If you’re reading this post then the chances are you’ve decided to hire a copywriter. Congratulations!
Here’s my guide on what to include in a good copywriting brief to help you get the most out of your time together…
Who are you and what makes you special?
Of course it’s important to include facts and figures about your business but this kind of information alone will not give your copy that sparkle.
Your copywriter may not be familiar with your company and industry, so try to give them an honest summary of your business. The more information you give, the easier it will be for your copywriter to get into the mind of your business, your brand’s image and personality, and it’s worldview.
Try to include:
- A couple of paragraphs about your company
- A list of at least five words that best describe your company (e.g. vibrant, innovative, environmentally friendly)
- Information about the products or services you offer
- Your USPs
- Where you fit into your industry sector
Who are your competitors?
Providing your copywriter with information about your main competitors will help them to make your business stand out from the crowd.
Try to include:
- Their website addresses
- Examples of their marketing literature
- What makes you different from them
What’s your big idea?
Now that you’ve told your copywriter a little bit about you, it’s time to tell them what you want them to do.
For example:
“We want you to write a website to sell our new web-based educational software to schools and parents across the UK.”
Who’s your audience?
The most important part of copywriting is knowing who you are aiming your words at. Information that you provide on your target audience will influence the tone and format of the copy.
Try to include demographics such as age, gender, occupation, income, location, interests, etc. It may also help to think of your readers as individual characters in a story to paint a better picture of your target audience.
For example:
“Sarah is 40 years old and lives on the outside of Milton Keynes. She works full-time as a hairdresser and has a thirteen year old son called Jack. Jack is doing really well at school but struggles in Science. Sarah can’t afford a private tutor, so is looking for a cost-effective way that Jack can improve his Science in the evenings after school.”
How do you want to sound?
If your company has a style guide or guidelines about the kind words to use to describe your business then include this in your brief. But if you don’t have this kind of information available then just think about your personality and the kind of image that you want your brand to present.
Try to include:
- A list of at least five words that best describe your sense of style (e.g. witty, funny, laid-back).
- Your preferred tone of voice (e.g. conversational, formal, professional)
What are your aims and objectives?
Try to list as many of the main goals you are hoping to achieve from this project as possible. Your copywriter will want to know what you want the reader to do, why you think they’ll do it, and how they will benefit from doing it.
For example, do you want to:
- Drive traffic to your website?
- Generate more sales?
- Obtain information about your audience?
- Increase requests for your catalogue or brochure?
- Improve brand awareness?
So, to continue the example above, you want Sarah to buy your project because you know that it will help her son improve in school, as well as saving her time and money.
Conclusion
You should finish your copywriting brief with a short conclusion with any other additional information you want to add.
Finally, make sure both you and your copywriter know whats happening next and then just enjoy your time together!
