“Creative brief” is a term associated with graphic designers and ad agencies. Google is packed with articles about (and templates for) ad-focused briefs.
Demand for substantive, effective content marketing is prompting a new look at this simple-yet-essential document. But very little has been published about writing a creative brief to implement a content plan.
That’s what I’m talking about here: how to write a creative brief for a content plan. How you can capture everything your writers need to know about the marketing strategy for which they will be generating thousands of words.
What is a creative brief for content marketing?
A creative brief for content marketing is a document:
- created by the managing editor (such as content services provider or an in-house content manager)
- in consultation with the marketing strategist (such as your V.P. or director of marketing)
- to give to writers (often freelancers).
The document should capture the big and the little, the essential messaging and the quirky nuances of your brand.
Most of all, it should foreground the goals of the content marketing project.
The content brief is a reference tool and living document that helps the client and writer keep “checking the alignment.”
How to write a creative brief for your content plan
A content marketing plan is typically overseen by a managing editor, who serves as the bridge between the plan’s two sides: the business and marketing strategy on one side and the content production process on the other.
The creative brief operationalizes that strategy, converting the big picture into actionable information for the writers.
Developing a creative brief for your content plan will likely not be completed in one session. Assuming a managing editor is overseeing the project, the process should look something like this:
1. The editor will schedule a consultation with the stakeholders who own the strategy.
2. The managing editor should ask probing questions that ensure the strategy holds up logically. Robert McGuire often talks about this in terms of a “theory of change.” If we do ___, and envision ___ audience, and have ____ inputs, then we should achieve _____.” When the laid out that way, gaps and opportunities emerge.
3. The managing editor drafts the creative brief for review.
4. The managing editor revises the document as needed.
5. Use it. Make sure every writer has it, that every new writer gets it and that everyone is reminded of it occasionally so the content initiative doesn’t drift off course.
6. Review periodically. If the business and marketing strategy has evolved, then the creative brief should be updated to reflect that. At McGuire Editorial, we do this regularly when contracts are renewed and the scope of work is being updated.
The highest priority is that everyone feels that strategy has been translated into practical guidance for the writers.
If this is done well, then the resulting content should be on-brand, unique to your organization and designed to engage your particular audience.
What does this content marketing creative brief look like?
Below is an overview of what I recommend be covered in every content plan’s creative brief.
Client overview. Assume the writer knows nothing about your business. In a paragraph or two, address basic information about who you are and what you do or sell.
Value proposition. What is your unique selling point? Why are you valuable to your target audience and potential customers? What does your company offer to the world?
Goals. What does the content strategy aim to achieve? See the point about the “theory of change” above.
Clarify if you want web traffic, more qualified leads, more nurturing of existing leads, more brand awareness or customer education. What will success in this project look like?
Audience. Who are these articles aimed at? What industries will the content project concentrate on? What kinds of companies or size of company do you want to attract? What roles within those companies do you want to be reading your content?
Be specific. Your content about your training software isn’t just aimed at a director of L&D; the articles may be aimed at the director of L&D at a company in a certain industry vertical and above a certain size who is at a certain point in their buyer journey.
You want the writer to know if they are talking to someone new to the topic or to a sophisticated reader who already has a foundation in the topic.
Messaging. What are some the taglines used to express your value proposition in the past?
Brand voice. In what voice do you want to speak to the prospective buyer? What voice do you want them to “hear” when they visit your site or read one of your white papers? Is the client conservative, edgy, casual, sophisticated? Witty or serious?
Writing style and tone. This overlaps somewhat with brand voice, but gives some direction to how your company’s voice translates into the written word. Is anything allowed or discouraged? Can pieces be in first person? Should writers use exclamation points liberally or omit them entirely? Should the language be technical or accessible?
Types of content. Most content marketing strategies will include several types of content, such as blogs, white papers, ebooks or LinkedIn posts. List each and any important details.
For example, if the strategy will include feature articles for the blog section, clarify the approximate length and sources of expertise will inform them. Explain how the approach to those might differ from marquee assets or blogging on LinkedIn.
Examples to consider: Nothing beats an example to make all this clear. These might be examples of what you like and want to emulate or what you dislike and want to avoid.
They could be previously produced by your company or by a competitor or even generated in a different industry. In short, this is a place to point at things and say “do it like this!” or “don’t do it like that!”
Competition and positioning. This serves two important purposes. First, it extends the writer’s understanding of how your business sees itself and its role in the marketplace.
Secondly, it informs the writer of who your competitors are, which can be invaluable. It helps remind them that we’re looking for differentiated original content that could only appear on your site. When they see how the same topic treated on a competitor’s site, it clarifies what they shouldn’t do.
Related reading: How Good Content Marketing Balances Generic and Specific
Other. There will be notes relevant to every content marketing strategy that aren’t already covered but must be conveyed to the writer.
Maybe it’s a quirky way the client writes a certain word. Maybe it’s a pet peeve of the CEO that needs to be avoided at all costs. Maybe it’s more mundane notes, like house style details. (For example: Should you use the Oxford comma? Should you capitalize job titles? Should you avoid overusing parenthetical statements like this?)
Notes on what a creative brief for content marketing is NOT:
– This is not a piece of marketing in itself. Value clarity over catchiness.
– This is not an assignment to a writer. This is background information to accompany individual assignments.
– This is not something to be done and forgotten. If a writer turns in a draft that drifts from your unique strategy — even if the article is fantastic on its own terms — return the draft, point out where it wobbled out of alignment and ask for revisions.
Shari Shallard
Assistant Editor