The briefs that produce great work are short, specific about the one thing that matters, and quiet about everything else. The briefs that produce flat, obviously-paid content are long, defensive, and full of mandatories that exist to protect internal stakeholders.
Include
- The single visual proof point — the thing the camera needs to see for the product to make sense.
- A first-three-seconds suggestion, not a script.
- Hard boundaries: claims that cannot be made, and why.
Leave out
- Brand history the audience will never hear.
- Required phrasing that no human says out loud.
- More than one call to action.
And pay for the usage you actually want
Usage rights negotiated up front cost a fraction of what they cost after a post performs. If you intend to boost it, whitelist it, or run it as an ad, say so in the brief.
