Happy Monday morning, Superpathers! Lots of chat on LinkedIn about good/bad/confusing content briefs. Do you have a go-to template or do you start from scratch each time? In particular, does anyone have a good template for longer assets like eBooks?

No template but I include common elements each time. • Audience • Desired action we'd like audience to take after reading • Target word count • SEO keywords • Place in funnel • Content type • links to relevant pages of our website where they can learn more • when applicable, transcript of interview with SME • copy of our style guide

In what do you plan to create the eBook? The software used almost certainly has templates available. KDP, Google Docs, Canva...all have these templates. Here's a link with more template sources, based around several creative platforms: https://www.getresponse.com/blog/free-ebook-templates

Hey Chris, bit of confusion. I'm looking for brief templates. As in the brief a CS/CMM gives the writer.

Oops, missed that part. I blame Mondays. We developed a template in-house for briefs, but I recall using Asana's guide to start off. Here's the link: https://asana.com/resources/how-write-creative-brief-examples-template

Hah! I know the feeling well. Asana's template looks excellent, I'll take a look. Many thanks, Chris.

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I recently started a new job and I put together a template for myself. I think it definitely depends on the article and keywords, but here is generally what I am going to add: • Writer name • Due date • Article compensation • Article title • Word count • Keyword(s) • Article goal and audience • Brand content and writing tips • Questions to answer in the article • Competitor articles • Interlinking ideas • Brand resources • Outline • Next steps • Additional notes It's lengthy, but I've never faulted a content manager for a detailed brief.

I use @stocky-zebra-68352's brief and I love it: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1DNlwEunsxjK5CyiFLXnaDjkA3djcbqpJ-nd4T693nGQ/edit

Thanks, Ivan! That looks like a great template.

I think a brief for an ebook would look pretty similar to a brief for any other long form content. That would include: • The target audience and buyer persona • The pain point the content should address (why should someone read this eBook instead of doing work/going for a walk/etc. What makes this urgent?) • The brand messaging, tone, and voice • Where the content fits in the marketing funnel • Title and subheading suggestions (I would argue these should be mapped for the writer ahead of time, thus they aren't 'suggestions' but a defined outline) • The questions each section should answer • Internal and external linking guidance • The related topics that must be covered for comprehensiveness • Rich media (video embeds, graphics) that could be included • CTAs/desired actions • Product marketing collateral (if applicable)

I have one you can download in this post: https://letmewritethatdownforyou.com/content-brief-template/ . Not gated.