Marketing brief template
The one page every campaign should start from: what it is for, who it is for, what it says, where it runs, when it lands and who signs it off.
Download for Word, or open in Coavon Docs (DOCX). Free to use, no sign-up needed.
Marketing brief: [Campaign name]
Owner: [Name] Approver: [Name] Date: [Date]
Launch date: [Date] Status: [Draft / In review / Approved]
1. Background
[Two or three sentences on why this campaign is happening now. What changed: a new product, a season, a drop in sign-ups, a competitor move?]
2. Goal
[One goal, with a number and a date. For example: 400 pre-orders of the spring range by April 15.]
3. Audience
Who: [The people this is for, as specifically as you can. For example: existing customers who bought in the last 12 months.]
What they think now: [What they believe or do today.]
What we want them to think or do: [The change this campaign should cause.]
4. Key message
[The one sentence people should remember. If you need two sentences, you have two campaigns.]
Proof: [Two or three facts that make the message believable: a feature, a price, a customer quote, a number.]
5. Call to action
[The single thing people should do: buy, book, sign up, download.]
6. Channels and deliverables
Email: [What is needed, for example 3 emails: early access, launch, last chance]
Blog: [For example 1 post]
Social: [For example 6 posts and 2 stories]
Paid: [For example 4 ad sizes]
Events: [Or delete this line]
7. Timeline
Brief approved: [Date]
Copy and design ready for review: [Date]
Final approval: [Date]
Launch: [Date]
Results review: [Date]
8. Budget
[Total, and how it is split: ad spend, freelancers, production.]
9. Measures of success
Main measure: [The number in the goal]
Also watch: [For example open rate, click rate, cost per order]
10. Team and approvals
Copy: [Name] Design: [Name] Channels: [Name]
Reviews: [Who comments on drafts]
Final sign-off: [One name]
11. Mandatories and links
[Brand rules, legal lines, offer terms, and links to the brand guide, past campaigns and research.]
What is a marketing brief?
A marketing brief is a short document that sets out what a piece of marketing work is for before anyone starts making it. It names the goal, the audience, the message, the channels, the deadline, the budget and who approves the result. Everyone who works on the campaign, from the copywriter to the person buying the ads, works from the same page.
A good brief fits on one or two pages. If it runs longer, it is usually trying to cover more than one campaign.
Marketing brief vs campaign brief vs creative brief
The names overlap, and many teams use them for the same thing. The practical difference is scope:
| Brief | Covers | Written for |
|---|---|---|
| Marketing brief | One campaign or project across every channel | The whole team and the approver |
| Campaign brief | The same thing; some teams prefer this name | The whole team and the approver |
| Creative brief | One piece or set of creative, such as the ads or the video | Designers, copywriters and agencies |
This template works as a campaign brief template as it is. For a creative brief, keep sections 3, 4, 5 and 11 and add the sizes, formats and deadlines for each piece.
How to fill in this marketing brief template
- Start with the goal. One goal, with a number and a date. Everything else in the brief should serve it.
- Describe the audience as people, not a market. "Customers who bought in the last year" is more useful than "25 to 45, urban".
- Write the key message as one sentence. If the team cannot agree on one sentence, the campaign is not ready to start.
- List every deliverable by channel, so nobody discovers in launch week that the paid ads were never briefed.
- Name one person for final sign-off. Reviews can involve many people; approval should not.
- Get the brief approved before work starts. Changes to the goal or the message after design has begun are the most expensive kind.
Most campaigns that slip were never really briefed. Ten minutes on this page saves a week of rework later.
Use this template in Coavon
Download the Word file, then in Coavon Docs choose File, Open, Upload from computer. The brief opens as a document your team can comment on and suggest edits to, with version history showing what changed between rounds. Save it as a template from the File menu and every new campaign starts from it.
Then plan the work in Flow: one project per campaign, a task for each deliverable in section 6, and the dates from section 7. See how marketing teams run campaigns, the content calendar and approvals in one workspace: Coavon for marketing teams. For the calendar itself, start from the free content calendar template.
Is this marketing brief template free?
Yes. Read the whole brief on this page or download the Word file without creating an account. It opens in Word, Google Docs, Pages and Coavon Docs.
How long should a marketing brief be?
One or two pages. The brief is there to agree the goal and the plan, not to hold every detail of the work, which belongs in the tasks and the drafts themselves.
Who writes the marketing brief?
Usually the person who owns the campaign: a marketing manager, a campaign lead or the founder in a small team. The approver should read and agree it before work begins.
Is a campaign brief the same as a marketing brief?
In most teams, yes. Both cover one campaign across every channel. A creative brief is narrower and covers one set of creative for designers and copywriters.