Writing influencer briefs that leave room for creativity

An influencer brief should define the audience’s question, the facts the creator can rely on, the agreed work and the limits on claims. It should leave the creator free to choose a credible angle, setting and natural wording. A useful test: can the creator explain the job and propose their own honest approach?

Start with the audience’s question

State who the content is for, what they need to understand and what they can do next. A brief about choosing between product sizes differs from an introduction to a product viewers have never seen. If the team cannot name the question, it will struggle to assess a creator’s idea.

Add the offer’s practical limits: the version promoted, where it is available and what the destination currently lets customers do. In an Australian campaign, a creator’s location does not establish where their viewers live or where the business can deliver.

Name the primary outcome the content should support, such as awareness, traffic, sales or engagement. This gives the creator context for their choices without prescribing a hook or sequence, and helps reviewers judge whether the proposed angle serves the job.

Use the primary outcome to guide the angle

Once the priority is clear, ask the creator to explain why their proposed format suits their audience and how it will make the intended action or idea easy to understand. Assess that rationale, not whether it matches an imagined formula.

Separate requirements from creative choices

If a detail needs exact wording, supply it and explain why. Otherwise, describe the meaning that must survive and let the creator express it in their voice.

For example, a hypothetical balcony planter brief might require the creator to identify the supplied model and avoid claiming it fits every railing. The creator could choose whether to show assembly or discuss the space it occupies. Any dimensions or compatibility statements would still need checking.

What belongs in each brief section

Supply usable facts

Keep the fact sheet separate from the creative request. Record the product version, what is included, checked specifications, current offer wording and the date on which changing details were confirmed.

Identify claims the brand can support and claims it cannot. Give the creator a contact for questions and resolve any difference between the fact sheet and the product before a claim is published.

Australian Consumer Law applies to paid and incentivised social media promotions. Claims in the content must not be false or misleading. A brief should not require a creator to describe an experience or opinion they do not have.

Make evidence a review test

The ACCC says it can require businesses to back up claims made on social media. It may investigate and take compliance or enforcement action where social media advertising is false or misleading, although it does not resolve individual disputes. Treat support for a claim as a review criterion, rather than a stylistic preference.

In an update dated 7 December 2023, the ACCC reported that 81 per cent of the 118 influencers in its sweep had posts raising concerns under the Australian Consumer Law for potentially misleading advertising. The most common issue was inadequate disclosure of brand relationships; vague terms such as “sp” and “spon”, and disclosures made difficult to notice, were also concerns.

ACCC influencer sweep findings

Summarise the working arrangement

Keep this section high-level: refer to the separate agreement for deliverables, timing, fees and permissions, and use the brief to clarify the purpose and boundaries of the work.

Review against the agreed job

Ask for the creator’s angle before final production. Respond to whether it answers the audience question and can be made accurately. ‘Show the measured clearance beside the door’ gives usable direction; ‘make it more on brand’ does not identify a problem.

Review what viewers will see and hear: visuals, spoken words, on-screen text, caption and destination. Consolidate feedback through one contact, distinguishing factual corrections from new work.

If a fact or offer changes, identify affected assets, agree the necessary edit with the creator and review the complete piece again before release.

Reviewing against the agreed job

Check disclosure in the published context

Review disclosure alongside the complete placement, not as an isolated line of copy. Check that the commercial connection is understandable in the version viewers will actually encounter, including its visual presentation and surrounding text.

The ACCC states that the Australian Consumer Law applies to influencers engaging in trade or commerce, as well as to brands and marketers using influencers to advertise online. A creator’s approval does not replace the brand’s own check that the finished content and its claims are not misleading.

Checking disclosure in context