Your kitchen cabinets are whispering “2003,” so you call a contractor to draw up some plans and a quote—something like a content brief for your renovation. They swing by, take some measurements, and pose the million-dollar question: “So what do you want done in here?”

Imagine answering, “Whatever you think is best.” And then imagine being happy with the result when you walk into a lime green surprise that may well be someone’s dream kitchen… but it’s your nightmare.

Contractors have processes in place to document the exact work needed, from floor finishes to appliance features, all so no lime green abominations become reality. What’s true for inside your kitchen is true for inside your blog, too. Or any content project you launch, for that matter.

A content brief is my plan to make sure your word project goes smoothly, in the direction you want, to achieve the results you have in mind. That way, it sets expectations upfront and keep us on track throughout the project.

And the better the brief, the better those results. So let’s build the best one we can.

Content briefs: a brief anatomy

A content brief helps you communicate your goals with an external writer like me. Its a foundational guardrail that helps sharpen your focus and gives me helpful direction so I can deliver spot-on words as early in the project as possible.

Whether you build a brief with your marketing team, or I create one after asking questions, it should contain some key building blocks. After a few years at this, here are the ones I find most helpful.

1. Background

Why is this project important? Chances are, you’re reaching out to me because you have a new project or campaign in the works. This is your chance to share what your company’s all about and what you’ve got in mind.

2. Purpose

What work do you want your content to do? Share your wildest business goals and dreams with me. Tell me why they’re important, how you’ll keep track of them, and how this project fits into your plan to reach them. Purpose informs everything below.

3. Audience

Who are you helping (and how do you do it)? You know your customers better than anyone, from their specific customer segments to the pain points that keep them up at night. The deeper we dig into their journey, the more relevant we can make our content.

4. Deliverables

What are you creating and where is it going? Writing a printed one-pager for an event is a different beast to scripting a podcast or launching a social campaign. Even if the overall message is be the same, the wording needs the right tuning to fit the channel.

5. Scope

What are the project parameters? Break down the timelines for finished work and revisions, the expected word or page count, the formats you prefer, team responsibilities, and the budget for the content.

6. Key content

What do you want your audience to know? Outline any key messages or relevant benefits you want to include. You can even outline an outline if you have a specific flow in mind (though I may ask you about wiggle room)!

7. Action

What’s your audience’s next move? Your content is part of a larger journey, and when you identify a clear “now what?” (preferably one, maybe two, but keep it limited), I can guide them to their destination along a clearer content path.

8. Inclusions

What else do I need to make room for? Call out any specific links, graphics, videos, disclaimers or data you want to reference in or alongside the content. When SEO matters, share your keywords or target topics.

9. Brand guidelines

How does your brand sound? Clean content means content delivered in your voice. While I can get a sense of your predilection for punctuation (among other things) from other sources, a style or brand guide is a most helpful time-saver.

10. Inspiration

What other content like this is out there? I always go broad and deep in my research, but if something out there sparks joy for you, it sparks joy for me too! Share links to content that’s already working well, or to other content you like (even if it’s not in your industry).

11. Competitors

Who else does what you do? By getting a sense of your competitive landscape, I can help reinforce your position in the market, find footholds for original approaches, and make you stand out like the star you are.

A brief example of a content brief

Let’s pretend I built a content brief for this article.

In the real world, you probably won’t get into this level of detail on every single project. You might leave out background if we’ve already chatted about it. If we’ve gone over the style guide once, we won’t need to do it again unless something changes.

Even if your brief isn’t this detailed, I’m always happy to fill in the blanks.

Background	I am a multi-skilled freelance writer with a broad portfolio. On my blog, I share lessons learned from practicing in my career, mainly focusing on the craft of writing, marketing and communications foundations, and the millions of tiny word-nerd gears that crank in my brain as I’m putting together content. I’ve noticed that the smoothest projects often start with strong content briefs. Even a simple one helps build clarity and saves time in revisions. I decided to create a post that highlights the most impactful elements that help me and my clients achieve our shared goals.
Purpose	43% reduction in extra back-and-forth communications with clients by sharing a smooth process that sets expectations for working together early. 20% boost to inbound inquiries by giving potential clients confidence about working together on their next marketing or communications project.
Audience	Primary: Marketing leaders in small and medium-sized businesses who are interested in working with a freelance writer and who want to get started quickly Secondary: Decision-makers who don’t often talk to freelance writers and feel unsure about the process Tertiary: Fellow freelance writers in search of a template or guide to make their own client interactions smoother.
Deliverables	One blog article (will be spun off into a social media post and shared one-on-one as a guide)
Scope	Length: 1,300 words Delivery: 1 week after initial request Reviewers/approvers: Princess Fuzzyboots (the cat) Budget: 2 cups of coffee
Key content	Please address the top questions I ask when I’m starting a project: – Why is this project important? – What work do you want your content to do? – Who are you helping (and how do you do it)? – What are you creating and where is it going? – What are the project parameters? – What do you want your audience to know? – What’s your audience’s next move? – What else do I need to make room for? – How does your brand sound? – What other content like this is out there? – Who else does what you do?
Calls to action	Let’s talk briefs (link to contact form)
Inclusions	Slip in a link to my portfolio, along with the following articles I’ve written for clients: – https://www.thinkific.com/blog/customer-segmentation/ – https://www.thinkific.com/blog/conversion-funnel/
Style notes	Follow Canadian Press style and the Oxford Canadian English Dictionary. Show that you’re knowledgeable and enthusiastic about writing. Strike a tone that’s confident, clear and friendly – like someone who’s actually fun to collaborate with.
Comparables	Base in your own experience but be familiar with recommendations in other top-ranking articles: – https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/creative-brief – https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/marketing-brief – https://www.wikihow.life/Write-a-Creative-Marketing-Brief
Competitors	– Other local freelance writers (Hey, I’ll share names if I’m not the right fit for your project!) – Services like Upwork, Fiver and Freelancer – AI writing tools (while evolving fast, they still need someone like me to guide tone, structure, and accuracy)

Don’t let your next content project turn into a lime green kitchen you never asked for. Start from solid foundations and your content brief (and your favourite word nerd) will do the heavy lifting.

Want a version of this template you can copy and reuse? Let’s talk!