correctly, complications and bottlenecks can occur.
We are a B2B agency for startups that specializes in digital content. Why is it so important to write a good brief?
What are you writing
This is the most obvious thing we could come up with. You would be right. What about writing briefs that so many people miss these crucial details?
People often leave out important details when describing concepts they understand well. This is because we are terrible at estimating how much someone else knows. We assume that other people know the same information as we are.
Brief writers must assume that the writer knows or does not know certain things. They tend to do either of two things in this situation:
Assume the writer already knows all the information and only needs the bare minimum. It is all too common to receive a brief that says, “1,000 words are our latest solution”.
Assume that the writer needs to be more knowledgeable and try to convey as much information as you can in as few words as possible. This will ensure that the main point of the brief has been buried so deep that not even the most savvy writer could find it.
Before a writer begins to research and write a piece, they want to know three basic facts:
What am I writing about?
Who is the target audience?
What is the purpose?
The ideal content brief would then answer these questions. As an example:
“An 800-word blog about our latest product. This should create awareness and interest and provide relevant information to encourage customers.
It would be best to begin every content brief with something along these lines. These details are essential for even the most well-intentioned writers to create good content.
Know what the writer is capable of researching
Research is a skill that freelance writers excel at. Much of their work involves quickly gathering as much information as possible about a topic. All the research skills they have will only matter if you know where to look for the info.
Companies will commission the best content out there to show their exclusive expertise or opinion on a particular topic. The best content is that which only your business can offer. The writer must understand what this is.
Give a little context
A freelance writer or an agency may need to find out where their piece fits in a larger content strategy. It’s crucial to good short writing, but many people forget it.
Consider, for instance, if you have commissioned landing pages to promote a new product. You can send them to different freelancers, but they will want to see the others. This is because they need to understand the context and structure.
If you send them to the same agency, they may not all be written by the same person. Make sure that all information is included.
Also, it’s helpful to let them know about other content that you write, have previously registered, or plan to write, and how the new content will fit in. A writer must spend some time familiarizing themselves with your site. Make sure you list the most critical points.
How to talk about your brand
We now arrive at the most often discussed but poorly described phenomenon: branding. It isn’t easy to learn how to convey factual information through branding, as it is, by nature, abstract and symbolic. Even the best writers of briefs need help with this.
Unsurprisingly, people like to discuss their brand in great detail. Unsurprisingly, branding is a symbol that unifies all things associated with a business. It combines style, color, values, aesthetics, etc. For more information, check out our best brand agencies for startups.
So how on earth do you communicate all that in the space of a brief
It is better to describe a brand than to explain it. You should limit yourself to three or five adjectives that describe the brand.
Adjectives that don’t usually go together can help you to create a more diverse image of your attitude, outlook, and style. Choose your words carefully. The right combination of adjectives will help you describe your brand.
This brief should guide the graphics and design of the piece and its words. So make sure it’s a good one.
It’s easier than it looks
The secret to a great blog is very similar. Please keep it simple and only include the most essential information.
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