Guide
Video ad creative brief: a one-page template with seven parts
Updated
A creative brief for a video ad says who the ad is for, what it promises and how it proves it, before anyone films. This template fits on one page and has seven parts.
In short
- A video ad creative brief is one page that says who the ad is for, what it promises and how it proves it.
- The template has seven parts: goal, audience, promise, proof, the main doubt, what to say or avoid, and format.
- A brief should fit on one page. Longer briefs get skimmed, and the key decisions get missed.
- A reference ad is useful for its structure and timing, not for its mood.
- A brief is finished when the person filming and the editor could each work from it without asking you what you meant.
- Parts in the template
- 7
- The right length for a brief
- 1 page
- For each part of the brief
- 1 sentence
What is a video ad creative brief?
A creative brief is a one-page document that sets out what a video ad must say and show before anyone films it. The person filming and the editor work from it.
- A brief records decisions: who the ad is for, what it promises and what proves it.
- A line like '60 seconds, vertical, upbeat, by Friday' is a spec, not a brief. An ad can meet it and still sell nothing.
- Without a brief, whoever holds the camera makes those decisions later, on their own.
- One brief should lead to several ads that make the same promise in different ways, so you can test them against each other.
- When an ad does badly, the brief shows which decision to change in the next one.
What goes in a video ad brief
Write each part as one sentence. If you want two promises, write two briefs.
The seven parts of a video ad brief
Tone, mood boards and shot lists are left to whoever films it.
| Part | What to write | Common mistake |
|---|---|---|
| Goal | What the ad should achieve, how many ads you want, and by when | Asking for one ad when you need several to test |
| Who | One person in one situation | A broad group like "millennials, urban" |
| Promise | What changes for them, in their own words | Two promises in one ad |
| Proof | The exact demo, number, before shot or customer quote | Naming a kind of proof instead of the proof itself |
| The main doubt | The one doubt that stops them buying, as they would say it | Leaving it out without deciding to |
| What you must and must not say | Approved claims, banned claims, whether the price may appear, and claims customers or regulators have objected to before | Finding out after the shoot |
| Format | Shape, length, whether it works with the sound off, where it runs, and what the viewer should do at the end, like 'Shop now' | Treating the format as the whole brief |
Part: Goal
- What to write
- What the ad should achieve, how many ads you want, and by when
- Common mistake
- Asking for one ad when you need several to test
Part: Who
- What to write
- One person in one situation
- Common mistake
- A broad group like "millennials, urban"
Part: Promise
- What to write
- What changes for them, in their own words
- Common mistake
- Two promises in one ad
Part: Proof
- What to write
- The exact demo, number, before shot or customer quote
- Common mistake
- Naming a kind of proof instead of the proof itself
Part: The main doubt
- What to write
- The one doubt that stops them buying, as they would say it
- Common mistake
- Leaving it out without deciding to
Part: What you must and must not say
- What to write
- Approved claims, banned claims, whether the price may appear, and claims customers or regulators have objected to before
- Common mistake
- Finding out after the shoot
Part: Format
- What to write
- Shape, length, whether it works with the sound off, where it runs, and what the viewer should do at the end, like 'Shop now'
- Common mistake
- Treating the format as the whole brief
This is the whole editor
Highlight a phrase and a clip lands on those exact words. No timeline, no keyframes, no layers.
A blank brief to copy
Copy this into a document and fill in the blanks. Keep each line to one sentence.
Blank video ad brief
| Part | Fill in |
|---|---|
| Goal | This ad should ___. We want ___ ads by ___. |
| Who | It is for ___, who ___. |
| Promise | After buying, they can ___. |
| Proof | We show this by ___. |
| The main doubt | They worry that ___. We answer it by ___. |
| What you must and must not say | Say ___. Never say ___. Price shown: yes or no. |
| Format | ___ seconds, vertical 9:16, works with the sound off, runs on ___. At the end, the viewer should ___. |
Part: Goal
- Fill in
- This ad should ___. We want ___ ads by ___.
Part: Who
- Fill in
- It is for ___, who ___.
Part: Promise
- Fill in
- After buying, they can ___.
Part: Proof
- Fill in
- We show this by ___.
Part: The main doubt
- Fill in
- They worry that ___. We answer it by ___.
Part: What you must and must not say
- Fill in
- Say ___. Never say ___. Price shown: yes or no.
Part: Format
- Fill in
- ___ seconds, vertical 9:16, works with the sound off, runs on ___. At the end, the viewer should ___.
A weak brief next to a strong one
Both fit on one page. Only the second tells the team what to make, and what to change if the ad does badly.
The same knee support, briefed twice
An example. The strong brief tells you which decision to change when the ad does badly.
Audience
- A brief that describes a video
- Millennials, urban, active
- A brief that makes decisions
- Runs three times a week, knee sore for six weeks, already tried a brace
Message
- A brief that describes a video
- Highlight comfort and quality
- A brief that makes decisions
- One run without thinking about your knee
Proof
- A brief that describes a video
- Show the product in use
- A brief that makes decisions
- One shot with no cuts, same stairs, week one and week six
Main doubt
- A brief that describes a video
- Not mentioned
- A brief that makes decisions
- "I bought two of these already and both stopped working"
Tone
- A brief that describes a video
- Upbeat, premium, authentic
- A brief that makes decisions
- Not set. The person filming decides.
What a bad result teaches you
- A brief that describes a video
- Nothing you can name
- A brief that makes decisions
- Which decision to change next
| A brief that describes a video | A brief that makes decisions | |
|---|---|---|
| Audience | Millennials, urban, active | Runs three times a week, knee sore for six weeks, already tried a brace |
| Message | Highlight comfort and quality | One run without thinking about your knee |
| Proof | Show the product in use | One shot with no cuts, same stairs, week one and week six |
| Main doubt | Not mentioned | "I bought two of these already and both stopped working" |
| Tone | Upbeat, premium, authentic | Not set. The person filming decides. |
| What a bad result teaches you | Nothing you can name | Which decision to change next |
Example: a complete brief for a dog harness
Here is the template filled in for an example product: a no-pull dog harness for $48, sold online.
- The proof shot has no cut inside it, so viewers can see nothing was changed between the two walks.
A complete brief for a no-pull dog harness
| Part | What the brief says |
|---|---|
| Goal | Sales from new customers. Three ads, ready in two weeks. |
| Who | Owner of a 30kg dog that pulls, who now walks at 6am to avoid other dogs and skips the evening walk |
| Promise | One evening walk where you are not braced against the lead the whole way |
| Proof | One shot with no cuts, same street, same dog and owner. The old harness, then this one. |
| The main doubt | "I bought two of these and both stretched within a month." Answered at 14 seconds, with a close-up of the buckle and stitching. |
| Must say | Show the buckle in close-up. The price may appear. |
| Must not say | Anything about training, obedience or correcting behaviour |
| Format | Vertical 9:16, about 25 seconds, works with the sound off, for Reels and TikTok. Ends with 'Shop now'. |
Part: Goal
- What the brief says
- Sales from new customers. Three ads, ready in two weeks.
Part: Who
- What the brief says
- Owner of a 30kg dog that pulls, who now walks at 6am to avoid other dogs and skips the evening walk
Part: Promise
- What the brief says
- One evening walk where you are not braced against the lead the whole way
Part: Proof
- What the brief says
- One shot with no cuts, same street, same dog and owner. The old harness, then this one.
Part: The main doubt
- What the brief says
- "I bought two of these and both stretched within a month." Answered at 14 seconds, with a close-up of the buckle and stitching.
Part: Must say
- What the brief says
- Show the buckle in close-up. The price may appear.
Part: Must not say
- What the brief says
- Anything about training, obedience or correcting behaviour
Part: Format
- What the brief says
- Vertical 9:16, about 25 seconds, works with the sound off, for Reels and TikTok. Ends with 'Shop now'.
How to use a reference ad
A reference ad is an existing ad you want yours to be like. Say in one line what to take from it and what to leave.
- Copy the structure and timing of a reference ad, not its mood, because that ad was made for another product and audience.
- Note the second at which the claim, the first proof, the doubt and the call to action appear.
- Write one line on what to take and what to leave, for example: 'Take the cutting speed and the text on screen. Leave the sarcasm.'
- The mood of a reference can work against you. If your buyers worry about safety, sarcasm comes across as careless.
What to note from a reference ad
The structure carries over to almost any product. The mood does not.
| Part of the ad | What to write down |
|---|---|
| The claim | What it says, and at which second it appears |
| The first proof | What is shown, and when |
| The main doubt | Whether the ad names a doubt, and when |
| The call to action | What it asks the viewer to do, and when |
Part of the ad: The claim
- What to write down
- What it says, and at which second it appears
Part of the ad: The first proof
- What to write down
- What is shown, and when
Part of the ad: The main doubt
- What to write down
- Whether the ad names a doubt, and when
Part of the ad: The call to action
- What to write down
- What it asks the viewer to do, and when
Where Cutroom fits
Cutroom is a video editor that turns one clip of you talking into a finished vertical ad. Once the brief is written, you film one clip on your phone and upload it.
- Cutroom transcribes every word, drafts an opening headline and adds b-roll, short clips shown over your voice, where your words need showing.
- It adds captions timed to your voice. On the Punch and Native styles, it also shortens the pauses and removes the ums and uhs that show up in your transcript.
- A 30-second ad costs about 110 credits: 100 to make it and 20 per minute of export. Lite is $19.99 a month for 1,250 credits, about 11 of those ads.
- Clips can be up to 3 minutes long, and it only makes vertical 9:16 videos.
- Every plan has one login, with no team invites.
Questions people ask
- What should a video ad creative brief include?
- Seven things: the goal, who the ad is for, the one promise, the proof, the main doubt, what you must and must not say, and the format with the call to action. Tone and shot lists are left to whoever films it.
- How long should a creative brief be?
- One page. Longer briefs get skimmed. If yours runs longer, cut the background and keep the seven parts.
- Is there a creative brief template for video ads?
- Yes. The blank brief on this page has seven parts: goal, who the ad is for, promise, proof, the main doubt, what to say or avoid, and format. The dog harness example shows one filled in.
- Who should write the creative brief?
- The person responsible for the ad's results, not the best writer. The person filming and the editor should be able to question it before the shoot.
- Should the brief include the hook?
- No. Write the promise and the main doubt, then ask for three different openings. The hook is the cheapest part to test and the easiest to change later.
- What is the difference between a creative brief and a script?
- A brief decides what the ad says, and a script is one way of saying it. One brief should lead to several scripts, which is what you want for testing.
- How do I know a brief is finished?
- When the person filming and the editor could each work from it without asking you what you meant. If they would need to ask, a decision is still missing.
Fill in the seven parts on one page, film one clip, and let Cutroom edit it. Your first video is free.
Try for freeYour first video is free, no card, and you have 7 days to make it. It carries a Cutroom mark; Lite at $19.99/month removes it