Content King: 5 Requirements to Wear the Crown

In a world where content is still king, coming out with fresh and captivating content is key to keeping readers interested in your company.

When you get down to it, content marketing starts with having quality content to market. One aspect of your content you need to be able to hang your hat on is the establishing of a solid brief. From there you can build a sound body and message to bring your piece full circle. Without a strong brief, your content creating and marketing time will have gone to waste and you will be left with nothing but a lot of words and little direction. We have put together a list of questions to answer when writing a comprehensive brief.

What is the tone?
An important factor to consider when writing your brief is the target tone of the publication. Is your content geared towards the business-y type? Perhaps it is a more casual, conversational tone? Maybe the tone needs to be more exact and you’re aiming for a certain humor or light sarcasm? The tone also helps determine who your target audience will be. With this knowledge, you not only will know what to write but also how to write it. Pinpointing the tone of your content will help your words flow and the end product be something of a masterpiece!

How long should the piece be?
When creating a piece of content, it can be hard to be exact with what the word count should be. Let’s face it, as writers, word counts are not much more than a suggested guideline. We are human. But, having a general word count goal included in your brief template can help you ensure that the most important parts of your publication are getting the necessary content volume. You don’t want your editor suggesting you compress your magnum opus down to half of what you had initially planned. Help yourself by setting some guidelines.

What is my deadline?
Another important part of your brief template is the deadline. Whenever you have a project or publication, there must be an end in sight! Surprisingly enough, leaving out this important detail happens more often than you may think. Include a deadline in your brief so that you may keep yourself on track to finish in a timely manner. Being a reliable writer will create an increased number of opportunities for you in the future.

What is my target keyword?
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) plays an extremely crucial role in what you’re writing about. Determining the keyword(s) for your piece will help increase the traffic to the article. It is not too often you hear a writer say, “I hope no one reads this article.” Identify keywords early in the process to ensure your publication is getting the clicks you desire!

What will be my Call-to-Action (CTA)?
Including a call-to-action is commonly forgotten and always missed when it is. The call-to-action will tie into the purpose of the piece. Encouraging readers to comment with their thoughts, share with friends or download a supplemental article is something you should include in the brief. You won’t want to miss this opportunity to gain impressions.

The brief is an essential starting point when you’re looking to create the next best piece of content. Stellar Blue has an excellent marketing department with capable writers ready to help with your publications. Visit our content page or contact us to find out what we can write for you!