How to brief a creator

What goes in a creator brief?

Ten things. If one is missing, the creator will fill the gap with a guess.

1. The product, in one line, and the one problem it solves.
2. Who the video is for: age, situation, what they've already tried.
3. The single message. One, not five.
4. The hook: what the first three seconds need to do.
5. Proof points the creator can say truthfully, and claims they must not make.
6. Must-haves: product on screen, the name said out loud, the offer, the call to action.
7. Must-nots: competitors, prices that might change, anything off-brand.
8. Deliverables: number of videos, length, aspect ratio, hooks, captions, raw footage.
9. Dates: product arrives, first draft due, feedback back, final due, posting date.
10. Rights and disclosure: where the video will run, for how long, and how it must be labelled.

Creator brief template

Copy this, fill in the brackets and delete what you don't need.

CREATOR BRIEF

Brand and product: [name, link]
What it does, in one line: [ ]
Who this video is for: [age, situation, what they've tried before]
The one message: [the single thing a viewer should remember]

HOOK (first 3 seconds)
Goal: [stop the scroll with the problem, the result or a surprising moment]
Options you can try: [2 or 3 starting lines; say it your way]

WHAT TO SHOW
Must have: [product on screen by X seconds, name said aloud, offer, call to action]
Proof you can use: [only claims you can stand behind after using it]
Do not say or show: [medical or money claims, competitor names, prices]

DELIVERABLES
Videos: [number] x [length, e.g. 20 to 40 seconds]
Format: 9:16 vertical [plus 1:1 if needed], captions [burned in / separate]
Hook variations: [number per video]
Raw footage: [yes / no]

DATES
Product arrives: [date]
First draft: [date]
Our feedback: [within X working days]
Final files: [date]
Posting date (if posting): [date]

RIGHTS AND LABELLING
Usage: [organic / paid ads], [platforms], [countries], [term, from first use]
Posting on your account: [yes / no]; whitelisting or Spark Ads code: [yes / no, period]
Disclosure: label as an ad upfront. UK: "Ad" in the first line.
TikTok: turn on the commercial content disclosure setting.

FEE AND REVISIONS
Fee: [amount, what it covers]
Revision rounds: [number]
Contact for questions: [name, email]

How do you brief the hook?

We write for the first three seconds, then the rest. Give the creator the job the opening has to do and two or three example lines, and make clear they can rephrase. A line that sounds like the creator beats a line that sounds like the brand.

Ask for two or three hook variations on each video. It's the cheapest test in paid social: the same body with different openings tells you which angle stops people.

What formats and specs should you ask for?

Ask for vertical 9:16 as the master. TikTok recommends 9:16 for in-feed ads, at a minimum of 540 by 960 pixels, and ads can be up to ten minutes long, though short ads are the norm. If you'll run on Facebook and Instagram feeds too, ask for a 1:1 version and tell the creator to keep the important action in the middle of the frame so it survives the crop.

Say whether captions should be burned in or supplied separately, and leave space at the bottom and right of the frame, where the platform's buttons and caption sit.

What can a creator say about your product?

Only what's true for them. In the US, the FTC's Endorsement Guides say endorsements must reflect the endorser's honest opinion, someone shown using a product must really have used it, and the brand can be liable for a misleading endorsement even when the creator isn't. In the UK, the CAP Code requires you to hold evidence that a testimonial is genuine (rule 3.47).

So send the product early enough for the creator to use it, list the claims you can substantiate, and ban the ones you can't.

Put the disclosure in the brief too. The ASA prefers a clear "Ad" label upfront, and the FTC says a platform's own disclosure tool isn't a guarantee on its own. On TikTok, creators must turn on the commercial content disclosure setting for posts that promote a brand.

What are the most common briefing mistakes?

• A word-for-word script. Creators read it, and it looks read.
• Five messages in a 30-second video. Viewers keep one.
• The product arriving two days before the draft is due.
• Vague deliverables, such as "a few videos", with no length, format or number of hooks.
• Usage rights agreed after the video works, when the creator knows it's valuable.
• Feedback from four people in four separate messages.
• Leaving the disclosure to the creator and hoping.

How do you give a creator feedback?

One round, from one person, in one message. Agree the number of revision rounds before filming so both sides know what's included.

• Use timestamps: "0:04, hold the product closer" is actionable; "make it pop" isn't.
• Split must-fix (a wrong claim, a missing label, the product not shown) from preference (a different shirt).
• Judge against the brief, not against a video you imagined after the brief was sent.
• If the hook is the problem, ask for a new opening, not a full reshoot.

How we brief creators at TBC

Every job starts with your brief to us: the product, the audience and what a good result looks like. You get a fixed quote back before anything starts. Then we do the creator side.

• We shortlist creators from the TBC Creator Network roster, 1,000 to 1,000,000 followers, with their audience and rates, in days, not weeks. You approve every creator.
• Creators film to a hook-first script, written for the first three seconds.
• We handle contracts, briefs, draft checks and posting dates, and check every draft before you see it.

See UGC videos and creator campaigns, or start a brief.

Questions

Should I give creators a script?

Give them the message, the hook's job and the must-say points, not a script. Creators who use their own words come across as real, which is why you hired them.

How long should a creator brief be?

One page. If it runs longer, you probably have more than one video's worth of messages.

Can I ask a creator to reshoot?

Only within the revision rounds you agreed. Write the number into the brief, and reserve reshoots for must-fix problems like a wrong claim or a missing product shot.

Does a creator have to say the video is an ad?

If it's posted to their followers or run as an ad under their name, yes. In the UK, label it "Ad" upfront; in the US, the FTC expects a clear disclosure, ideally both on screen and spoken in video.