How can you create and test media briefs?

1 Know your purpose

Before you start writing your media brief, you need to have a clear idea of what you want to achieve with your media campaign. What is the problem you are trying to solve, the opportunity you are trying to seize, or the challenge you are trying to overcome? What are the specific and measurable goals that you want to reach? How will you evaluate the success of your campaign? Having a clear purpose will help you define the scope, direction, and tone of your media brief.

2 Know your audience

Your media brief should also reflect a deep understanding of your target audience. Who are they, where are they, what do they want, and how do they behave? What are their pain points, needs, desires, and motivations? How do they consume media, when, where, and why? What are the best channels, formats, and messages to reach them and persuade them? Knowing your audience will help you craft a media strategy that is relevant, engaging, and effective.

3 Know your budget

Your media brief should also include a realistic and transparent budget for your media campaign. How much money do you have to spend, and how do you want to allocate it across different media platforms, channels, and tactics? What are the expected costs, returns, and risks of each option? How will you track and optimize your spending and performance? Knowing your budget will help you set realistic expectations and negotiate better deals with your media partners.

4 Know your timeline

Your media brief should also specify a clear and feasible timeline for your media campaign. When do you want to launch, run, and end your campaign? What are the key milestones, deadlines, and deliverables along the way? How will you coordinate, communicate, and collaborate with your media team and other stakeholders? How will you handle any delays, changes, or issues that may arise? Knowing your timeline will help you plan, execute, and manage your media campaign efficiently and effectively.

5 Test your brief

Once you have written your media brief, you should not just send it off and hope for the best. You should test it with your media team and other relevant parties to make sure that it is clear, complete, and consistent. You can use different methods to test your brief, such as asking for feedback, conducting interviews, or running workshops. The goal is to identify any gaps, errors, or misunderstandings that may affect the quality and outcome of your media campaign. Testing your brief will help you refine, improve, and finalize it before you move on to the next stage.

6 Review your results

Finally, after you have launched and run your media campaign, you should review your results against your media brief. How well did you achieve your objectives, reach your audience, spend your budget, and follow your timeline? What worked well, and what didn't? What did you learn, and what can you improve? Reviewing your results will help you measure the impact and value of your media campaign, as well as inform your future media decisions and actions.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?