A bad social media brief: why work misses the mark

Key takeaways

A bad social media brief is vague about the goal, the buyer, the offer and what good looks like, so agencies and freelancers fill gaps with guesses. Work misses the mark and rounds of changes follow. A one-page brief with goal, buyer, offer, voice, proof, rules and measures gets work much closer first time.

• 1 page: goal, buyer, offer, voice, proof, rules and measure.
• Include 3 examples you like and 3 you do not.
• Name who approves and how fast.
• Update the brief when the offer changes.

What makes a brief bad?

A brief is bad when it says things like 'raise awareness', 'make us look professional' or 'go viral' without saying who for, what to sell or how success is measured. It leaves out what makes the business different and what buyers worry about.

• The most common social media marketing mistakes small businesses make
• A social media content brief that keeps posts on target

What should a good brief include?

A good brief fits on one page and covers seven things.

• Goal: result, number and month.
• Buyer: who, where and what problem.
• Offer: what to sell or promote now.
• Voice: three words and examples.
• Proof: reviews, results and photos to use.
• Rules: what never to say or show.
• Measure: how success is counted.

• A social media brief that gets comparable quotes

Why do examples help so much?

Examples help because words such as 'modern' or 'friendly' mean different things to different people. Three posts you like and three you dislike, from any account, show tone, style and level of polish faster than any description.

Can a brief be too detailed?

Yes. A brief that dictates every caption leaves no room for the skills you are paying for. Be firm on goal, buyer, offer and rules; be open on ideas and formats.

• Micromanaging your social media agency

How do you test whether a brief is good enough?

Test a brief by giving it to someone who does not know the business and asking them to describe the buyer, the offer and what success looks like. If they cannot, the brief is not good enough. Another test is the number of revision rounds: more than two usually means the brief was unclear.

• A stranger cannot describe the buyer.
• No offer named.
• No measure of success.
• Repeated revision rounds.

What does this look like in practice?

A pattern we see: a brief that says 'we want more engagement and a professional look', followed by three months of polished posts the owner feels are 'not us'. A one-page brief with examples and a clear goal usually fixes it within one round.

• See client work
• Social Media Marketing for UK businesses

Brief checklist

• State a goal with a number.
• Describe the buyer.
• Name the current offer.
• Add examples you like and dislike.
• List rules and approvers.

• Mistakes when hiring a social media freelancer
• Micromanaging your social media agency

Next step

Draft your one-page brief using the seven headings above before your next agency or freelancer conversation.