Elements of a great creative brief: what to include, examples, and a checklist

Include the following sections in your creative brief templates.

Brand overview

The brand overview gives creators context about who you are and why the campaign exists. Influencers will struggle to promote your brand effectively if they lack an understanding of your company. 

This section is vital when you’re working with creators who have not partnered with or heard of your brand before.

It should be a short summary. The goal is to give creators enough information to represent your brand accurately without overwhelming them with internal detail.

Include the following in your brand overview:

• A brief company background, including what your brand does and who it serves.
• The brand’s positioning or key differentiator within the competitive landscape.

Campaign objective

What are you trying to achieve? Setting a clear campaign objective gives influencers direction. This should include a few short sentences that explain why you’re running the campaign and how the influencer's content contributes to it.

Here’s what to include in your campaign objective:

• The campaign's primary goal (brand awareness, engagement, web traffic, or conversions).
• Any context that explains why this campaign matters now (for example, launching a new product or promoting a limited-time discount).

Target audience and platform context

This section outlines the format content should take and the audience it should reach. Sharing a clear buyer persona helps the influencer align their messaging, tone, and creative content to your target customers.

Include these elements in your brief about the context:

• Who the content is aimed at, including demographics, interests, or behaviours.
• Identify the primary platforms where content will be published.
• Note any platform-specific expectations, such as the content format (e.g., Stories, Reel, Carousel, long-form video).

Before writing your brief, you should already be confident that the influencer’s audience demographics match your target audience’s.

An influencer marketing platform like Kolsquare gives you the data to assess influencers’ audience demographics, interests, and engagement. 

Key message

For content to make an impact, you need a clear main takeaway. This key message will help align creative teams across channels during your advertising campaign. 

Here’s how to define your key message:

• State the single core idea about your brand or product that the audience should remember (for example, a product benefit or brand narrative).

Brand guidelines

Brand guidelines should clearly define what the brand stands for, how it should be presented, and the actions and comments to avoid.

Before writing your guidelines, you should consider the influencer’s existing knowledge of your brand. If they are already familiar, you can use this section to correct assumptions and reinforce your branding. When influencers are unaware of your brand, the brief should provide enough context and guidance to promote your product authentically. 

Include the following details in brand guidelines:

• Tone descriptors, such as informative, playful, premium, or conversational.
• Mandatory elements, such as logos, tags, hashtags, tools, or features.
• Prohibited words, claims, visuals, or comparisons.
• Any clarifications needed if the creator is unfamiliar with the brand. For example, a high-end brand like Gucci wouldn’t want the influencer to say that the product was cheap.

Products

Don’t assume the influencer is familiar with your product. In the brief, you should clearly explain which products to mention, what they do, and how they should be shown or used in the content.

Here are the details to include about products:

• The specific product or products to mention.
• A short explanation of what each product does and how it works.
• Key product features and benefits.
• Confirmation of products sent to the influencer and how to use them in the content (if applicable). For example, a vacuum cleaner brand could ask the influencer to show pet hair being removed from a carpet in one movement. 

References and inspiration

Providing content references will help guide influencers in making style and aesthetic choices, which can be hard to describe in words. 

The examples should match the expected platform and format to prevent confusion. It’s also worth emphasising that references should be used for inspiration rather than copied. 

Include the following content references:

• Links to two to three example posts that reflect the desired tone, pacing, or structure
  Note what you like about each example, such as the storytelling approach or product integration.
• Any relevant brand-owned content or past campaign examples that would help the creator understand your requirements. 

Deliverables and formats

This section outlines exactly what the creator should produce. Clear deliverables help prevent misunderstandings about content quantity, length, and format. 

Include the following about deliverables and formats:

• The number of pieces of content you require in each format. For example, one Instagram reel and two Instagram stories.
• Content specifications, such as length and orientation.
• Deadlines for draft submission, review, approval, and final posting.
• Where to send the content.

Non-negotiables

You should define the elements the content creator must include and those they must avoid. Clear guidelines here will prevent content from undergoing lengthy revisions. 

Outline the following non-negotiables:

• Mandatory requirements such as ad disclosures, product visibility, hashtags, CTAs, and the number of brand mentions.
• Any claims, topics, or formats that are not permitted. For example, a brand may request that no AI content be used. 

KPIs and success metrics

Sharing clear, realistic tracking metrics helps creators understand what success looks like and gives both parties the tools to assess results accurately. KPIs should be specific, measurable, and, where possible, benchmarked against past campaigns.

Include the following details about KPIs you’ll track:

• What success looks like for this campaign.
• Metrics aligned with the campaign objective (for example, reach, engagement rate, clicks, watch time).
• Whether performance is assessed per post or across the whole campaign.

Creative brief example: influencer & social media marketing campaigns

Below is a creative brief example for influencer marketing that gives influencers clear direction. 

Brand overview

TryOn is a mobile app that allows users to try on clothes from online stores virtually. Once users have created a look, they can share it to ask friends for feedback before buying. It’s all about making shopping fun and social. 

Campaign objective

To position TryOn as a social alternative to shopping alone and encourage fashion lovers to download the app.

Target audience 

• Age: 18-35
• Gender: Female
• Location: UK
• Interests: Fashion influencers, trends, fashion brands, outfit planning, and social shopping.

Platforms:

• Instagram: Reels and Stories

Key message

Shopping is better together. 

Brand tone and guidelines

• Tone: Social, confident, playful, fashion-forward
• Do:
• Speak naturally
• Capture genuine reactions while using the app
• Show at least one complete outfit and a friend reacting to it
• Don’t:
• Rely on overly scripted dialogue
• Claim that you can guarantee fit or sizing accuracy
• Compare TryOn directly to competitors

Deliverables and formats

• Instagram:
• 1 Reel (30 to 45 seconds)
• 2 Stories (still images of the app in use with text overlay)

Non-negotiables:

• The app name should be mentioned verbally at least twice
• Content must show the app in use (screen recording or over-the-shoulder view)
• Include advertising disclosures, such as #ad in the caption
• Include the hashtag #TryOnFashion in the caption
• Mention the discount code verbally as a call to action and in the caption
• Avoid misleading claims about pricing, availability, or fit

KPIs 

• Number of video views
• Number of engagements (likes, comments, saves, and shares)
• Number of app store downloads using your discount code

Submission deadlines and timeline

• Draft submitted to Sarah for review via email by 10 March
• Feedback turnaround: 48 hours
• Posting window confirmed after approval

What are the most common creative brief mistakes?

There are common mistakes we regularly see in briefs. Eliminate them, and you’ll avoid misalignment, revisions, and underperforming influencer campaigns.

Overly vague objectives

Unclear objectives, such as “drive awareness” or “boost engagement”, make it difficult for creators to understand what the content should achieve. Be sure to outline exact KPIs you’ll track so that influencers can analyse past content that generated similar results. 

Jargon

Phrases like “activate upper-funnel audiences” or “build brand salience” feel familiar to marketers. But for creators, they may be confusing. Accessible language, such as “boost sales in people who already know about our brand” or “teach people how to use our hair dryer,” gives creators a clear idea of your requirements.

Too many messages 

If a brief asks creators to convey multiple brand messages simultaneously, the content can lose focus. It’s best practice to keep your brief direct, outlining one message you want audiences to take away. 

Ignoring platform culture

Reusing the exact instructions across platforms, such as TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube, is a common mistake. 

While content can be reused across platforms, briefs should reflect platform norms. For example, Snapchat performs best with informal, behind-the-scenes content, while Instagram favours more polished, lifestyle-led posts.

Too long or complex

A brief should be short and use bullet points, headers, and short paragraphs. Otherwise, you risk messages being lost in large text blocks. 

Over-controlling creative direction

Briefs that dictate precise scripts, scenes, and phrasing reduce authenticity. When creators are given too little flexibility, content often feels forced, which can hinder performance. 

Instead, give influencers some freedom. If you’ve chosen well, the influencer will be an expert in winning over your target audience. 

Lack of structure

Poorly defined timelines, budgets, or responsibilities in creative projects can lead to confusion and delayed campaigns. 

Clear timelines and approval stages help manage client priorities, align stakeholders, and prevent scope creep. This is especially important when multiple stakeholders or creators are involved.

What is the most important part of a creative brief?

The non-negotiables are arguably the most important part of the brief. Clear dos and don’ts prevent obvious errors, reduce revisions, and protect the brand from compliance and messaging errors. 

That said, no single section works in isolation. A creative brief is only effective when you explain your brand, objectives, audience context, key message, and KPIs. Removing any part increases the risk of misalignment and underperforming content.

Developing your influencer campaign 

A creative brief helps align brands, influencers, and creative teams around a shared goal. Unlike internal briefs, influencer briefs must clearly explain the brand and expectations while leaving room for authenticity.

But for a campaign to be effective, you need data. Platforms like Kolsquare help brands build stronger influencer campaign briefs by providing audience insights, creator performance data, and benchmarks.