We asked several professionals who have been on both sides of the fence how they create briefs or assignments, and what\u2019s worked for them in the past when working with companies. Let’s dive into how to format a writer’s assignment and best practices<\/p>\n
Why do you need a brief\/assignment?<\/h2>\n
\u201cCreative briefs are critical to ensuring that your project conveys the correct message,\u201d says Sonia Diaz<\/strong>, VP at Balsera Communications. As a public affairs and communications strategy firm for politicians, unions and major corporations, Balsera has to be very conscious and precise with messaging at all times \u2013 and more than that, make sure the messaging is consistent across multiple languages.<\/p>\n As many brands switch to using platforms instead of agencies, brand managers often have to craft briefs themselves instead of relying on agency professionals. The results can be dramatically different. Here is an assignment brief from a popular freelancing platform. It is sparse.<\/p>\n It provides virtually no details, no word count. I can\u2019t even tell if this article is for an English or Spanish audience, or how it would relate to the people of Peru. Most people could not know for sure whether they would be a good fit for this gig based on the information provided.<\/p>\n Now, let\u2019s look at an example of a detailed brief\/assignment.<\/p>\n This concept provides exactly what the writer needs in order to know whether they should raise their hand for the assignment. And if they do so, it\u2019s with a good-faith guarantee that they can produce an excellent, on-message piece of content. You have the word count, the goal of the post, where the post will be published, what tone to use \u2014 even an outline to get the writer started. When a project manager assigns a writer something using this type of brief, they should expect a fairly clean first draft.<\/p>\n What type of content<\/a> do you want to create \u2014 a blog post? A white paper? Press release? Product description?<\/p>\n Providing the target audience helps the writer create a personalized piece of content.<\/p>\n The language used in an article aimed at a CMO is much different than the language you would use for a millennial consumer in the middle household income range. When defining the target audience, consider building out a persona (aka avatar) that includes the target\u2019s age, gender, interests, job title, income, needs, and affinity to your product\/service. This helps the writer know what tone and approach to take.<\/p>\n Meredith Hoffa<\/strong>, who edits the online magazine of a popular mom\u2019s humor brand, always gives a few differentiators between her website\u2019s POV and other similar sites out there.<\/p>\n \u201cI tell writers I want their stories to be voice-driven but grounded<\/em> in reality. I want them to let loose, but not lose their humanity in trying to be funny or jokey. The funny should serve the spine of the story. Readers should read the piece and come away thinking \u2018I want to be best friends with that author.\u2019”<\/p>\n What is the purpose of your article? The takeaway? What problem does it solve or what action do you want the reader to take?<\/p>\n \u201cTo ensure that your team is properly translating your vision, it is important you have defined certain aspects of the project, such as, ‘Who is my audience?\u2019 and ‘What is the feeling you want people to get when they see your product or read your slogan or piece?’\u201d Sonia from Balsera says. \u201cThese factors will help in deciding appropriate language, format, font type and tone, to name a few.\u201d<\/p>\n This information helps the writer craft a piece of content that does what you want it to do and is on message with your brand.<\/p>\n \u201cWe don\u2019t always know the nuances of every business we write about, such as who the competitors and what the no-go topics are,\u201d says content consultant\u00a0Bob Curley<\/a>,<\/strong> whose clients range from Healthline to Business Traveller to Disney (one of the most rigorously controlled brands of all time). He prefers assignments to contain less creative direction, but plenty of detailed instruction on company style and branding guidelines.<\/p>\n \u201cFor case studies, a key element of a brief would be the brand style and language. What words should I use to describe clients and the institution and its partners? Also, as someone coming from outside the organization it\u2019s helpful to know what the vernacular is in terms of describing people\u2019s jobs and titles.\u201d<\/p>\n In the online casino example above, and equally as much for the corporate assignments that Bob Curley often gets, the ultimate destination for this piece of content matters a great deal. Larger corporations often want slightly different tone and language for different types of content: An easy example would be to compare a brand\u2019s social media accounts with its corporate About Us section. Even if writing a typical \u201cmagazine-style article,\u201d a writer would need to know whether it\u2019s for a blog and should include internal\/outbound links, or whether it\u2019s for publication in print, or will be published on a third party site.<\/p>\n Sharing where the article will be published also allows the writer to research the tone and feel of the site.<\/p>\n This element of the brief is new to people who come from editorial, and even some PR agencies don\u2019t include it, though many do. Marketers, though, tend to find the KPIs<\/a> the missing piece and most easy to way to gauge whether a content initiative has worked for their brand. The key is to define what those KPIs are, since it typically isn\u2019t direct sales (although sometimes it can be) or even page views.<\/p>\n We should always be thinking, “How is this content going to funnel, or flywheel my reader into being an active customer or advocate?” says Kate Madonna-Hindes<\/strong>, who owns the content marketing agency Girl Meets Geek and has worked for major brands like Home Depot and AMEX. \u00a0\u201cIf we’re thinking from the end-game, (conversion) we write to convert.\u201d<\/p>\n So what does conversion look like for a marketer or brand manager? That depends. It could be newsletter signups or form submissions. It could be requests for more information. It could be traffic driven to the reservations page. It could be page views, or what many people consider more valuable these days: return visits to your site.<\/p>\n \u201cTo gauge if content is successful, page views don’t always tell the story. It’s wise to use Google’s heat-mapping to see what they are doing while on the page,\u201d says Kate.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re doing this, you may want to instruct your writer to include a certain number of internal and outbound links, a place for an infographic or poll, and a prompt to share their email address for newsletter content or contact from a company representative.<\/p>\n Your outline should provide the writer with any messaging or story points you definitely want covered. It could include the geographical region of your audience. Also, it should convey the publication and\/or company\u2019s preferred tone, POV and any keywords you want to include.<\/p>\n Meredith Hoffa gives specific no-go parameters that writers who specialize in women\u2019s lifestyle content would not necessarily know the first time they wrote for her publication: \u201cI tell them what things to avoid \u2014 things I know my brand hates, like the \u2018we got you\u2019 trope and the \u2018moms, let’s stop judging other moms!\u2019 trope,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n She also places a lot of emphasis on distilling the theme\/angle of the piece into a catchy headline.<\/p>\n \u201cHeadline idea: No to clickbait, but yes to an active header that grabs the reader. What makes someone want to click this article on social media or in one of our newsletters?<\/p>\n \u201cSo much about this type of content is in the packaging. If their piece can’t be summed up in a snappy headline, then it won’t work.\u201d<\/p>\n Many times in branded content, the writer will be expected to reach out to specific sources for quotes or full interviews. If you have those people in mind, include their names, roles and how to get in touch with them. Also include other parameters If applicable, for example: \u201cEmail to request an interview, and if you don\u2019t hear back, follow up at the end of the week.\u201d<\/p>\n Since the sources for brand stories can range from factory floor employees to the CEO, it\u2019s crucial to support a freelancer by at least telling them how to get in touch with the sources, if not actually making the connections for them.<\/p>\n This one is self-explanatory.<\/p>\n Give the writer a minimum and, if there is one, a maximum word count. Consider adding 100 words or so to your actual word count requirement. It\u2019s easier to cut the fluff during editing than have to go back and ask for more detail or more straight-up meat to the piece.<\/p>\n If you hire writers often, you should create contributor guidelines<\/a> and a company style guide<\/a>. Make sure to include links to these documents in your brief\/assignment.<\/p>\n Finally, if you have any reference URLs or favorite blog posts that you want to emulate, include links to those as well.<\/p>\n If you think content strategy<\/a> is annoying to begin with, it becomes exponentially more frustrating and time-consuming if you have to spend hours answering freelancer emails, requesting revisions, or reworking content that wasn\u2019t on point. This wastes your time, stretches your budget thinner, and makes the creative freelancers (who may have excellent skills and all the good will in the world) grow insecure or resentful. And it\u2019s exactly what you risk when you send a writer off with one sentence to describe what you want.<\/p>\n Stellar development begets stellar content. Empower your writer with the tools and information they need to produce the engaging, brand-elevating, helpful content your audience wants. And if you’d rather outsource to a trusted partner, connect with us<\/a> at ClearVoice. Our managed content creation<\/a> and expert creators will help you produce high-quality content that accomplishes your brand’s mission.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Great content starts with a detailed concept. Learn how to turn a concept into an assignment for a freelance writer that saves time, money, and hassle.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":134,"featured_media":57061,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"content-type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[154],"tags":[137,139,143,146],"ppma_author":[192],"class_list":["post-42234","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-archive","tag-branding","tag-content-creation","tag-content-operations","tag-hiring-freelancers"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n![\"Example](\"https:\/\/www.clearvoice.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Format-Writers-Assignment_ss1.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"Example](\"https:\/\/www.clearvoice.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Format-Writers-Assignment_ss2.jpg\")
<\/p>\nElements that should be included in a brief or assignment<\/h2>\n
![\"Elements](\"https:\/\/www.clearvoice.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Format-Writers-Assignment_Elements.jpg\")
<\/h3>\n1. Content type<\/h3>\n
2. The target audience<\/h3>\n
![\"Include](\"https:\/\/www.clearvoice.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Format-Writers-Assignment_goals.jpg\")
<\/p>\n3. The goal<\/h3>\n
4. Company style guidelines<\/h3>\n
5. Where the piece will be published<\/h3>\n
![\"Note](\"https:\/\/www.clearvoice.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Format-Writers-Assignment_KPI.jpg\")
<\/p>\n6. Key performance indicators<\/h3>\n
7. Topic or content directions \u2014 more detail is better<\/h3>\n
8. Contact names and info<\/h3>\n
![\"Don't](\"https:\/\/www.clearvoice.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Format-Writers-Assignment_due-date.jpg\")
<\/p>\n9. Due date<\/h3>\n
10. Word count requirements<\/h3>\n
11. Links to other relevant documents<\/h3>\n
![\"Great](\"https:\/\/www.clearvoice.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Format-Writers-Assignment_good-content.jpg\")
<\/p>\nGreat content doesn\u2019t have to be a headache to produce<\/h2>\n