A useful paid social creative brief says who the advert is for, what it should help them understand, what evidence supports the message and what happens after they click. Add the format, practical constraints and approval owner. The designer needs a clear decision to communicate, not a list of adjectives.
Begin with one audience situation
Describe a recognisable moment, not a broad demographic label. “Business owners” could mean almost anyone. “An office manager comparing venues for a small planning day” gives the advert a job.
Write what that person is trying to solve, what they already know and what might stop them responding. Use actual customer questions where you have them. Label assumptions so the campaign can test them rather than present them as settled truth.
Keep personal or sensitive customer information out of the creative brief. The designer needs the situation and decision, not somebody’s private correspondence.
What should the advert say?
Choose one main message. If the advert tries to sell every service, tell the company story and answer every objection, the viewer has to do the editing.
For an illustrative venue advert, the message might be that a particular room suits a working meeting rather than a large celebration. The image, copy and destination should all support that distinction.
Write a plain sentence before writing a headline. “Show the meeting layout and explain how to request available dates” is a usable instruction. “Create something premium and engaging” leaves the central decision unresolved.
Put the evidence in the brief
Attach the material that makes the message supportable: approved photographs, confirmed features, current availability information or a permitted customer quotation. Identify who checked each fact.
The ASA’s misleading advertising guidance considers the overall impression created by claims and images. Do not ask a photograph to imply a facility, result or scale of work the business cannot support.
Put important conditions beside the relevant message in the brief. If the offer only applies to certain dates or a defined service, the creative needs room to communicate that. A designer cannot make an omitted fact visible.
A brief you can actually use
| Field | What to write |
|---|---|
| Audience situation | The decision the viewer is making and their main concern. |
| Message | One sentence the advert should leave them understanding. |
| Evidence | Approved material that supports that sentence. |
| Next step | The button, destination and what the visitor will receive. |
| Formats | The placements and versions required, checked against current platform specifications. |
| Constraints | Mandatory information, permissions, accessibility and brand requirements. |
| Approval | Who checks facts, who signs off the final version and by when. |
Add links to the actual source files. A screenshot inside a presentation is rarely a useful production asset. Keep the original photographs and footage separate from approved exports.
Specify how it should work on a phone
Preview the composition at the size someone will see it. Can they identify the subject without zooming? Does text remain readable? Will interface controls cover the important information?
For video, make the idea understandable without relying entirely on sound. Plan accurate captions and give them enough space. A film that works only when somebody turns the volume up asks for a favour before it gives them a reason to care.
Do not hard-code a remembered platform size into every future brief. Check the specifications for the actual placement when producing the assets, then save the chosen requirements with the job.
Separate a new idea from a new version
A different photograph of the same subject may be a production variant. A different reason to choose the business is a different idea. Name them accordingly so reporting can tell you what was tested.
For example, one concept might explain a practical feature while another addresses a common concern. Within each, there may be square and vertical versions. A file name should make both the concept and format clear.
Avoid asking for ten barely different headlines simply to create volume. Each variant should answer a question worth learning about.
Approve the complete route
Review the advert with its destination page open. Check that the offer, evidence and next step agree. A polished advert cannot repair a page that answers a different question.
Give feedback against the brief: wrong subject, unclear condition, unreadable text, missing evidence or an unsuitable next step. Personal taste still matters, but it should not be the only approval criterion.
Our paid social work starts with the message and the response you want. Use the paid social test plan to decide what to learn, and the guide to choosing social photographs to assess the visual material.