The agency brief is the most underrated document in marketing. Businesses spend weeks evaluating agencies, months negotiating contracts, and years managing relationships — but often invest less than an hour writing the brief that sets the entire engagement up for success or failure. A vague brief generates vague proposals. A sharp brief generates sharp thinking.
Why briefs go wrong
Most briefs fail for one of three reasons: they describe the solution rather than the problem ('we need a new website' instead of 'our website is generating 0.3% leads from organic traffic when benchmarks suggest 2-3%'), they omit commercial context that would fundamentally change how an agency approaches the work, or they present so many objectives that the agency can't prioritise. The best briefs are honest about constraints and specific about outcomes.
The seven elements of an effective brief
A complete brief covers the following areas — not every element needs to be a lengthy paragraph, but each should be addressed:
- Background: Who are you, what do you do, who are your customers, and what's the competitive landscape?
- The challenge: What specific problem are you trying to solve? Include the data that made this a priority.
- Objectives: What measurable outcomes do you expect? (KPIs, timelines, targets)
- Target audience: Who are you trying to reach? Include any existing research, personas, or customer insight.
- Budget: Your actual budget, or at minimum a realistic range. Agencies pitch to budget — hiding it wastes everyone's time.
- Timeline: When does this need to be live or complete? Are there hard deadlines (events, product launches)?
- Constraints: Technical requirements, brand guidelines, internal approval processes, incumbent technology.
On sharing your budget
Many businesses withhold their budget in the belief that agencies will use it to inflate their proposals. This is understandable but counterproductive. Without a budget, agencies have to guess — and they'll typically pitch to the middle of the market, which may be twice what you want to spend or half what a quality solution actually costs. Share a realistic range. You'll get more appropriate proposals, spend less time in negotiation, and signal that you're a professional buyer worth working with.
What good looks like: a brief template
Use this structure as a starting point for your next brief:
1. Company overview (2–3 paragraphs)
Who you are, what you do, how long you've been trading, your rough revenue range, your team size, and your business model (B2B/B2C, recurring/transactional). Include your website URL and any existing brand guidelines.
2. The challenge (1–2 paragraphs)
Describe the specific problem you want to solve. Include relevant data: current performance, competitive context, and why this is a priority now. Be direct about what isn't working.
3. Objectives and success metrics
List 2–4 measurable outcomes you expect from the engagement, with specific targets where possible. 'Increase organic traffic' is a direction; 'Increase organic sessions from 12,000 to 30,000/month within 12 months' is an objective.
4. Audience
Describe your target audience: demographics, job titles (for B2B), motivations, pain points. Include any existing research, customer interview insights, or personas. The more the agency understands your buyer, the better their strategy.
5. Budget and timeline
State your budget range clearly. Include your ideal start date and any hard deadlines. Note whether you prefer a project model or a retainer relationship.
6. What you're asking for
Be explicit: are you asking for a strategic recommendation, a proposal with costing, or both? State how many agencies you're briefing (3 is typical). Confirm whether you'll provide feedback on unsuccessful proposals.
How many agencies should you brief?
Three is the right number for most projects. More than three and you're unlikely to be a priority for any of them — agencies invest meaningful time in proposals and don't want to be one of ten. Fewer than two and you have no genuine comparison. Brief three, run proper pitches, and make a decision.
After you send the brief
Give agencies the opportunity to ask clarifying questions before they invest time in a proposal. A 30-minute call per agency is standard practice and significantly improves proposal quality. Set a deadline for proposals (two weeks is typical for most projects), and commit to providing written feedback to everyone, including unsuccessful agencies. The market is smaller than you think.