The Ultimate Creative Brief Template (plus examples that don’t suck)

A good brief is not “more detail”. It’s the right detail - the stuff that prevents rework.

Copy/paste brief (core)

1) Goal (one sentence):
What change are we trying to create?

2) Audience:
Who is it for? What do they already believe?

3) Offer / message hierarchy:
Primary message → secondary message → proof.

4) Deliverables:
Channel, formats, sizes, counts, languages, deadlines.

5) Specs & constraints:
File weight, character limits, safe zones, required logo/CTA/legal.

6) Brand / examples:
2–3 references of “this is close”.

7) Measurement:
How will we judge success (and where will we see it)?

8) Approvals:
Who approves, by when, and what happens if they miss the deadline?

What to add for each channel

• Paid social: hook in first 2 seconds, aspect ratios, subtitles rules.
• Display: size list, click behaviour, animation limits, fallback rules.
• CRM: subject line guidance, dynamic fields, personalisation rules.

Mini example (display)

• Goal: drive plan upgrades for existing customers
• Audience: “out-of-contract” mobile customers
• Deliverables: 6 sizes, static + HTML5, 3 key messages, 2 CTAs
• Constraints: max 150kb HTML5, legal line must always show

Next step

Pair this with your QA checklist: /playbooks/display-qa-checklist/