Your copywriting brief is like your house’s foundation.
If your home does not have a rock-solid base, it’s only a matter of time until it all falls down and crushes you.
The same is true for your writing.
If you do not have a good copywriting brief to give to clients, you will be crushed by the competition.
Why?
Because your copywriting brief holds all the answers to what you will write about.
The answers you receive from clients will dictate how effective and persuasive your writing will be.
However, they have to be the right answers.
And this starts with asking the right questions.
In this blog post…
I’m going to cover what a copywriting brief is, what to include and give you exclusive access to the copywriting brief I’ve used for over 4 years.
What is a Copywriting Brief?
Copywriting briefs are a big list of market-related questions copywriters send to their clients to fill out.
The questions cover everything the copywriter needs to know in order to do proper market research.
Questions about the market, product, company, brand voice, competition, and so on
The answers you receive back are what you will use during the research phase (first phase of the copywriting process).
The 2 most common ways to create copywriting briefs are a Word document and a PDF document.
Every time you take on a new copywriting client, send them your copywriting brief before you begin the project.
Who Writes the Copywriting Briefs? You or Your Client??
You create the questions, your client fills them out.
Sometimes, clients will already have a completed copywriting brief.
I strongly recommend that you create your own brief and send it to them anyway.
Why?
This copywriting brief is EXTREMELY important.
If you ask the right questions, it will be MUCH easier to write successful copy that drives results for your clients.
To ensure you get everything you need in the market research phase, send clients your own copywriting brief to fill out.
When Should You Use a Copywriting Brief?
You should use a copywriting brief whenever writing for a new client.
The good news is…
You only create this brief once.
Simply create a copywriting brief and send it to every client you take on.
The 4 Main Areas Every Copywriting Brief MUST Include
There are 4 main areas that you’ll need to study intensely during the research phase:
- The market
- The product
- The company
- The competition
A good copywriting brief asks several key questions in each main category.
However, the best copywriting briefs focus the most on the market.
And this is tricky.
Because most clients don’t know their core buyers well enough (if at all).
By asking smart questions about their market, you force them to dig deeper into who they are really selling to and what motivates them to buy.
In the next section, I’ll cover every question to ask per category and the key components to focus on…
Steal the Exact Copywriting Brief I’ve Used Over the Last 4+ years
I created this copywriting brief 4 years ago.
I’ve updated it over the years. I added relevant and important questions as I took on more copywriting assignments and got more experience.
It is VERY long and comprehensive.
It covers EVERYTHING you need to write knock-out copy.
99% of the time, your clients will not be able to answer every question. That’s okay. But, you want to get as many answers as possible, with lots of details.
As you’ll see below, I’ve included a brief paragraph in the intro explaining the importance of filling this copywriting brief out.
I recommend you say something similar when you send them this copywriting brief.
Copywriting Brief
Great results come from great briefs.
In order for me to help you achieve your goals, I need to know everything about you, your product, your existing customers, and your target market.
So, to make this easy, I have compiled a simple questionnaire for you to fill out.
Please answer every question with as much detail as you can.
The more info you share, the better your results will be.
I would like to thank you in advance for the time and effort you will put into this document.
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Campaign Objective
What is your main objective for this project?
[Leads, sales, etc.]
----
#1. Market
Demographics
Age:
Gender:
Marital status:
Occupation:
Education level:
Annual income:
Location:
State of market awareness [highlight most relevant]
- Most aware
- Product aware
- Solution aware
- Problem aware
- Completely unaware
Emotional questions about your market (most important)
- What keeps them awake at night, indigestion boiling up their esophagus, eyes open, staring at the ceiling?
- What causes them pain?
- What humiliates them?
- What are they afraid of?
- What makes them mad?
- What do they worry about most?
- What 3 things frustrate them most each day?
- What do they want most?
- What make them feel insecure?
- What is the #1 most URGENT problem they are desperately trying to solve?
- What FEELINGS are they experiencing when they’re doing a Google search about the big problem they need solved?
- What do they COMPLAIN about to their friends over a drink?
- What do they dislike about products available?
- What do they like about products available?
- What do they want more of from products?
- How do you want the visitor to FEEL when they arrive on your website
- Why do they NEED what you are selling?
- Why should they buy NOW?
- What are their VALUES like?
- What trends are occurring and will occur in their business or lives?
- Is there a built-in bias to the way they make decisions? (Example: engineers = exceptionally analytical.)
- Do they have their own insider language?
----
#2. Product
What are the main features of your product?
[list as many features as possible]
What are the main benefits?
[list the top 5-10 benefits in order of importance. HINT: What does your product DO for your customers? What key benefits do they gain from USING your product?
What are the emotional benefits?
[list the top 5-10 emotional benefits in order of importance. How do customers feel after experiencing these benefits? Happy, relieved, confident, etc.]
Why is your product different from all the other products available?
[Explain the core benefits/solutions you can provide to your customers that no one else in your market can.]
What makes your benefits believable?
[list any & all reviews, testimonials, case studies, demonstrations, specific details, and personal success stories that support your claims]
Do you have a risk-free guarantee? If so, what is it? Is it unique from the competition?
----
#3. Your company
What is your brand's mission?
What is the background story for creating this product?
What is your brand’s core values?
What is the preferred tone and voice for the brand (brand voice)?
----
#4. Competition
What kinds of offers are currently working right now?
Who are your top competitors?
[List 3-5 main competitors. Include their name, website and how they are successfully selling to your target audience]
-----
Is there anything else I should know before writing?
Thank you for taking the time to fill this out.
I look forward to writing for you!
You can download this copywriting brief template here:
Feel free to add/edit this template.
Conclusion
Use this copywriting brief template to help you write copy that impresses clients and gets them the results they desire.
If you do, you will be able to charge higher fees, win repeat clients and write much faster.
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