How to Write a Digital Marketing Brief (With Template and Example)

A digital marketing brief is a one to two page document that tells an agency, freelancer or your own team what you want to achieve, who you want to reach, what you can spend and how you'll measure success. Write it before you ask anyone for a quote. A clear brief gets you better proposals, quotes you can compare fairly, and work that hits the target the first time.

Below I'll walk you through what to include, give you a template you can copy, and show you a short filled-in example.

Why write a marketing brief?

A good brief makes the key decisions before the work starts. That pays off in four ways.

• You can compare quotes properly. When every supplier answers the same brief, you're comparing like with like.
• You decide what success looks like. Writing the objective down forces you to put a number on it.
• Work starts faster. Less time on discovery calls, more time on the work itself.
• Everyone stays aligned. Your business partner, your team and your marketer all work from the same page.

A brief is also useful if you use AI tools for marketing tasks. Paste it in as context and the drafts you get back will be far closer to what you need.

What to include in a digital marketing brief

Cover these sections. The more specific you are, the better your marketing partner will understand the job.

1. About your business

Your business name, what you do, where you operate, how long you've been going and roughly how big you are. Two or three sentences is enough.

2. What you want to promote

Is it one product or service, a new launch, or your whole brand? List the key features, prices and anything that makes it different. Be honest about weaknesses too. A good marketer will plan around them.

3. Your marketing objective

This is the most important section. Name one main goal, put a number on it and add a date. "More leads" is a wish. "40 new enquiries a month by March, at under $80 per enquiry" is an objective someone can plan for.

4. Your target audience

Describe the customers you want to reach and persuade. Include:

• Demographics: age, location, occupation, household or business size.
• Behaviour: how they buy, how long they take to decide, what they've tried before.
• Psychographics: their beliefs, worries and motivations. What makes them buy, and what stops them. My guide to customer psychographics shows you how to find these.

5. Your competitors

List your main direct competitors (businesses offering the same thing) and indirect ones (other ways customers solve the same problem, including doing nothing). Note what they do well. If you're not sure how you compare, read how to stand out from your competitors.

6. Your proposition

Why should a customer choose you? Focus on benefits, not features. "Same-day appointments" is a feature. "You're seen today, not next week" is the benefit.

7. Tone of voice and brand assets

Describe how your brand should sound in a few words, such as "friendly, plain-spoken, expert". List the assets you can supply: logo files, brand colours and fonts, photos, video and any brand guidelines.

8. Channels and scope

Say what's in and what's out. You might want Google Ads and a landing page, but not social media. If you're unsure which channels suit you, say so and ask for a recommendation.

9. Budget

Without a budget, nobody can give you a realistic proposal. Separate two things: media spend (what you pay Google or Meta) and fees (what you pay your marketer). If you'd rather not share an exact figure, give a range and ask for options at different levels.

10. Timeline, measurement and approvals

Include key dates, how you'll measure success and who signs off on the work. Note what access you can provide, such as your website, analytics and ad accounts. If you're giving access to Google Ads, you can choose the access level each person gets. For help choosing what to measure, see the digital marketing metrics that matter.

11. What you've tried before

Share past campaigns, what worked and what didn't. This saves your new partner from repeating old mistakes, and it's often the most useful page in the brief.

Marketing brief template

Copy this table into a document and fill in the right-hand column. Aim for one to two pages in total.

Section	What to write
Business	Name, what you do, where, how long, size
What to promote	Product or service, key features, price, what makes it different
Objective	One goal with a number and a date
Target audience	Demographics, behaviour, motivations and objections
Competitors	Three to five direct and indirect competitors, and what they do well
Proposition	The main benefit and why customers should believe it
Tone and assets	Three words for your voice; logo, colours, photos, guidelines
Channels and scope	What's in, what's out, or "please recommend"
Budget	Media spend and fees, as a figure or a range
Timeline	Start date, key deadlines, launch date
Measurement	The numbers that define success and how they're tracked
Approvals and access	Who signs off; which accounts you'll give access to
History	What you've tried, what worked, what didn't

Example: a short brief, filled in

Here's what a brief might look like for a made-up business, a physiotherapy clinic in Melbourne's eastern suburbs.

Business: Two-practitioner physio clinic, open six years, one location.

Promote: Initial consultations for sports and running injuries.

Objective: 30 new-patient bookings a month from online channels within three months.

Audience: Active adults aged 25 to 55 within 10 km. They often put off treatment, then search when an injury stops them training. Main worry: "Will this actually fix it, or just cost me money?"

Competitors: Three nearby clinics, a large chain and online exercise programs.

Proposition: A clear diagnosis and treatment plan in your first session, with evening appointments.

Tone: Friendly, expert, no jargon.

Scope: Google Ads and a booking landing page. No social media for now.

Budget: Media spend of a set monthly amount, plus fees. Open to options.

Measurement: Online bookings and cost per booking, tracked through the booking system.

History: Boosted Facebook posts last year brought likes but very few bookings.

It fits on one page, and any good marketer could write a proposal from it.

Marketing brief vs marketing plan vs marketing strategy

These three get mixed up, so here's the difference:

• Marketing strategy: the big choices. Who you sell to, what you stand for and where you compete.
• Marketing plan: the activities, timing and budget that put the strategy into action over a period, often a year or a quarter.
• Marketing brief: the instructions for one project or one partner, drawn from your strategy and plan.

If you don't have a strategy yet, your brief can ask for one. That's often the right first step, and it's what my digital marketing strategy work covers.

Common marketing brief mistakes

• No number in the objective. Without one, nobody knows what good looks like.
• "Everyone" as the target market. The narrower your audience, the sharper the marketing.
• Hiding the budget. You'll get proposals that are either too big or too small.
• Listing features without benefits. Tell your marketer why customers care.
• Writing a novel. If it's longer than two pages, cut it back.

What happens after you send it

A good partner will come back with questions. That's a healthy sign: they're thinking about your business, not just sending a standard package. Compare proposals against your objective, not just price. If you're still deciding who to send it to, my guide to hiring a freelancer vs an agency will help.

Frequently asked questions

What is a digital marketing brief?

It's a short document that sets out your goals, audience, budget, timeline and how you'll measure success for a digital marketing project. You give it to an agency, freelancer or internal team before work begins.

How long should a marketing brief be?

One to two pages. That's enough room for every essential section without burying the important details.

What's the difference between a marketing brief and a creative brief?

A marketing brief covers the whole project: objectives, audience, budget and measurement. A creative brief is narrower and guides one piece of creative work, such as an ad or a video, usually written once the marketing brief is agreed.

If you'd like help turning your brief into a plan that brings in customers, start with my digital marketing strategy service. Book a free call and bring your brief, even if it's only half finished.