Template
Ad creative brief template: what to give your designer
A good ad creative brief answers eight questions: what you are selling, who it is for, why they should care, what proves it, what the offer is, where the ads will run, what must not change, and what success looks like. Answer these and most rounds of revision disappear.
The eight questions
- What are you selling? One product, service or offer per brief. If you have several, brief them as separate concepts.
- Who is it for? Describe one typical customer: who they are, where they are, and what is going on in their life when they need you.
- Why should they care? The two or three strongest benefits, in the customer's words where possible. Lead with what they get, not what you do.
- What proves it? Genuine reviews, years in business, awards, before and after photos, guarantees. Only include proof you can stand behind.
- What is the offer? The specific thing someone can do next: book, get a quote, buy, visit. Include any real price, discount or deadline and when it ends.
- Where will the ads run? Facebook Feed, Instagram, Stories or Reels, organic posts. This decides the formats you need. See the Meta ad size guide.
- What must not change? Brand colours, fonts, logo rules, words you never use, claims you cannot make, competitors you should not mention.
- What does success look like? More enquiries, bookings, walk-ins or sales, and roughly what a good result is worth to you.
What to attach
- Your logo as a PNG or vector file, and your brand colours and fonts if you have them.
- Photos you own the rights to: products, premises, team, finished work.
- Examples of ads or posts you like, and what you like about each.
- Your website address and any current ads, so the creative stays consistent with what people see next.
A short example
Selling: a 90-minute mobile car valet in Christchurch. For: busy parents with a family car. Why care: we come to you, no waiting, interior and exterior done in one visit. Proof: a handful of real customer reviews. Offer: book online, first valet 15% off until the end of the month. Runs on: Facebook and Instagram Feed and Stories. Must not change: our green logo, no before-and-after of customer cars without permission. Success: 10 bookings a month.
The example is invented to show the format and does not describe a real business.
Common mistakes
- Too many messages. One ad, one idea. Brief extra ideas as extra concepts.
- Features instead of benefits. Customers care about the result, not the specification.
- Claims you cannot prove. Ads must not be misleading. Leave out any claim you could not back up.
- No offer. An ad with no next step wastes the click.
- No dates. If an offer ends, say when, so the ad can be switched off in time.
How this matches our onboarding
When you subscribe to our creative subscription, a short form asks for the same things: your offers, what to keep, your audience, your goal, logo and photos, what to avoid, and brands you like.