Briefing a web editor: the 3 steps not to be missed!
Posted: Sat Dec 07, 2024 6:18 am
To help you, here are the 3 essential steps when writing a web editor's briefing .
Can I help you?
Step 1 of a web editor’s brief: provide specific information about your company
The first step to follow is to give the web editor information about your company. If everything seems clear to you, it will not be the case for him. Remember: he does not work in your company, does not know you personally, may have never even heard of the products you want to sell.
You'll have to enlighten him and not just send him an email saying: "I need 10 articles of 1000 words on the subject of garden gnomes. Keep a tone that is half educational and half humorous, without making jokes all the time."
You can imagine that with so little information, the web editor russia whatsapp mobile will not be able to help you and you risk losing a lot of time with corrections ...
Start by presenting your company as comprehensively as possible:
How does your business make money? What is your offer? You sell organic cotton t-shirts, luxury travel, coffee capsules… You offer services in web development, life valuation… You give courses…
Who is your target? Gender, age, profession
Better yet: what are your personas? This is a composite portrait of your customer
What is your customers' average basket size? This is a way to learn more about your customers' consumption habits
What is your competitive advantage, your key argument? What differentiates you from the competition?
Who are your main competitors? A way to compare what is being done in your sector to possibly give you avenues for improvement
What are your company's values? They must be reflected in all your communication, hence the importance of communicating them in a web editor's briefing
What is your company's mission? Yes, we're almost touching on the divine here, why your company exists, what problem does it solve?
Beyond helping the writer get to know your business better, it also allows you to take a step back from your own company and ask yourself essential questions to have a long-term vision.
Step 2: Explain what you need to the web editor
The web editor is not in your head. He cannot guess what you need. You will have to express it clearly and take the time necessary to provide all the information necessary for the smooth running of your collaboration.
The essential elements to define:
What type of content do you need? Site pages (home and/or secondary), blog articles, newsletters, white papers, product sheets, etc.
What is the goal of your content? Generate traffic, SEO, branding, show expertise, inform, sell a product, entertain…
What is the requested volume? Is there a minimum and maximum number of words to provide?
What tone should you use? Expert, humorous, educational, serious, offbeat…
What are your target keywords?
Are the topics provided or is the web editor in charge of the editorial calendar?
You can obviously give more information and I normally ask other questions like: do meta description tags need to be written? Do internal and external linking need to be done? Do you need iconographic research? Do you want the page/article to be optimized? Is documentation provided? Should the content be integrated into the CMS?…
If articles have already been written, feel free to provide links to the ones you like the most and that match what you are looking for. If none have been written, you can also provide links to articles from other sources .
You may need a specific structure to follow. Specify this. Again, the web editor is not the mentalist and will not be able to guess this.
For example :
Can I help you?
Step 1 of a web editor’s brief: provide specific information about your company
The first step to follow is to give the web editor information about your company. If everything seems clear to you, it will not be the case for him. Remember: he does not work in your company, does not know you personally, may have never even heard of the products you want to sell.
You'll have to enlighten him and not just send him an email saying: "I need 10 articles of 1000 words on the subject of garden gnomes. Keep a tone that is half educational and half humorous, without making jokes all the time."
You can imagine that with so little information, the web editor russia whatsapp mobile will not be able to help you and you risk losing a lot of time with corrections ...
Start by presenting your company as comprehensively as possible:
How does your business make money? What is your offer? You sell organic cotton t-shirts, luxury travel, coffee capsules… You offer services in web development, life valuation… You give courses…
Who is your target? Gender, age, profession
Better yet: what are your personas? This is a composite portrait of your customer
What is your customers' average basket size? This is a way to learn more about your customers' consumption habits
What is your competitive advantage, your key argument? What differentiates you from the competition?
Who are your main competitors? A way to compare what is being done in your sector to possibly give you avenues for improvement
What are your company's values? They must be reflected in all your communication, hence the importance of communicating them in a web editor's briefing
What is your company's mission? Yes, we're almost touching on the divine here, why your company exists, what problem does it solve?
Beyond helping the writer get to know your business better, it also allows you to take a step back from your own company and ask yourself essential questions to have a long-term vision.
Step 2: Explain what you need to the web editor
The web editor is not in your head. He cannot guess what you need. You will have to express it clearly and take the time necessary to provide all the information necessary for the smooth running of your collaboration.
The essential elements to define:
What type of content do you need? Site pages (home and/or secondary), blog articles, newsletters, white papers, product sheets, etc.
What is the goal of your content? Generate traffic, SEO, branding, show expertise, inform, sell a product, entertain…
What is the requested volume? Is there a minimum and maximum number of words to provide?
What tone should you use? Expert, humorous, educational, serious, offbeat…
What are your target keywords?
Are the topics provided or is the web editor in charge of the editorial calendar?
You can obviously give more information and I normally ask other questions like: do meta description tags need to be written? Do internal and external linking need to be done? Do you need iconographic research? Do you want the page/article to be optimized? Is documentation provided? Should the content be integrated into the CMS?…
If articles have already been written, feel free to provide links to the ones you like the most and that match what you are looking for. If none have been written, you can also provide links to articles from other sources .
You may need a specific structure to follow. Specify this. Again, the web editor is not the mentalist and will not be able to guess this.
For example :