What should a social media campaign brief include?

The objective and how it will be measured, the audience, the key message and call to action, the deliverables for each network, the timeline, the budget, mandatory lines and restrictions, and who approves the work. This template has a section for each, and you can leave out budget, mandatories and assets when they do not apply.

What is the difference between a campaign brief and a content calendar?

The brief says what the campaign is for and what will be made. The content calendar says when each post goes out and where. Write the brief first, then add the campaign’s posts to the calendar once the brief is signed.

Who should write the campaign brief?

Whoever owns the result, usually the marketing lead or the agency’s account manager, with the client or stakeholder agreeing it. The people making the content should read it before it is signed, because they will spot gaps in the deliverables and timeline first.

How long should a social media brief be?

One or two pages. If the brief needs more, the campaign is probably several campaigns. Link to longer material, such as brand guidelines or research, rather than pasting it in.

Do I need an account to download the brief?

No account, nothing to pay. The file is built in your browser, and nothing you pick or type is sent to Posty.

Social Media Campaign Brief Template

Social media campaign brief

Overview

Campaign name: Blank
Brand or client: Blank
Brief owner: Blank
Date: Blank

1.What is the campaign, in one sentence?
2.Why now? What prompted it?

Objective and measures

3.What is the one thing this campaign must achieve?
4.How will we measure it, and what number counts as success?
5.Where do we send people after they see a post?

Audience

6.Who is the campaign for? Describe them in a sentence or two.
7.What do they think or do now, and what should change?
8.What might stop them from acting?

Message

9.What is the one message every post should carry?
10.What are the supporting points, in order of importance?
11.What is the call to action?

Hashtag or campaign tag: Blank
Landing page: Blank

Deliverables

Network	Formats	How many	First post	Owner
Instagram	Reels, carousels, Stories
Facebook	Posts, Reels, Stories
TikTok	Videos, photo posts

Timeline

Milestone	Date	Owner
Brief signed
Content drafted
Team review
Client or stakeholder approval
Campaign starts
Campaign ends
Results reported

Budget

Production budget: Blank
Paid promotion budget: Blank
Who approves spending: Blank

Mandatories and restrictions

12.What must every post include, such as logos, disclaimers or legal lines?
13.What must we avoid, such as claims, topics, competitors or words?
14.Are partners, creators or influencers involved, and what must they disclose?

Assets and references

Brand guidelines: Blank
Photos and video: Blank
Examples we like: Blank

Approvals and sign-off

Step	Who	Turnaround
Brief sign-off
Content review
Final approval

Brief approved by: Blank
Date: Blank

How to use the campaign brief template

Write the brief before anyone opens a design tool, and get it signed.

1
Fill in the objective first
One objective, one number. A campaign that has to do three things is three campaigns, or it will do none of them well. Everything else in the brief should serve that objective.
2
Plan deliverables for each network
Pick the networks and list the formats, how many of each and who makes them. Deliverables are the part that grows during production, so agree them up front.
3
Set the timeline backwards
Start from launch day and work back: approvals, review, drafting and the brief itself. Leave room for one round of changes at each review.
4
Get it signed before work starts
Share the brief with everyone who will review the work and get a named sign-off. When feedback later strays from the brief, the signed copy settles it.

What makes a social media brief work

A brief is a decision, written down. It exists so the writer, the designer, the client and whoever approves the posts agree on what the campaign is for before anyone spends time making it. A late change to campaign content is often a question the brief left open.

Keep it short enough to read in five minutes. Long briefs get skimmed and the important parts get lost. Lead with the objective and the one message, and push detail such as asset links and mandatory lines to the end.

Plan each network separately. A launch on Instagram might be three Reels and a carousel; on LinkedIn, one post and a document; on Pinterest, a set of pins pointing at the product page. Writing that down early means the shoot covers every format, and nobody finds out in launch week that there is no vertical video.

Run the campaign from its brief in Posty

In Posty a campaign keeps the brief beside its posts: the objective, target personas, dates, creative direction for the client and internal notes for your team. Posts are tagged to the campaign, the calendar colours and filters by it, and the campaign’s results show reach, impressions and engagements for its posts.

Objective, personas, dates and creative direction on every campaign
Internal notes your team sees and clients do not
Campaign colours and a campaign filter on the calendar
Campaign results for reach, impressions, engagements and posts
3 campaigns on Starter, unlimited on Growth and Accelerate

Campaigns for marketing teams Approval workflows Compare plans and pricing

Fernhill Outdoor campaignsTry it

Objective: Launch the spring trail range
Audiences: Weekend hikers, Trail runners
When: 1 to 30 September

Scheduled or published1 of 4

Spring trail range launchScheduled
Trail runner kit, head to toeApproved
Why we test every jacket in the rainPending Team Approval
Packing a 20 litre daypackDraft

Drafts and posts still in review do not count. Only approved posts can be scheduled.

Questions about the social media campaign brief template

What should a social media campaign brief include?: The objective and how it will be measured, the audience, the key message and call to action, the deliverables for each network, the timeline, the budget, mandatory lines and restrictions, and who approves the work. This template has a section for each, and you can leave out budget, mandatories and assets when they do not apply.
What is the difference between a campaign brief and a content calendar?: The brief says what the campaign is for and what will be made. The content calendar says when each post goes out and where. Write the brief first, then add the campaign’s posts to the calendar once the brief is signed.
Who should write the campaign brief?: Whoever owns the result, usually the marketing lead or the agency’s account manager, with the client or stakeholder agreeing it. The people making the content should read it before it is signed, because they will spot gaps in the deliverables and timeline first.
How long should a social media brief be?: One or two pages. If the brief needs more, the campaign is probably several campaigns. Link to longer material, such as brand guidelines or research, rather than pasting it in.
Do I need an account to download the brief?: No account, nothing to pay. The file is built in your browser, and nothing you pick or type is sent to Posty.

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