How to write a marketing agency brief on one page

An agency brief is a short document that tells a marketing agency what you want to achieve and what they have to work with. A clear one saves weeks of back and forth. It also lets you compare agencies fairly, because each one answers the same question. This guide shows what to put in a brief that fits on one page.

What goes in an agency brief #

• The goal. One sentence. "More bookings for new patients on weekdays" beats "raise awareness".
• The customer. Who you want to reach, where they live and what they care about.
• What you have. Your website, your map listing, your list, your photos, and who on your team can help.
• What you have tried. Past campaigns, and what you learned from them.
• Budget and timing. A range is fine. A missing budget leads to proposals you cannot use.
• How you will judge it. The signs that would tell you the work is going well.

What to leave to the agency #

Leave the how to them. Your agency brief should describe the problem, not the solution. If you ask for "a newsletter", you get a newsletter. If you ask for "more repeat visits from past customers", you may get a better idea.

If email is part of the answer, read Clara's guide to the first email a subscriber gets before the kick-off meeting.

Two briefs we worked from #

Our case studies began with briefs like this. The physio clinic's brief asked for weekday bookings. The bakery's brief asked for a way to tell regulars about new bakes.

For the wider idea, the entry on the creative brief at Wikipedia shows how bigger agencies structure theirs.