How to Write a Ghostwriting Brief (With Template)

A ghostwriting brief is the single document that determines whether your first draft lands close to the mark or misses it entirely. Writers who receive a clear, thorough brief produce better content faster and require fewer revisions. Writers who receive a vague one-liner are left guessing — and their guesses will cost you time and money.

This guide covers exactly what to include, what most people get wrong, and provides a template you can use for any ghostwriting project.

Why the Brief Matters More Than You Think

Most ghostwriting frustrations trace back to the brief. When a client says “the first draft wasn’t what I expected,” the problem is almost never the writer’s skill — it’s that the writer didn’t have enough context to produce what the client had in mind.

A brief is your chance to transfer the vision from your head into the writer’s. It doesn’t need to be a 10-page document. A clear, structured one-pager is better than a rambling document that buries the key information. But it does need to answer specific questions that the writer will otherwise have to guess at.

Think of it this way: every gap in your brief is a decision the writer makes without your input. Some of those decisions will match what you wanted. Many won’t. A strong brief minimizes guesswork and maximizes the odds of a first draft that needs light editing rather than a rewrite.

What to Include in Your Brief

Target Audience

Describe who will read this content. Not just demographics — psychographics. What do they already know? What problems are they facing? What stage of the buying journey are they in? What would make them share this piece with a colleague?

Bad example: “Our target audience is marketers.” Good example: “B2B marketing directors at SaaS companies with 50-200 employees. They’re under pressure to generate pipeline and are evaluating whether to build an in-house content team or outsource. They’re skeptical of agencies after a bad experience.”

The more specific you are about the audience, the better the writer can calibrate tone, depth, and examples.

Tone and Voice

If the content publishes under your name, your writer needs to match your voice. Provide 2-3 examples of your existing content that represent how you want to sound. Then describe the tone in plain terms.

Useful voice descriptors: conversational, authoritative, technical but accessible, no jargon, direct, uses analogies, uses data, avoids buzzwords.

Also mention what to avoid. “Don’t use corporate speak” or “never say ‘leverage’ or ‘synergy’” is genuinely helpful guidance.

Content Goals

What should this piece accomplish? Be specific. “Thought leadership” is not a goal. Here are actual goals:

• Drive organic traffic for the keyword “cloud migration strategy”
• Position the CEO as an expert on AI governance
• Generate demo requests from enterprise IT buyers
• Educate existing customers about a new product feature

The goal determines the structure, depth, and call to action. A writer approaching an SEO piece will structure it differently than a thought leadership essay.

Outline or Key Points

You don’t need to write the whole article — that’s what you’re hiring the writer for. But providing an outline or a list of key points gives the writer a skeleton to work from.

At minimum, provide:

• The main argument or thesis
• 3-5 subtopics or sections to cover
• Any specific points, data, or examples to include
• What to leave out (just as important as what to include)

If you have strong opinions about the structure, share them. If you want the writer to propose a structure, say so explicitly.

Reference Materials

Give the writer everything that would help them understand the topic and your perspective:

• Internal documents, presentations, or research
• Competitors’ content (to differentiate from, not copy)
• Recorded interviews, podcast appearances, or talks you’ve given
• Data, statistics, or case studies to reference
• Links to 2-3 pieces of content similar to what you want

Don’t dump 50 links and expect the writer to find the relevant parts. Curate the list and note what’s important in each.

Deliverable Specs

Be precise about format:

• Word count range (e.g., 1,500-2,000 words, not “around 2,000”)
• Format (blog post, LinkedIn article, whitepaper, etc.)
• Headings and structure (H2s required? FAQ section? Bullet points preferred?)
• SEO requirements (target keyword, secondary keywords, meta description)
• Internal links to include
• Call to action at the end

Timeline

Specify when you need:

• The first draft
• Your turnaround time for feedback (be honest — if you’ll take a week, say so)
• The final draft
• Publication date, if relevant

Setting clear timelines prevents the most common source of ghostwriting project delays: the feedback loop stalling on the client’s side.

Common Brief Mistakes

Too vague. “Write a blog post about AI” gives the writer nothing to work with. What angle? What audience? What’s the point? A vague brief guarantees a vague first draft.

Too prescriptive. On the other end, dictating every sentence and paragraph eliminates the value of hiring a professional writer. Provide direction, not a script.

No voice examples. If you want the content to sound like you but don’t provide examples of your writing or speaking, the writer will default to their own natural voice — which may not match yours at all.

Buried information. Sending a brief in a 30-email thread or a 20-page document means the writer will miss key details. Consolidate everything into a single, scannable document.

Skipping the goal. Without knowing why you’re publishing this piece, the writer can’t optimize for the outcome you care about.

Ghostwriting Brief Template

Copy this and fill it in for each project:

Project: [Blog post / whitepaper / case study / LinkedIn series / etc.]

Working title: [Your best guess at a title — writer can refine]

Target audience: [Who reads this? What do they care about? What do they already know?]

Goal: [What should this piece accomplish?]

Voice/tone: [How should it sound? Link 2-3 examples of your existing content.]

Outline / key points:

1. [Main section or argument]
2. [Supporting section]
3. [Supporting section]
4. [Conclusion / call to action]

Key messages: [2-3 things the reader must take away]

Reference materials: [Links, docs, recordings — annotated]

SEO keyword: [Primary keyword, if applicable]

Word count: [Range, e.g., 1,500-2,000]

Internal links to include: [URLs]

What to avoid: [Topics, competitors to not mention, tone to avoid]

Deadline: [First draft due date, feedback turnaround, final due date]

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A 15-minute investment in a solid brief saves hours of revisions later. If you’re ready to start working with a ghostwriter, find a vetted writer on IncognitoWriters or read our complete guide to hiring a ghostwriter for the full process.