My 20-plus-year marketing career taught me how important a good brief can be, and I have applied that learning (and quite a few others!) to my freelance career.
Briefs can be written how you like – collaboratively or independently – you can get someone to write it for you, you can fill in a template or on a blank piece of paper/document or even on the back of a fag packet (sorry old school agency reference)!
Whatever makes you comfortable!
A brief should set out the scope and goals of a project and outline the key elements. Think of it like a roadmap. With clear instructions and guidelines to ensure everyone is on the same page and working towards a common goal.
Key content includes:-
A brief should be:-
Today, a brief is even more important for me, especially with AI. The better the brief you give, the better the content you get back. Think of your prompt in Chat GPT as your brief! Keep it concise but informative, review and revise it, and I guarantee you will get better results.
Recently, I wrote a brief for a lovely man, Tony Sephton, @Hype, who generously agreed to build my website, in return for some proofreading work. I had tried to build my own website several times and failed miserably. Of course, I wrote Tony a brief, as I knew the content I wanted it to contain, my target audience, my competitor landscape, my brand etc. I got such a warm response from Tony…
Tony suggested adding a blog to my brilliant website, so I decided to write my first blog posts about briefs.
If you struggle to write or align your thoughts about a brief or project, get expert help. Have a chat with your freelancer/chosen resource, let them drill down on your thoughts, and bring it to life!
If you need help with kicking off a project, writing that concise brief, and project managing it through, please get in touch. plangenatalie@gmail.com
07778 375777