Here, we share our tested approach that's helped our content hit performance targets consistently, even with new writers on the team.
Why create a content brief?
The majority of successful content starts with a solid brief. Working without one is like building a house without blueprints—you might get something standing, but it probably won't match what you wanted. A good brief aligns everyone involved, from writers to editors to stakeholders, around the same vision.
It saves time by preventing endless revision cycles and helps hit business goals by keeping content focused. Plus, when writers understand exactly what's needed, they produce better work faster. Skip the brief, and you'll spend more time fixing content that missed the mark.
Is a content brief only for external writers?
A common myth is that content briefs only matter when working with freelancers or agencies, but that’s just not the case. They’re also great for working with external teams, who benefit from a good brief just as much as any external employee.
Marketing teams change. People switch roles, new members join, priorities shift. A solid brief system keeps content quality steady through these changes. It also helps internal writers juggle multiple projects, as they can quickly grasp requirements and switch between different content types.
Even experienced in-house writers appreciate good briefs. They reduce the mental load of starting each piece from scratch and provide a clear path to meeting business goals. Briefs also make it easier to step in and help teammates when workloads get heavy.
Plus, when everyone follows the same brief structure, reviewing and updating old content becomes simpler. You can quickly check if a piece still aligns with current strategy and make needed updates.
The best part? When you do need to scale with external writers, you'll already have a proven brief system ready to go.
Creating a content brief: Start with the fundamentals
A content brief needs to answer basic questions before anything else. When writers open your brief, they should quickly spot:
- The working title and suggested URL
- Target word count and deadline
- Primary keyword and related terms
- Content type (blog post, landing page, etc.)
But those basics only scratch the surface. Therefore, think of this as the entry-level section to creating a tip-top brief. The real power of a content brief comes from strategic direction and putting something together that hits all the right notes.
The strategy section
The strategy section of the brief shapes how the piece of content will drive business results. You want to outline:
Core audience
Who exactly are you writing for? Not just "small business owners" but "ecommerce store owners doing £500k-plus in annual revenue who struggle with cart abandonment." The more specific you can be, the better.
Business goals
What specific actions do you want readers to take? Maybe it's signing up for a demo, downloading a template or moving to a pricing page. Writers need to know the end game of the piece of content in order to achieve the right results.
Key differentiators
What makes your take on this topic unique compared to all the other content out there? Writers should understand your brand's specific angle or methodology that sets you apart from competitors.
Search intent match
You should always research the current top-ranking content for your target keyword. This shows us what Google believes searchers want to see. When someone searches "content brief template" they likely want a downloadable resource. But if they search "how to write a content brief" they probably need step-by-step guidance. Match that intent.
Structure and formatting
Clean organisation of your brief will help writers nail the vision. Each section should have a clear hierarchy that supports the content's goals and helps readers scan quickly for key information.
Header approach
Will this be a how-to guide with clear steps? A comparison piece with pros and cons? A case study format? Define the framework upfront so writers can structure their thoughts properly.
Must-have sections
List essential topics to cover. Not just a bare outline. Instead, explain why each section matters and what it should accomplish. This can be as simple as a few bullet points covering the important topics.
Visual elements
Specify charts, screenshots or custom graphics if they’re needed. Note preferred formatting like bullet points vs. numbered lists so the style and structure is mirrored across all of your content.
Content requirements
Here's where we get granular about our expectations and really start to flesh out how the piece of content will look once it’s written.
Tone and style
Beyond just saying "professional" or "casual." tone, give examples of content that nails the desired tone. Link to your style guide if you have one so the writer can dig deeper into your tone of voice.
Technical depth
How much domain expertise should writers assume? Define whether to explain basic concepts or dive straight into advanced topics.
Word choice
Note specific terms to use or avoid. Maybe you say "email list" not "email database." Small distinctions matter for brand consistency and help create a cohesive brand voice that sounds the same across different touch points.
Word count
This one’s a bit tricky. We believe content should be about quality, not word count. If you can say something in 500 words, there’s no sense in asking for 1,000. Our advice? Use word counts as a guide, not a rule. Give a sense of relevant content length, but avoid requesting lengthy, drawn-out pieces if they aren’t needed.
Examples and evidence
It’s all well and good saying you want this, that and everything in between when you know full well what you want. But writers aren’t mind readers, so you’ll need to show as well as tell. Provide examples and evidence to help them draw a better picture in their heads.
Competitor analysis
Link to two or three competitor pieces on the same topic. Note what works well and what's missing that can be improved upon.
Internal references
Refer to your own content to show the style and depth you’re looking for. This not only sets a clear example but also provides writers with quality content they can link to directly.
Data requirements
Specify whether writers should include stats, studies or other data. Note preferred sources and how recent data should be. For example, you may want sources that are no more than 12 months old. Writers need to know about your preferences upfront.
SEO guidelines
Ah, yes, keywords. There’s a good chance that you’re creating content so it ranks well in search engines. This might not always be the case, but SEO plays a big role in why people and companies create content. And while keyword stuffing is dead and buried, smart SEO still matters.
Keyword placement
Note where to naturally include target terms—typically in the title, first paragraph, headings and conclusion. Just remember to remind writers that keywords need to feel natural. No one wants to read "Content briefs help create better content because content briefs give content writers the content guidance they need to write great content." That kind of repetitive keyword stuffing makes readers run away and hurts your SEO rankings.
Meta description
A meta description is the short summary that appears under your page title in search results—that snippet of text that convinces people to click through to your content. Provide guidance on character count (stick to 150-160 characters) and what to emphasise in this snippet. Google sometimes uses this exact text as your search preview, so it needs to sell your content while incorporating target keywords naturally.
Internal linking
Internal linking strengthens your site's SEO and helps readers discover related content. List specific pages writers should link to and provide the exact anchor text to use. This creates consistency across content and builds topical authority around key themes and products.
Review process
It’s one thing to get the first draft written, but what about revisions? You should set expectations around your review process so writers know what to expect. Consider covering the following:
Feedback rounds
How many revision cycles should writers expect? Who gives feedback at each stage? Be specific about the review process—maybe there's an initial draft review by the content manager, followed by subject matter expert input, and a final check from legal. Setting these expectations upfront prevents confusion and speeds up approvals.
Quality checks
What's the process for fact-checking? Do claims need citations? How do you verify technical accuracy? Spell out your verification requirements. If technical claims need review by an expert, or statistics must link to original sources within the last two years, say so. Clear standards here protect your brand's credibility and save revision time.
Publishing workflow
Once approved, what happens next? Writers should understand the full journey to publication. Map out the steps from final draft to live content—including who handles formatting, images, SEO checks, and scheduling. Having this clear workflow prevents bottlenecks and helps writers meet launch deadlines consistently.
Common pitfalls around content briefs
Content briefs often fail when they become too controlling. Writers need creative freedom while staying within clear boundaries. It’s a hard balance to get right, but the best briefs guide and inspire rather than dictate every detail.
Too rigid
Over-prescriptive briefs can stifle creativity. Leave room for writer expertise and fresh angles. When every subhead and transition is dictated, writers can't bring their unique voice and expertise to the piece. Let them solve problems creatively within your guidelines.
Too vague
"Write about email marketing" isn't enough direction. Give specific goals and parameters. Writers need to know target audiences, desired outcomes and key points to cover. Without these guardrails, you'll waste time revising content that missed your unstated requirements.
Mismatched expectations
If you want expert-level technical content, make sure that's clear upfront—don't surprise writers later. Specify required technical depth and subject matter expertise when assigning content. Last-minute requests for deep technical analysis or original research can derail deadlines and budgets.
Making updates
Content briefs aren't static documents. We regularly review and adjust them based on results, writer input and changing business needs. Like any tool, they need consistent fine-tuning to stay effective. Here's how we manage updates:
Track performance
Monitor how content performs against goals. Use metrics like organic traffic, conversion rates, and engagement. Set up regular performance reviews to spot trends across different content types and topics. When certain briefs consistently produce high-performing content, analyse what makes them work.
Gather feedback
Ask writers what would make briefs more helpful. They often spot gaps or confusion we miss. Schedule quick check-ins after major projects to collect insights. The people creating content daily often have the best suggestions for improving brief clarity and usefulness.
Refine the process
Update brief templates based on what's working. Remove steps that don't add value. Test new sections or approaches based on team feedback and performance data. Keep what drives results and streamline elements that create unnecessary complexity or confusion.
Tools and templates
Our content team used to waste hours hunting through email threads and shared drives for brief templates. Now we've got a system that works well and is super efficient.
Google Docs has become our home base. Writers jump in to add comments, editors track changes and everyone sees updates in real-time. No more wondering if you're working from the latest version.
We tried running briefs through email many moons ago but stuff kept falling through the cracks. Switching to Asana changed everything. Now we can see exactly where each piece stands, who's working on what and which deadlines are coming up. The automatic reminders keep everyone on track.
SEO research used to be a huge time sink. These days we pull data straight from Ahrefs and SEMrush to guide our briefs. It shows us what's working in our space and where we can stand out.
Everything lives in our central template library now. When someone needs a brief template for a how-to guide or case study, they grab it and go. No reinventing the wheel every time.
The final check
Before sending a brief to writers, you should verify that it has:
- Clear objectives: Both business goals and reader value should be obvious.
- Complete information: All needed resources and references should be included or linked.
- Actionable guidance: Writers should know exactly what success looks like.
Once the writer has covered these basics, run through a quick sanity check. Does the brief make sense to someone who hasn't been in your planning meetings? Would a new writer know where to start? Could they picture the finished piece?
You don’t want to learn the hard way by sending out briefs that make perfect sense to your team but leave writers confused. It’s even worth asking someone from another department to review briefs first. If they can understand what you want, writers probably can too.
Take an extra 15 minutes to review your brief now, and you'll save hours of back-and-forth later.
Measuring success
Good briefs lead to:
- Higher quality first drafts, as writers nail the vision with fewer revisions needed.
- Faster turnaround with clear direction that reduces back-and-forth and delays.
- Better results and content that more consistently hits performance targets.
The extra effort spent on thorough briefs pays off through the entire content creation process. When writers clearly understand expectations and goals, they deliver stronger work that drives real business results.
Briefing time
A brief should empower writers to create their best work, not constrain their expertise. Give clear direction while leaving room for creativity and professional judgement. The best briefs find that balance.
Want a watertight brief? Conturae’s Brief Creator tool is just what you need to create briefs that give writers the chance to excel. Check it out, and while you’re at it, why not get our writers to pen content that pops for your brand?
