Glossary · copywriting
What is Copy brief?
A copy brief is the short document given to a writer before they write an ad, page, script or campaign. It answers the questions the writer would otherwise guess at: who the reader is, what they already believe, the one thing they should think or do after reading, the offer and its limits, the proof available, the tone, the length and format, the language, mandatory lines such as disclaimers, and the deadline. A good brief fits on one page and is specific. 'Make it catchy' is not a brief. Most rounds of revisions on copy come from a missing or vague brief, not from a bad writer.
What does Copy brief mean for a business in Pakistan?
In Pakistan the brief should also settle the language mix up front — English, Urdu script, Roman Urdu or a blend — and whether prices and offers may be stated. Briefs agreed in a long WhatsApp voice note are easy to misremember; a short written version avoids arguments later.
A worked example
Imagine a brief for a Rawalpindi school's admission ad: reader, parents of children aged 4–6 in Satellite Town and Chaklala; aim, book a campus visit on WhatsApp; proof, the school's facilities and teacher qualifications; tone, warm and reassuring; language, Roman Urdu caption with an English headline; length, under 60 words; deadline, Thursday.
Terms that go with this one
These come up in the same conversations and are worth reading together.
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- ScriptscriptA script is the written plan of what gets said, and it exists on a spectrum. Word-for-word scripts produce tight, quotable videos but sound stiff…
- CreativecreativeThe creative is the thing a person actually sees and hears — the video or image, the first frame, the words burned on screen, the voice-over, the…
Copy brief — quick answers
What does Copy brief mean?
A copy brief is the short document given to a writer before they write an ad, page, script or campaign. It answers the questions the writer would otherwise guess at: who the reader is, what they already believe, the one thing they should think or do after reading, the offer and its limits, the proof available, the tone, the length and format, the language, mandatory lines such as disclaimers, and the deadline.
Copy brief ko Urdu mein kya kehte hain?
کاپی بریف — though in practice almost everyone in Pakistan says "brief". In Pakistan the brief should also settle the language mix up front — English, Urdu script, Roman Urdu or a blend — and whether prices and offers may be stated.
Why does Copy brief matter for a business in Pakistan?
In Pakistan the brief should also settle the language mix up front — English, Urdu script, Roman Urdu or a blend — and whether prices and offers may be stated. Briefs agreed in a long WhatsApp voice note are easy to misremember; a short written version avoids arguments later.
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