Agencies get blamed for bad work that started as a bad brief. "Make something cool" produces exactly what it asks for: something cool, and useless.
Lead with the business problem
Not "we need a video." Rather: "sales drop in Q3 and we don't know why customers stop." The first is a solution you guessed. The second lets the agency find a better one.
Name the constraint
Budget, timeline, legal limits, the thing your CEO will never approve. Constraints don't limit creative work — hiding them wastes two rounds discovering them.
- The problem — not the deliverable.
- The audience — who, really.
- The constraints — say them upfront.
- The measure — how we know it worked.
A brief that can't be wrong can't be judged. Say what success looks like.
Ready to brief us? Start here.
What makes a good creative brief?
Lead with the business problem, not the deliverable. "We need a video" is a solution you guessed. "Sales drop in Q3 and we don't know why customers stop" lets the agency find a better one. Then name your constraints upfront — hiding them just wastes two rounds.
What should a brief always include?
The problem, the audience, the constraints, and the measure of success. If your brief can't be judged against anything, you'll get work that can't be wrong — and can't be good either.