How to Write the Perfect Comms Brief for a Freelancer

If you've ever handed off a project to a freelance writer, designer, or marketer and gotten back something completely off-base, the problem usually isn't the freelancer's skill. It's the brief. A vague brief produces vague work, and a few rounds of "this isn't quite it" revisions, missed deadlines, and frustration on both sides.

The good news is that a great comms brief doesn't need to be long.

It needs to be clear. Here's what to include.

1. Start with the goal, not the task

Don't just say "write a blog post" or "design a flyer."

Say what the piece needs to do.

Is it meant to drive sign-ups, build trust with a new audience, announce something, or simply keep an existing audience engaged?

The goal shapes every other decision the freelancer makes, from tone to structure to call to action.

2. Define the audience

Tell the freelancer who they're writing or designing for.

A short description is enough: their role, their level of familiarity with your product or topic, and what they care about.

"Busy small business owners who've never heard of us" leads to very different work than "existing customers deciding whether to renew."

3. Nail down the tone and voice

This is where a lot of briefs fall short.

"Make it sound like us" only works if the freelancer already knows what "us" sounds like.

Instead, give a few reference points: links to past content you liked, three adjectives that describe your brand voice, or even a sentence of "we sound like X, not like Y."

4. Be specific about format and length

Word count, dimensions, platform, file type, whatever applies.

A 1,500-word article and a 300-word LinkedIn post require completely different approaches, and "a social media post" could mean five different things depending on the platform.

5. Include the must-haves and the must-avoids

List any non-negotiables: key messages that must appear, legal or compliance language, specific calls to action, or things to avoid (competitor mentions, certain phrases, sensitive topics).

This section saves the most revision time of anything in the brief.

6. Provide context and resources

Link to brand guidelines, previous examples, relevant research, or background reading.

Freelancers do their best work when they understand the bigger picture, not just the deliverable in isolation.

7. Set clear deadlines and the review process

Note the delivery date, how many rounds of revisions are included, and who the feedback will come from. If there's a hard external deadline (an event, a launch date), say so.

Freelancers can often work around tight timelines if they know about them upfront.

8. Leave room for their expertise

A comms brief should give direction, not a script.

If you've hired a freelancer for their skills, leave space for them to bring ideas, suggest a different angle, or flag something that isn't working. The best collaborations treat the brief as a starting point for a conversation, not a rigid checklist.

A simple brief template

• Project: What is it?

• Goal: What should this achieve?

• Audience: Who is it for?

• Tone/voice: How should it sound?

• Format: Length, platform, file type

• Key messages: What must be included

• Avoid: What must not be included

• References: Links, examples, guidelines

• Deadline & revisions: When it's due, how feedback works

A brief that covers these points usually takes ten minutes to write and saves hours of back-and-forth. It also tends to get freelancers more excited about the work, because they can see exactly what success looks like and have room to do their best thinking within it.

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Still going back and forth on what to lead with, who to focus on, or why your messaging just isn't landing? That's exactly what I help B2B comms leaders sort out. I work with B2B comms leaders to build messaging that lands with credibility and builds trust . Contact me to work together.