Give Writers a Brief They Can Use Without Guessing What You Mean

If you outsource writing and keep getting content that misses the mark, the writer is probably not the problem. A vague brief is garbage in, garbage out. A good brief takes twenty minutes and saves days of rewrites. This guide explains what to include and gives you a template to copy. It is the same discipline behind our content writing service.

What a good content brief must include

Seven elements cover nearly every need:

1. Working title and primary keyword.
2. The reader. Who they are and what they already know.
3. The goal. What the piece should achieve for the business and what the reader should do next.
4. Search intent. What the reader wants when they search the keyword.
5. Structure. Suggested headings or a required outline.
6. Sources and facts. Links, data or interviews the writer should use.
7. Tone, length and rules. Voice, word count, formatting and things to avoid.

How to define the audience in a brief

Write a short reader snapshot: role, experience level, problem and what they have tried. For example: "A founder with no SEO background, comparing providers, worried about wasting money." This helps the writer choose vocabulary, depth and examples. Also state what the reader should feel or do after reading.

How to specify keywords without keyword stuffing

• Primary keyword: the main phrase the page targets. Use it naturally in the title, H1, first paragraph and a few other places.
• Secondary keywords: related phrases that suit H2s or sections.
• Semantic terms: words and concepts that naturally appear when the topic is covered thoroughly.

Tell the writer to use them where they fit and never at the expense of readability. For finding them, see keyword research for startups.

How to brief tone, length and structure

Give two or three adjectives for tone ("direct, friendly, no jargon") and, if possible, an example you like. State a word range and the format expected: headings, lists, tables, FAQ. Specify what to avoid, such as hype claims, unsourced statistics and competitor bashing. For structure, list the required H2s or ask the writer to propose an outline for approval.

The full brief template (copy and use)

Title and URL: working title, suggested slug. Primary keyword / secondary keywords / related questions: list them. Reader snapshot: role, level, problem, what they have tried. Search intent: informational, comparison, how-to or transactional, in one line. Goal and call to action: business goal, reader action, page to link to. Outline: H2 and H3 headings, in order, with notes. Must-include points: facts, examples, stories, quotes. Sources: links and data to use, plus any to avoid. Competitor pages: two or three links and what to do better. Internal links: pages to link to, with suggested anchor text. Tone and style: adjectives, examples, words to avoid. Length and format: word range, lists, tables, FAQ count. Deliverables and dates: draft deadline, review process, who approves.

A filled-in example brief

Seeing the template used makes it easier to copy. Here is a short example for an imaginary accounting software company.

• Title and URL: "How to Reconcile Your Bank Account Step by Step", /blog/bank-reconciliation-steps.
• Keywords: primary "bank reconciliation steps"; secondary "how to reconcile accounts", "reconciliation checklist".
• Reader snapshot: a small business owner who handles their own books, comfortable with spreadsheets, worried about missing errors.
• Search intent: how-to, the reader wants a clear sequence they can follow today.
• Goal and call to action: build trust, then point readers to the reconciliation feature page.
• Outline: what reconciliation is, what you need before you start, five steps, common discrepancies and how to fix them, FAQ.
• Must-include: one worked example with three mismatched transactions.
• Tone: calm, practical, no jargon, short sentences.
• Length and format: 1,000 to 1,200 words, numbered steps, one table of common discrepancies.

A brief like this takes about twenty minutes. A writer receiving it can start immediately and is far less likely to guess wrong about the audience or the goal.

Mistakes that make briefs fail

1. Being vague about the reader. "Business owners" is too broad to guide examples.
2. Listing keywords with no instructions. Without guidance, writers either ignore them or force them in.
3. Leaving out the goal. If nobody says what the piece is for, it cannot be judged.
4. Overloading the brief. Five pages of notes bury the real requirements.
5. No feedback loop. If revisions are never turned into brief updates, the same issues repeat.

How to review a draft against the brief

Review in this order: first intent and structure, then accuracy, then voice, then SEO details. Reviewing in that order avoids polishing sentences in a section that should be rewritten. Give feedback by pointing to the brief line a draft missed, such as "the brief asks for a worked example, but section three has none". That keeps the conversation objective and helps writers improve.

Brief checklist for the person commissioning the work

Before you send a brief, run through five quick questions. They take two minutes and catch most gaps.

1. Could a stranger tell, from the brief alone, who the reader is and what they want?
2. Is there one clear goal for the page, rather than three competing ones?
3. Are the sources you expect the writer to use actually linked, not just mentioned?
4. Have you said what you do not want, such as claims you cannot support or competitors you will not name?
5. Is there a named person who will approve the draft, and a date by which they will respond?

If you answer no to any of these, fix it before the writer starts. Delays in approval are a hidden cause of poor content, because writers wait, then receive conflicting feedback from several people at once. Appointing one approver and agreeing a feedback deadline in the brief solves most of it.

Keep improving the brief

After each piece, note what went wrong and add it to the template. Over time your briefs get shorter to write and your drafts get closer to final. For a related workflow, see how to write an SEO blog post.

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With our service, strategists write the briefs, AI helps with first drafts and editors finish the work. Order your first content package.

Information Gain

Before commissioning, check whether an existing page already helps this reader make the intended decision. Improve it if so. Give the writer one specific example or judgement the new article must add, and check that it survives the final edit. A polished draft that omits that contribution has not met the brief.