What is included in a Content or Copywritng Brief

Most of the time when you decide to make a website, personal reasons or business reasons, we just start writing. We make a page or post and start writing. No real plan except maybe what topic we’re writing about on that page. I know that’s how I approached my first website. Not the most organized way to keep track of the content on a website. A content brief or copywriting brief can help keep track of the content on a website. What exactly is a content or copywriting brief? A content brief is a document that outlines what is needs from a piece of content. This can include a variety of elements. Below is a short list of items that a copywriting or content brief may include.

Copywriting Briefs:

Business Info: Basic details about the company.

Target Audience: Who the content is for.

Project Goals: What the content should achieve.

Tone of Voice: How the brand should sound.

SEO Keywords: Specific terms to include for better search visibility.

Deadlines & Budget: When it’s due and how much it should cost.

Specific Instructions: Clear guidelines for various content types like blogs, web pages, and social media.

Content Briefs:

Overview: title, description, and word count.

Target Audience: Specific demographics or personas.

Goals: What the content should accomplish.

Keywords: Essential for SEO.

Content Structure: Outline and key points.

Competitor Analysis: Insights from top-ranking content.

Research & Resources: Relevant links, data, and studies.

Visuals: Required images and media.

Keep in mind content can include all types of content such as social media posts, blog posts, video content, GBP content, etc.

Copywriting briefs include all types of copywriting including webpages, blog posts, newsletters, reports, presentations, printed materials, etc.

The idea behind a content brief or copywriting brief is to help ensure everyone’s on the same page, when creating content. This means that each organization will have their own content brief outline structure.

Below are some of the items I would consider for a content or copywriting brief for a webpage or blog post with SEO in mind.

SEO Copywriting Brief

Deadline – The due date for the final draft of the copy based on the brief.

Main topic of focus for the content – this will be the main keyword used in the content

Subtopics that will be discussed in the content – these are the semantically related keywords to the main keyword

Title tag – 60-70 characters, include the focus keywords and/or semantically related keywords, business name, location, where relevant.

Page slug – include focus keyword. Has the following format, /page-slug

Meta description – at most 160 characters. Include the focus keywords, semantically related keywords, where relevant, business name, a CTA and brief description of the page.

Length of copy – total number of words

Structure of the page or post – This is the type of post. For example a listicle, personal story, recipe, etc.

Tone of voice of the content –

Target persona for the content – Who the content is meant for.

H1 header – suggest and will include the main focus keywords. Only one h1 header per webpage.

H2 headers – usually related to the semantically related keywords. As many is required.

H3-H6 headers –

Internal links – this will include suggested anchor text and the page that will be linked and the location of the link.

CTA – some kind of call to action. This will usually involve an internal link.

External links – these are references for the content on the page. This will include suggested anchor text for each reference and where the link will be places in the copy.

Where is the content created, you’re wondering? Between the various headers is where the content needs to be inserted and created.

It’s easier to see an example for an SEO copywriting brief to really understand what is means.

Sample content copywriting brief

Template of SEO Copywriting Brief:

TEMPLATE of SEO Copywritint Brief

References

How to write a copywriting brief [with swipe-ready examples], Libby M, May 2021, Write on Tyne, URL: https://www.writeontyne.com/post/how-to-write-a-copywriting-brief
How to Write a Copywriting Brief that Actually Helps [+ Template], Giada Nizzoli, Crafty Copy, URL: https://craftycopy.co.uk/blog/how-to-write-a-copywriting-brief
What Is A Content Brief (And Why Is It Important)?, Kane Jamison, Updated June 2023, Content Harmony, URL: https://www.contentharmony.com/blog/what-is-a-content-brief/
How To Write an Effective Content Brief for Better Results, Jay Kang, May 2023, AgencyAnalytics, URL: https://agencyanalytics.com/blog/content-brief
How to write a copywriting brief: for less stress and more success when you hire a copywriter, Libby Marks, Dec 2020, LinkedIn, URL: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/how-write-copywriting-brief-less-stress-more-success-libby/

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Lani Haque

I enjoy learning and sharing that knowledge.Sharing has been in many forms over the years, as a teaching assistant, university lecturer, Pilates instructor, math tutor and just sharing with friends and family.Throughout, summarizing what I have learnt in words has always been there and continues to through blog posts, articles, video and the ever growing forms of content out there!