Campaign brief
From loose ideas to one page.
- For
- A campaign lead, or a founder doing their own marketing
- When
- When ideas have piled up and something needs to go out
- Takes
- A few minutes of agent time
- You get
- A one-page brief grounded in your goals and brand rules, with the main choice left as a proposed decision for you
Turn <ideas document or rough notes> into a campaign brief in onecell. Save it to <cell>. 1. Read the ideas, our audience and voice documents, and any goal or plan they serve (search onecell). Cite what you use. 2. Draft "Campaign brief: <name>" (dry run first): - the objective, and the one number that says it worked - the audience: who, and what they believe today - the message: one line, plus three proof points that are live now - formats and channels, smallest first - what we won't say or claim, from our rules - risks, as a checklist - the main open choice as a proposed decision 3. Reply with the link and the decision you need from me first.
What your agent does
Ties it to a goal
Finds the plan the campaign serves and takes its number from there, instead of inventing one.Keeps proof honest
Only proof points that are live now, and a list of what not to claim, from your own rules.Starts small
Formats in order of effort, so the first piece can go out this week.Leaves the call to you
The main choice is a proposed decision. Accept it, and onecell records who did.
What you get back
Open the full example →A brief for a made-up invoicing app, Tally. The main choice, what to launch with, is left as a proposed decision.
Sample campaign brief: Get paid before Friday
| Objective | 800 new paying accounts in October, from freelancers who invoice at least twice a month |
| Audience | Freelance designers and developers who chase late payments by hand |
| Message | Send the invoice. Tally does the chasing. |
| Formats | Three short videos, a newsletter feature, a landing page, and a referral offer |
| Budget | £12,000, most of it on video |
What we won't say
- That clients always pay on time with Tally. Reminders help; they don't guarantee.
- Anything about Ledgerly by name.
Risks
- October is busy for freelancers; the videos must work with the sound off.
- The referral offer needs the billing change to ship first.
The open choice
Variations
Compare territories first
Add: “Before the brief, score each territory on fit with the audience, proof we can show today, and effort, in one table.” Then pick.
A brief for an agency or freelancer
Add: “Write it for someone outside the team: include the voice rules in full and link the brand documents.” Share the page with them as a viewer.
Afterwards, what worked
When it has run, ask: “Compare the result with the brief's number, and record what we learned as a decision for next time.”
Tips
- One number. A brief with five measures has none.
- The “what we won't say” list saves a review round later.
- Run the Brand voice check recipe on each piece before it goes out.