5 things to include on your brief

Is there such a thing as a perfect brief? Probably not. But ask us to define what the perfect brief ‘might’ look like and we’d say: “The one that lets us create a first draft that matches your intentions and expectations as closely as possible.”  

We aim to deliver a first draft that hits the mark – or as close to it as possible – every time. When a client receives a first draft from us that doesn’t match what they expected, it could be that the brief wasn’t clear enough. And in these busy times, scheduling a re-brief or, worse, a rewrite doesn’t make sense for anyone.

To help streamline the process, we’ve identified five pointers on how to write a brief that sets us, your marketing agency – and your campaign – up for success.

1.   Start SMART and be clear about your objectives

This is the nuts and bolts of a brief and it’s a great place to start. For ease, think about the SMART framework for setting clear objectives in a marketing campaign. Be specific about your goals and why this brief even exists. Ensure these goals are measurable – know what outcomes you want to see in terms of audience, followers, click throughs or downloads. Set these goals as achievable and relevant to broader business objectives and, finally, identify timescales for achieving the goals. Without this nitty gritty nailed down, the brief risks being fluffy and vague.

Top tip: Creativity without clear objectives can result in content that, while interesting, may not be effective.

2.   Take a bird’s eye view of the project you are briefing

Think about the context of this piece of work. Where does it fit into your overall content strategy? This helps us ensure consistency in tone, messaging and brand identity. Next look at where it sits within the current campaign. We need to know how the content will be used, whether it needs to be tailored to specific audiences, or whether it’s lead generation, market expansion or something else. We want to create content that not only complements other elements of your campaign, but also supports your broader objectives, KPIs and helps you reach long term strategic goals.

Top tip: If relevant, mention where the intended audience is on the buyer journey so we can deliver relevant, engaging and successful content that converts audiences.

3.   Throw us a hook – we’re happy to run with it

In our highly competitive market, and with audiences more time-constrained than ever, establishing a hook to lure the reader in is an essential inclusion. If your hook is too woolly or vague, or we don’t understand it, neither will your audience. But, if you do have some idea for hooks, it’s always worth including them in the brief – just let us know that you’d like us to develop them. We love an opportunity to put our heads together and brainstorm.

Top tip: The best hooks either capture attention, focus on one key point, highlight value, include surprising points, or pose proactive questions – or all of the above!

4.   Tell us what NOT to do

As well as knowing what you want us to let the reader know, we also need to know what you want us to avoid. By telling this upfront, we can avoid things that just don’t work for you. Style guides and tone of voice guidelines can help (and we can help create those for you if you don’t have anything formal in place) but if not, think generally about what to avoid. Is there a content type that you want us to steer clear of, or a particular piece of research (or research body) you’d rather we didn’t quote from? Would you rather we don’t mention competitors, use negative words, or is there certain jargon words that jar with your intended audience? Let us know as much about what you don’t want as you do, as it all helps to cut down on editing time further down the line

Top tip: Don’t forget to include SEO keywords you want us to avoid, for example if they are associated with controversial topics or low-quality products.

5.    Include proof points

It’s not that we don’t enjoy research and fact-finding – we absolutely do – but if you already have access to relevant proof points, statistics and case studies that could be used in the content, include them in the brief. The more your messaging can be backed up by solid evidence, tangible benefits, data-driven insights and real-world examples, the more likely your audience are to jump on board. By providing as much ready-to-use information and data as you can at the outset, you help streamline our content creation process, allowing us to focus on the creativity and strategic execution that drives real value to your campaign.

Top tip: Providing this information is not only beneficial to the reader, it also gives us, your agency, a deeper understanding of your messaging.

How else can we help?

The number one piece of advice is never skimp on the briefing process. A written brief is worth its weight in gold and provides a reference point for all parties during a project. But there are a few other handy suggestions to help the briefing process:

• Jump on a call with us to discuss feedback or perceived misinterpretations. We encourage direct and honest conversations.
• Compare the first draft against the original brief before diving into your review, especially if some time has elapsed between briefing and the first draft.
• Ask your wider team for a second opinion if you think the first draft has missed the mark – they might not be as close to the project or be so invested in what they “thought” it would turn out like.
• Arrange for us to give you a “reverse brief” where we can show you up front our interpretation of the brief and what we intend to do – this gives you the opportunity to highlight any gaps or identify where we might have misinterpreted the instructions.
• Ask us to provide an outline of the work prior to first draft delivery, so you can make any adjustments before our writer dives in fully.

We give a lot of consideration to our own briefing process and have developed a brief that we think really works. It's been a labour of love over the years – working with our copy writers, designers, client services leads and our customers to capture all the necessary details.

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