How to brief a creator campaign on one page
A creator brief is one page that says what you sell, who it is for, what you need back, and what must not be said. Anything longer gets skimmed, and anything vaguer gets you a video you cannot use.
- One page, ten fields. If the brief needs a second page, the campaign has more than one goal and should be split.
- Brief the outcome and the limits, not the script. Creators who read lines sound like adverts, and adverts are what the audience scrolls past.
- Put the things that cause reshoots in writing: product claims you cannot make, competitors that cannot appear, audio you cannot use in ads.
- Deliverables need a format, a length, a count and a date. A request for some content is not a deliverable.
- Usage has to be agreed before filming, because it changes the fee. Deciding afterwards that you want to run the video as an ad is a second negotiation.
Most disappointing creator content traces back to the brief and not to the creator. The brand knew what it wanted and did not write it down, or wrote down so much that the two things that mattered were buried on page four. A working brief is short because the person reading it is a one-person production company who will film your product between two other jobs. They need to know the goal, the audience, the one message, the deliverables, the hard limits and the dates. They do not need your brand book. This page gives you the ten fields, an example filled in for an invented product, a table of what to specify and what to leave to the creator, and the omissions that most often lead to a reshoot. It applies if you are contacting creators yourself, and it is the same information we ask for when a brand sends us a brief.
The ten fields of a one-page creator brief
Each field earns its place by preventing a specific problem. If you cannot fill one in, that is worth knowing before you pay anyone.
| Field | What to write | The problem it prevents |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Goal | One sentence. Ad creative to test, launch awareness in one niche, or reviews and social proof | Content made for the wrong job |
| 2. Product | What it is, the price, where it is sold, and the one thing buyers like most | A generic video that could be about any product |
| 3. Audience | Who buys it, in plain words, and what they worried about before buying | A message aimed at nobody |
| 4. Key message | One point the viewer should remember. Two at most | A list of features read to camera |
| 5. Deliverables | Count, format, length, orientation, and whether raw footage is included | Arguments about what was ordered |
| 6. Must include | Product shown in use, name said aloud, a link or code, the disclosure | Unusable posts and compliance problems |
| 7. Must avoid | Claims you cannot make, competitor products, banned words, unlicensed music | Reshoots and legal risk |
| 8. Usage | Where the content will run, for how long, and whether it will be used in paid ads | A second negotiation after filming |
| 9. Dates | Product ships, draft due, feedback window, final due, posting window | Missed launches |
| 10. Approval and payment | Who approves, how many revision rounds, the fee and when it is paid | Endless revisions and late payment disputes |
Fields 7 and 8 are the two most often left blank, and they are the two that cost money later. Usage is covered in detail on our page about influencer usage rights.
What to specify and what to leave to the creator
Specify the facts and the limits. Leave the voice, the setting and the structure to the creator. You are paying for the way they talk to a camera, and a script removes the thing you paid for.
| Specify | Leave to the creator |
|---|---|
| The single message and any claim wording that legal has approved | The exact words, the hook and the order of points |
| Format, length and orientation | Location, outfit, time of day, editing style |
| That the product must be shown in use within the first seconds | How it is shown |
| Claims that cannot be made | Their honest opinion, including small criticisms |
| The disclosure that must appear | Where it fits naturally, within the platform rules |
The exception is content made purely for your ad account. There it is reasonable to ask for specific hooks, because you are testing openings against each other. Ask for two or three alternative first lines per video. Hooks are the cheapest thing to vary and the thing most likely to change results. Our pages on UGC for TikTok ads and UGC for Facebook ads go further on how those tests are set up.
A filled example
The product, the prices and the dates below are invented so you can see the level of detail. Replace every line with your own.
- Goal: six short videos to test as paid ads against our current best image ad.
- Product: a refillable dish soap concentrate, $24 starter kit, sold on our own site. Buyers like that one bottle lasts about three months.
- Audience: renters and new homeowners, 25 to 40, who want less plastic and doubt that eco products clean well.
- Key message: it cuts grease as well as the usual brands, and one kit lasts three months.
- Deliverables: two videos per creator, vertical, 20 to 35 seconds, each with two alternative opening lines. Raw clips included.
- Must include: a real greasy pan cleaned on camera, the product name said aloud, the refill step shown.
- Must avoid: antibacterial or health claims, the words chemical-free, other brands in shot, trending in-app audio.
- Usage: paid and organic on Meta and TikTok, brand website, 12 months. No posting to the creator's own account.
- Dates: product ships 3 March, drafts due 14 March, feedback within two working days, finals 21 March.
- Approval and payment: one named approver, one revision round included, fee agreed in writing, paid within 15 days of final delivery.
Notice what is missing: no script, no mood board, no list of twelve features. The creator can read it in two minutes and knows what a good result looks like.
If the creator will post to their own audience, add the platform, the posting window, the link or code, how long the post must stay up, and the disclosure required. In Canada and the United States, paid posts must be clearly disclosed.
The omissions that cause reshoots
Reshoots are nearly always caused by something the brand knew and did not write down. These are the repeat offenders.
- Regulated claims. Supplements, skincare, food, finance and anything for children have rules about what can be said. Write the approved wording and the forbidden wording into the brief.
- Music. A track from the app's library is usually licensed for personal posts, not for a brand's paid ads. If the video will run as an ad, say so, and ask for original voiceover or licensed audio.
- Competitors and other logos in shot. A creator's kitchen has other brands in it. Say if that matters.
- Orientation and safe zones. Vertical video with captions placed under the app's buttons is a common reason a good video cannot be used.
- Who appears. If a partner, child or friend is in the video, you need their permission too.
- The approver. Feedback from three people in three emails produces a third version nobody likes. Name one person.
Most of these also belong in the contract. The brief says what to make. The contract says who owns it, what happens if it is late and what each side can do with it. Our influencer contract checklist lists the clauses.
How the brief changes by campaign type
The ten fields stay the same. The weight moves between them depending on what you are buying.
| Campaign type | Fields that matter most | Common mistake |
|---|---|---|
| Content for your ad account | Deliverables, hooks, usage, audio rules | Forgetting to ask for alternative openings and raw clips |
| Creators posting to their own audience | Audience fit, disclosure, posting window, link or code | Dictating the caption until it reads like an advert |
| Product seeding with no payment | Product and a short note only | Attaching obligations to a gift. Once you require a post, it is a paid job with a low fee |
| Launch or event in one week | Dates and the single message | Letting posts drift across a month so nobody notices them |
If you are unsure which type fits your budget, the comparison of UGC and influencer marketing explains the difference, and the page on product seeding covers gifting done properly.
Briefing us instead of briefing creators
When you work with us, you brief us once and we brief the creators. We act as principal: you buy finished content from us at one fixed price, and we commission and contract the creators ourselves, at fees we agree with them. You do not negotiate with creators or chase drafts, and if a creator does not deliver, replacing them is our problem.
The brief we need from you is shorter than the one above. Tell us the product, the price, who buys it, the goal, the budget range and any dates. We write the creator brief, clear the claims with you in writing before anything is published, and handle audio, rights and approvals. A plan with a fixed price comes back free, and the content packages page shows what the fixed prices buy.
We do not guarantee sales or views from any campaign. What we commit to is the process, the deliverables and the dates in the quote. Pricing is published on the pricing page.
Questions
How long should an influencer brief be?
One page. A creator should be able to read it in two or three minutes and know what a good result looks like. If it runs longer, you probably have two goals, and two goals usually means two briefs.
Should I give creators a script?
Usually not. Give them the message, the facts and the limits, and let them say it their way. The exception is approved claim wording in regulated categories, and specific opening lines when you are testing hooks for ads.
How many revision rounds are normal?
One round is common, and two is generous. More than that usually means the brief was unclear. Revisions should be for things that depart from the brief, not for new ideas that arrived after filming.
Do I need a contract as well as a brief?
Yes. The brief describes the work. The contract covers ownership, usage, payment, deadlines, disclosure and what happens if something goes wrong. For small jobs it can be short, but it should exist in writing.
Who writes the brief if we work with Four Cents Media?
We do. You send us a short brief about the product, the goal and the budget. We write the creator brief, confirm any product claims with you in writing, and manage the creators we commission.
General information, not legal advice. The example product, prices and dates are invented for illustration. Advertising and disclosure rules vary by category and country, so check the rules that apply to your product.
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