The target audience may be leaders of organizations, lawmakers or other policy influencers. It summarizes the details of an issue and provides policy suggestions that might solve it–often with a preferred recommendation. Simply put, a policy brief is a document that outlines a policy in, typically, 700 words or less. This post will outline the basics of this summary, known as a policy brief, including the format that should be used and tips for ensuring it is written effectively. By developing a concise summary of an issue, along with policy options to solve a problem, government affairs professionals can ensure their message gets across to those responsible for creating and influencing policy. Policy briefs play a central role in public and government affairs.
