TL;DR:
A good communications brief isn’t about deciding the tactics upfront, it’s about defining the problem first. Before choosing channels, campaigns or content, businesses first need to be clear on what they’re trying to change, who they need to influence and what’s standing in their way. A strong brief gives agencies the insight to diagnose the challenge properly and recommend the right strategic response, leading to more effective communications and better results.
WHAT SHOULD A GOOD COMMUNICATIONS BRIEF INCLUDE?
“We need a new campaign.”
“We need to increase our posting cadence on social media.”
“We need to start sending out a customer newsletter.”
Sound familiar?
All too often marketing and communications briefs begin with tactics – social media campaigns, newsletters, videos, press releases, brochures etc.
The problem is that tactics are only effective if they solve the right communications challenge in the first place. A business can invest significant time and money into communications activity that ultimately changes very little if the underlying problem hasn’t been properly defined.
Before deciding HOW to communicate, businesses first need to define WHAT they are trying to change:
- What should the audience think differently?
- What behaviour needs to shift?
- What is currently standing in the way?
Until that’s clear, channels and deliverables are largely guesswork.
What problem are we trying to solve?
At its core, a communications brief should start with one critical question: What problem do we need to solve?
Examples might include:
“Our sales team is struggling to explain our value proposition clearly during early-stage conversations.”
“Existing customers don’t fully understand the breadth of our offering, so we’re missing cross-sell opportunities.”
“The market doesn’t yet understand why this innovation matters or how it solves a genuine operational challenge.”
Once the real problem is properly understood, the brief can start to take shape.
So, what should a good communications brief include?
To get the most strategically relevant response from an agency, a communications brief should provide context, not just a list of deliverables.
Here are some of the most useful questions businesses should answer before briefing an agency or ideally discuss collaboratively with them.
Audience understanding
- What does the audience currently think about our brand?
- Which stakeholders matter most?
- What assumptions are we making about our audience that may not actually be true?
- Where is the audience currently seeing our content?
- How does the audience prefer to be communicated with?
Desired change
- What do we want the audience to think, feel or do differently?
- Are we trying to build awareness, shift perception or drive action?
- Are we trying to achieve a short-term outcome or a longer-term shift in perception?
- What action do we ultimately want the audience to take?
Barriers and proof
- What is stopping the audience from taking the next step?
- What information does the audience need in order to make a decision?
- What proof points or evidence will make the message credible?
- What are competitors saying, and how are we differentiated?
Commercial context
- What commercial objective is this activity supporting?
- What has and hasn’t worked in previous communications activity?
- Which channels are most likely to influence audience behaviour?
Answering questions like these gives an agency the context needed to diagnose the challenge properly and recommend communications activity that supports a real business objective.
Once the problem is defined, what else matters?
A strong brief should also provide the practical and strategic context needed to shape the response effectively.
- Who do you want to influence?
Include:
- Primary and secondary audiences
- Job roles and functions
- Industries or sectors
- Geographic focus
- What does success look like?
This could include:
- Improved share of voice in key media
- Increased qualified inbound enquiries
- Better engagement from distributors or partners
- Positioning senior leadership as thought leaders
- Greater awareness in a specific market
- Timings and milestones
Be clear about:
- Launch dates
- Trade shows or events
- Regulatory deadlines
- Approval timelines
- Internal sign-off processes
- Budget
Even a rough budget range is extremely helpful.
A £15,000 campaign and a £150,000 campaign require very different approaches. Budget context helps agencies prioritise properly and recommend activity at the right scale.
Get the best response by giving the best brief
The communications brief is one of the most important pieces of information a client gives to its agency. It shapes the response, influences the quality of strategic thinking and determines how effectively the agency can diagnose the challenge.
The best outcomes usually come from a written brief followed by a collaborative discussion. A written document provides clarity around objectives, audiences, budget and expectations, while a conversation allows the agency to ask questions, challenge assumptions and explore the problem in more detail.
A strong communications brief creates the foundation for meaningful, commercially relevant communications activity, not just activity for activity’s sake.
Remember: Great communications don’t start with channels or outputs. They start with the right question – “what is the problem I’m trying to solve?”