A good creative brief is like gold dust. It’s the master document that ensures that a creative project delivers what you’re expecting on time, and within budget. It sets out what you, as a marketer or creative manager want and need from a creative collaborator to deliver content. They save time and money. They prevent confusion and frustration. And a good creative brief is not as complicated to produce as you might think. We walk you through the benefits, show you how to write one, and even include a link to a sample creative brief at the end. If you manage creative projects, you can’t afford not to work with one.

What is a creative brief?

A creative brief is a document that sets out your wants and needs for any content that you commission. It ensures that the people producing your content know precisely what they are meant to deliver and sets your expectations. Content briefs apply for any creative commissioned work, from copy used in content marketing to videos created as part of a social media campaign. A creative brief can be a short document but must be clear and precise. In addition, some elements should always be included.

There’s no hard-and-fast template for a creative brief. What you choose to include will depend on the type of content that you are commissioning and your working relationship with the creator. However, having a creative brief example outline can help you get started. 

1. Generic and applicable to all projects you commission:
   1. Brand outline
   2. Style guide
   3. Payment protocol
2. Specific to a given project:
   1. Project title/outline
   2. Objectives
   3. Target audience
   4. Delivery channels (e.g., Instagram, YouTube, blog)
   5. Message and tone
   6. Assets and deliverables:
      • Creative, e.g., structure or expected content
      • Technical, e.g., video duration/ number of images/ word count, aspect ratio, branding
      • Call to action
   7. Specific inclusions, e.g., internal or external links, copy for title/end cards, keywords
   8. Technical details, e.g., SEO, metadata
   9. Budget
   10. Deadline
   11. Contacts, including commissioning individual and other professionals involved in the project, for example, stylists and makeup artists
   12. Resources, e.g., content inspiration such as Motion Array images or templates.

Benefits of a brief for creators

For a creator, a detailed brief is essential. First and foremost, it provides clear direction and expectations for the content. Compare “We want an Instagram video that promotes our non-alcoholic beverage” with “We require a 30-second Instagram reel that promotes our non-alcoholic beverage to women aged 20 to 35. It should feel summery and outdoorsy as if it’s something they can drink at a festival or barbeque when they might otherwise be drinking sparkling wine or a mixed drink.” That’s far from a complete brief, but it sets out a clearer picture of what is required.

This clarity reduces any guesswork that a vague brief might place on a creator, which is both stressful and time-consuming. Without a precise brief, it can take longer for a creator to produce the content you are expecting, and it has a higher chance of not meeting your needs. For example, with the more ambiguous brief above, a creator could easily have produced a holiday-period video for a different demographic. As a consequence, it will require revision and reworking. This will add to the time it takes to deliver your final version and potentially increase its cost. 

From a creator’s perspective, a vague content brief can lead to them second-guessing themselves. They are not quite certain of what you want and how you’ll receive their work, and if it isn’t right, this can lead to loss of earnings. You might not choose to work with them again, and making revisions can stop them from taking on other projects. That’s both an emotional and financial drain that can be avoided.

Benefits of a brief for clients

By setting clear and defined expectations for your creators, you help them produce the content you want. This reduces misunderstandings, for example, about the target audience for a video or the tone and feel for a photo shoot, and ensures that everyone working on the project is aligned.

It’s not just about clarity for your creators, though. Writing your brief means that you, as a commissioning editor or marketing client, thoroughly understand what you are trying to achieve and, therefore, what you want and need. Writing a creative brief is part of your content development process to ensure that you are meeting your own objectives, both for that specific project and as part of your bigger picture. Are you focusing too much on summer at the expense of other seasons? Do you need to vary the length of the videos that you’re producing? Have you clearly defined your call to action? With a content brief, you can help yourself to meet your targets.

A clear creative brief will also aid in the efficiency of your project. Rather than having a stream of back-and-forth messages clarifying if a video is for Facebook or Instagram, how long it should be, and what the specific call to action should be, it’s laid out for the creator. This helps to prevent delays in the project, which could arise from waiting for clarification or having to put preparations in place. It also reduces the likelihood of having to request revisions, which is time-consuming, expensive, and frustrating for everyone involved. By using a creative brief template, you introduce an element of quality control to your project management.

Using a standard content brief template for all your projects also brings professionalism to your business. This is clearly important for the general impression that your company presents and its overall reputation, but it also makes you attractive to potential collaborators who will feel well supported and, therefore, more inclined to work with you. Do you want content creators to see a brief in their inboxes, sigh, and contemplate if they can afford to accept it, wondering what exactly is required of them and how long it will take? Or would you prefer them to see a brief from you and think, “They always know what they want; that’s a job I can afford to take.”

How to write an effective creative brief

Using a sample creative brief is the first step in delivering an effective creative brief, but there are other elements that you should build into the process.

1. Gather together the key information from all project stakeholders: target audience, tone and feel, budget, call to action, links for inclusion, and so forth. 
2. Include resources to assist in defining your vision. For example, attach images or video footage from Motion Array that share a look and feel similar to what you are trying to produce.
3. Collaborate with your colleagues and other stakeholders to refine the brief. Is all the information correct? Is anything missing? Are the instructions clear and unambiguous?
4. Send the brief for confirmation and sign-off from anyone necessary.
5. Send the brief to your content creators in a timely manner and allow for questions and clarification.

Wrapping up

If you commission content creators to produce anything for you such as videos, images, and copy, working to a creative brief template is a huge advantage to both you and them. A good creative brief ensures that you are requesting the right content from your collaborators and that they have a clear idea of what you’re looking for.  It helps keep your whole project on track and cuts down on time, costs, and headaches. It makes your collaborators’ jobs easier and turns you into a client they enjoy working with. Try out a creative brief sample to get started and change it to meet your needs, and don’t forget to look to Motion Array for inspiration and resources to help you achieve the content you want.