HOW TO WRITE THE BEST COPYWRITING BRIEF & TEMPLATE
The top tips on how to write the best copywriting brief and get this exclusive and premium template. Use the best copywriting brief generator template on Word or PDF.
Brought to you by Mau, a Senior Digital Marketer at eDigital.
HOW TO WRITE THE BEST COPYWRITING BRIEF & TEMPLATE
The below tips will ensure your copywriter will get to know your business and never assume your exact needs and expectations. With the below briefing tips, your copywriter will fully understand your preferences and get the best results for your budget.
Who is a copywriter?
A professional copywriter is a professional with top writing skills to design persuasive advertising, marketing and publicity copy. A copywriter can also be used for any form of marketing promotion where words are needed.
Why do marketers pay for copywriting?
Advertising personality David Ogilvy once said,
“Tell the truth, but make the truth fascinating.”
Great copywriting is about understanding what’s interesting about your brand and communicating it in a way that appeals to your most valuable target segments.
HOW COPYWRITERS MAKE SUCCESSFUL COPY THAT TURNS READERS INTO BUYERS
Some of the top professional copywriters will follow the below rules:
- Use words to make the reader feel the benefits of a brand, not just describe its benefits.
- Describe why the speaker (brand) feels the emotion (don’t describe the emotion per se)
- Make images with words (pain a picture), striking a chord of “sensory detail” with the reader (The reader can easily imagine it)
- Express the topic right away
- Creates a sense of scale
- Makes the reader appreciate the importance of the situation or topic
- Addresses the reader directly – Using the word: “You” (Active voice)
- Make the reader extremely curious*
- You may want to address a pain point if that is top buying factor
- You should end sentences with nouns
*Behavioral economist and Carnegie Mellon professor George Loewenstein wrote a paper on the psychology of curiosity – that has been used by top copywriters.
Some of the top takeaways from the paper about writing are:
- Ask a curiosity-inducing question
- Start a sequence of events, but don’t finish (e.g., an unfinished story)
- Do something unexpected
- Imply you have info the reader does not
- Imply the reader used to know something that the reader has since forgotten
WRITING THE BEST COPYWRITING BRIEF – STEPS
The information given in your copywriting brief will arm your copywriter with ample knowledge about you, your business and your exact copywriting needs and objectives.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ A must-have template
This copywriting brief template has become an essential tool for our team. It covers everything a copywriter should know about our needs. It’s an absolute must-have for any marketing team.
Liam T. ✅ Verified user
LET YOUR COPYWRITER SPEND TIME IN PLANNING
Copywriters often spend extensive time planning a project and doing the actual writing. Even the simplest job needs a rock-solid direction: a good brief and thorough research. Because it’s only after we dig deep into your business, goals and market, that a fantastic copywriter can put the exact right words on the page – and create clear, compelling content that gets you noticed.
But why is a copywriting brief so important – and what do you need to think about when briefing your writer?
A GREAT BRIEF SPARKS A GREAT COPYWRITING JOB RESULT
The more time and effort you put into the briefing stage, the bigger copywriting bang for your buck you get.
While all copywriters like to think they are pretty awesome at what they do after all those years of writing, they are (unfortunately) neither mind readers, nor miracle workers.
They can only build their work based on the information you (as a client) supply.
Copywriters can only write spot-on content (aka copy) if they get to know you, your needs and your goals really well.
Let your copywriter ask as many questions as they need. This way they have more information, insights and knowledge to be used when creating unique and powerful content that reaches your specific copywriting goals.
You can get a great understanding of how your copywriter’s mind works by using this exclusive and premium briefing template.
Also, try and think beyond the immediate copywriting brief. You may only need a few pages of web content now. But your copywriter would like to know all about your plans, so he can create words that stand the test of time. Plus, it lets your copywriter grow a close relationship with you.
WHAT’S YOUR STORY – WHY YOU ARE IN BUSINESS
Start by thinking about your business. On this best copywriting brief template, you will let your copywriter know what your business does, how you do it, and why.
This gives your copywriter a big-picture view of how you operate – and why you need copywriting help.
The answer to the “why” you are in business is everything.
Because it’s the start of your story.
It tells about your mission, beliefs and passion.
As well as why your people (your most profitable customer segment) should care about the work you do, and show their support by buying the products or services you offer.
BE SPECIFIC AND CLEAR WITH YOUR COPYWRITING OBJECTIVES
Be very clear about what copy you need to be written.
Is it a 20-page website, a monthly e-newsletter, a one-off white paper, or a book that needs to be edited?
Is it a wider communications strategy that needs to be written? or edited?
Or a package of different content pieces that need copywriting magic?
Sometimes you won’t know exactly what form the written piece should take. And that’s OK.
A professional copywriter should help you figure this out.
But having some idea of the final product and its goal will help your copywriter understand your expectations – and start the relationship off on the best foot.
WHO IS YOUR MOST PROFITABLE/VALUABLE CUSTOMER SEGMENT ( TARGET AUDIENCE)?
An experienced and talented copywriter would like to know all about your place in the market.
This will help the copywriter get a clearer picture of where you’re at – and where you want to head.
It also means the copywriter can tailor your message to the right audience and their pain points.
Part of the copywriting brief should include:
- Who’s your competition – and what are they doing differently (better or worse)?
- Who’s buying from you – and are you giving them what they want?
- What’s your USP? What makes you stand out in the crowd?
- What’s your market position – and how do you see it changing in the future?
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Great value
This template helped us ensure our content agency understood our copywriting goals and objectives. For such a well-structured template, it is fantastic value!
Mila D. ✅ Verified user
BRAND VOICE AND TONE BRIEFING
Have you read a blog with a tone of voice that’s perfect for your website? Or is a competitor making waves with an engaging ebook? What style of writing do you like? And what words, phrases, or brands do you loathe? Sometimes it’s easier to show what you do and don’t like than to try and explain it.
Show your copywriter some examples, to steer him in the right direction.
Marketers are also reading: The best words to use on social media.
Conclusion
Properly briefing a copywriter is essential for maximising the effectiveness of your marketing material and ensuring alignment with your marketing objectives and brand.
By creating a detailed and solid copywriting brief, you can ensure there is no doubts and make sure your copywriter know exactly what they should be doing or aiming for.
eDigital can help you conceptualise, plan, develop, run and optimise successful copywriting work that generate leads and sales for your brand.
Our digital marketing services include:
- Strategic planning for social media and other digital marketing channels.
- Online advertising management and optimisation (Search, Display, social media ads and re-marketing).
- Training: social media marketing training and digital marketing training.
- SEO strategy and execution. Including content development (articles, stories, eye-catching and SEO-optimised visuals).
- Celebrity and influencer marketing campaign strategy.
- Brand development. Logo creation, brand personality development and design of marketing materials.
- Consumer contests/competitions/giveaways.
- Email marketing. Dip sequence design and deployment.
- Conversion rate optimisation. It is also called “path to purchase” optimisation.
Final note: Want to reduce customer acquisition costs and dependency on paid media? Our exclusive digital marketing strategy workshops will unmercifully review your marketing, help you build a marketing engine with channels and assets you own, stir your team’s thinking, bring new ideas for new conversion paths and boost customer lifetime value.
HOW TO WRITE THE BEST COPYWRITING BRIEF & TEMPLATE
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