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Outsourcing content creation offers brands a competitive advantage. External writers can produce compelling content at scale at a fraction of the cost of in-house operations.
However, business process outsourcing (BPO) might present communication challenges that could affect content effectiveness. Confusing instructions, misunderstandings, and unclear expectations might impede BPO collaborations and content marketing efforts.
Detailed briefs are effective in communicating content requirements and preventing such issues from happening. This article will teach you practical strategies for developing comprehensive briefs for outsourced writers. Keep reading!
Define the purpose and objectives for outsourced content projects
Content outsourcing success starts with clearly defining each project’s purpose and objectives. Whether it’s a blog post, white paper, or social media campaign, understand the “why” behind the content. It shapes the content’s tone, structure, and messaging to effectively meet your goals.
Start by answering these essential questions:
- What action do you want the reader to take after engaging with this content?
- How does this content align with broader business objectives?
Effective briefs communicate purpose and objectives to guide outsourced or freelance writers. This clarity minimizes revisions and enhances the content’s quality and effectiveness, ensuring alignment with your overall marketing strategy.
Identify the target audience and their needs
Understanding your target audience is significant to creating material that appeals to them. Audience research is key to a successful marketing strategy. It provides insights into your target customers, the type of content they want, and how to reach them. This helps you create tailored content that resonates with your audience, boosts engagement, and drives conversions.
Whether your audience consists of decision-makers in Fortune 500 companies or young entrepreneurs, understanding their pain points and preferences will shape your messaging. Include the following in your brief:
- Demographics: age, location, job role, or industry
- Psychographics: interests, values, hobbies, and challenges
- Goals: solutions are they seeking
For instance, a blog post targeting HR managers might focus on practical tips, while a piece of content for C-suite executives might emphasize strategic insights. Detailed audience personas can guide outsourced writers’ approaches.
Outline the key messages and takeaways
Effective content briefs outline the core messages that must be present in the final outputs. This ensures consistency and aligns outsourced writers with your brand’s objectives.
Consider these steps:
- Highlight the primary message. What is the singlemost important takeaway?
- List supporting points. Include three to five key ideas to reinforce the main message.
- Provide context. Explain why these points matter to the target audience.
For example, a white paper on “What is BPO” should educate readers about the benefits of strategic outsourcing and contain statistics and real-world examples to justify their importance. By laying out these messages upfront, you empower writers to craft content that delivers value.
Specify the desired tone and style
The tone and style of your content significantly affect how the audience will receive your message. A mismatched tone can alienate your audience, while the right one fosters trust and engagement.
In your brief, specify:
- Tone. Is it formal, conversational, authoritative, or friendly?
- Style. Should it follow a specific style guide such as AP, Chicago, or your own?
- Voice. What personality traits should the content convey?
For instance, a blog post for a tech-savvy audience might adopt a conversational yet informative tone. At the same time, a white paper for healthcare executives might require a formal and data-driven style. Including examples of effective content in your briefs can help outsourced writers better understand your expectations.
Provide detailed content structure and format
A clear structure helps organize ideas across content types. Your brief should include these key elements:
- Word count. Specify a range (e.g., 1,000–1,200 words). Currently, the average blog post exceeds 1,400 words, but only 3% of brands regularly publish content over 2,000 words.
- Headings and subheadings. Provide an outline with suggested titles to guide the flow.
- External and internal Links. Highlight resources to include for credibility and context.
- Call to action (CTA). Clearly indicate where CTAs should appear.
For example, a brief for a blog post on content marketing could include sections such as “Understanding content marketing” and “Top strategies for 2025.” This structured approach saves time and reduces back-and-forth revisions.
Additionally, offering examples of preferred content helps writers meet expectations. Include links to high-performing past content, competitor material that aligns with your goals, and external examples showcasing the desired tone, style, or structure.
Highlight elements you value, such as engaging headlines, clear messaging, or compelling visuals. Share examples that thoroughly address a topic to help writers deliver exceptional results.
Include SEO requirements such as keywords and meta descriptions
Search engine optimization (SEO) is vital in content creation. Having clear SEO rules in your brief guarantees your content has a high ranking potential and reaches the correct audience.
Include the following SEO factors:
- Primary and secondary keywords. List specific terms and phrases to include naturally.
- Meta description. Provide a 150–160 character summary.
- Formatting tips. Use headings, bullet points, and short paragraphs to improve readability.
For example, a content brief for “Effective briefs for outsourced writers” might include keywords such as “content writers,” “free content brief templates,” and “save time.” A strong focus on SEO increases your content’s discoverability and impact.
Set clear deadlines and milestones
Third-party BPO support can enhance efficiency in content creation. Setting deadlines and milestones helps you maximize this benefit.
Create effective briefs for outsourced writers by discussing these:
- Submission deadlines. Specify the due date and time for final deliverables to keep everyone aligned.
- Milestones. Break larger projects into smaller, manageable tasks with individual deadlines to track progress and maintain momentum.
- Review periods. Allocate ample time for revisions, feedback, and approvals to address potential issues without delaying the timeline.
In 2023, 29% of bloggers spent four to six hours on average per post, while 35% took over six hours. Outsourced writers can promise faster turnaround times, but clear deadlines and milestones can guarantee this speed.
Establish guidelines for revisions and feedback
Clear and structured revision protocols are essential to fostering collaboration and minimizing misunderstandings during the content creation. To ensure efficiency, specify the number of revision rounds allowed to prevent endless iterations.
Provide clear instructions on delivering feedback through email, shared documents, or collaborative tools, and encourage concise, actionable input. Additionally, set realistic turnaround times for incorporating revisions.
This clarity streamlines the revision process, avoids delays, and helps maintain positive relationships with your outsourced content team. Establishing clear expectations upfront creates a more productive workflow that can align the final content with your vision.
Comply with legal and ethical standards
Adhering to legal and ethical standards in content creation protects your business from risks and maintains credibility. It involves prioritizing originality, avoiding plagiarism, and adding proper attributions to all sources.
Copyright compliance is critical, especially when using images, data, or third-party content. Additionally, regulatory requirements, such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) or industry-specific guidelines, must be followed to safeguard against legal repercussions.
Internal brand policies should also guide how to address sensitive topics for consistency and integrity. Legal compliance reduces liability and strengthens audience trust.
The bottom line
Effective communication with outsourced writers hinges on a well-crafted content brief. By defining clear goals, establishing audience personas, and providing structured guidelines, you set the stage for consistent, high-quality content.
Investing time in creating effective briefs will pay off in fewer revisions, stronger brand alignment, and more impactful content. Let’s connect to discuss how our outsourced writers can help you craft compelling content!
