Pitch perfect: why scoping documents are crucial for comms teams
Pitching fresh ideas for articles, newsletters and social media posts is part and parcel of the job for most comms team members. Coming up with concepts is one thing, but getting the ideas reviewed, signed off and into production is another. Find out how scoping documents can help you present ideas more efficiently – and strengthen your brand’s content development process.
Are you struggling to pitch story ideas that hit a mix of strategic pillars? Finding it tough to get new concepts signed off? Or has your content development process become long-winded and inefficient? Then it might be time to make scoping documents part of your editorial practice.
As a content marketing agency that prides itself on finding and telling the stories that matter, we know it’s crucial to have the right tools in place to create high-quality content – and this starts at the pitching stage. After noticing the challenges our clients were facing when it came to ideation work, our team developed ‘scoping documents’ to allow teams to share and develop ideas quickly and effectively.
Inspired by the editorial newsroom pitching process – where journalists present new ideas to editors – scoping documents can help teams ensure that ideas have been properly considered before further time is invested into research, interviews or drafting.
How to use scoping documents
So, what exactly is a scoping document? Its design is simple but effective. The template includes a table divided into four distinct columns: one dedicated to a story idea overview, one that suggests a work-in-progress title, and two for editors or clients to share feedback – indicating whether ideas should be ‘progressed’ or ‘spiked’.
Perhaps your team needs to develop ideas around a specific theme – such as an upcoming event or a newsworthy trend – in which case, you can create scoping documents on an ad hoc basis. Or, if you want a more regular stream of ideas, putting together a monthly document could be better.
Scoping documents: a few handy tips
The level of detail that you include in a scoping document will vary based on the type of content you create (and the criteria that have been set for it), but an obvious starting point is to outline the format and angle of each article.
Aligning new pitches with strategic content pillars is crucial to establishing a balance in your corporate narrative and ensures that no focus areas are ignored.
It’s also worth linking to external sources, as this will add context and credibility to an angle or argument – and help you explain how other brands are engaging with similar topics. Make a note of relevant ‘news hooks’. These nuggets of information will demonstrate to an editor why an idea is timely, relevant and of interest to your audience.
Listing target SEO keywords can showcase both audience interest in a topic area and strategic value, while referencing potential interviewees will highlight how you’ll use expert insights to add authenticity, personality and value to current conversations.
Streamlining the pitch-to-publication process
These tips are just a starting point. The beauty of Speak’s scoping document template is that it’s easy to adapt to your team’s editorial needs.
Incorporating scoping documents into your pitching process will help you scrutinise your ideas from the start, ensuring that every idea is fully fleshed out and meets your business’s goals. And, for time-strapped comms leads, reviewing ideas on a single document is that extra bit more convenient, saving them precious time and enhancing efficiency. That’s one pitch we hope they’re more than willing to sign off.
Download our scoping document template
Looking for a better way to present ideas to clients and optimise the planning process? Download your own scoping document template for free. You can thank us later!
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Find out how Speak can help your brand plan, produce and distribute standout content. Contact Gabrielle Bridle from our client services team at gabriellebridle@speakmedia.co.uk or on LinkedIn.