A well-written brief helps your project get off to a strong start, stay on-track, and reach a successful conclusion. Briefing is an art form. But it’s an underrated one. Far too many content projects start without a brief, or with one that’s half-hearted and not that helpful.
Here I’ll explain how a great brief makes a difference, how to write one, and share a template to help you write your own.
Briefing matters because it pins down the details of the project. When those details only exist in someone’s head, there’s a lot of room for error. It could be ambiguity about key details, a blind-spot you’re not aware of, or even the potential for disagreement later down the line over mismatched expectations.
The process of getting the details down in a document gives you a moment to check you’ve got all the information you need to get started, and that everyone is aligned on the goal of the project and how you’ll approach it. A good brief also makes starting something new less intimidating, because it creates some certainty and a solid platform to push off from.
And when the project is up-and-running your brief acts like a compass - you can check it regularly to ensure you’re on-track.
Ideally you should have a brief for everything you do.
For a quick task, like a simple update to a piece of content, you don’t need a long brief, but you still need to pin down and align on the key details. You might be able to do this in an email or in a quick conversation, but you should still do it and consider writing it down.
Every piece of content you create should have a brief to guide it too - without it, it’s just too subjective. It’s also a good opportunity to get early input from subject matter experts. Again, this doesn’t have to be a lengthy process, and starting out with a good brief speeds up the writing process anyway.
For chunky projects like a website redesign, a content marketing campaign, adding a new section of content to a site, creating a style guide, a written brief should be non-negotiable, and you should plan to put a decent amount of time into creating it. See it as an investment - putting in the time to get the details agreed early in the process will have rewards later on.
If you’re the one who’s in charge of the project, taking ownership of the brief is straightforward. Less so if you’re not, and you get a bad brief or don’t get one at all. One approach is to write it yourself, and then approach the owner (diplomatically) saying you wanted a brief to help you get started, and would they be happy to give you some input. Alternatively, you could ask the owner if you can find some time to meet and write the brief together.
A good, comprehensive brief has quite a few different elements. This might look like a long to-do list, but figuring it all out now will save time later.
Don’t feel like a brief is immovable and set in stone - go back to it throughout the project, check your progress against it, use it as a benchmark, but also update it if things change or you learn something important.
Briefing is like anything else - practice makes perfect. To help you get started, download this briefing template - it has headings and questions to help guide you.
A well-written brief helps your project get off to a strong start, stay on-track, and reach a successful conclusion. Briefing is an art form. But it’s an underrated one. Far too many content projects start without a brief, or with one that’s half-hearted and not that helpful.
Here I’ll explain how a great brief makes a difference, how to write one, and share a template to help you write your own.
Briefing matters because it pins down the details of the project. When those details only exist in someone’s head, there’s a lot of room for error. It could be ambiguity about key details, a blind-spot you’re not aware of, or even the potential for disagreement later down the line over mismatched expectations.
The process of getting the details down in a document gives you a moment to check you’ve got all the information you need to get started, and that everyone is aligned on the goal of the project and how you’ll approach it. A good brief also makes starting something new less intimidating, because it creates some certainty and a solid platform to push off from.
And when the project is up-and-running your brief acts like a compass - you can check it regularly to ensure you’re on-track.
Ideally you should have a brief for everything you do.
For a quick task, like a simple update to a piece of content, you don’t need a long brief, but you still need to pin down and align on the key details. You might be able to do this in an email or in a quick conversation, but you should still do it and consider writing it down.
Every piece of content you create should have a brief to guide it too - without it, it’s just too subjective. It’s also a good opportunity to get early input from subject matter experts. Again, this doesn’t have to be a lengthy process, and starting out with a good brief speeds up the writing process anyway.
For chunky projects like a website redesign, a content marketing campaign, adding a new section of content to a site, creating a style guide, a written brief should be non-negotiable, and you should plan to put a decent amount of time into creating it. See it as an investment - putting in the time to get the details agreed early in the process will have rewards later on.
If you’re the one who’s in charge of the project, taking ownership of the brief is straightforward. Less so if you’re not, and you get a bad brief or don’t get one at all. One approach is to write it yourself, and then approach the owner (diplomatically) saying you wanted a brief to help you get started, and would they be happy to give you some input. Alternatively, you could ask the owner if you can find some time to meet and write the brief together.
A good, comprehensive brief has quite a few different elements. This might look like a long to-do list, but figuring it all out now will save time later.
Don’t feel like a brief is immovable and set in stone - go back to it throughout the project, check your progress against it, use it as a benchmark, but also update it if things change or you learn something important.
Briefing is like anything else - practice makes perfect. To help you get started, download this briefing template - it has headings and questions to help guide you.
Lauren is a freelance content strategy and digital transformation consultant, working with organisations that make the world a better, fairer, more beautiful place.
Lauren has been working in content and digital since way back in 2007 and since then has worked with some of the world’s biggest brands, including adidas, American Express, Microsoft and Tetra Pak.
She lives in Brighton, and loves the Downs, the sea, dystopian fiction and bold lipstick.