Thinking of hiring a freelance copywriter to write blog posts, website content or brochure copy for your business? A freelance copywriter can be a great boost to your business. But do you know how to ensure they know what you need and understand your brand?
An experienced freelance copywriter shouldn’t require an extensive brief. A good copywriter and content writer will listen to your ideas and ask you questions to tease out a brief and ensure they understand just what it is that you need.
However, from my own personal experience as a freelance copywriter, some clients do like to provide a full detailed brief before I begin work. It reassures them that they’ve explained what they need from me and can also be helpful if the project will span across different agencies such as a graphic designer or website developer. And creating a brief for your freelancer can also help to speed up the process so your writer can get cracking without too much delay.
What makes a good copywriting brief?
A good brief tells your writer everything they need to know to complete the job for you and, above all, ensures the work fulfils your requirements. It will tell them about your company, your product or service, your audience, how you talk to them, and what you need the copywriter to create for you. A good brief will include plenty of details and relevant examples, such as links to previous brochures, your website, or specific imagery.
But how can a good copywriting brief benefit your business?
It is pretty simple. The more you tell your copywriter, the better the result will be. When your copywriter understands exactly what you want to communicate to your readers, they become equipped to provide you with content that informs, engages and converts.
Different freelance copywriters charge in different ways. Some freelancers charge by copy length or the hour, while others charge for each set of amends. So a great copywriting brief saves you valuable time and money and ensures your content is finished quickly. As a freelance copywriter, I want us both to look at the finished content and think, “Yes, that’s perfect.”
What does your freelance copywriter need to know?
To help your next project run smoothly, it’s best to put together a very basic brief. Here are the top things freelance copywriters need to know before they can get started on your content.
Contact details
It might seem obvious, but you should ensure the copywriter has the correct name, email address, and phone number of whomever their contact is (probably you). Once you have handed these details over to your content writer, make sure you are actually contactable and available to answer any questions your writer may have.
Type of content
What do you need to be written? Provide them with a brief description of what the project involves. Is it a blog post or other website content, press release, brochure, newsletter or flyer? Also, let your copywriter know if you need them to stick to a specific copy length.
Background
Give your freelance copywriter any relevant information about your company that they may need. How and why did the business start? What makes your business unique and sets it apart from your competitors? Have you won any awards?
Who are your competitors?
Make sure your freelance copywriter knows who your competitors are. Give your writer a brief outline of what makes this competitor similar to your business. What do they do that you like and don’t like?
What are your main objectives?
Let your writer know what your main objectives of this project are. Are you looking for people to request a brochure, make a purchase, or phone you for an appointment?
Who is your target market?
Any information you can give your writer about your target audience and customer demographic will help them. This includes any interesting data you may already have taken from customer profiles as part of your original marketing and business plan. For example, are your target customers men or women? Under 20 or aged 30 to 50? Kids or no kids?
Tone of voice
The tone of voice is about how you want your business brand to be perceived. Should your copy be formal, authoritative, fun or chatty?
Essential information
You need to make sure you are really specific with your copywriter about the important stuff. Are there any elements, terms or phrases that must be used? Likewise, are there any phrases that your copywriter must avoid? How many web pages do you want them to write? If it’s copy for a brochure you need, how many pages will your brochure have, and what length are the pages? Tell them the crucial information now, and you avoid having to make these changes to the copy down the line.
SEO keywords
If your copywriter is writing website content for you, let them know if there are any specific keyword phrases you want to rank for. Should your content writer include any external links? Giving them this information will help your writer focus the website content for you.
What is your budget?
Most clients say that they aren’t sure what their budget is for a project. In fact, some clients may not have even allocated any money for the work. But while you may not have a specific budget, you’ve probably got a good idea of what you are prepared to pay or what you can afford. So be upfront and tell your copywriter. It will help both of you to come to a mutual agreement.
Deadlines and amendments
Tell your writer the timeframe for when you need the work to be delivered right at the start of the project. I can’t emphasise enough how important it is to let your copywriter know if you have a specific deadline for this project. Be very clear with your writer, especially if something specific drives this project.
You should also confirm with the writer about making amendments. Will you be entitled to free or a certain number of amends? It’s important to get this ironed out before the start of the project.
Now that you know how to brief a freelance copywriter, get in touch with me and let me know how I can help you on your next project.