How to take a bulletproof(ish) copywriting brief
As copywriters, we can do wonderful things with words, but we’re not mind-readers. Investing time at the start of any project, whether it’s with a new client or one you’ve known for ages, will help you write the copy they’re after.
We all take a brief before we start work. Some of us fill out formal, written briefing documents with the client. Others have a quick chat on the phone or jot down a few bullet points in an email. But do we cover everything we need to?
I for one am pretty sure I don’t. After all, you’re never going to know all the questions you’ll want answers to at the start of the project (as I said, no mind-readers here). But if I tell you what I cover, will you tell me what I’m missing? That way we can all be winners.
Who is the client, what do they do and how do they help their customers?
You need to know what they do, what makes them tick and how they’re different from the next person. The more succinctly they can do this, the better. It’ll make them focus, rather than bombarding you with every known fact (and some more) about their business and their industry. Extra detail is useful, but you need the headlines first.
Where will the copy appear and is there a word count?
Is it for a leaflet? A website? A newsletter? All of the above? I want to know where the copy is destined to end up and if there’s a limit to how many words will fit there.
Who are we talking to?
Who is your client’s customer, supporter, audience? Does your client have a feel for this? They might even have well-developed marketing personas. It’s an obvious question, I know, but worth mentioning because the more we know about the audience, the more we can tailor the copy.
What does your client want their audience to know?
They might want to tell their readers everything, but we know that in most cases that just won’t work. Readers won’t remember everything. I always try to get the client to pick a handful of core messages they want to stick in their readers’ minds.
What’s the call to action?
Triggering some kind of action is generally the whole point of the copy so this is obviously pretty important. Weirdly the client often seems to ignore this bit until you ask them.
What do people say about your client?
I find it really helpful to know what customers say about my clients. It might be that there are nuggets hidden away in their testimonials that point to things they don’t realise they’re great at. And who better than customers to tell us why they like (or don’t like) the client? Even if you don’t end up using reviews, it’s handy to see them.
What’s the tone of voice?
How do they speak? Do they say ‘I’, ‘we’ or their name? Not all clients will have brand guidelines or style guides, but most have some idea of what they want to sound like, or what they don’t want to sound like.
So that’s it.
You’ve been treated to a whistlestop tour of the questions I ask a client when I start work for them. There are others, but they’re not as exciting to write about. Things like deadlines, payment terms and keywords. Let me know what I missed!
