How to Write an Influencer Campaign Brief (Free Template and Example)

An influencer campaign brief is a short document that tells a creator what the campaign is for, the one message the post has to land, what it must include, what they can do their own way, what to deliver by when and how you can use the content afterward. Good briefs fit on one or two pages and leave room for the creator’s voice. Below are the sections every brief needs, a copy-and-paste template, a filled-in example for a fictional Detroit coffee shop opening and a one-page checklist.

Why influencer briefs fail

Weak briefs tend to go wrong in one of four ways.

They are too long. A 15-page brand deck buries the three details a creator must get right: usually the date, the offer and the disclosure.

They are too scripted. Word-for-word scripts make creators sound like they’re reading an ad. There is a legal edge too. Under the FTC’s Endorsement Guides, 16 CFR 255.1, endorsements “must reflect the honest opinions” of the endorser, so a brief can’t dictate praise.

They leave no creative freedom. People follow a creator for how that person films and talks. Fix every shot and line, and you lose what you hired.

They skip disclosure and usage terms. If the brief doesn’t say how to disclose, some posts go live without it. The FTC’s Endorsement Guides FAQ is blunt: “Your company is ultimately responsible for what others do on your behalf.” If it never mentions reuse, you learn your limits the day you try to run the video as an ad.

What goes in a good influencer brief

Campaign goal and one message

Write the goal as what you want viewers to do: come in opening weekend, book a class, buy the release. Then write the one message the post must land, in a sentence the creator could say out loud. If you have three messages, keep one and move the rest to a “nice to mention” line.

Audience

Say who you need to reach and where they live. For a local business, audience city usually matters more than follower count, as our guide to hiring Detroit influencers explains. Ask each creator for a screenshot from their own analytics showing their top cities. Smaller local accounts often pass this test; see our micro-influencer guide.

Offer and call to action

Give one offer with exact terms: what it is, how to redeem it, when it ends and any limits. Then give one call to action, such as “show the code at the register” or “tap the link in bio.” Two calls to action split the response and make the results harder to read.

Mandatories

This is the list the post can’t go live without. Keep every item on it truly required.

• Must-say: business name, the one message, the date, the offer.
• Must-show: the storefront or sign and the product.
• Disclosure wording and placement. The FTC’s Disclosures 101 for Social Media Influencers suggests plain terms such as “ad,” “sponsored” or “advertisement,” says to avoid “sp,” “spon” or “collab,” and says the disclosure should sit with the endorsement itself, not behind a “more” button. In video, it belongs in the video. In a livestream, repeat it periodically.
• Platform labels. Ask for Instagram’s Paid partnership label and, on TikTok, the Commercial Content Disclosure setting, which adds a “Paid partnership” label. The FTC says not to assume a platform’s tool is enough by itself, so require the label and the plain-words disclosure. Our FTC influencer rules guide has details.
• Handles, tags, links and codes. List your exact handles, the location tag, the link and the creator’s unique code. According to Instagram’s help center, the brand partner needs a professional account, approves a creator’s first tag request, and can see the post’s insights once tagged.

Creative freedom and what to avoid

Spell out what belongs to the creator: concept, hook, edit, music and voice. One caution on music: Instagram’s boosting rules say a reel can’t be boosted if it uses licensed music, so if you might put money behind the post, ask for original audio or royalty-free tracks.

Then list what to avoid: competitors, claims you can’t support, other customers’ faces without permission, unfinished areas and any category rules, such as alcohol.

Deliverables and specs per platform

For each deliverable, list the platform, format, target length, posting window and how long the post stays up, plus extras for your own use, such as stills. Current specs from the platforms’ help pages:

Specs change, so check the linked pages before each campaign.

Timeline and approval steps

List every date, from brief sent to report due, working backward from the day posts need to be live.

Then say how approval works: whether you review drafts, what you check (facts, mandatories and disclosure, not taste), who approves, how fast they’ll respond and how many rounds of changes are included.

Usage rights and paid amplification

State where you want to reuse the content (your own feed, website, email, paid ads), for how long, and whether you need raw footage. Longer terms and ad use usually cost more, which our influencer marketing cost guide explains.

For paid amplification, name the tool. On Instagram and Facebook, Meta’s help center says branded content ads are now called partnership ads, the creator can generate a partnership ad code for the advertiser, and one code can be used by up to two partners at a time. On TikTok, the creator generates a Spark Ads code from the post’s ad settings, per TikTok’s Spark Ads guide. Put the duration and fee in the contract; our guide to influencer contracts and usage rights covers the clauses.

Measurement

Tell creators what you’ll track and what to send. A unique code or tracked link per creator, plus screenshots of reach, views, link taps, saves, shares and audience cities at a set point, such as seven days after posting, covers most local campaigns. Our guide to measuring influencer marketing ROI explains how to turn those numbers into cost per result.

Logistics for in-person visits

Include the full address and which door to use, parking, arrival time and how long to plan for, the name and cell number of the person to ask for, and exactly what’s comped. Say whether a guest is welcome, what isn’t included, where filming is allowed and when the light is best. For group visits, our grand opening influencer event guide and restaurant influencer guide go further.

The copy-and-paste template

Copy this into an email or document and replace the text in brackets.

INFLUENCER CAMPAIGN BRIEF

Brand and campaign: [names]
Brand contact: [name, email, cell]

1. GOAL
What we want viewers to do: [one sentence]
The one message: [one sentence the creator could say out loud]
Nice to mention: [optional]

2. AUDIENCE
Who and where: [description, city or region]
Please send: [audience-city screenshot]

3. OFFER AND CALL TO ACTION
Offer: [what, how to redeem, end date, limits]
Call to action: [one action]

4. MANDATORIES
Must say and show: [name, message, date, offer; sign, product, space]
Disclosure: [wording, e.g. "Ad" or "Paid partnership with (brand)" in the first line of the caption and on screen; said out loud in videos]
Platform label: [Instagram Paid partnership label / TikTok Commercial Content Disclosure setting]
Handles and location tag: [exact names]
Link and code: [tracked link, unique code]

5. CREATIVE FREEDOM
Yours to decide: [concept, hook, edit, music, voice]
Music note: [original audio or royalty-free if we may boost]
Please avoid: [list]

6. DELIVERABLES
[Platform, format, target length, posting window, how long it stays up]
Extras for our use: [stills, raw clips]

7. TIMELINE AND APPROVAL
Dates: [confirm by, visit or shoot, draft due, our feedback, posting window]
Revision rounds and approver: [number, name]
We review for: [facts, mandatories, disclosure]

8. USAGE RIGHTS AND PAID AMPLIFICATION
Reuse on and term: [our feed, website, email, paid ads; length]
Partnership ad or Spark Ads code: [yes or no, duration]
Raw footage: [yes or no]

9. MEASUREMENT
Please send: [metrics, screenshots, date]

10. VISIT LOGISTICS
Address, entrance, parking: [details]
Arrive and plan for: [time, length]
Ask for: [name, cell]
Comped and not included: [lists; guest yes or no]
Filming allowed: [where yes, where no; best light]

Example brief: a fictional Detroit coffee shop opening

This example is invented to show a finished brief. Example Coffee Co., its address, handles, code and dates are fictional.

• Goal: Get Metro Detroiters in the door opening weekend, November 7 and 8, 2026.
• One message: “Example Coffee Co. is open in Corktown and roasts every bean in the shop.”
• Audience: Coffee drinkers who live or work near downtown Detroit. Send your audience-city screenshot when you confirm.
• Offer and call to action: A free drip coffee with any pastry, November 7 through November 21. Show your code at the register. One per customer.
• Must say and show: the name, “now open in Corktown,” the offer and end date; the storefront sign, the roaster running and one drink being made.
• Disclosure: “Ad” or “Paid partnership with @examplecoffeeco” in the first line of the caption, on screen in the first seconds, and said out loud. Instagram Paid partnership label on; TikTok Commercial Content Disclosure setting on.
• Handles, tag, link, code: @examplecoffeeco on Instagram and TikTok. Location tag “Example Coffee Co.” Bio link: the tracked menu link we send you. Your code: EXAMPLE-JORDAN.
• Creative freedom: Your concept, hook, edit and voice. Original audio or royalty-free music, please, so we can boost the reel.
• Please avoid: Other coffee shops, health claims, faces of other customers without their OK, and the unfinished back patio.
• Deliverables: One Instagram Reel, 30 to 60 seconds, 9:16, also posted to TikTok. Two opening-day Stories with the link sticker. Posts stay up 60 days. Five stills for our feed.
• Timeline: Confirm by Friday, October 23. Preview visit Wednesday, November 4, 7:30 to 9 a.m. Drafts due Thursday, November 5, by 5 p.m. Our feedback by noon Friday, November 6. Post Saturday, November 7, between 7 and 10 a.m. One round of changes. Approver: the owner.
• Usage rights: Repost on our Instagram and website for 12 months. Partnership ad code for 30 days, paid as a separate line in the agreement.
• Measurement: Screenshots of reach, views, link taps, saves, shares and top cities seven days after posting. We count code redemptions.
• Visit logistics: Front door on Example Ave. Metered street parking, no lot. Ask for the manager (cell in your confirmation email). Comped: drinks and pastries for you and one guest; retail beans not included. Film in the front of house, not behind the bar. Best light is before 9 a.m.

One-page checklist

Before sending, confirm the brief has:

1. A goal written as a viewer action, and one message
2. The audience and the audience-city proof you want
3. One offer with terms, and one call to action
4. Must-say and must-show items, kept short
5. Disclosure wording, placement and the platform label
6. Exact handles, location tag, tracked link and a unique code
7. What the creator decides, and a short avoid list
8. Deliverables per platform, with format, length and posting window
9. Every date, the approver and the number of revision rounds
10. Usage rights, term and any partnership ad or Spark Ads access
11. The metrics you need back, and when
12. Address, parking, arrival time, contact name and what’s comped

How we brief creators at RAW Digital Group

As an influencer marketing agency in Detroit, we write a brief like this for every creator campaign and attach the terms to the contract. We also produce features for the Detroit audience we built on our own channels, more than 245,000 followers with about 60% in Metro Detroit. If you’re comparing partners, our guide to choosing an influencer marketing agency lists what to ask, and our influencer marketing page is where to request current rates.