Gaining Google AI search citations for clients
October 6, 2026
Romey Norton | 4 min read | Wordsmiths Unlimited
Have you ever been kept awake at night over a project? Most headaches (and nightmares) that happen in a project can be avoided by one simple thing: giving your team a brilliant brief from the start.
A well-written brief is the foundation of every successful copywriting project. It lays out exactly what your copy team needs at the beginning of each project, paving the way for a streamlined and successful outcome. It gives everyone involved the same starting point, keeps expectations aligned, and helps create content that will achieve its purpose. Better still, investing a little extra time at the beginning can save countless emails, rewrites, and last-minute panic.
Why do briefs matter?
Every marketing team benefits from a solid brief, but the reasons can differ depending on who’s creating the content.
For an in-house marketing team, there’s often a shared understanding of the business. Team members know the products, the customers, and the company’s personality because they live and breathe it every day. Having a brief still serves a purpose, helping keep projects organised and ensuring everyone is working towards the same objective. You just have plenty of background knowledge to draw upon when putting the brief together.
When you’re working with an outsourced copywriting agency, however, the brief becomes even more valuable. An external agency will bring in fresh expertise and an outside perspective, but they rely on the information you provide to fully understand your business.
A detailed brief allows an agency to get up to speed quickly. It also helps us capture your brand voice more accurately from the outset, meaning you spend less time explaining and more time approving.
So, think of a brief as a sat-nav not a treasure map. It will tell your copywriter exactly where they need to go, rather than have them looking for clues and hoping to find the gold at the end.
Whether you’re producing a website, brochure, email campaign, blog series or awards writing, a strong brief provides direction. It removes guesswork and allows writers to focus on what they do best: creating engaging, persuasive copy.
What should go into a brilliant brief?
Writing a useful brief doesn’t have to be complicated. It simply needs enough information to help your copy team understand both the project and the bigger picture.
A good brief should include:
- The purpose of the project
- Your target audience
- Key messages you want to communicate
- Brand tone of voice and personality
- Any mandatory information or messaging
- Competitors or examples you like (or dislike)
- SEO keywords (if relevant)
- Word count or format requirements
- Where the copy will be published
- Timescales, deadlines and approval process
- Who the decision-makers are
The more context you provide, the easier it is for us to produce content that’s accurate, on-brand and ready to publish with minimal revisions.
Ready to make your next project easier?
It’s tempting to rush through the briefing stage because everyone wants to get started. If you’re juggling multiple campaigns, launching a new website, or simply need a content refresh, working with an experienced copywriting agency can make the entire process far more efficient.
Consider writing a brief as your thinking time. It needs reflection and refining, but that upfront investment should make the copywriting aspect of the project run much more smoothly and quickly. Overall, you’ll have saved some time and gotten to a better outcome faster if you create a great brief.
The right agency won’t just write great copy; they’ll help shape the brief, ask the right questions, and ensure every piece of content supports your wider business goals.
So, before your next project begins with a hopeful “we’ll work it out later”, spend a little time building a brilliant brief instead. Your marketing team, your copywriters, and your future self will thank you for it. If you need our help on your next project, get in touch here.
