Do you know how to write a briefing?
Carrying out a task without instructions on what you need to do can be a problem. For example, have you ever tried to make a dessert without a recipe? You could use too few eggs, too much flour or forget the yeast, turning the dessert into a disaster.
Similarly, the briefing is a fundamental tool in the communication process between marketing professionals, designers, copywriters, clients and other stakeholders involved in creative projects.
It is essential to ensure that everyone has a clear understanding of the project's objectives, expectations and direction. That's why, in this article, we'll explain:
- What is a briefing?
- How to write a complete briefing.
At the end of this article, you'll also have a template ready to use today.
Happy reading!
What is a briefing?
A briefing is a document in which instructions, information and guidelines about a project are provided. It serves as a starting point for professionals involved in creative activities to begin production and make something that meets the client's needs.
The brief contains important details, such as the project's objectives, technical information and delivery deadlines. This way, all parties involved understand what needs to be done and ensure that the end product is the right one.
How to write a briefing?
Writing an effective brief requires clear information. Doing so is not always a simple task, especially for complex demands full of details.
As a result, you need to follow a logical order for the briefing. To help organize it, use these seven steps to guide the description of your creative project.
1. Determine the objective of the project
Before you start drafting the briefing, it's crucial to understand the objective of the project. Ask the client:
- What is the aim of this project?
- What will this production be used for?
With a clear vision of the objective, you can guide the entire briefing creation process. If you're building an advertising campaign, you need information about the product or service and the promotional conditions. If you're producing a blog article, you need keywords, article length and tone of voice.
So this should be the first piece of information in your briefing. Describe the objective of the project, contextualizing the strategy and goals you want to achieve with it.
2. Describe the target audience
The next step is to define the project's target audience. Imagine who the customers of a store selling products for pregnant women would be and follow the example below.
- Who are the people we want to reach?
Pregnant women, especially those who are more than 24 weeks pregnant or about to give birth.
- What is this public's need?
Pregnant women who need products to help make pregnancy more comfortable. Those who have problems such as swollen feet or sleeping discomfort. They are looking for relief during this pregnancy, but products that can be used after the baby is born and in future pregnancies.
The more detailed this information is, the better the ability to target the message effectively.
3. Provide creative guidelines
In this step, it is important to define the creative guidelines that will guide the project development process. Here, the guidelines vary according to what is going to be produced and the brand's visual identity.
- Video: Running time, subtitles, music, images and vignettes;
- Social media posts: Images, graphic elements and layout text;
- Text: Number of words, tone of voice and keywords.
These are just some of the guidelines that can be used in the briefing, but other relevant information can be inserted as required.
4. Inform the technical requirements
In addition to the creative guidelines, it is essential to specify any technical requirements that may be needed for the project. This can include file formats, sizes and resolutions.
In this step, remember to be exact with the information. If only one file format is accepted, write that down. If the resolution needs to be high, say so in the briefing.
5. Clarify the resources available
Another important aspect to address in the briefing is the resources available for execution. This can include the funding available, the team assigned to the project, and the tools and software to be used.
This part seems unnecessary, but knowing what resources are available will help you avoid unpleasant surprises, such as resizing or file conversion.
6. Set delivery deadlines
Delivery deadlines should be set out in the briefing. At each stage it is essential to ensure that the delivery of drafts, revisions, approvals and the final delivery are clearly specified, even with timetables.
Another way to keep everyone informed of the dates is to use task management software or a shared calendar.
7. Review the briefing
Before finalizing the briefing, take some time to refine the information. This will give you time to add more data that was not covered in the previous steps.
With more time, ask for feedback from all the collaborators involved to ensure that nothing has been forgotten and that everyone is aligned with the expectations and objectives of the project.
Briefing templates
At the end of all these steps, you'll have something like the template below. To help with compression, let's use the example of a social media post for a bookstore.
1. Objective
To inform the public that the store is running a promotion for books written by Brazilian authors. To encourage consumers to take advantage of the conditions for buying online.
2. Public
Men and women who buy physical books, mothers and fathers who need books for their children's reading lists, teachers and students on literature courses.
3. Creative
The brand colors are yellow and orange, so we need to keep the same tones. The images used should be of books, without people because we want to reach a wide audience.
4. Technical
Social network: Instagram
Format: Image
Size: 1080 x 1080
Resolution: High
5. Resources
Teams: Marketing and design
Budget: For boosting (R$ 500)
6. Deadlines
Draft: March 10th
Review: March 12th
Approval: March 15th
The publication should be ready for publication on March 20th.
Conclusion
The briefing is an essential tool for the success of any creative project.
By following these steps, you ensure clear communication, alignment of expectations and the right direction for everyone involved. So take the time to create a good briefing and you'll see what a difference it makes at the end of the project!
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