How to write a creative brief: example and interactive template

A useful creative brief explains the task you want to solve. You do not need production terminology or a finished script. Start with what you offer, who it helps and what you want someone to do after seeing the ad. This guide includes an example and an interactive template you can send to WAISME as an enquiry.

Read the guide and complete each part, or start your brief now. All project fields are optional. If a detail is unknown, write “I need help”. An email address is only needed when you send the enquiry. This form does not send answers as you type or save them to browser storage; reloading the page may clear them.

What is a creative brief?

A creative brief describes the objective, audience, offer and practical requirements of advertising work. It helps a business and an agency agree on the task before developing ideas and a quote. It can cover one short video, a carousel, a set of ads or a larger campaign. Its depth should match the scale of the project.

“We need five Reels” tells us how many files you want. “We want to show small shop owners how our software simplifies receiving deliveries and encourage them to book a demo” gives us a starting point for an idea. Deliverable counts still matter, but they do not explain the task on their own.

The BetterIdeas Project, published in 2025, surveyed 1,034 people across 54 countries. Only 10% of respondents said ideas in their organisations were always evaluated against clearly defined criteria. This survey describes industry practices; it does not prove that completing a form increases sales. It does help explain why agreeing on criteria before the first presentation is worthwhile.

What should a creative brief include?

The most useful details are the offer, objective, audience, main benefit, supporting evidence, channels, available assets, budget and deadline. Add brand requirements and identify who will collect feedback. You do not need a large presentation. Short answers and a link to your current offer often provide enough information to start a conversation.

The client brief captures what you know about your business and the task. We refine the communication strategy from there. A concept is an idea for expressing the message, a script describes a film, and a production specification sets out how it will be made. You do not need to prepare all of those documents yourself.

1. What are you promoting, and what should change?

Begin with a specific offer. Name the product or service and link to a page explaining it. If the offer is still in development, describe what it includes and its current stage. The agency needs to understand what can actually be demonstrated and promised.

Choose a primary objective. You might want to introduce a product, explain a use case, generate enquiries or sell. If several objectives matter, put them in order. Otherwise it is difficult to decide whether the material should mainly explain something, build an association or prompt a particular action.

Describe what happens after the click. Will the viewer reach a shop, booking calendar, enquiry form or service page? A film cannot fix a broken form or an unclear offer. Our article about ads that get clicks but no sales explores this part of the journey.

The Creative Dividend by System1 and Effie, announced in 2026, combines evidence from 1,265 campaigns with creative measurement drawing on responses from over 200,000 people. It examines creative quality alongside media support. This is why we ask about both the material and how you plan to use it. Findings from a campaign database are not a promise of results for your project.

2. Who is the ad for?

Describe the person’s situation. “Women aged 25-45” gives little guidance for a story. It is more helpful to explain that you are thinking of people who want fewer steps in their morning skincare routine but worry a simpler routine will not be enough. That remains a hypothesis until conversations or data support it.

Use customer questions, service enquiries, reviews and sales experience. Tell us which observations are real and which are assumptions. Do not paste customer names, contact details or complete private conversations into the brief. An anonymised summary is usually enough.

Consider what makes the decision difficult. Price, unfamiliar technology, lack of trust or changing an established routine? An ad can address a specific concern. If the barrier is not yet clear, we can discuss what to learn before production.

3. What are you promising, and how can you show it?

Choose one main benefit. For delivery-management software, it might be an easier way to spot missing items. For a cosmetic product, it could be a convenient application method. Listing every feature in one short execution can make the message difficult to follow.

Add evidence: a demonstration, product documentation, a real use case or verifiable data. Do not turn an unsupported statement into a stronger advertising claim. Categories such as cosmetics, health and finance need particular care and checks appropriate to the product and market.

Also consider how viewers will recognise the brand. The product, a distinctive colour, packaging, a person or a familiar way of speaking can belong in the story. System1 and TikTok’s 2025 short-form advertising research connects analysis of 887 ads with responses from over 92,000 users and campaign lift studies. It explores how attention and brand recognition work together. This research concerns TikTok and was produced with the platform; its findings should not automatically be applied to every channel.

Concept example: for the fictional skincare brand FORM, a morning scene might show someone picking a single product from an organised shelf. That is a storytelling idea about simplicity. It does not demonstrate a cosmetic effect or justify claiming the product replaces an entire skincare routine.

4. How should you define formats, budget and timing?

List the channels you use and those you are considering. If you are unsure whether TikTok, Instagram or YouTube is appropriate, write “I need a recommendation”. You do not need to select a production tool. We can discuss the approach once the task and constraints are clear.

Our TikTok, Reels and Shorts comparison for businesses can help you think through the channels. If you are considering creators or generated visuals, read our guide to choosing between UGC and AI video ads.

Separate production budget from media spend. Production covers preparing and making the assets; media spend pays to distribute them as ads. Share a range or ask for scope options. An unknown budget need not stop the conversation, but an approximate scale helps avoid ideas that cannot be delivered. Our comparison of public Reels production prices in Poland illustrates how different scopes produce different quotes.

List existing resources: photographs, footage, brand guidelines, product samples, locations or people who could appear. Explain whether the deadline is fixed and allow time for feedback. For each reference, say what appeals to you: pacing, demonstration, lighting or narrative. A link without an explanation leaves plenty of room for different interpretations.

How does a brief become a concept and prototype?

After receiving your enquiry, we check our understanding of the objective, audience and scope. We identify missing information and discuss next steps. Production work begins only after the relevant scope and commercial arrangements are agreed. Sending the form does not commission paid research or launch a campaign.

A larger assignment might call for different routes: an everyday customer story, a product demonstration or a distinctive visual treatment. Three crops of the same photograph are not three separate concepts. Meta’s guidance on creative diversification makes a related distinction between concepts and formats. It is platform training, not independent research or a requirement to develop exactly three ideas for every project.

We translate the selected direction into a prototype suited to the task. That might mean representative carousel slides, a storyboard and sample scene for a film, or a working user journey for a landing page. The prototype should clarify important decisions before full production. Its scope is agreed as part of the work. See how the WAISME process works for the broader collaboration.

How should you evaluate work and give feedback?

Go beyond “I don’t like it” by identifying where the work differs from the agreed task. For example: “The product is missing from the opening scene, and recognition is important here” or “This sentence implies a benefit our documentation does not support”. A specific observation makes it possible to propose a useful change.

• Does the viewer understand what is being shown and why it matters?
• Is there support for the promise?
• Can the viewer recognise the brand and understand the next step?
• Can the idea be delivered within the agreed scope, budget and deadline?
• Have the people responsible for approval contributed their feedback?

Choose one person to collect comments and distinguish a correction from a change of direction. Selecting a new audience after script approval may create a new task rather than a small copy edit.

A checklist supports a decision; it does not predict sales. Kantar’s discussion of creative-testing validation, updated in August 2026, illustrates why measuring an ad’s potential requires a defined and validated method. It describes Kantar’s own solution, not proof that any AI tool or form can predict effectiveness. Audience research and campaign testing are separate decisions.

A short creative brief example

Concept project for the fictional brand FORM. This example illustrates how to describe a task. It is not a WAISME client project or a report of real campaign results.

• Offer: a skincare product being introduced in an online shop.
• Objective: explain how to use it and direct interested viewers to its product page.
• Audience: people considering a simpler morning routine. This is a hypothesis to investigate.
• Barrier: uncertainty about where the product belongs in an existing routine.
• Message: show application in a specific morning situation, without unsupported performance claims.
• Assets: packaging, a product sample and brand guidelines.
• Scope: an advertising carousel, with slide count and adaptations agreed in the quote.
• Budget and timing: request two production options and plan media separately. Launch depends on product readiness.
• Assessment: clarity of the demonstration and visits to the product page; campaign results can only be assessed after distribution and measurement checks.

Review your brief and send an enquiry to WAISME

You do not need every answer. Check that the information describes your situation and remove details that are unnecessary for the conversation. In particular, avoid sensitive personal data or information about other individuals. Copy the summary to your own document or send it to WAISME. Sending an enquiry does not place an order for paid services.

Creative brief questions

Do I need to know my budget?

No. Give a range if you have one or ask for options. We can discuss a scope that fits the resources available.

Can WAISME help me write the brief?

Yes. Share what you know and we can discuss the gaps. The template organises the first conversation; it does not replace strategy work.

Can I enquire about a single asset?

Yes. The process, number of concepts and prototype scope depend on the task and the agreed proposal.

Is the brief a script or an order?

No. The brief defines the task. A script describes how a film unfolds. Commissioning work requires separate agreement on scope, price, timing and rights.

Does sending the brief subscribe me to a newsletter?

No. The brief is used to handle your enquiry. Newsletter subscriptions have a separate form and process.

Explore the scope of our creative and production services before preparing your brief.