# CONTENT STATEMENT OF WORK

> **Disclaimer — not legal advice.** This template is provided free of charge, as is and with no warranty of any kind, and using it creates no attorney-client relationship. It is jurisdiction-neutral: you are responsible for adapting it, for your own legal and tax compliance, and for having a qualified professional in your jurisdiction review it before you rely on it. Full terms: https://trycolo.co/terms-of-use

**SOW reference:** [SOW-NUMBER]  |  **Date:** [DATE]
**Writer / content provider:** [YOUR NAME OR BUSINESS] ("Writer")  |  **Client:** [CLIENT LEGAL NAME] ("Client")
**Governing agreement:** [COPYWRITING CONTRACT / MSA AND DATE]
**Client editor (single point of feedback):** [NAME], [EMAIL]
**Period:** [START DATE] to [END DATE]

## 1. Content program overview

**Goal:** [e.g. rank for [N] priority topics in [MARKET] and give the sales team articles to send prospects]
**Audience:** [WHO READS THIS CONTENT — role, knowledge level]
**Voice:** follows [STYLE GUIDE / BRAND VOICE DOC] supplied by the Client.

## 2. Content types and volumes

| Piece type | Word range | Qty per month | Research level | Fee per piece |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Standard article | [1,200-1,600] | [N] | Desk research, [N] cited sources | [CURRENCY] [AMOUNT] |
| Long-form guide | [2,500-3,500] | [N] | Desk research + [1] interview | [CURRENCY] [AMOUNT] |
| Case study | [800-1,200] | [N] | [1] customer interview | [CURRENCY] [AMOUNT] |
| Newsletter | [400-700] | [N] | Curated from published pieces | [CURRENCY] [AMOUNT] |
| [PIECE TYPE] | [RANGE] | [N] | [LEVEL] | [CURRENCY] [AMOUNT] |

**Monthly fee:** [CURRENCY] [TOTAL] for the volumes above.
**Pieces outside these ranges** are quoted separately before work starts.

## 3. Briefs, research and interviews

3.1 **Topic list:** [CLIENT / WRITER] proposes [N] topics per month by [DAY OF MONTH]; the Client approves by [DAY].
3.2 **Piece brief:** each piece starts from a brief covering topic, reader, target keyword, angle, required points and CTA. Brief written by [CLIENT / WRITER].
3.3 **Interviews:** up to [N] interviews per month, each up to [45] minutes, scheduled by the Client. A missed interview without [24] hours' notice counts toward the monthly allowance.
3.4 **Sources:** the Writer uses reputable published sources and links to them. Client-supplied data is used as provided; the Client confirms its accuracy.

## 4. Editorial process and turnaround

| Step | Who | Turnaround |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Outline submitted | Writer | [3] business days after brief approval |
| Outline approved | Client editor | [2] business days |
| First draft | Writer | [5] business days after outline approval |
| Edit round 1 (consolidated comments) | Client editor | [3] business days |
| Revised draft | Writer | [2] business days |
| Edit round 2 (consolidated comments) | Client editor | [3] business days |
| Final draft | Writer | [2] business days |

4.1 **Included edit rounds:** [2] per piece. A round is one consolidated set of comments from the Client editor.
4.2 Changes to the angle, reader or required points after the outline is approved are a new brief, charged at [X]% of the piece fee.
4.3 If the Client does not respond within the turnaround, the next step moves by the same number of days. A piece with no response for [15] business days is treated as approved.

## 5. SEO and publishing

| Task | Included | Owner |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Keyword research and topic mapping | [ ] Yes  [ ] No | [WRITER / CLIENT] |
| Title tag and meta description | [ ] Yes  [ ] No | [WRITER / CLIENT] |
| Internal links to existing pages | [ ] Yes  [ ] No | [WRITER / CLIENT] |
| Image sourcing and alt text | [ ] Yes  [ ] No | [WRITER / CLIENT] |
| CMS upload and formatting | [ ] Yes  [ ] No | [WRITER / CLIENT] |
| Publishing and promotion | [ ] Yes  [ ] No | [CLIENT] |

Rankings and traffic depend on factors outside the Writer's control and are not guaranteed.

## 6. Byline, ownership and portfolio

6.1 **Credit:** [ ] Published under the Writer's byline  [ ] Ghostwritten, published under [CLIENT / EXECUTIVE NAME].
6.2 Ownership of final pieces transfers to the Client on payment for that piece, as set out in the governing agreement.
6.3 **Portfolio:** the Writer [may / may not] link to published pieces publicly; ghostwritten work may be described privately to prospective clients without naming the Client [ ] Yes  [ ] No.
6.4 AI writing tools: [ ] Not used for drafting  [ ] Used for research only  [ ] Used as agreed in writing.

## 7. Kill fees and cancellations

| Point of cancellation | Amount due |
| --- | --- |
| Before outline submitted | Nothing |
| After outline, before first draft | [25]% of piece fee |
| After first draft delivered | [100]% of piece fee |

Cancelled pieces may be replaced within the same month at no extra cost only if the outline has not been written.

## 8. Fees, unused pieces and changes

8.1 The monthly fee is invoiced [in advance on the 1st / at month end], payable within [N] days.
8.2 **Unused pieces:** if the Client does not approve topics or schedule interviews in time, up to [N] pieces roll into the next month only; after that they expire.
8.3 Additional pieces, new formats (e.g. scripts, white papers, ebooks) or translation are added by written change request.

| # | Date | Change | Fee impact | Approved by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | [DATE] | [DESCRIPTION] | [CURRENCY] [AMOUNT] | [NAME] |

## 9. Acceptance

| Writer | Client |
| --- | --- |
| Signature: ____________________ | Signature: ____________________ |
| Name: [NAME] | Name: [NAME], [TITLE] |
| Date: [DATE] | Date: [DATE] |

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### How to use this template

1. Price each row in section 2 from the time it really takes, including interviews and edits.
2. Tick every box in section 5; unticked publishing tasks turn into free work.
3. Agree the byline position in section 6 before the first piece is drafted.
4. Review volumes every quarter and re-issue the SOW if the mix of piece types changes.

*Template provided by Colo (trycolo.co). Not legal advice — review with a qualified professional in your jurisdiction.*