Team talks can make or break a project. Good ones produce inspiring results. Poor ones tend to induce dire performances. Ask any footballer.
Briefing a charity copywriter is the equivalent of a pre-match team talk. Get it right and the communication you produce together will meet your aims and objectives and promote your cause to all the right people, winning donors and supporters. Get it wrong, and the copy won’t meet your needs and be a complete waste of your charity’s money.
To help you get it right every time, we’ve put together seven top tips for briefing a copywriter and a downloadable brief template:
1. Have a purpose
A good charity copywriter will always ask “Why?” Why do you need this new leaflet/brochure/website? You need a good answer to that question. “Because we’ve always done one,” is not a good answer. It’s a waste of resources. Your communication needs to justify its existence. It might be to raise awareness of a new campaign, to get people to donate, or because you need to communicate a specific message to a specific audience. Clearly explain this purpose to your copywriter.
2. Know who you want to talk to
Wanting to target “the general public” generally isn’t a good idea. That’s a lot of people. Think about who you most want to reach. If you could have anyone you want in a room to listen to your message, who would be there? Surely not a cross section of people you meet in the street? Your copywriter needs to have a clear picture of who you want to talk to so they can target what they write.
3. Think actions
What do you want people to do once they have read your charity copywriter’s words? It’s important to work this out at the briefing stage because it will influence everything they write. The action could be to get people to visit your website, to phone your helpline or commission your services.
4. Gather lots of information
Arm your copywriter with statistics, case studies, web links, reports, your charity’s style guide etc. It would be helpful to point out why you’ve sent these specific bits of information, but a good copywriter will be able to sift through what you send them and figure out what’s useful, what’s not and what’s missing.
5. Come up with a realistic timetable
Don’t forget about design, printing and proofreading in your timetable. These all take time and will need to be factored into your plans – you might need to have your copy ready earlier than you think. Work back from the date you need the communication to be delivered and leave plenty of time for amends and input from your colleagues.
6. Talk about tone
You are likely to have a very specific idea of what you want your copywriter to deliver. Even if they get the content spot on, if the tone is way too informal or far too serious, it won’t meet your needs. Give the copywriter an idea of the kind of tone you’re looking for (bold, provocative, shocking, formal, evocative, straight etc) and some sample copy that gives them an indication of what you mean.
7. Set up a meeting
It’s often easier to discuss a project face to face, especially if you haven’t worked with the person before. You can swap information, answer each other’s questions and talk about how each of you likes to work. It’s also a chance for you to talk through any internal challenges or politics an external copywriter might run into.
