Prepare an agency brief: from an idea to a clear task

Describe the starting point from the company's perspective

Start with the reason for the project. Does a new offering need explaining, are suitable enquiries lacking, or is your current public presence outdated? Describe how the problem appears in daily work. "We need more visibility" is a start; specific questions from customer conversations help clarify it further.

Record which previous measures exist and what observations are available. Explicitly label assumptions: you may suspect that prospects do not understand a service but have not yet evaluated feedback. This distinction helps the agency investigate the right question first. Also provide existing materials, such as proposals, published pages, and your current service descriptions.

Define the decision you want your audience to make

Describe whom the project is for and the circumstances in which those people need your offering. Job titles or industries alone are often not enough. Add the task that must be resolved before a decision: comparing providers, assessing a service scope or preparing an internal approval.

For a campaign, the transition from the advertisement to the website also belongs in the brief. Google recommends aligning the advertisement's message with the content and action on the landing page. Our recommendation for your preparation: state the expectation after the click and identify the information visitors should find there. Copy, design, and the contact route can then serve the same purpose.

Source: Google Ads: optimise advertisements and landing pages

Separate desired outcomes from implementation ideas

Write down what should be available and ready to use at the end. This might include a revised service page, photographs for specific uses or ongoing editorial management. Describe the intended use of each output. A wish list of individual formats does not yet explain what content is needed or how it should work together.

State existing constraints such as publication dates, internal capacity, technical systems and available budget. Mark what is fixed and what can be discussed. If, for example, a website already exists, clarify who will make changes to it. For a production, the brief should identify which people and spaces are available. Clearly stated limitations support realistic planning and transparent prioritisation.

Define responsibilities and feedback

Appoint someone to consolidate questions and coordinate decisions. Other subject-matter experts can review content without every comment entering implementation in an unstructured way. Record which topics require expert approval and who decides on design, wording, and publication. Clarify these roles before the first drafts are created.

Also agree on how deliverables will be assessed. For a website, this could mean checking the service scope and inquiry route against a specific visitor situation. For a production, the shot list and agreed uses can provide the basis. Comments such as “it still doesn't feel right” should be translated into a question that can be checked: which message is missing, which expectation is not met, or which next step remains unclear?

Check the brief with a simple second reading

Give the draft to someone who has not been involved in planning. Can they explain what it is about, who the project is for and which outputs are needed? Unclear passages often identify points that would also need clarification in an agency conversation. Add missing context without deciding every creative detail in advance.

Then compare proposals against the same task description. Look at which services are included, what information you need to provide and which steps require a separate agreement. anwision supports companies in Hamburg with strategic advice, creative production and digital implementation. An agreed brief provides a shared foundation; the specific project scope follows from your objectives, existing materials and clearly assigned responsibilities.