Before Writing Any Copy, Create a Creative Brief

INTRO: Why Creative Briefs Are Non-Negotiable

Let me tell you, I’ve lost count of how many times clients have asked me to create copy for high-stakes campaigns without giving me the information I need to do it right. "Can you just write up a quick ad campaign?" they’ll say. Or worse, "Build this social campaign—oh, don’t worry about a creative brief." SMH

Here’s the truth: jumping into copywriting without a clear, detailed creative brief is a recipe for wasted time, blown budgets, and campaigns that flop. If you want your copy to land, you need to do the groundwork first.

Let’s walk through the essential components of a killer creative brief. Together, we’ll make sure your campaigns don’t just succeed—they soar.

The 8 Essentials of a Creative Brief

Every project needs a creative brief. Sometimes you’ll get one from a client; sometimes, you’ll have to piece it together yourself. Either way, your first task as a creative is to ensure you’ve got all the puzzle pieces in place. For a complete brief you need to know the following:

1. Design Description
2. What You’re Selling
3. Where You’re Selling It
4. Who You’re Selling It To
5. Why They Should Buy It
6. Who Your Competitors Are
7. What is the most important things to say
8. What Action You Want Your Prospect to Take

Yes, it can take time to pull all this together, but once you do, it’s a goldmine. A well-done creative brief becomes your go-to resource, streamlining your work and setting you up for campaigns that actually convert.

Now, let’s dive into each of these elements.

1. Design Description

First, the basics: what are the visual requirements? Include specifics like:

• Dimensions: Pixel sizes, margins, bleed areas.
• Branding: Colors, fonts, logos.
• Special Needs: For example, postcards need white space for addresses and stamps.

Think of this as the foundation your copy needs to fit into. Are you writing four words, or four sentences? Are there requirements for tag lines or disclaimers? A little upfront planning can save you headaches later.

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2. What Are You Selling?

Here’s where you dig deep into what you’re offering. Don’t just describe the product—understand it. What problem does it solve? What does your customer truly want? It’s important to add a little nuance here. It is your task to find out what the problem is and sell what solution your customer is looking to buy. Think about it from your customers point of view. For instance:

• Features: What does your product or service do?
• Benefits: How does it improve your customer’s life?

Pro tip: Create a simple spreadsheet. List each feature, then pair it with its customer benefit. And don’t go it alone—talk to your sales or marketing team. They know what your customers care about most.

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3. Where Are You Selling It?

This one’s all about placement. Where will your copy live? Think broadly (online, offline, mobile) and get specific:

• Tactic: Is it a brochure, banner ad, YouTube ad, or email?
• Context: Is this for awareness, consideration, or driving sales? Knowing where your copy fits in the sales funnel makes all the difference.

Knowing where in the sales cycle your campaign and copy occurs can be very useful. Is this copy for a brand awareness campaign at the top of the funnel, or are you writing a case study with comparison spec sheets, or are you trying to drive sales with a black friday email campaign. Copy should be placed in an asset created for a campaign that is designed to improve performance of a particular step in the sales cycle.

Remember, copy doesn’t exist in a vacuum. It’s part of a larger strategy, so connect the dots between your words and the campaign’s overall goal.

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4. Who Are You Selling It To?

Before you can sell anything to anyone you need to know who you are selling it to. You need to learn as much relevant information as you can about them, so you can sell them what they want to buy. This is stepping into customer persona territory. 

You need to determine what type of person needs and can afford what you are selling. A good beginning step is to look at whatever data you have for current customers. Using analytics dashboard info or, if you don’t have that, casual information from company managers or founders, look for commonalities. Gather:

• Demographics: Age, gender, location, job, etc.
• Psychographics: Fears, values, motivations, and behaviors.
• Transactional Methods: When they buy, how they buy (mobile, desktop, in person), and how they pay (cash, credit, crypto). 

If you’re starting from scratch, use analytics tools, survey customers, or talk to your team.

You’ll want to divide your audience into several major types of customers and create a profile or customer persona for each type. And remember, you can’t sell something to someone who doesn’t think they need it, or doesn’t want it, can’t afford it, or does not want to buy it right now. Write copy that feels tailor-made for your audience.

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5. Why Should They Buy It?

Doing nothing and taking no action is always easier than doing something. Your customers will be inclined to resist your sales pitch and take no action. Your job is to give them a compelling reason to act. This activity for a copywriter blends a bit into conversion rate optimization strategy. 

Think about reasons why a person chooses your product over a competitor’s:

• Rational Reasons: Speed, quality, price, safety.
• Emotional Reasons: How they’ll feel—safer, younger, more confident.

Gather insights from customer reviews, surveys, or your sales team. The better you understand why people buy, the stronger your copy will be. Rank both lists in order of importance to your customers.

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6. Who Are Your Competitors?

There are four categories of competitors in the market. The first and most obvious is other brands offering the same product, but you’re not just competing against similar products—you’re also up against other options, DIY solutions, and the status quo. Here’s how to cateogrize the competition:

1. Direct Competitors: Brands offering the same product.
2. Alternative Solutions: Different ways customers might solve their problem.
3. Your Own Products: Older models or cheaper versions.
4. DIY Options: How customers could handle the problem themselves.

Keep a file on your top competitors and highlight your unique selling points. Create a table comparing your product or service with what competitors offer. You are looking for dimensions where you have a competitive advantage. Define differences that matter to potential buyers. Your copy should describe the features that make your product better than competitors. 

The next category of competitor is alternative solutions. Almost every product or service can be replicated by something else. You’ll want to articulate why your product is the best choice amongst those options. For example, my product is serving as a Fractional CMO to early stage start ups. A direct competitor would be another Fractional CMO. Another option for my potential clients is to hire a marketing agency, or simply to hire a full time CMO in house. I make sure in my website copy to highlight why a startup founder definitely needs marketing expertise AND why they should hire me and not them. 

The third category of competitor is your own products. Older models or smaller cheaper versions of the product should be considered carefully. You’ll want to persuade buyers why one model is betten without hurting the sales of either model. 

The last category of competition you should take note of is the DIY crowd. There are always people who would be potential customers but might opt to do it themselves. In this case, your potential customers is your competitor. For example, think taxes, landscapers, oil change, or in my case, business services (lots of people try to do marketing on their own). 

Lastly, I just want you to make mental note again that potential buyers might already have what your selling, or may not need it right now, so your competition is always the status quo, inertia. 

Great copy doesn’t just sell your product—it explains why it’s the best choice.

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7. What is the most important thing to say

This information is simple to describe but might take some time and thought to get right. All you have to do is ask yourself, what is the one thing I want people to understand and remember about this product. Sometimes it is useful to think about this in terms of a unique selling proposition. You want to communicate the most important message in one sentence and you want it to be something that competitors can’t claim.

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8. What Action Do You Want Them to Take?

Every piece of copy needs a purpose. What’s your call to action? You want your potential customers to know what to do and how to do it. Be clear and direct:

• “Sign up now.”
• “Download the guide.”
• “Shop the sale.”

Your job isn’t to entertain or educate—it's to inspire action. Make it easy for your audience to understand what you want them to do and how to do it.

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Final Thoughts: The Power of Preparation

A creative brief isn’t busywork. It’s your roadmap to copy that connects, persuades, and converts. Yes, it takes time to create, but that time is an investment in campaigns that work.

So, the next time someone asks you to submit copy without one, smile and say, “Let’s start with the brief.” Trust me, you’ll thank yourself later—and so will your clients.

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