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Advertising creative brief template

The advertising creative brief template - copy-paste-ready structure tuned for paid media, plus three worked examples spanning Meta, Google Search, and connected TV.

Updated

The template

The structure to copy and adapt

  • Campaign codename + objectiveRequired
    Internal codename + one-sentence objective with a single named metric. 'Q3 Acquisition Push - 1,500 starter sales at CAC under $30.' Codenames make briefs findable; metrics make them accountable.
  • Platform & placement matrixRequired
    Surface-by-surface breakdown: Meta Reels + Stories, TikTok For You, YouTube Shorts. Note which is primary; note which placements are excluded. Don't write 'paid social' as a placement.
  • Audience (behavioral, signal-backed)Required
    Behavior + signal source. 'Cart abandoners last 14 days' or 'people who saved a competitor's product page'. Cite the audience signal so the media buyer can build it.
  • Single proposition (one sentence)Required
    One sentence, one idea. If you can't say it in 15 words, you don't have a proposition - you have a feature list. Test it on a stranger before you ship the brief.
  • Hook archetype + opener constraintRequired
    Named archetype (problem→solution, day-in-the-life, founder-to-camera, etc.) plus a specific opener constraint. 'First frame must include the product in motion.' Constraints force creative decisions.
  • Do-nots (5-7 explicit)Required
    5-7 specific exclusions. The do-nots compound across campaigns - last quarter's failed patterns become this quarter's do-nots. Negative space generates distinctive work.
  • Mandatories (legal + brand + CTA)Required
    Regulated-category claim limits, disclosure copy, logo lockup rules, required CTA copy. Inherited from legal and brand - non-negotiable for production.
  • Deliverables & asset specsRequired
    Variant count, ratios, lengths, file formats. '8 video variants: 4:5 and 9:16, 15s and 30s. Plus 6 static variants 1:1 and 4:5. Plus 3 carousel sets.'
  • Reference set (links)
    5-10 reference ads as hyperlinks. Compresses pages of description into a calibration set. Mix of competitors, adjacent categories, and aspirational examples from outside the category.

Filled-in examples

See the template in use

Meta paid social - cold acquisition · DTC ecommerce

  • Campaign codename + objectiveGL-Q3-ACQ-V1 - Cold acquisition. 1,500 starter-bundle purchases this quarter at blended CAC under $30 on Meta.
  • Platform & placement matrixPrimary: Meta Reels (9:16). Secondary: Facebook Feed (4:5). Tertiary: Instagram Stories (9:16). Excluded: Audience Network, right-rail, Marketplace.
  • AudienceEndurance athletes 28-45 training 5+ hours/week. Lookalikes off our top-25% LTV cohort. Interest clusters: cycling, running, triathlon. Behavioral signal: engaged with at least one competitor brand's content in last 60 days.
  • Single proposition3x the sodium of mainstream electrolytes - built for actual endurance, not casual hydration.
  • Hook archetype + opener constraintProblem→solution. First frame must show audience pain (mile-18 cramp, mid-marathon bonk) in a real environment - no studio. Product reveal by 0:04.
  • Do-notsNo price-led hook. No bottle-shot static. No founder-to-camera. No 'hydration is important' generic copy. No discount as the lede. No urban environments. No 4K studio polish.
  • MandatoriesDSHEA-compliant claims only. Brand logo lockup in last 2 seconds. CTA copy: 'Shop the starter pack'. Last-frame disclosure for third-party testing claim.
  • Deliverables & asset specs8 video variants: 4:5 and 9:16, 15s and 30s. Plus 4 static variants in 1:1 and 4:5. Plus 2 carousel sets (5 cards each).

Shuttergen

Generate the ad brief, not just download the template.

Shuttergen reads your brand and competitive set, then generates an advertising brief tuned for the specific platform you're targeting - Meta, TikTok, LinkedIn, Search. The eight required fields, pre-filled with audience, angle, and do-nots specific to your category.

Generate an ad brief freeTry the live builder →

How to use this template

Copy the structure, write the content from scratch every campaign. The eight required fields above are stable - re-use them every time. The content inside each field has to be re-derived per campaign; copying content from one brief to the next is how teams produce ads that all read like they came from the same template (because they did).

Fill in order: objective → platform → audience → proposition → hook → do-nots → mandatories → deliverables. The order matters. Objective constrains platform. Platform constrains audience signal. Audience constrains proposition. Don't write the deliverables field first; the asset count should be a downstream consequence of the strategic choices, not a starting point.

Lock the brief before production starts. Briefs that get edited during production produce ads that hedge between two strategic directions. If the brief is wrong, kill the project and re-brief - don't try to patch mid-flight.

Generate the ad brief, not just download the template. Shuttergen reads your brand and competitive set, then generates an advertising brief tuned for the specific platform you're targeting - Meta, TikTok, LinkedIn, Search. The eight required fields, pre-filled with audience, angle, and do-nots specific to your category.

Generate an ad brief free

What to drop if you're starting small

If you're shipping 1-2 ads on a tight timeline, drop the reference set and the deliverables sub-spec. Keep the seven core required fields - they're load-bearing. The reference set is great calibration but not required if the producer already knows your brand voice.

Never drop the do-nots, even on the smallest brief. Five minutes of negative-space work prevents 5 hours of generic-output revisions downstream. The do-nots field is the single highest ROI per word in the entire template.

The objective field is the other don't-drop. Briefs without a named metric produce ads optimized for nothing in particular. 'Drive engagement' is not an objective; '500 demos at CPL under $400' is.

Variants of this template for specific formats

The template above works for any paid media surface. For format-specific tuning, switch to the dedicated variants:

Video - add 'length' and 'aspect ratios' as load-bearing required fields; tighten hook archetypes to video-specific options. See video creative brief template.

Social - add 'platform-native voice' (TikTok-native vs LinkedIn-native vs Meta-native) and 'first-frame constraint' as required. See social media creative brief.

Branding - rebalance away from performance metrics toward brand-equity metrics; add 'tone & feeling' as a required field. See branding creative brief.

FAQ

Frequently asked

Can I download this advertising creative brief template?
Yes - hit 'Download .md' on the template card above. Markdown format imports cleanly into Notion, Google Docs, Word, or any text editor. Customize the do-nots and mandatories per campaign.
Is this advertising brief template free?
Yes - free, copy-paste-ready, no email gate. Use it for client work, in-house projects, or anything else without restriction.
How is this different from a generic creative brief template?
Three added required fields: campaign objective with a named metric, platform & placement matrix (specific surfaces, not channel labels), and mandatories (legal + brand + CTA). Generic creative brief templates skip all three; advertising briefs cannot.
Should the advertising brief include budget?
No - budget belongs in the media plan, not the creative brief. Including budget biases creative decisions toward production economics rather than performance. The deliverables field handles scope; budget stays separate.
How many ad variants should the deliverables field specify?
Depends on platform and budget. Meta paid social: 6-12 variants per concept for proper testing. Search: 1 RSA per ad group with 12 headlines and 4 descriptions. CTV: 1 hero + 2-3 cutdowns. Match deliverables to the platform's testing economics.
Can I use the same brief for multiple platforms?
Only if you specify each platform's nuances in the platform & placement matrix. The proposition can be shared; the hook archetype and opener constraint should adapt per platform. One brief covering Meta + TikTok + LinkedIn produces ads that fit none of them well.
What's the difference between an advertising brief template and an example?
The template is the empty structure (section headers + what each section is for). The example is a filled-in version. Both above - copy the template; reference the examples to calibrate the specificity of each section. See advertising creative brief example.

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Advertising creative brief

Primer on what to include and what to cut.

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Advertising creative brief example

Filled-in advertising briefs.

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Creative brief template

The general template.

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Video creative brief template

Video-specific template.

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Creative Brief Builder

The Shuttergen brief workflow.

Generate the ad brief, not just download the template.

Shuttergen reads your brand and competitive set, then generates an advertising brief tuned for the specific platform you're targeting - Meta, TikTok, LinkedIn, Search. The eight required fields, pre-filled with audience, angle, and do-nots specific to your category.

Generate an ad brief freeTry the live builder →