What to put in a campaign brief

Every campaign starts with a brief, whether it’s written down or not. When it isn’t, everyone fills the gaps with their own assumptions — and that’s how you end up with three rounds of creative that “isn’t quite right”.

A good brief doesn’t need to be long. It needs to be clear. Here’s what to include.

1. Business overview

Two or three sentences about who you are, what you sell and who you sell to. Assume the reader knows nothing. Include anything about your brand that the campaign must respect — tone of voice, colours, things you never say.

2. What you’re promoting

Be specific. Not “our salon”, but “our new bridal skincare package, launching on 1 March, available at our Colombo branch”. If there are several products, say which one matters most.

3. The objective

What should the campaign achieve? Choose one primary objective and make it measurable where possible:

• Awareness: get the new range in front of people who’ve never heard of us.
• Leads: generate enquiries for the January intake.
• Sales or bookings: fill appointments for the launch month.
• Attendance: get people to register for the event.

If you list five objectives, the campaign will do none of them well.

4. Target audience

Describe the people you want to reach as real people, not just demographics. What do they care about? What are they worried about? Where do they spend time online? What would make them choose you over the alternative?

“Women aged 25–45 in Colombo” is a start. “Working mothers in Colombo who want to look after their skin but feel they have no time” is a brief.

5. Key message

If people remember one thing, what should it be? Write it as a single sentence. This is not the final headline — it’s the idea the creative team will bring to life.

6. The offer

Is there a reason to act now? A launch price, a free consultation, a limited intake, a bonus, a deadline? If there isn’t an offer, say so — the campaign will need to work harder on desire and urgency.

7. What makes it different

Why should someone choose this over the competition or over doing nothing? Proof matters here: experience, qualifications, reviews, guarantees, a unique process. Only include claims you can back up.

8. Channels

Where will the campaign run? Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Google, email, WhatsApp, your website, in-store, partners? If you’re not sure, say what you have available and ask for a recommendation.

9. Timeline

Include the launch date, any fixed deadlines, and when you need creative for approval. A typical campaign has a teaser phase, a launch phase and a sustain or reminder phase.

10. Budget

Separate the budget for advertising (paid to the platforms) from the budget for creative and management. Even a range helps the team recommend the right mix.

11. Success metrics

How will you judge whether it worked? Choose measures that match the objective — enquiries, cost per lead, bookings, registrations, sales — and agree how they’ll be tracked before launch.

12. Deliverables and practicalities

List what you think you need (for example, a key visual, three reels, six static ads, a landing page) and anything the team must work with: brand guidelines, product photos, legal wording, approvals, who signs off.

Common brief mistakes

• Too vague: “We want to go viral.”
• Too many goals: awareness and sales and followers and engagement, all at once.
• No audience insight: describing who people are but not what they want.
• Hidden constraints: mentioning the budget or the deadline only after the creative is presented.
• No one owns approval: feedback arriving from five people in five directions.

Build yours in ten minutes

Our free campaign brief builder asks the questions above one at a time and assembles a professional brief you can edit and download as a PDF. You can also grab the campaign brief template from our resources.

When you’ve got the brief, we’ve got the ideas. Our digital campaigns team can take it from there.