Copywriting project brief template
Most weak copy is a briefing failure, not a writing failure. This brief gets the four things that decide whether the words can work at all: who is reading, what they are afraid of, what proof you have, and who has to approve it.
Free to copy and use. Nothing to download, no email required. Replace anything in [SQUARE BRACKETS] with your own details.
Objections are worth more than benefits
Clients arrive with a benefits list. What actually converts is answering the reasons someone almost buys and then does not — too expensive, too risky, we already have something, I do not have time to switch. Ask sales what they hear on calls, in the words the prospect used. That list becomes the structure of the page.
Ask for proof, not adjectives
“Industry-leading” is a claim about a claim. Numbers, named customers, before-and-afters, guarantees, and independent evidence are proof. Ask specifically what can be said publicly and what is under NDA, and ask who verifies claims — because a legal team that appears in week three with a red pen can undo the whole piece.
Banned words and the approval chain
Every organisation has words it will not use, and it is much cheaper to learn them in the brief than in round two. Then map the approvers — marketing, product, legal, and the founder who reads everything at midnight. The number of reviewers is the single best predictor of how many rounds you will need, so quote accordingly.
The intake form template
Copy the whole thing, or select the parts you need. The numbers and dates are examples — change them to yours before sending anything.
Copywriting project brief template
COPYWRITING PROJECT BRIEF
Fill this in with whoever knows the customer best — ideally with someone
from sales in the room. Guesses are fine as long as they are labelled as
guesses.
— THE PIECE —
1. What are we writing?
( ) Landing page ( ) Full website ( ) Email sequence
( ) Article / blog ( ) Case study ( ) Ad copy
( ) Product copy ( ) Sales deck ( ) Other: [ ]
2. Where will it live, and what does the reader see immediately before
it? (The ad, the email, the search result, the referral.)
[ ]
3. What is the one action you want the reader to take?
[ ]
4. What happens after they take it?
[ ]
5. Target length, and is that a hard constraint?
[ ]
6. Deadline, and what is driving it?
[ ]
— THE READER —
7. Who is this for? Role, company size, and what their day looks like.
[ ]
8. What do they already know about you? Are they cold, warm, or already
in a sales conversation?
[ ]
9. What is the problem in their words, not yours? If you have real
quotes from calls, reviews, or support tickets, paste them here —
these are worth more than anything else on this form.
[ ]
[ ]
10. What are they doing about it today instead of buying from you?
(Including "nothing" and "a spreadsheet".)
[ ]
— THE ARGUMENT —
11. What is the offer, precisely? Price, terms, what is included,
what happens after they say yes.
[ ]
12. List the top [5] objections you hear, in the customer's phrasing.
1. [ ]
2. [ ]
3. [ ]
4. [ ]
5. [ ]
13. What proof can we use publicly? Numbers, named customers, results,
guarantees, certifications, independent reviews.
[ ]
14. What is true but cannot be said publicly, and why? (NDA, legal, a
customer who has not approved a name check.)
[ ]
15. Who are the two closest alternatives, and what do they say about
themselves? Links please.
[ ]
16. Why do you win when you win? Ask the salesperson with the best
close rate.
[ ]
17. Why do you lose when you lose? Be honest — this shapes what we
address head-on and what we leave alone.
[ ]
— VOICE —
18. Link [2] pieces of your existing copy you are proud of, and [1] you
are not, with a sentence on why.
[ ]
19. Words, phrases, and claims we must NOT use.
[ ]
20. Words and phrases you always use — product names, capitalisation,
trademarked terms, the way you spell your own features.
[ ]
21. First person or third? "We" or the company name? Contractions
allowed?
[ ]
— SEO AND MEASUREMENT (if relevant) —
22. Target query and any secondary terms.
[ ]
23. Which existing pages should this link to, and which should link
to it?
[ ]
24. How will you judge whether this piece worked, and when will you
look?
[ ]
— ACCESS AND APPROVALS —
25. Which subject-matter experts can I interview, and can you schedule
[45] minutes with each by [date]?
[ ]
26. Who writes the final approval?
Name and role: [ ]
27. Who else reviews it? List everyone, including legal and anyone who
tends to appear late.
[ ]
28. Realistically, how long does your review cycle take?
[ ]
29. Anything else I should know?
[ ]
—
Next step: I will send a scope with word counts, [2] included revision
rounds, interview requirements, dates, and a fixed price.
[Your name] · [you@yourstudio.com]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.
Send it as an intake link from PaloWorks
Your client fills in the brief on a link before you quote, and the answers land on the project. A new workspace starts with a question set for its trade, which you edit to yours — short answer, pick one, pick any, or a date, and any question can be optional. It does not import this page's questions: add the ones you want to your form.
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.
Scope of work
Content writing scope of work
A content scope with word counts, keyword targets, interview access, source standards, revision limits, and a stalled-project clause.
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.
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