The Ultimate Guide to Influencer Briefs: How to Create a Winning Brief for Your Next Influencer Campaign

Today, we’re diving into the world of influencer briefs. If you’re a brand, a marketer, or even an influencer looking to understand the nuts and bolts of influencer marketing, you’re in the right place.

What is an influencer brief?

An influencer brief, also known as an influencer marketing brief or a creator brief, is a document that outlines the key details of an influencer marketing campaign. It’s the roadmap that guides influencers on how to align their content with your brand’s vision, goals, and expectations.

Why is it important? Well, a well-crafted influencer brief:

streamline your influencer marketing process,
clarify your marketing goals, objectives, strategy, and KPIs,
cultivate better relationships with influencers.

Long story short: with the right brief, it’s much easier to get results you want from your campaigns.

What is a creator brief?

The terms “creator brief” and “influencer brief” are often used interchangeably in the context of influencer marketing. Both refer to a document that outlines the key details of a marketing campaign for an influencer or content creator.

However, there can be a subtle difference in connotation based on the terms “creator” and “influencer”:

An influencer typically refers to someone who has a significant following on social media and can influence their followers’ purchasing decisions because of their authority, knowledge, position, or relationship with their audience.
A creator, on the other hand, might not necessarily have a large following but is known for creating high-quality content. They might be a photographer, writer, artist, or videographer, for example.

So, while an influencer brief might focus more on leveraging the influencer’s reach and audience, a creator brief might focus more on the specifics of the content to be created. However, in practice, both terms refer to very similar documents, and the choice of term often depends on the specific context or preference of the person or company using it.

How to Write an Influencer Brief

Now, let’s get to the meat of the matter: writing an influencer brief.

Imagine that your brief should be read by a person who has 2 minutes only. One more thing about the brief: it’s not a book or story. It’s something like instructions. There are all chances the brief will be read several times.

Be concise but comprehensive. Your brief MUST be well-structured and short. Remember, clarity is key in an influencer brief.

What are the key elements of an influencer brief

Here’s a step-by-step guide:

Company Overview: Start with a brief introduction of your company. This should include your mission, values, and what makes your brand unique.
Campaign Overview: Next, outline the purpose of the campaign. What are your goals? Who is your target audience?
Campaign Deliverables: Clearly state what you expect from the influencer. This could be a number of posts, stories, or any other specific content.
Key Talking Points: Provide a list of key points that the influencer should mention in their content.
Publishing Timeline: Specify when and how often you want the influencer to post.
Campaign Budget and Payment Terms: Be transparent about your budget and how and when the influencer will be paid. Point out if you want to have an influencer agreement. Describe product samples you offer.
Content Approval Process: If you want to review the content before it goes live, mention this in the brief.

Influencer Brief Templates

If you’re feeling overwhelmed, don’t worry. There are plenty of influencer brief templates out there to help you get started. These templates provide a structure that you can adapt to fit your specific needs. They’re a great time-saver and ensure you don’t miss any crucial information.

Company Overview:

Company Name:
Company Background:
Mission Statement:
Brand Values:

Campaign Overview:

Campaign Name:
Campaign Goals:
Target Audience:
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs):

Influencer Expectations:

Number of Posts:
Type of Content (e.g., blog post, Instagram story, YouTube video):
Platform(s) for Posting:
Preferred Posting Schedule:

Key Talking Points:

Product/Service Features to Highlight:
Brand Messages to Convey:
Call to Action (CTA):

Visual Guidelines:

Brand Colors:
Mood Board/Inspiration:
Brand Logos or Images to Include:

Publishing Timeline:

Campaign Start Date:
Campaign End Date:
Content Approval Deadline:

Campaign Budget and Payment Terms:

Total Budget:
Payment Structure (per post, flat fee, etc.):
Payment Schedule:

Content Approval Process:

Review Process:
Point of Contact for Content Approval:

Additional Notes:

Any other specific instructions or guidelines for the influencer.

Influencer brief template for eCommerce also include this:

Product Overview:

Product Name:
Product Description:
Unique Selling Points:
Product Images/Links:

This info is important

The most simple way to create a brief is using ChatGPT for influencer marketing. Just try this prompt: “Ask me everything you need to create a comprehensive influencer marketing brief”. So you don’t need to think about a form. Focus on your objectives.

Influencer Brief Examples

To give you a better idea, let’s look at a few influencer brief examples.

How long should an influencer brief be

You need to understand that it can be:

Word file
Presentation
Several images

The format of the document doesn’t matter, what’s important is its content. It could be created in Canva as a two-page PDF file like this:

Or it could be a 5-15 page presentation like this:

So there are no requirements for brief length, but it should cover all key points in the most comprehensive way.

What should be included in a one-page influencer brief

If you want to create a one-page brief you need to be short, without deleting any points. Maybe, you shouldn’t add a full history of your brand (if it’s not a main concept of your communcation). Maybe, you could make one or two main accents. Be brief in your objectives description. It’s called a brief, not a long:)

As you can see, each brief is tailored to the specific campaign and influencer, but they all follow the same basic structure we outlined above.

Visuals and Colors in an Influencer Brief

Adding visuals and colors to your influencer brief can make it more engaging and provide clearer direction. You could include:

mood boards,
brand logos,
color palettes,
example posts and references.

This helps the influencer understand your brand aesthetic and create content that aligns with it. Creating separate brandbook for the needs of your marketing team isn’t a bad idea at all.

What are some examples of visuals and color that can be included in an influencer brief

Meanwhile, it’s not necessary to use your brand colors in creatives. Influencers are not simply ‘freelance designers’ creating content for you. Their task is to create engaging content to tell your potential customers about you. It’s a common situation when influencers create a post or reel in their own style to make your promo look native and authenctic.

How can an influencer brief help streamline and improve influencer marketing?

When we talk about influencer marketing, we mention these steps: find → analyze → reach out and pitching → brief and agreement → track results and campaign analysis.

A brief is essential tool, not some type of improvement to this process.

You need to share some information with influencers to let them do their part of work. You can have a meeting or chat discussing all the details. You can even let opinion leaders gather all the data by themselves. But it won’t be effective. Creating a brief is the most convenient way to describe the task.

A very simple example from our campaigns: when we don’t say influencers about our advantages, they often don’t point out them. In this case we can’t even control our external marketing communication without an appropriate brief.

Creating a Personalized Influencer Brief

Finally, remember that each influencer is unique, with their own style and audience. So while your influencer brief should be personalized, it should also align with your brand’s voice and values.

FAQ

How to approach an influencer? Before you even get to the influencer brief, you need to outreach your chosen influencer. Remember, influencers receive numerous pitches daily, so make yours stand out. Be professional, but also personal. Show that you’ve done your homework about their content and audience.
What are common mistakes in influencer briefs? Remember, your influencer is a creative professional, so while you need to provide clear guidelines, also give them the freedom to express their creativity. Avoid common pitfalls like:
- being too vague,
- not defining clear goals,
- having unrealistic expectations.
How should an influencer brief be presented to creators? A brief is a very helpful doc for both parties. Brand reps use it to structure objectives and tasks. Influencers receive required info in a comprehensive form. So it’s ok to send a brief in an email or message. You can additionally ask if there are any questions or discuss key points. Whether you need a meeting or not depends on the budget and format. You don’t need any meetings in case we have a simple collaboration (like, one post) and a good brief. But in the case of big campaigns with celebrities, it’s a good idea to discuss the brief online.
How should payment terms be outlined in the influencer brief? On this stage you’ve already discuss with an influencer promotions cost and payment conditions. So you need to clarify it in brief: how and when influecer will be paid, if there are additional benefits or partner commission.

Conclusion

Influencer briefs are a crucial part of influencer marketing. They help ensure that both you and your influencer are on the same page, leading to more successful campaigns. Take your time to craft a detailed, clear, and engaging influencer brief.

Remember, the best influencer briefs are those that effectively communicate your brand’s vision, resonate with the influencer, and ultimately create a win-win situation for both parties.

We hope this guide helps you in your influencer marketing journey. Happy briefing!