What to Give a Designer When You Hire Out Your eBook or Lead Magnet

What do you give a designer when you hire out your eBook or lead magnet? Five things: (1) Outline or structure — Headings and sections so they know length and flow. If you don’t have one, use a short template: promise, 3–5 sections, CTA. (2) Key copy — Intro, section intros, and main body (can be bullets or full paragraphs). Stops them from guessing or using placeholder text. (3) Branding — Logo file, colors (hex or name), font if you have one. Without this, the PDF won’t match your brand. (4) CTA — The one next step and where it appears (e.g. end of doc). Include the link if it’s ready. (5) Deliverable — What you want: PDF only, or PDF + source? How many revision rounds? Deadline? Send this before they start. If something’s missing, one email: “Need X before I can begin.”

Hiring someone to design your lead magnet or eBook only works if they know what you want. Vague briefs get vague results—or extra rounds of “can you change this?” You pay in time and money either way.

This guide is a brief template: what to send so you get a deliverable you can use, in as few rounds as possible. Same list works whether you’re hiring on Fiverr, Upwork, or direct. No “we’ll figure it out as we go”—get alignment first.

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What to include in the brief (at a glance)

Item	Why it matters	Minimum
Outline or structure	So they know length and flow. No guessing.	Headings or short TOC. Or: promise, 3–5 sections, CTA.
Key copy	So they’re not using placeholder or wrong message.	Intro, one line per section (or full text), CTA line and link.
Branding	So the PDF matches your brand.	Logo file, colors (hex or name). Font if you use one.
CTA	So the PDF isn’t missing the ask.	One next step. Where it appears. Link if live.
Deliverable	So you both know “done.”	PDF + how many revision rounds + deadline. Source file if you want it (some charge extra).

Send this before they start. If something’s missing, one email: “Need X before I can begin.” No exceptions. For how freelancers use the same list when they need to get the brief from the client, see workflow: the brief.

Outline: the minimum they need

Even a one-pager helps. Without it, they’re designing in the dark.

• Title / promise — e.g. “The 5-Day Cold Email Playbook.” One sentence. So they know what the asset is.
• Sections — e.g. “1. Setup, 2. Day 1–5 steps, 3. Templates, 4. CTA.” Headings or one line each. So they know length and flow.
• Length — “About 10 pages” or “8–12 pages.” So they don’t design for 5 or 50 by mistake.

If you don’t have an outline, use this: Promise (one sentence) → 3–5 sections (one line each) → CTA (what and where). Send that; they can suggest tweaks. Don’t start design without structure. For how to structure a lead magnet or eBook, see PDF lead magnets that convert and how to structure an eBook.

Copy: how much to send

• Ideal: Full copy in one doc (Google Doc, Word). They copy-paste or import; no “it’s in this email and that file.” One source of truth.
• Okay: Section-by-section bullets or key paragraphs. They can format; you’ve given the message. Include at least: intro, one line per section (or full section text), CTA line and link.
• Avoid: “Just make it look good” with no text. They’ll use placeholder or guess—and you’ll redo it. You’ll pay for extra rounds or end up with something that doesn’t say what you need.

The more complete the copy, the fewer rounds. If you’re still writing, send what you have and say “draft—will send final section 3 by [date].” But don’t ask for full layout before the copy is locked; that’s rework waiting to happen.

Branding: don’t skip this

• Logo — High-res file (PNG or SVG). Tell them where it goes (e.g. cover, footer). Without it, you get a generic look or a placeholder. You’ll ask for changes.
• Colors — Hex codes or names (e.g. “brand blue #1a2b3c, white background”). So the PDF doesn’t look like someone else’s brand.
• Font — If you have a brand font, name it or send the file. If not, “clean sans-serif” is enough and they’ll pick. Consistent with your other assets.

Without branding, you’ll get something that doesn’t match. Send it upfront. One round of “actually use our colors” is a round you could have avoided.

CTA and deliverable

• CTA — One next step. Exact wording and link (if live). Where it appears (e.g. last page, end of key sections). So the PDF isn’t missing the ask or has the wrong link.
• Deliverable — “I need: final PDF + 2 rounds of revisions. Delivery by [date].” If you want source or editable file, say so; some charge extra. Agree on revision cap. “Unlimited revisions” can drag; 2 rounds is a common baseline. See pricing your PDF design services for why capping revisions protects both sides.

Red flags to avoid (for you and them)

Red flag	Why it hurts	Fix
No outline	They’re guessing structure. You get wrong length or flow.	Send at least a short outline: promise, sections, CTA.
No branding	You’ll get something that doesn’t match.	Send logo and colors before they start.
No revision cap	“Unlimited revisions” can drag. Scope creep.	Agree on “2 rounds included” (or similar) in the gig or contract. Extra = extra charge.
Copy in 10 places	They’re piecing together from emails and attachments. Errors and missed bits.	One doc. One source of truth. Send the link or file.

For how to run the full project (brief → layout → revisions → delivery), see workflow: from client brief to delivered PDF.

Our recommendation

Send the full brief before they start. Outline (or promise + sections + CTA), key copy, branding, CTA with link, deliverable (PDF + revision rounds + deadline). One email with everything. If they’re missing something, one reply: “Need X before I can begin.” Don’t start design on a promise. You’ll save rounds and get a deliverable you can actually use. If you’d rather do it yourself and keep control, use the same structure and a tool for long-form PDFs so you own the result and can update anytime.

What to do with this information

1. Copy the brief template — Outline, copy, branding, CTA, deliverable. Fill it for your next project. Use the table at the start of this guide as your checklist.
2. Send before they start — No “we’ll figure it out as we go.” Get alignment first. One email with everything.
3. Agree on revisions — e.g. 2 rounds. Extra = extra charge. Put it in the gig or message. See workflow: revisions.
4. If you’d rather do it yourself — You can use the same structure and a tool for long-form PDFs so you own the result and can update anytime. For when DIY wins, see hire vs DIY.

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If you prefer to keep control and turn your outline + copy into a PDF yourself, you can try BuildPDFs for lead magnets and long-form PDFs. No commitment.