Writing a well-structured creator brief is key to setting your campaign’s success. A good brief will help prevent any potential misunderstandings with the creator you’re working with. It should be easy for them to follow, containing vital information which leads to measurable results.
Without guidance, writing an effective creator brief can require time and practice. Over the years, we’ve gathered some essential tips for writing a strong set of guidelines.
Keep it short
Briefs can often run into several pages detailing all the intricacies of the brand, product and how the creator should carry out the campaign.
However keeping a brief short and concise is vital in preventing key information such as publishing dates and tracking links from slipping through the net.
Creators receive dozens of emails a day. Even the most rigorous readers may gloss over important details if the brief is too long.
We recommend keeping it short and sweet — limiting it to one page that keeps it to the point and outlines the campaign’s requirements.
Leave the creativity to the creators
Give the creators ideas rather than long pre-made scripts. In our experience, creative freedom allows for more seamless and authentic integrations.
From an ethical and practical point of view, it can be problematic to demand that a creator read through a long pre-formulated script. It may discourage their audience, who are the very people you’re trying to reach. In turn, this could have an impact on the creator’s following as a whole.
In the end, the creators have built up a loyal following due to their content, so they know what works best for their audience.
Explain the requirements
After taking a sentence to explain what the product and campaign is, brief the creator on the following:
- When is the publishing date
- When and where they should mention the name of the product
- What is the tracking link and where should it be included
- Where to access the creative assets
Suggest talking points
While we think that feeding pre-made scripts is best avoided, we do encourage brands to offer one or two potential talking points.
This should include the call-to-action. For example, if you have a strong direction to drive downloads, let the creator know that they should encourage their followers to download through the link in their description.
If there is a special feature that can be accessed through the creator such as a discount code, then suggest that this is emphasised.
Outline the conditions
You are trying to build a trusted relationship, so it makes sense to underline the conditions needed for a successful collaboration, this could include:
- That it is important to have fast communication and take the previews/ full video at the agreed date
- The contract amount
- To communicate immediately if they are not able to complete the agreement, or are no longer able to make the video
- That content can’t contain any pornographic, racist, sexist, or homophobic comments. List any specific ‘blacklist’ words that you don’t want to be mentioned.
Briefing Checklist
To recap – the campaign brief should include:
⬜ A short introduction citing the brand’s name and campaign title
⬜ Campaign details – where it should be, and the call to action
⬜ Publishing date
⬜ Contract amount
⬜ Guidelines citing conditions
Learn more about how Matchmade can help you by booking a walkthrough call with one of our experts.