A good brief is the single biggest factor in whether a video project succeeds or struggles. Studios that receive a clear, well-thought-out brief can get straight to work. Studios that receive a vague one spend the first two weeks asking questions and that will increase costs and delay your project.
The good news is that writing a good brief doesn't require creative experience. It just requires clarity about what you want the video to achieve. Here's everything you need to include — and a few things you can safely leave out.
of experienced marketers say video is the most effective element for boosting landing page conversions — but only when the message behind it is clear from the start.
A common mistake is trying to solve the creative problem in the brief. You don't need to describe the animation style, write the script, or specify colours and music. That's what the studio is for. Your job is to describe the problem you need solved and the outcome you want — not how to solve it, and they will provide expert ideation and examples.
Overly prescriptive briefs can actually constrain the creative process. The best results usually come when a client defines the destination clearly and trusts the studio to find the best route.
Our favourite briefs are usually one or two pages and answer three questions in plain English: who is this for, what do we want them to do after watching, and what's the most important thing we need them to understand? Everything else we can work out together in a kick-off call.
Virality is an outcome, not a brief. It also rarely happens on demand. Focus on what the video needs to achieve for your business, and let quality and distribution strategy take care of reach.
If six people with six different priorities all contribute to a brief, you could end up with something that tries to say everything and lands on nothing. Agree internally on the single most important message before you put pen to paper.
Sharing a budget can feel like giving away power. In practice, not sharing it just wastes time. If you tell us your budget is £2,000, we'll tell you exactly what we can deliver for £2,000. If you tell us nothing, we'll quote for what we think you need — and that might be £8,000. A budget isn't a ceiling, it's a starting point for an honest conversation.
The best briefs are often rough. A half-page email with your goal, your audience, and a link to a video you like is a perfectly good place to start. We'll ask the right questions from there. Don't let perfect be the enemy of started.
A note from us: At Spiritus Design, we're happy to work from the roughest of briefs — or no brief at all. If you have an idea and you're not sure how to articulate it, just call or email. We'll help you shape it into something workable, and the brief will usually write itself from that conversation.
The single most useful thing you can do before briefing any creative studio is to watch three or four videos you genuinely admire — from any sector, any style — and ask yourself why they work. What do they have in common? That answer will tell you more about what you want than any brief template.
Send us whatever you have — rough brief, vague idea, or a link to a video you like. We'll take it from there.
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