Most clients who commission video production think about the brief as something to get through quickly so the creative work can begin. Experienced commissioners know it is the opposite: the brief is the creative work. Every hour spent getting the brief right saves at least three hours of revision later. Learning how to brief a video agency properly is the single highest-return skill a marketing manager or creative director can develop.
Clarify your objective before anything else
Before you write a single word of the brief, answer one question: what is this video supposed to do? Not 'explain our product' — that is a description. The objective should state the audience, the change you want to produce in them, and where that change will happen. 'Help mid-market procurement managers understand why our compliance software reduces audit risk, so they are confident adding it to their shortlist' is a brief objective. 'Explain our software' is not.
Give real audience insight, not a demographic
A production company cannot make creative decisions from 'B2B professionals aged 25-50'. They can make decisions from 'procurement managers who believe compliance software creates more administrative burden than it removes, and who have been burned by complex implementations before.' Share what you know about your audience's current beliefs, their objections, and what would actually resonate with them. This is the section clients most often undersell.
Be specific about what 'good' looks like
Tone guidance without references is almost useless. Share two or three videos that represent the tone you are after — not necessarily from your industry, but ones where the overall feel matches what you want. Then note specifically what you like about each: the pacing, the narration style, the visual language. And include what you want to avoid — explicit exclusions are often more useful than positive descriptions.
Cover logistics and process from the start
The brief should include everything the production company needs to plan: all required deliverable versions (main cut, social versions, subtitled versions), platforms and technical specifications, timeline with key dates, revision rounds included, budget range, and who has final sign-off authority. Leaving these to a separate conversation almost always means they surface at the wrong moment. Use the client video brief template to structure this information and make sure nothing is missed.
“Every hour spent getting the brief right saves at least three hours of revision later — the brief is the creative work.”
What clients most often leave out of a video brief
- What the audience currently believes (not just who they are)
- Specific tone reference videos with notes on what works
- Explicit exclusions — what must not appear or be said
- All required deliverable versions and technical specifications
- Who has final sign-off authority and what the approval process looks like
Frequently asked questions
What does a video production company need from a client brief?
A clear single objective, a specific audience description including current beliefs and objections, tone guidance with reference examples and explicit exclusions, all required deliverable specifications, budget range, timeline with key dates, and the approval process including who has final sign-off authority. Each section should be specific enough for the production team to make creative decisions without asking follow-up questions.
How early should you brief a video production company?
As early as possible — ideally well before your production deadline, to allow for a briefing conversation, brief refinement, and proposal development before a decision is made. Briefing a production company two weeks before you need a finished video almost always means compromising on either quality or process.
Do you need to have everything figured out before briefing?
No — a good brief captures what you know, flags what you do not, and identifies what decisions need to be made before production begins. A production company can help you think through gaps in a briefing session. The important thing is to be honest about what is settled and what is still open, rather than writing confident brief language that conceals real uncertainty.
How do you write a video brief if you have never done it before?
Use a structured template rather than a blank document. A template prompts every section you need to complete and tells you what level of detail is expected. The client video brief template is designed specifically for this — walking through it with your production company in a briefing session is usually the fastest way to get to a complete brief.
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