Content Brief

What is the Content Brief?

A content brief is the document a writer receives before starting work, specifying the target audience and their question, the strategic goal of the piece, the angle or argument, any SEO targets, the format, required sources, and length guidelines. A good brief takes 30 minutes to write and saves hours of revision. Teams that brief poorly or not at all pay for it in rounds of feedback and rework.

When should I use the Content Brief?

• Any time a piece is handed from a strategist or editor to a writer, internal or external.
• When onboarding freelancers or agencies who lack the context that full-time team members have implicitly.

Learn more & sources

• Semrush, content brief guide and template
• MarketMuse, content brief templates

Related tools

• Content Workflow / Process Map, The defined stages a piece passes through from idea to published.
• Editorial Style Guide, The rulebook for grammar, punctuation, terminology, and formatting.
• Editorial Calendar, The dated, assigned plan that turns strategy into a publishing schedule.