Strategy
Part of How to choose an agency for your content strategy
How to build a content agency planning template around one decision per page
Advice for content agencies on building a planning template with one decision per page, named owners, rubric scoring for briefs and record-keeping prompts.
What to take away
- Decide whether the template is a client sign-off document or an internal working file, because that choice changes every page.
- Keep one page per decision, with the owner, the evidence and the deadline at the top.
- Score each brief against the same rubric so quotes stay comparable between clients.
- Record how you hold marketing data, since accountability duties apply from the first campaign.
- Review the template every ninety days rather than once a year.
Start from the decision, not the document
Most planning templates grow because each new client adds a section. That is how a one-page brief becomes a fourteen-page document nobody reads. Ask what decision the client is making this quarter. A launch, a budget renewal, a channel switch: each needs different evidence.
Name the decision first
What decision is the client making this quarter?
write it in one sentence at the top
delete every section that does not change it
Write the decision at the top of the page in one sentence. Then delete every section that does not change that sentence. Strategy, planning and reporting have to fit together, so read the content agencies strategy and planning guide before you build any template.
Number the pages so a client can point to page three in a meeting. A numbered pack is easier to revise than one with named sections, because you can swap a single sheet without reissuing the file.
Give each page a single owner
A plan with no named approver stalls at the first review. Put a role beside each decision, plus the date it must be made. Roles travel better than names when staff move between accounts.
Page ownership checklist
- Role named beside each decision
- Date the decision must be made
- Client-signed pages split from working notes
- Change log at the back, one dated line per amendment
Split the template into two parts: the pages a client signs, and the working notes behind them. Clients rarely need to see the scoring sheet. Keep internal notes in the account file.
Keep a change log at the back. One line per amendment, dated, with the reason. When a client asks why a budget line moved, the log answers faster than an email search.
Score briefs with a rubric instead of gut feel
A rubric makes two account managers price the same brief in similar ways. Score each brief from one to five against five criteria, then total it. Anything under eighteen goes back to the client with a question, not a quote.
Score briefs with a rubric
| Criterion | What good looks like | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Decision stated | One sentence names the choice and its deadline | 1 to 5 |
| Evidence attached | Source, date and owner beside each claim | 1 to 5 |
| Audience defined | A segment you can describe without jargon | 1 to 5 |
| Budget fit | Cost sits inside the agreed monthly range | 1 to 5 |
| Sign-off route | Approver named before work begins | 1 to 5 |
Totals are a prompt for a conversation, not a refusal. When a campaign has to run in a shorter cycle, the content agencies ninety day plan shows how the same pages and scores work across a quarter.
Set the money rules before you quote
Pricing drifts when the template has no place for cost assumptions. Add lines for the day rate, the retainer band and whatever sits outside both. Check the numbers against your own margin, not the client's optimism.
Profit is taxed before it reaches the owners. Corporation Tax rates on GOV.UK list the main rate and the reliefs that apply, and a pricing model has to survive those figures. Check the figures with your accountant before you build them into a rate card.
Write the assumption beside every figure, so a client can see what changes if the scope moves. A quote built on unstated assumptions becomes a rewrite when the brief shifts.
Keep claims and records in order
Every planning page makes promises about reach, response and results. Those claims must be accurate and not misleading, so the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 are worth knowing. Keep the evidence for each claim beside the page it supports.
Client data needs the same discipline. The ICO guidance on accountability and governance covers record-keeping and impact assessment duties for marketing data. A template that prompts for a data note saves an argument later.
Give the data note a review date, so a template written before a platform change does not fall out of step.
Common questions
How long should a content agencies planning template be?
Aim for one page per decision, usually four to six pages for a campaign. If it runs longer, check whether some pages are internal notes rather than sign-off documents.
Who should own the template?
One person in the agency, not the client. Give them authority to cut sections and review the document every ninety days so it matches how the team works.
Can one template serve every client?
Partly. Keep the rubric fixed and vary the pages. A regulated client needs more evidence lines, while a small retainer may need only decision, owner and date.
What belongs outside the template?
Internal scoring notes, negotiation history and anything commercial that does not change the client decision. Those belong in the account file, not in the sign-off pack.
