How to write a social media content brief (with a template)
Most rounds of revisions start before the first draft. A post written from “can we do something for the launch?” is a guess, and the client’s feedback is them telling you what they meant. A short brief turns that guess into a target, so the first draft is close and the review is about details rather than direction.
This guide covers what a social media content brief needs to say, how long it should be, who writes it, and when a single post needs one at all. There is a template to copy and a filled-in example.
What a content brief is for
A content brief is a short written description of a post, or a set of posts, agreed before anyone writes or designs. It answers the questions a creator would otherwise have to guess at: what is this for, who is it for, what must it say, where is it going, and when.
It also gives the review something to measure against. When a client asks for changes, “does this still do what the brief said?” is a far more useful question than “do you like it?”.
When a post needs a brief
Not every post does. A regular post in an established pillar — this week’s tip, a behind-the-scenes photo — can be written straight from the month plan. Write a brief when any of these is true:
- It is part of a launch, a campaign or a paid partnership
- It makes a claim, a promise or an offer that has to be exactly right
- Someone other than the writer is designing or filming it
- The client has strong views, or has sent similar posts back before
- It is a new format or series the client hasn’t seen from you
What to include
| Field | What it answers | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Objective | What should this post make people do or think? | Get café regulars to try the new breakfast menu |
| Audience | Who exactly is it for? | Weekday morning regulars within a short walk |
| Key message | The one thing it must say | New breakfast menu, served 7–11 on weekdays |
| Proof or details | Facts, prices, dates that must appear | Five new dishes; launch date 2 June |
| Networks and format | Where it goes, and in what shape | Instagram carousel and Facebook image |
| Tone | How it should sound | Warm, a bit playful, no puns on “egg” |
| Must include / avoid | Mandatory elements and hard no’s | Include opening hours; don’t mention the old menu |
| Call to action | What the reader should do next | Visit this week; link in bio |
| Assets | What exists, what has to be made | Photos from the 20 May shoot |
| Dates | When it’s due for review and when it goes live | Review 27 May; live 2 June, 8am |
Every field should be answerable in a sentence. If the objective takes a paragraph, the post is trying to do too much — split it.
The template
Post / campaign: Brand: Brief written by: Approved by: Objective — what should this make people do or think? Audience — who exactly is it for? Key message — the one thing it must say: Proof and details — facts, prices, dates, names that must be exactly right: Networks and format: Tone: Must include: Must avoid: Call to action: Assets — what exists, what needs making: Review due: Goes live:
Keep the finished brief to a page. A brief nobody reads is worse than none, because everyone assumes it has been followed.
A filled-in example
Post / campaign: Summer menu launch — launch-day post Brand: Corner café Objective: Get regulars to come in for the new menu in its first week. Audience: Weekday morning regulars and local office workers. Key message: The summer menu is here — five new dishes, from today. Proof and details: Five dishes (names in the menu PDF); available from 2 June; served all day. Networks and format: Instagram carousel (cover + one slide per dish); Facebook single image with the same caption, shortened. Tone: Warm and upbeat. No food puns. Must include: Launch date; “served all day”; the café’s own photos only. Must avoid: Prices (they may change); the old menu. Call to action: Come in this week. Instagram: “find us” in bio. Facebook: link to the menu page. Assets: Dish photos from the 20 May shoot; cover to be designed. Review due: 27 May Goes live: 2 June, 8am
Notice what the example rules out as well as what it asks for. “Must avoid: prices” prevents a whole round of changes when the client remembers the prices aren’t final.
Who writes the brief — and who signs it off
Usually the account manager writes it, because they have heard what the client wants. For a campaign or a partnership, get the client to agree the brief before production starts: a two-minute read now saves a round of changes on a finished video later.
For routine posts, the month plan is the brief. The month’s goal, the pillar and a one-line idea per slot are enough — see the monthly calendar guide.
From brief to approved post
- 01Write the brief and, for campaigns, get the client to agree it
- 02Check the format against each network’s limits before designing
- 03Write and design the post, keeping the brief open beside it
- 04Put the brief’s key points in the post’s team notes, so reviewers on your side can check against it
- 05Send the post for review with the rest of the batch
- 06When changes come back, check them against the brief — and say so if they contradict it
Keeping the brief next to the post matters. An internal note on the post holds the brief where the team will see it, without the client reading your working notes.
Common brief mistakes
- Two objectives: “raise awareness and drive sales” produces a post that does neither
- No audience: “everyone” means the post speaks to nobody in particular
- Details left for later: prices, dates and names are the things that cause post-approval edits
- No “must avoid”: the thing the client hates is always the thing nobody wrote down
- Written after the post: a brief reverse-engineered from a draft only documents the guess