How to Brief Your Copywriter

You’ve just decided to bring on an experienced copywriter to create your marketing materials. Great plan. You’ll see more website conversions, more responses to your mailers, and ultimately an increase in sales.

But hiring a copywriter doesn’t stop with making that enquiry. Because there’s one stumbling block that can make your project more difficult than it needs to be. A stumbling block that will lead to longer turnaround times, more revisions, and greater expense.

It’s your brief.

If you want to get the very best from a copywriting service, you’re going to need to brief your copywriter.

Clarity, Firm Goals and Detail – The Keys to a Great Brief

You know what the best thing about copywriters is? It’s almost impossible to bore us. You spend all day thinking about your business, so the last thing you’d want to do is hear someone else rattling on about their industry. Not so for us.

I love hearing what a client has to say. I love finding out about your businesses, about what you do and how you do it. And that brings us to point one.

Point One: There is NO SUCH THING as Too Much Information

When you’re giving a brief, you don’t need to worry about giving a copywriter too much. My job is to sift through everything you do and find that hook – that one delicious way of grabbing your client’s attention – and hanging the rest of your offering on it.

Just last month, I spoke to a lovely bloke from Newcastle. His job was to look over business’ gas and electricity bills, and find them a better deal. He opened our conversation with “I’m sorry that I’m going to bore you.”

This could be you.

Rubbish!

Over the next 45 minutes, he told me just how underhanded and tricky energy companies are. How they’re desperate to get their claws into your hard-earned cash with cleverly worded contracts and offers that are anything but. And how all he wanted to do was ensure that his clients got a fair price without being played for fools.

How could that story, of a brave and successful struggle for the rights of the consumer against underhanded price gouging from people who seem to hold all the advantages, be boring?

You might think that all you do is look at energy contracts, or bake cakes, or hire out skips. But to your clients, you’re a hero.

Or you will be once your copywriter’s finished. Give me all the detail you can, and I’ll turn Clark Kent into Superman.

Point Two: What Do You Want to Achieve?

This isn’t limited to your copywriting brief, but it’s a key part of it. In fact, it’s a key part of your whole business strategy.

What do you want to achieve?

What’s your end goal?

Goals are important

I had a brief chat with a web designer last week, and he told me that his second biggest problem (after clients taking ages to hand over sub-par content they’d written themselves) was that some of his clients didn’t know what they want. “I want a website!” or “I want an app!” were common comments, but these aren’t goals.

Why do you want a website? Is it to attract new customers? Is it to provide a free service, such as a comparison tool, to raise your profile? Is it to sell more products?

The same goes for your email campaigns, mailers, and social media. It’s not enough to just want to own these things, like they’re part of a business success checklist. You need to decide why.

So tell your copywriter. You want to sell more of this product. You want more orders for this service. You want more attendees at this conference.

Once I know, I can tailor your copy to meet that goal.

Point Three: Who Are You Speaking To?

If you’ve answered “a copywriter” then have half a point. But I’m talking about your copy.

Now I know what you do – in great detail, and what you need to do – your goal, I need to know your audience.

It’s really tempting, when asked “who do you want to sell to?” to answer with “everyone!” And it’s sort of true. You do want everyone to buy your products.

But unless you’re selling water, you’re not going to have a product that everyone in the world needs. So you need to narrow it down. Because your content needs to be laser-focused.

Good copy needs to speak to every potential customer one-on-one. And ten minutes watching a politician’s meet-and-greet will tell you, speaking to a single mother of four from Salford in the same way you address a forum of financial analysts makes you look out of touch.

So you need to decide who your products are aimed at. Parents have different worries and fears to those without children, a plumber has different career needs to a bank manager. And an 18 year old apprentice sees the world in a different way to a 72 year old retiree.

Decide who your key clients are. Once I know who I’m speaking to, I can find out what they want. After that, it’s just a matter of showing them how you can give it to them.

Point Four: What’s Your Personality Like?

Finally, we come to an often overlooked part of any brief. What’s your brand’s personality like?

Your personality and tone of voice inform everything we’ve discussed above.If you’re funny and lighthearted, then we’ll sell your products in a different way. If you’re a straight-talking b2b provider, then I’ll make sure the financial directors you’re pitching to know you’re not here to mess around.

This is the most difficult part of any brief, but it’s the most rewarding. Because thinking about how you want to portray your business will help me to open all sorts of doors for you. It’ll allow me to come up with a memorable, unique voice for your business. Something recognisable.

Because once your customers recognise your voice, they’ll trust it. And when they trust it, they’ll listen.

And once they’re listening, well, then I can start to make sure that all of your goals are being met.