Finding the sweet spot between clear brand boundaries and creative freedom is the key to a successful creator or UGC campaign. Over-briefing leads to stiff, overly commercial ads that audiences instantly scroll past. Under-briefing risks missing key brand guidelines and product details.
What MUST Go Into Your Brief
Non-Negotiable Deliverables & Specs
- Aspect ratios (e.g., 9:16 vertical), video length, and delivery formats.
- Specific hooks or Call-to-Actions (CTAs) to test.
- Mandatory product positioning (e.g., showing the product in action within the first 3 seconds).
Clear Do's & Don'ts
- Unusable words or competitor mentions to avoid.
- Legal disclosure requirements (e.g., #ad or #sponsored tags).
- Brand visual guidelines (e.g., natural lighting, no heavy filters).
Core Product Value Proposition
- The primary problem the product solves and key features to highlight.
What You SHOULD Give Up Control On
- Word-for-Word Scripts: Forced scripts ruin authenticity. Give creators bulleted talking points instead and let them express the benefits in their own words.
- Tone of Voice & Personal Delivery: Creators know what resonates with their audience or matches native social feeds. Trust their natural cadence and style.
- Exact Camera Angles & B-Roll Setup: Allow creators to film in their authentic daily environment. Perfectly staged studio setups often perform worse than real-life settings.
Want to put this into practice? See how Influentials helps brands run creator and UGC campaigns, or book a demo to talk it through.