A brief that answers the questions before the media plan asks them.
Eight sections, fill-in-the-blank. Built from the same brief structure we use before any campaign of our own goes live — objective and audience before channel, a stop condition before a launch date. Free to download, copy or adapt. No sign-up.
Every blank left empty is a gap in the plan, not a gap in the template — better to find it here than in week three.
Download the Full Template →1 · The Objective
The business objective this campaign serves, the one metric that proves it, and why now.
Business objective this campaign serves (one sentence): The single metric that would prove it worked: Why this objective, now — what changed to make it the priority:
2 · The Audience
Who it's for, who it's deliberately not for, and what they believe right now that needs to change.
Who this is for (be specific — not "small business owners"): Who this is deliberately NOT for: Where they actually spend time (channels, publications, communities): What they believe right now that this campaign needs to change:
3 · The Offer & Product Truth
The one-sentence offer, the specific problem it solves, and the proof behind the claim.
What we're offering, in one sentence: The specific problem this solves better than the obvious alternative: Proof behind that claim (a number, a comparison, a result): The single biggest objection, and the answer to it:
4 · Budget & Timeline
The numbers and dates everything else gets built around.
Total budget: Currency: Start date: End date: Is this budget fixed, or does it flex if early results are strong/weak?
5 · Channels & Roles
What each channel is actually for, and which one survives first if budget gets cut.
Channel Role in this campaign Budget share _____________________ __________________________ ____________ _____________________ __________________________ ____________ _____________________ __________________________ ____________ Which channel is the priority if budget has to be cut mid-flight?
6 · Measurement
Where it's tracked, who checks it, and the number everyone will agree on.
Where conversions are tracked (platform / tool): Who checks performance, and how often: The number that would make everyone agree this is/isn't working:
7 · What Success Looks Like
Named before launch, so success isn't defined backwards from whatever happened.
In one sentence, what does a good outcome look like 30 days after this ends? What would make this campaign a genuine surprise — in either direction?
8 · What Would Make Us Stop
The stop-loss condition, agreed before launch rather than argued about mid-flight.
The number or signal that triggers a pause, agreed before launch: Who has the authority to pull the trigger:
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