You lead marketing at a small software company, and you’ve hired a freelance writer for the first time. The brief you sent was one line: “Write 1,000 words about email marketing.” The draft came back competent, generic and nothing like what you pictured. When you brief a freelance writer, the draft can only be as good as the information you gave them. A brief that takes 20 minutes to write often saves days of rewriting, and this guide shows what it should contain, with a template to copy.
This is general information about working with freelancers, not legal advice. Contracts, copyright and payment rules differ by country, so check the official pages linked here or ask a lawyer before you sign anything.
How to brief a freelance writer: what the brief must contain
A freelancer doesn’t know your customers, your product or your last three articles. Everything they don’t get from you, they have to guess. The table lists what to include and shows the difference between a thin version and a useful one.
| Item | Thin version | Useful version |
|---|---|---|
| Reader | “Marketers” | Owners of small shops who send a monthly newsletter and doubt it is worth the effort |
| Angle | “Email marketing” | Why small shops should send fewer emails |
| Purpose | “Raise awareness” | Teach readers how to decide whether a newsletter pays off, and lead to a trial sign-up |
| Sources | “Do some research” | Two internal surveys, one customer interview, and a list of claims that need a link |
| Length and format | “About 1,000 words” | 1,200 to 1,500 words, H2 headings, one table, one checklist |
| Voice | “Friendly” | Plain and practical, with a link to two articles you like and one you don’t |
| Logistics | “Soon” | Draft due 20 March, one round of edits, fee and payment date written down |
Start with the reader and what they need
Tell the writer who the piece is for, what that person already knows, what they are trying to do and what you want them to do after reading. Digital.gov, the US government’s plain-language guide, calls this the first rule of plain language: write for your audience, taking their level of knowledge, expertise and interest into account.
For a sharper version, borrow the format GOV.UK uses for user needs: “As a… [who is the user?]”, “I need to… [what does the user want to do?]” and “So that… [why does the user want to do this?]”. For a brief, read “user” as “reader”. The guidance advises focusing on actions or tasks and not suggesting a solution. For a brief, that means describing the reader’s task and leaving the format open until you’ve heard the writer’s view.
Example: “As a small shop owner, I need to decide whether my monthly newsletter is worth sending, so that I stop spending Sunday evenings on it if it isn’t.”
Give an angle, not just a topic
A topic is a subject. An angle is a position on it. “Email marketing” is a topic; “why small shops should send fewer emails” is an angle. Without an angle, a writer produces a survey of the subject that sounds like every other article on it.
If you don’t have one, offer two or three and ask the writer to choose and justify. Or state the question the piece must answer in a single sentence. If you can’t write that sentence, the piece isn’t ready to commission, and no amount of detail in the rest of the brief will rescue it.
Say what the piece should do
Teach, persuade, rank in search, support a launch or build trust: each goal changes the structure, the tone and the place of the call to action. State it in one sentence, and say what a reader should be able to do after finishing.
Google’s guidance on helpful, reliable, people-first content suggests a way to check the purpose. It frames content in terms of “Who, How, and Why”, and says “Why” is perhaps the most important question to answer about your content. A brief that answers “why does this piece exist, other than to fill a calendar slot?” will get a better draft.
Supply sources, examples and the claims that need proof
Writers can only use what they can find or what you provide. Send what you have: interview notes, internal data, product details, past articles. Name any claims that need a source and say which kinds of source you accept.
Google’s questions for self-assessment include whether the content provides original information, reporting, research or analysis, and whether it provides substantial value compared with other pages in search results. If your company has data or customer knowledge that competitors don’t, the brief is where you hand it over.
Examples that teach
Share two or three pieces you like and one you don’t, with one sentence each on why. “We like how this opens with a number and keeps paragraphs short” is useful. “We like the vibe” isn’t. Add a list of words or phrases to use or avoid, and any topics that are off limits.
Set the practical rules in writing
Rework comes from details nobody wrote down. List these in the brief:
- Word count or range
- Format: headings, lists, tables, images, subheads for search
- Links to include and where they should point
- Deadline and the number of revision rounds included
- Fee, what it covers and when it will be paid
- Who owns the finished work and how it can be used
- Disclosure or compliance requirements, such as sponsored content labels
Payment terms
Put the payment date in writing. In the UK, GOV.UK’s guidance on late commercial payments says that if you agree a payment date it must usually be within 60 days for business transactions, and that if you don’t agree one, the law says payment is late 30 days after the invoice is received or the service is provided, whichever is later. Other countries have different rules, so check the one that applies.
Ownership of the work
Say who owns the finished article. The US Copyright Office’s definitions page explains that the author is the owner of copyright unless there is a written agreement by which the author assigns the copyright to another person or entity. It describes a work made for hire as an exception, covering work by an employee within the scope of their employment and work specially ordered or commissioned in certain specified circumstances. Whether a freelance article qualifies depends on the facts and the law where you are, so settle ownership in the contract and not in the brief alone.
A brief you can copy
Paste this into a document and fill in each line. It fits on one page.
- Working title: a rough headline that states the topic
- Reader: who they are, what they know, what they are trying to do
- Question to answer: one sentence
- Angle: the point of view that sets this piece apart
- Purpose and next step: what the piece does and what the reader should do after
- Outline (optional): four or five bullet points
- Sources and examples: links, data, interview notes, claims needing proof
- Voice: three adjectives and two sample links
- Length and format: range, headings, lists, images
- Links: pages to link to and where they point
- Deadline, revisions, fee and payment date: all in writing
- Rights: who owns the work and how it may be used
Invite questions before the writing starts
Ask the writer to reply with questions within a day or two, and be ready to answer. A good writer will ask a handful, and the answers often improve the angle. Silence can mean the brief is clear, or that the writer is guessing. A short call of ten minutes tells you which.
If the draft misses the point, read the brief again before you blame the writer. A thin brief produces a thin draft.
Give feedback that points back to the brief
When the draft arrives, compare it to the brief before you comment. Feedback that refers to something agreed is easier to act on than feedback based on taste.
| Vague feedback | Feedback tied to the brief |
|---|---|
| “It feels off.” | “The brief asked for an argument that small shops should send fewer emails. Sections 2 and 3 survey the options without taking that position.” |
| “Can it be punchier?” | “The brief asks for plain, practical language. The second paragraph uses three terms the reader won’t know.” |
| “Needs more research.” | “The brief listed four claims that need a link. Two have none.” |
If something was missing from the brief, say so and add a line to your template for next time. Briefs get better with every project, and good writers notice when they do.
Mistakes that make a brief fail
Sending a topic and a deadline. That’s an assignment, not a brief.
Changing the angle after the draft. If the direction changes, it is a new commission. Agree a fee for the extra work.
Hiding the real goal. If the piece is meant to drive sign-ups, say so. Writers can build a natural path to a call to action, but only if they know it exists.
Collecting feedback from five people and forwarding it unfiltered. Merge it into one list and resolve conflicts first.
Briefing checklist
- Reader described by what they know and what they want to do
- Angle and the question the piece must answer written down
- Purpose stated in one sentence, with the reader’s next step
- Sources, internal data and example links attached
- Claims that need proof listed
- Length, format, voice, links and deadline specified
- Revision rounds, fee, payment date and ownership agreed in writing
- A time set for the writer’s questions
- Feedback planned to refer to the brief
The takeaway
To brief a freelance writer well, describe the reader, choose an angle, say what the piece should do and write down the rules, including fee, payment and ownership. Attach your sources and examples, invite questions, then give feedback that points back to the brief. Twenty minutes of preparation moves most of the effort to the start, where it’s cheapest.
