The influencer brief template
Thirteen fields, in the order a creator needs them. Brackets are yours to fill. Everything else can stay as written.
Influencer brief template
- Brand and product
- [Brand] makes [product] for [who]. One sentence, no adjectives.
- The one job of this video
- Get [audience] to [one action: try it, click, remember the name]. One job only.
- Who is watching
- [Age, situation, the problem they have right now]. Talk to one of them, not to everyone.
- Hook: first 2 seconds
- Pick one or write your own: 1) "[Problem] was ruining my [moment]." 2) Show the product doing the thing before you say anything. 3) "I didn't believe [claim] until..."
- Key message
- [The one thing they must remember]. Say it in your own words.
- Must show
- The product in hand within 5 seconds. [Packaging, feature or result]. Your face at least once.
- Must say
- [Product name], pronounced [how]. [Offer or code, if any].
- Do not
- Do not mention [competitors, prices, medical or income claims]. No music you do not have the rights to.
- Format
- 9:16 vertical, [15 to 30] seconds. Natural light. Captions off in the file, we add them. Send raw clips too.
- Deliverables and dates
- [1] video, [3] hook variations of the first 3 seconds. Draft by [date]. Final by [date].
- Usage and whitelisting
- Paid usage on [Meta, TikTok] for [90] days from first spend. Partnership ad or Spark access for the same window.
- Review and payment
- One round of revisions included. Reshoot free if a must-show is missed. $[fee] paid on approval, net [15].
- Examples
- [Two or three videos that feel right, and one line on what to take from each.]
What goes in an influencer brief, and why
The fields that change the video are the job, the hook and the must-shows. The fields that prevent fights are the dates, the usage and the payment terms. Leave either half out and you pay for it later.
- One job. A video that tries to build awareness, explain three features and drive a sale does none of them.
- The hook. The first two seconds decide whether anyone sees the rest. Give options, not a script. See ad hooks.
- Must show, must say. The two or three things that make it your ad and not a generic one.
- Format. Vertical, length, raw files. Raw files let you cut new hooks later without a reshoot. Specs per platform are on ad specs.
- Usage and whitelisting. In the brief, so the price already includes it. See influencer whitelisting.
- Review and payment. One revision round and when you pay. See paying influencers.
Director by Sprites · private beta
The ads, without the creator ops.
At scale: One brief takes 20 minutes. Forty briefs a month is forty interpretations of it, forty threads of follow-up questions and forty drafts that each get the hook slightly wrong. The template removes the writing. It does not remove the reading.
Director is a full creative team for your startup. Every Monday you get finished, on-brand video ads, reviewed by a human. You pick the winners. Sprites ships the campaigns. No creators to manage.
- Strategy, hooks, scripts, shooting and editing, end to end.
- Every video is checked by a person before it reaches your inbox.
- You never write a prompt. No endless revisions.
Five brief mistakes that cause reshoots
Too long, too scripted, no hook, no examples, and usage left for later. Each one turns into a second round of filming.
- A three-page brief. Creators skim. Anything past page one is a suggestion.
- A word-for-word script. It reads like an ad, which is the one thing UGC is not supposed to do.
- No hook. The creator opens on "Hey guys" and the video is dead at second two.
- No examples. "Authentic and fun" means something different to everyone. Two reference videos fix it. Browse UGC ads for some.
- Usage left for later. The video works, you want to run it for six months, and the price just doubled.
Questions
What should an influencer brief include?
The one job of the video, the audience, a hook for the first two seconds, the key message, what must be shown and said, what to avoid, the format, deliverables and dates, usage rights and whitelisting, and the review and payment terms.
How long should an influencer brief be?
One page. Creators skim, and a long brief turns into a script that makes the video feel like an ad.
Should I give influencers a script?
Give hook options, the key message and must-say lines, and let the creator say the rest in their own words. Word-for-word scripts usually perform worse.
What is a UGC brief?
A brief for a creator making a video for your ads rather than their own feed. It puts more weight on the hook, the format, raw files and paid usage rights.
Do I need to include usage rights in a brief?
Yes. Put paid usage, channels, duration and whitelisting access in the brief, so the price the creator quotes already includes them.
How many revisions should a brief allow?
One round of revisions is standard, plus a free reshoot if the creator misses a must-show from the brief. A new idea is a new video.
Ads every Monday, no creators to manage
Every Monday you get finished, on-brand video ads, reviewed by a human. You pick the winners. Sprites ships the campaigns.