Creative Briefs: 8 Content Brief Templates for Freelance Writers

Do you want to get exactly what you want each time you outsource a new piece of content from a freelance writer? The best way to secure quality content that meets your specifications – a detailed creative brief. In this post, I’ll show you how to use creative briefs to improve your content marketing strategy.

What is a creative brief?

A creative brief (also referred to as a content brief) is a detailed explanation of the piece of content you want a freelance writer to create. The goal of a content brief is to give clear direction to your writers so they are able to produce the content you need to achieve your marketing goals.

What should be included in a creative brief?

Creative briefs typically contain the following details about your content project.

• Content Format (Text, List, Blog Post, Video, Webinar, etc.)
• Title or Suggested Title
• Summary
• Target Length/Word Count
• Link to 1 – 3 Competing Posts on Same Topic
• Main Bullet Points
• Main Keyword Focus
• Related Keywords to Include
• Target Audience
• Brand Description
• Target Website for Publication
• How the Content Will be Promoted
• Link to Editorial Guides, Voice & Tone Guides, etc.

Creative Brief Examples

The following are examples of content briefs published online.

• Content brief for a health insurance company in Australia.
• Content brief for a influence marketing company.
• Content brief for a content marketing agency.
• Content brief for a university marketing department.

Creative Brief Templates

Need a content brief template to send to your freelance writer? Try the following from companies that create exceptional content.

• Asana’s Creative Brief Template
• HubSpot’s Creative Brief Template
• Semrush’s Content Brief Template
• CoSchedule’s Website Content Template and Creative Brief Templates

Do you use a creative brief for your content marketing projects? Tell us how they work in the comments.