The brief is how you steer an order. It can be short: a few lines are enough to start. The more specific it is, the closer the first version comes to what you want.
The essentials
| What to tell us | Why |
|---|---|
| Your business name and website | So the articles describe you correctly and link to the right place |
| What you sell, and roughly who buys it | It sets the audience and the angle |
| The topics, or a request to suggest them | See Sending your own topics or asking us to suggest them |
| How many articles | The number decides the pack, and the price per article |
| Where to publish | A blog in our network, or your dedicated blog if you have one with us |
| For a sales page: the one action you want visitors to take | A sales page is built around one action |
What makes the work stronger
- Keywords. If you already target certain searches, list them.
- Links. Name the page on your website you want mentioned inside an article, and the exact anchor text if you have a preference.
- Things we must not say. Claims you cannot make, competitors you do not want named, subjects that are off limits.
- Facts. Prices, product details, service areas and figures you want used. Give the source if you have one.
- Tone. Formal or conversational, and how expert the reader is.
- Dates. If you have a deadline or a launch date, say so.
For a sales page
Send your logo, brand colours and price list if you have them. If you do not, say so and we work from what you give us and from your website.
Two things about sales pages are worth knowing before you write the brief:
- Statements that look like facts, such as years in business, numbers of customers, prices or percentages, must each be backed by a source before the page can be published. Putting the source in the brief avoids a delay.
- The page's colours come from your website or from your brief, and a logo is never invented for you.
See Sales pages, and what the automatic check verifies.
The facts are yours
Everything we write about your business comes from what you tell us and from our own research. You remain responsible for the accuracy of the facts you give us, so check prices and details before you send them.
An example brief
This example is invented for illustration. It is not a client.
Business: a small invoicing tool for freelancers, yourbrand.com. Readers: freelancers and one-person businesses. Order: 12 articles. Topics: please suggest them from keyword research, mostly about invoicing, late payments and keeping records. Publish on: our dedicated blog. Links: each article may link to yourbrand.com/pricing where it fits naturally. Do not: name competitors or promise tax outcomes.
Changing the brief
- Before you pay: reply to your order confirmation email to change the scope or ask for a different price.
- Before writing starts: the brief is confirmed with you, which is the moment to adjust it.
- After delivery: anything that does not match the brief you confirmed is corrected at no charge. A materially different brief is new work. See Corrections after delivery.