What to put in an advertising agency brief

Agencies can only propose what they understand. A short, specific brief gets better proposals and lets you compare them side by side. Use the brief builder to draft yours.

1. The business and its customers

Say what you sell, who buys it and what makes you different. Two or three sentences are enough.

2. The goal as a number and a date

"More customers" cannot be measured. "Twenty inquiries a month by March" can. Agencies that cannot work from a number are guessing.

3. The budget

Give the monthly ad spend you can commit to, and say whether it is separate from the agency fee. Hiding the budget leads to proposals sized for someone else.

4. Where you serve

List cities or regions. For a national business, say which areas matter most.

5. What you have tried

Share past agencies, channels and results, including what went wrong. It saves the new agency from repeating it.

6. What a customer is worth

If an average customer pays you a lot over time, you can afford to pay more to win one. Agencies should plan with this number.

7. Questions to answer in writing

Ask every agency the same questions, such as the first 30 days, tracking, fees, ownership of accounts, reporting and how to leave. Written answers prevent surprises later.

After the proposals arrive

Put the answers side by side. Prefer the agency that restated your goal in its own words, named the numbers it will report and explained what it would not do. Be wary of guaranteed results.