Every creative project – marketing and advertising copy, a new website, visual design projects, and so on – requires a creative brief. This is a document you prepare for the creative professionals who’ll be delivering your project. But it’s more than just a Word document – it’s a springboard for creatives to imagine new ideas for your brand. And it’s a reference point for you to look back on, helping you judge whether the end result hits the mark. In other words, it’s a super-valuable part of the creative process.

Not sure how to write a creative brief? Here are the essential elements to include:

1. Who is your target audience?
First and foremost, who does your brand want to talk to? Who are they and what do they do?

2. What problem does your product or service solve for the customer?
This is your chance to describe how your value proposition relates to the person you’ve described – basically, how does the audience use your product or service? What benefit does it bring to their life? Be specific here. If you had to distil your proposition down to a one-sentence promise, what would it be?

3. What’s the evidence for your promise?
Why should the audience believe that you can solve their specific problem? Give compelling reasons to back up your claim, such as awards that your company has won, testimonials from happy clients, or impressive results that you’ve demonstrated. Facts and stats are ideal.

4. What action do you want the audience to take?
Imagine your target audience has received your message loud and clear. They’re on board. What do you want them to do next? Sign up for your newsletter, place a pre-order, book an appointment with one of your consultants, download your free guide, or something else entirely…

Writing a good creative brief really is as simple as that. But here are a few final tips to ensure you nail your brief:

• Don’t worry about writing your brief in clever advertising speak. That’s the creative’s job! Just spell out your messages in plain English.
• Do include your brand guidelines along with your creative brief. Don’t have brand guidelines? We can help you create them.
• And finally, get the important stakeholders within your business to sign off on the creative brief before you send it. You want to make sure everyone’s on the same page before work starts.

Got a creative challenge for us? From refreshing your website or injecting more oomph into your copy, to building an engaging social media presence, OCTOPUS has you covered. Let’s discuss your goals for 2023.

(Image by DCStudio on Freepik)