I’ve labored in a variety of totally different industries — as a freelancer, as a supervisor of freelancers, as a marketer, as a author — and you already know what by no means modifications? The necessity for content material creators to be crystal clear on their assignments.
One of many easiest methods to realize that is to write down content material briefs.
Do not be deceived, although: Though a content material transient is straightforward, it is nonetheless essential to get it proper.
Desk of Contents
What’s a content material transient?
A content material transient is a brief doc — for those who can maintain it to a web page or two, all people might be glad — that’s a information or blueprint for creating content material.
The specifics will range relying on the sort of content material you’re creating and who the transient is for, nevertheless it ought to anticipate and reply top-level questions on content material, format, communication, and so forth.
When you handle freelance writers, a content material transient might be a lifesaver for each you and your writers — and that’s solely a slight exaggeration. Your content material briefs will describe precisely what’s anticipated of the author, together with any required subheadings, goal phrase rely, and deadlines.
When you work on a challenge with a number of companions at a number of organizations, a easy content material transient will give all people a single supply of reality.
Content material Briefs vs. Artistic Briefs
Though they sound comparable, content material briefs and creative briefs serve totally different functions. A inventive transient outlines a marketing campaign, and should embrace extra intensive messaging, deliverables from a number of contributors, and different particulars that give form to the complete marketing campaign.
A content material transient focuses on a particular piece of content material — my examples under are for written content material, however you may use the identical components to create a content material transient for movies, podcasts, or the rest you’re producing. When you’re utilizing software program like Content Hub, a short would be the basis for every bit of content material.
Significance of Content material Briefs
Positive, you may attempt to muddle via with out one, however they save extra time than they take to write down.
I as soon as labored on a challenge with a number of exterior companions, and apart from Slack and Google Docs, no person used the identical organizational instruments, and it triggered a variety of frustration and confusion.
I pulled collectively a generic content material transient that could possibly be iterated on for particular assignments. It included accepted messaging, hyperlinks to all of the paperwork that everyone was engaged on, and main deliverables and deadlines. You possibly can nearly hear the sigh of aid within the Slack channel.
I used to do some freelance writing, and my favourite consumer was the one which had the very best content material transient. Writing for a brand new consumer might be intimidating, even for skilled writers, as a result of you must be taught a brand new model information, a brand new voice, and perhaps even a wholly new audience.
That individual consumer included a one-page transient with every project. It included the goal phrase rely and the speed, the title of the publication and its viewers, in addition to hyperlinks to the model information and any belongings, an outline of the project, and the assigning editor and due date. If an interview was required, contact data was supplied.
They have been a dream to freelance for as a result of I by no means wasted time with logistical questions — the expectations have been clear and all the things I wanted was at my fingertips.
When you’re enhancing content material, offering a transparent content material transient will cut back the variety of revisions and rewrites (to not point out frustration!). Let’s speak about strike a stability between detailed and concise.
Parts of a Content material Temporary
The weather of a content material transient will range relying in your wants, however listed here are what I believe are absolutely the necessities:
- Level particular person and/or a responsibility matrix
- Communication protocols, reminiscent of a Slack channel
- Clear description of the challenge or project, together with audience and phrase rely
- Hyperlinks to belongings, messaging, model and/or model guides, and every other related shared paperwork
- Deliverables and deadlines
You may additionally embrace:
After I’ve labored on advertising multi-partner podcasts, I’ve discovered it useful to incorporate a number of bullet factors of accepted messaging, noting who has accepted on behalf of every companion.
Some stakeholders could have sure necessities for a way their firm or group is described, and your writers and content material entrepreneurs will want that data.
Maintain it easy:
Professional tip: Particularly when working with exterior companions, it’s typically value repeating essential model particulars which can be in your model information. Don’t get too slowed down right here — the model information exists for a purpose — however stakeholders will recognize having this data at hand.
When you’re writing content material briefs for freelancers, you’ll need to make certain they’ve entry to any info they could want throughout the course of their project — model or brand guidelines, Slack channels, who to contact with questions, and any context for the project.
Let’s dig into “clear description of the project,” since that may include a variety of essential particulars in your author(s), reminiscent of:
- Objective. Inform the author what the content material aim is; perhaps it’s a weblog publish to handle demand for a sure key phrase, or perhaps you want advert copy and a wide range of CTAs for a brand new product.
- SEO/key phrases. What does your author must find out about goal key phrases? Are there any key phrases or subjects that they need to keep away from to stop content material cannibalization?
- Material specialists and sourcing. In our brave new E-E-A-Tified world, firsthand expertise is extra essential than ever. In case your author is predicted to conduct SME interviews, embrace that within the transient. You might also ask that they supply hyperlinks to every other sources they’ve used to help with any mild fact-checking.
- Required subheadings and different technical specs. When you’ve carried out your key phrase analysis, it’s possible you’ll have already got H2 or H3 subheadings in thoughts. This will even assist the author perceive the way you need the content material organized. Your author may be anticipated to supply meta descriptions, alt textual content for photographs, or social media copy.
- Different formatting necessities. If a doc must be formatted in a sure method, clarify how (ideally with an instance or template). When you can solely settle for (or for those who favor) a sure file sort, embrace that — don’t assume that everyone is utilizing Google Workspace or Microsoft Phrase simply since you are.
- Sharing/entry necessities. Everyone knows the frustration of seeing “Entry denied.” Set all people up for fulfillment by together with data on who to share information with.
- How and the place to file the finished project. Does your workflow require tagging sure individuals in an Asana card? Do writers electronic mail you after they’ve accomplished an project?
- Naming conventions. If any of the deliverables, together with belongings, must comply with a particular filename conference, lay that out in your content material transient.
- Publish-assignment expectations. If writers ought to count on to listen to from an editor, allow them to know that forward of time — freelancers specifically might want to price range time for this. And for those who handle a big roster of freelancers, it may be useful to incorporate any reminders in regards to the price and invoicing necessities.
Methods to Write a Content material Temporary
Let’s make a template: Utilizing your phrase processor of selection, create a one-page doc with a two-column desk. Within the left-hand column, write out the fundamental components: level particular person and/or accountability matrix, communication protocols, project description, belongings, and deadlines and deliverables.
That is private choice, however I prefer to checklist the communication data within the high left header of the transient, together with the related Slack channel — I repeat this data when I’ve to create different docs for stakeholders, so all people will get used to having it entrance and heart.
It instantly solutions the highest questions: Who’s in cost? Who wants to supply approval? The place did you inform me that Google Drive was? Why didn’t anyone inform me there was a Slack channel for this challenge?
Even when this data feels redundant, it may be particularly useful for brand new freelancers or new hires, so I counsel making it a part of your template. Freelancers typically have a number of (or extra) shoppers, all of whom might need totally different necessities and codecs, and it will save them a while and sanity.
Your transient would possibly begin off like this:
Professional tip: You’ll notice that I’ve included the time and time zone within the due date — I contemplate this important info. Particularly within the age of distributed workforces, the place staff and freelancers could also be in several time zones, together with it will save all people a headache and set your author up for fulfillment.
Earlier than you flesh out any particulars within the project description, contemplate who your content material transient is for. Freelance writers will seemingly want extra hyperlinks and extra context than in-house writers, who have already got the corporate model information bookmarked (proper? Proper?).
You might discover it helpful to create two templates, one for in-house writers and one for freelancers, so you possibly can present your entrepreneurs with essentially the most concise transient. As an illustration, freelancers could not want data on KPIs; in-house writers who add their very own work to the CMS received’t want a folder for deliverables.
What’s absolutely the minimal info a author must efficiently full an project? It’s tempting to incorporate hyperlinks to all the things associated to the challenge, however don’t overload your writers with pointless context.
It’ll be helpful at this stage to speak to them, whether or not they’re in-house or freelance, and discover out what they discover most useful.
You’ll want to explain the project, its objective, and its viewers:
Professional tip: For freelancers, contemplate all the time together with a hyperlink to your model information. That method it’s all the time useful. And a easy “thanks” is all the time a pleasant contact.
In case your content material has a variety of particular necessities for conversion technique, search engine optimization, key phrases, and the like, embrace these in a desk in order that they’re simple to parse.
After I labored as a contract author, I discovered this extremely useful. It’s a small factor, however having the ability to see all this data in the identical format with every project makes it a lot simpler to get began on assignments.
Information that’s typically included in HubSpot assignments is the month-to-month search quantity, any required CTAs, and search engine optimization and conversion methods:
Write Your First Content material Temporary
When you’ve constructed a template (or two) that fits your wants, content material briefs received’t take you a lot time in any respect to fill out. And whether or not you’re working with in-house content material creators, freelancers, and/or exterior stakeholders, having a single supply of data will make all people’s job simpler and extra environment friendly.
