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] ------------------------------------------------------------ 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.