Content writing scope of work
Content projects stall in review, not in writing. This scope sets the word counts and keyword targets, but more usefully it sets a feedback window, an approver, and what happens when a draft sits untouched for a month.
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Word count is a range with a purpose attached
Say “1,400–1,800 words, targeting [query], structured to answer it in the first 150 words”. A bare number invites padding and gives you nothing to push back with when a reviewer asks for another 600 words of context. A range with an intent lets you say no to length that does not serve the reader.
Access to experts is a dependency, not a nice-to-have
Most content that reads generic was written by someone who never got the interview. Put the interviews in the scope with names, durations, and a date by which they must happen, and say that if access is not provided the piece will be written from public sources with a corresponding drop in specificity. That is not a threat — it is the honest trade-off, stated early enough for the client to fix it.
Deal with silence explicitly
Set a feedback window of [5] business days and a stall clause: if the project goes quiet for [30] days, work delivered to date is invoiced in full and restarting is quoted as new work. Writers carry more unpaid work-in-progress than any other freelance discipline, almost entirely because of projects that were never cancelled, just abandoned.
The scope of work template
Copy the whole thing, or select the parts you need. The numbers and dates are examples — change them to yours before sending anything.
Content writing scope of work
SCOPE OF WORK — CONTENT WRITING
Project: [Project name]
Client: [Client legal entity name]
Writer: [Your name]
Prepared: [2026-06-01] · Version: [1.0]
Valid for acceptance until: [2026-06-15]
1. OBJECTIVE
[Client] needs [e.g. "eight in-depth articles that rank for
mid-funnel queries and give the sales team something to send after a
first call"]. Audience: [audience and their level of knowledge].
Voice: [reference to brand guidelines or 2–3 example pieces].
2. DELIVERABLES
2.1 Message platform — [1] document covering positioning, the top [5]
audience objections, proof points, and the words this brand does and
does not use.
2.2 Content plan — [8] briefs, each with a working title, target query,
reader intent, the outline, the required sources, and the CTA.
2.3 Articles — [8] pieces at [1,400–1,800] words each, unless a brief
specifies otherwise. Each delivered with:
· A meta title (≤[60] characters) and meta description
(≤[155] characters).
· [3] suggested headline variations.
· Internal link suggestions to [Client]'s existing pages.
· Alt text suggestions for any recommended images.
· A source list with links for every factual claim.
2.4 [Editorial calendar for the publication order and dates.]
3. RESEARCH AND SOURCES
3.1 [2] subject-matter expert interviews per [pair of] articles,
[45] minutes each, arranged by [Client] with [named experts].
3.2 Every statistic or factual claim is attributed to a primary source,
published within [3] years where the topic is time-sensitive.
3.3 No invented data, no invented quotes, no fabricated customer
examples. Where an example is illustrative rather than real, it is
labelled as such in the draft.
3.4 Where [Writer] uses AI tools in research or drafting, the delivered
work is [Writer]'s own, is fact-checked against primary sources, and
is [Client]'s to publish. [Client] may require disclosure of tool
use on request.
4. NOT INCLUDED IN THIS SCOPE
4.1 Publishing, CMS entry, formatting in [Client]'s system, and image
sourcing or licensing.
4.2 Technical SEO, site architecture, link building, and outreach.
4.3 Keyword research beyond confirming the [8] targets supplied by
[Client] / agreed in 2.2.
4.4 Legal, medical, financial, or regulatory review. [Client] is
responsible for compliance sign-off before publication.
4.5 Translation and localisation.
4.6 Social posts, email versions, and repurposed formats. These are
$[150.00] per article by change order.
4.7 Any commitment about rankings, traffic, leads, or revenue. Content
quality is within [Writer]'s control; search results are not.
5. REVISIONS AND REVIEW
5.1 [Two] rounds included per article.
5.2 A round is one consolidated set of comments from [Client]'s named
approver, gathering every internal reviewer, returned within [5]
business days of delivery.
5.3 Separate rounds of notes from separate people count separately.
5.4 Additional rounds: $[300.00] each, approved in writing first.
5.5 A change to the brief after an outline is approved — new angle, new
audience, new target query — is a change order, not a revision.
6. CLIENT RESPONSIBILITIES
6.1 Named approver: [name], [title], with authority to sign off.
6.2 Interview access per 3.1, scheduled by [date].
6.3 Product access, brand guidelines, and any existing research by
[date].
6.4 Feedback within the windows in 5.2.
7. STALLED PROJECTS
If [Client] does not provide feedback, interviews, or source material
for [30] consecutive days, the project is treated as complete. All work
delivered to that point is invoiced in full, and any remaining articles
are subject to the kill fee in 8.4. Restarting later is quoted as new
work at then-current rates.
8. FEES AND PAYMENT
8.1 Total: $[9,200.00] for the deliverables in section 2.
8.2 · $[3,000.00] deposit before work starts, non-refundable.
· $[3,100.00] on delivery of articles [1–4].
· $[3,100.00] on delivery of articles [5–8].
8.3 Net [14] from invoice date. Overdue amounts accrue interest at
[1.5]% per month or the legal maximum in [jurisdiction] if lower.
8.4 Kill fee: if a piece is cancelled after a first draft is delivered,
[50]% of its fee is payable. After a draft has been approved,
[100]% is payable whether or not it is published.
9. RIGHTS AND CREDIT
Copyright in the delivered copy transfers to [Client] on payment in
full, worldwide and in perpetuity. Before payment, [Client] has a
licence to review drafts internally, not to publish them.
Work is [ghostwritten with no byline] / [bylined as [name]].
[Writer] may reference the engagement and quote up to [200] words in a
portfolio after [date], excluding anything confidential.
10. ACCEPTANCE OF THIS SCOPE
[Client] [Writer]
Name: ______________________ Name: ______________________
Signature: _________________ Signature: _________________
Date: ______________________ Date: ______________________This is a practical starting point rather than legal advice. Terms like late fees and payment periods are regulated differently depending on where you and your client are, so check anything you plan to enforce.
Turn it into a scope your client approves in PaloWorks
Enter the deliverables, revision rounds, timeline, and price on the project's scope. Your client approves it on a link, every round of feedback is logged against the rounds you agreed, and work past them becomes a change order. It does not import this page's text: copy the parts you want into the scope.
Free for one client and three active projects. Pro is $19/mo for unlimited clients and projects.
Use this with
Invoice
Copywriting invoice template
A copywriting invoice that bills research and interviews as work, caps revisions, and transfers rights on payment — with a kill fee line.
Contract
Copywriting contract template
A writing agreement with a kill fee, byline and ghostwriting terms, an originality warranty, AI disclosure, and rights transfer on payment.
Intake form
Copywriting project brief template
A copy brief covering audience, offer, objections, proof, tone and banned words, channel, word count, expert access, and the approval chain.
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