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An influencer creative brief template is a document that shows your influencers precisely what you expect from them. That’s why it’s essential to be as straightforward as possible regarding all details of your campaign.
This creative brief starts with details regarding your company, your campaign objectives, and specific guidelines, as we’ll explain below. It’s wise to include the dos and don’ts in your creative brief, too—all for the sake of specificity.
Read along as we explain the importance of an influencer brief and what this form should include.
TL;DR: Influencer Creative Brief Template
- An influencer creative brief outlines expectations for influencers during campaigns.
Key benefits of using one:
- Ensures everyone's alignment with campaign goals.
- Streamlines communication across multiple campaigns.
- Prevents potential missteps by setting clear guidelines.
Primary sections of the brief:
- Overview: Introduction, company background, campaign goals.
- Deliverables: Number of posts, platforms, post timings, and brand social handles.
- Visual Guidelines: Aesthetic expectations, including specifics like time of day, lighting, and prop arrangements. However, don’t overly restrict influencers' creativity.
- Captions: Use specific hashtags, keywords, and CTAs aligned with the campaign goals.
- Dos and Don’ts: Reminders about platform rules (e.g., using #ad) and content restrictions.
Influencer Creative Brief: Why Do You Need One Anyway?
We live in a busy world, and you know that. You probably already talked with your influencers face to face, through text, e-mail, and calls. At this point, you’re pretty sure that everyone knows what needs to get done.
So why do you need that creative brief?
It’s essential to make this document your priority because:
- Although you think everyone’s on the same page, experience has taught us that this assumption predisposes you to many risks. Writing down clear goals and how to reach them (KPIs, strategy, tools, specific objectives) helps everyone pull in the same direction more efficiently.
- You want your communication to be seamless. This standard document will streamline the communication with all your influencers across all present and future campaigns. As a result, you’ll save time, and you’ll ensure that your business relationships stay smooth.
In the end, having this influencer creative brief template ensures peace of mind, and there isn’t a price for that.
How to Write an Influencer Creative Brief Template
Here are the primary sections that you should include in your brief template.
Overview
The overview is an introductory section that outlines the campaign’s starting points, such as:
- Your company’s background. Your influencers should understand your brand very well, so they should know your values, your personality, and your customers’ expectations. Influencers should also see how you’re currently positioning yourself in the minds of your consumers.
- The campaign goal. Your influencers should also get what you’re trying to achieve with your current campaign. We all know that increasing traffic requires different tools than changing mindsets. Knowing your goals will help the influencers hone and choose the right creative approach.
Deliverables
Deliverables are the things that your influencers should get you based on that deep understanding of your company and your current goals. Make sure your creative brief template features:
- How many posts are needed during that campaign
- The platforms/websites where those posts should appear
- The precise dates and times for each post
- Brand social handles to ensure the influencers tag the official brand instead of a fake account
Visual Guidelines
Most social media is highly visual, so you will need to think of your customers’ esthetic experience. As the saying goes, an image is worth a thousand words; make sure your influencers understand what sort of pictures/videos they’re supposed to post.
- Make a portfolio or a Pinterest board with suggestions and references so that your influencers understand the style you’re looking for.
- Consider any special requests and be very specific about the details that matter most to you. For example, if you want to showcase your brand at sunset and only at dusk, make sure your influencers get why that specific time of day is essential. Otherwise, reshooting the photos or videos will eat more time and money than expected. Include a clear:
- Location
- Time of day
- Lighting
- Other objects except for your product and how they should be arranged
Pro tip: While specifics are reasonable, try not to limit your influencers’ creative freedom too much. Include only those visual requests directly related to your campaign’s strategy.
Captions
Your visuals should have suitable captions, so the catch is also to provide precise requirements without messing with your influencers’ muses. Remember that you don’t want your influencers’ messages to sound too template-y.
Instead, aim for captivating and authentic content. You can use an AI caption generator to create engaging captions on the go. Include:
Particular hashtags because you want people to identify your campaign quickly and engage with it seamlessly.
- Keywords that connect your brand with specific concepts according to the research you’re basing your campaign on.
- Call to Action according to your campaign goals. Here are some call to action examples:
- Traffic increase: Click here to read more.
- Awareness: Like, share, and subscribe.
- Learn your customers’ feedback: Tell us below what products you prefer/you’re using.
- Increase sales: Apply below to get the best loan.
Pro tip: When setting these outlines, consider what part of the marketing funnel you want to employ:
- Higher: focus on keywords that stimulate visibility
- Middle: keywords that encourage engagement
- Lower: keywords that concentrate on purchase
Dos and Don’ts
Remember that social media platforms must clearly label all ads and sponsored content. If your influencers don’t do that, you can face many problems.
Don’t hesitate to remind them of the rules on different platforms like:
- Instagram: use #ad or the Branded Content tool
- Snapchat: add a disclosure before the post
Other restrictions can include:
- A tone of voice that you don’t want the influencers to use
- Specific images and words you don’t want your brand associated with
- Everything that contradicts your corporate values
In Conclusion
Having an influencer creative brief template saves you from many problems that are easy to avoid. You can use the template we include in the PDF below and adjust it according to your current campaign goals. Don't forget to also check out our Influencer Agreement Template.
And if you need more help, inBeat is just one click away with a full, customizable, and FREE database of micro-influencers. Alternatively, you can schedule a phone meeting to review your goals and think of a strategy together.
Template Brief
[Campaign Name] Brief
[Your Company Name]
[Date]
Company Background
- Company bio
- Core values
- Links to website, social media accounts, etc.
Campaign Summary
- The product that the campaign is for
- Type of campaign: one-time-only/ recurring
- Campaign goals
- Campaign objectives
- Strategy
- KPIs
- Brief overview
Campaign Details
Deliverables
- How many posts are needed during that campaign
- The platforms/websites where those posts should appear
- The precise dates and times for each post
- Brand social handles to ensure that the influencers tag the official brand instead of a fake account
Content Requirements
- Type of content: posts/Instagram stories/ YouTube videos
- Content description: personal experience/unboxing/etc.
- Voice/tone
- Key messages you want to include
Visual Guidelines
- The portfolio/Pinterest board with suggestions and references
- Specific requirements:
- Location
- Time of day
- Lighting
- Other objects except for your product and how they should be arranged
Text Guidelines
- Hashtags
- Keywords
- Caption
- Brand handle
- CTAs
Other Information
- Giveaway rules
- Dress codes
Dos and Don’ts
Do:
- Include the campaign messages in the post captions
- Make timely submissions
- Position the logo design correctly
- Include #ad #sponsored
Don’t:
- Use profanities
- Reference alcohol, drugs, or violence
- Criticize our brand
- Compare our brand to the competitors
- Include other sponsored products