How to write a practice brief without actually writing a practice brief.
All professionals practice. Why? Because they know they need to stay sharp. Often, their profession requires it, but even if it doesn’t, pros practice anyway. That practice comes in many forms: refresher courses, conferences, online and in-person training. If you write creative briefs for a living, even if it’s not your main task, you need […]
Every brief you write helps creatives sell. That makes you a capitalist.
A creative brief is many things: a road map for your brand, an inspiring argument, driving directions for creatives. But a brief must also, and most importantly, help creatives come up with ideas that sell the product. “If it doesn’t sell, it’s not creative,” said David Ogilvy, whose words tend to be forgotten today. Sadly, […]
A brief writer’s checklist.
Newbie and veteran brief writers alike need and value reminders. Here are some thoughts to keep top of mind next time you prepare to write a brief: If you’re a marketer, find a co-brief writing partner. The majority of my workshop participants are marketers or account professionals, not strategists or planners. As brief writers, marketers […]
What not to expect from a creative brief.
My video podcast co-host, Henry Gomez, often says on our show, The Brief Bros., that an inspiring creative brief doesn’t guarantee inspiring creative. But it vastly improves the odds. His comment inspired me to ruminate on what great creative briefs should not be expected to do. I file this under “intellectual honesty,” which everyone, regardless […]
Why are creative briefs hard to write? Because briefs are about good writing.
Some observations about outstanding, inspiring creative briefs. First, they are short. They fit on one page, maybe a page and a half. Second, the best ones avoid using bullet points. If they do use bullet points, said bullets are written in complete sentences. At worst, the bullets are memorable phrases. Third, these great briefs, when […]
Creatives love to complain about bad briefs. If they tried writing one they’d find out how hard it is.
All creatives should learn how to write a brief. It’s humbling, and will make them better readers of briefs.
Think you know what a creative brief is? Allow me to surprise you.
What’s your definition of a creative brief? If you say it’s a road map for your creative team about your product, not bad. If you call it your brand’s North Star, I’d say good answer. But I want you to think differently about the brief. Here’s a twist I’d like you to consider: A creative […]
Why you can trust a creative to teach you how to write better briefs.
Why did a copywriter and creative director start teaching other advertising professionals how to write a creative brief? My answer hasn’t changed since I began in 2005: I got tired of reading and having to work from bad briefs. So I did something about it. I stopped complaining and started learning. I stopped talking about […]
If you can’t explain your brand to a child, how can you write a brief?
Think you can do this? Try it. It’s much harder than you imagine. This exercise is inspired by a line credited to Albert Einstein, who said: If you can’t explain it to a child, you don’t understand it yourself. So take the “it” out of Einstein’s sentence (or challenge if you want to be honest), […]
Why the “one-sentence creative brief” is a false idol.
Who writes a one-sentence creative brief? More to the point, who wants a one-sentence creative brief? I don’t. I doubt creatives want one. Not truly. Oh, I’ve read a few comments on LinkedIn promoting a one-sentence creative brief, pleading for such a creature. But has anyone ever actually read one, worked from one or possessed […]
