What is a Content Brief?

A content brief is a document that specifies what the content should contain. It details the requirements and recommendations for the content. Ideally, a content brief is a reference document for the stakeholders of content.

What Should it Contain?

The content brief includes the topic, word count, title, and keywords for use. It also specifies the goals of the document, the target audience, and an outline of the desired content. A content brief can include deadlines and milestones, standards or style guides that need to be adhered to, and links to internal, or external websites.

The content brief also guides to look for any research content, the tone that should be followed, and graphics if any to be included.

In short, a content brief is a project document that details the project's scope, audience, and desired result.

Meetings are held to discuss how the content must be, however, a formal or informal meeting alone doesn’t mean the content is briefed. A content brief is a well-documented file that explains what is expected from the content.

Content Briefs are generally used while creating content such as blog posts, case studies, articles, web content pages, e-books, etc.


Whom Does the Content Brief Help?

The content briefs are used by Marketing Strategists or Writers. It aligns with the content writing team and helps them prevent frequent revisions to the content.

Not every content project has a dedicated strategist. In such cases, a content brief helps a lot.

Sharing this document with the client ensures they agree before they finish drafting. The clients generally give high-level instructions, so a content brief document makes sure their plans match.

The document becomes essential when the project involves more than one person. The more people are involved, the more the content brief is needed. Too many stakeholders may confuse the content brief’s core message.

Also, drafting briefs for every piece of content is a waste of time. A template helps organize content and makes it easy to follow.

How to Create a Content Brief?

Begin with identifying keywords, search queries, and the intent of the content brief. Prepare a template that lists the following:

Decide on the Title
Once the title is decided, no two writers will provide the same content if they are left to their own interpretations. The more directions around the intent of the article the better it is.

*Involve in SEO practice by looking for google results for the search query.

Outline the Structure and Format

Do a Google search to find out what the search results are showing, if step by step guide is popular or if a bullet point list is more in demand.

Specify the Topics and Sub-Topics to be Covered.

List out the topics to be covered to ensure nothing is missed out.

Be Specific About the Call to Action
Invitations for a user to take some desired action.

Create an Audience Persona

Know exactly whom you are targeting. Identify the buyer persona.

Estimate the Word Count

List out how long the document must be. Specify the word count.

Specify the Internal or External Links That Need to be Added.

List out the links in the document that need to be inserted.

Provide Links to Competitors’ Articles

Include links to the competitor's website and ensure that the writer gets a grasp of what he needs to deliver.

Include an On-Page SEO Cheat Sheet
Keywords to be used in the title.
Writing meta descriptions.
Images to have keywords within the file name and alt text if applicable.
Used keywords 2 or 3 times in the article as naturally as possible.

Conclusion
A well-documented content brief is essential if you want your content writing team to create an article that is as close as you want it to be.

A content brief facilitates the content and saves a lot of time in content creation. It acts as a guide for writers and a bridge between all the stakeholders.