How to… brief a copywriter

If you’ve never briefed a copywriter before, don’t panic! It’s nothing to worry about: your brief is just the instructions and information your copywriter needs to understand who they are speaking to and what needs to be achieved.

Your copywriter may have little or no experience of your industry… but this can be an advantage! It means that your copy will be jargon-free and accessible to anyone – particularly new clients, who may not be familiar with your industry’s lingo.

But the copy you get is only as good as the brief that you provide, so here’s a quick list of key information that you’ll need to provide:

• Your business & its USPs
  Give your copywriter a snappy introduction to your product or service, along with your Unique Selling Propositions – or in other words, the things that make you stand out from the crowd.

• The job your copywriter will be working on
  Whether it’s a promotional letter, a website, a brochure or a script for a radio commercial, your copywriter will need to have an idea of length and the tone of voice that you are looking for. Will it be a warm and chatty piece, or are you looking for something more formal? Is it a one-off piece or a monthly newsletter? The more information that you can give, the better your chances of getting exactly what you had in mind.

• Target audience
  Who are you aiming your promotion at? Trendy teenagers looking to save money? Recently retired folk, with time and money on their hands? A local authority? Another service provider? Your target audience will influence the tone, and perhaps even the format, of your promotion, so make sure your copywriter’s in the know.

• Objectives
  What are you hoping to achieve? Are you looking to generate new sales leads? Alert existing customers to special offers? Maintain your presence with a well-timed newsletter? This will have a direct influence on the length and style of the copy, so let your copywriter know.

• Style guide
  If you have strict guidelines about the words used to describe your business, or your name is always written in a certain, unusual way, then tell your copywriter! It’ll save you both time and effort if it’s done correctly the first time.

• Competitors
  By looking at your competitors, your copywriter can see what standards exist for your industry, and also glean hints about tone of voice, level of detail and length of copy.

All you need to add to this is your deadline, and the number of someone to contact in case of questions. See, that was easy, wasn’t it?