What goes in a creative brief (with a template you can copy)
A one-page creative brief template for ads, landing pages and campaigns, what each section is for, and why the references section matters more than the rest.
TLDR
- A creative brief is one page that tells a designer or agency what to make, for who, and why. If it’s longer than a page, nobody reads the second one.
- The sections that matter: the goal, the audience, the one thing to say, why they should believe it, and the specs.
- The most useful part is the one most briefs skip: three to five references. “Like this, not like that.”
- Copy the template below, or fill it in and download a PDF with our free ad brief template.
Why briefs go wrong
Most bad creative isn’t a designer’s fault. It’s a brief that said “modern, bold, engaging” and left the rest to guessing. Then round three of feedback is where the actual brief gets written, in comments, at 11pm.
A good brief is short and specific, and it has pictures in it.
The template
Project: Q2 paid social, running shoes
Owner: Name, who approves it
Goal: What should happen? One number.
"Trial signups from Meta at under €20 CPA"
Audience: Who, specifically? What do they do today instead?
"Runners doing 20-40 km a week who get shin splints.
Currently buying whatever's on sale."
The one thing: If they remember one sentence, which one?
"Run further. Hurt less."
Why believe it: Proof, in order of strength.
"Stack height data, 4.8 stars from 2,100 reviews,
the physio who designed the insole."
Tone: Three words, and one it shouldn't be.
"Direct, warm, a bit cheeky. Not bro-y."
Mandatories: Logo, legal lines, the offer, anything that must be in it.
Deliverables: Formats and sizes.
"4:5 feed, 9:16 story and reel, 1:1 carousel x5"
References: 3 to 5 links, each with one line on why.
Deadline: First round by…, final by…
Budget: If there is one.Each section, briefly
Goal. One number. If there are three goals, there are three briefs.
Audience. Describe a person, not a segment. “Marketing managers at B2B SaaS companies” tells a designer nothing. “The one marketer at a 30-person startup who also does the website” tells them a lot.
The one thing. The single most useful line in the brief. If you can’t write it, you’re not ready to brief anyone.
Why believe it. Numbers, reviews, awards, who uses it. The designer needs to know what proof exists so they can show it.
Deliverables. Exact sizes and formats per platform. Getting these wrong costs a whole round. Our ad specs for every platform page has the sizes, ratios and copy limits for Meta, TikTok, LinkedIn, Google, YouTube, Pinterest, Reddit and X.
References: the section that does the work
Three paragraphs about tone are worth less than three pictures. Put references in every brief:
- Two or three “like this”, with a line each on what exactly you like. “The type size.” “How the product shows up in the first two seconds.” “This colour, not this layout.”
- One “not like this”, so they know where the edges are.
- Your own past work that did well, if there is any.
Where do references come from? Your swipe file, if you keep one. If you don’t, this is the moment you’ll wish you did. Here’s how to start one.
In Savepad, you can group the references for a brief into a collection (the ad, the landing page, the colours, the font, a note) and send the designer a private link to it. They see the references in full, with the source link next to each, and don’t need an account.
Other brief formats worth stealing
- MKT1’s GACC brief, built around goals, audience, a compelling reason and channels. Great for campaigns, not just creative.
- Most agencies have their own, usually called a “creative brief” or “job bag”. They all ask the same questions, and the good ones fit on a page.