How to brief reels so they actually get made

A bad brief is a tax on any production team

Content production doesn't slip because of equipment. It slips because of "do something cool" briefs. Here's how we write ours — and why a two-page brief saves weeks.

The 4 mandatory sections

1. A single objective. Not "growth + brand + awareness". One thing. Bad example: "Show our product, communicate sustainability values, attract a younger audience." Good example: "Generate 500 saves on IG/Reels."

2. The visual frame. Three screenshots or links to similar content that sets the tone. Not "modern and fresh". Concrete — "like @bobaguys, but quieter".

3. A narrative shot-list. Not "intro + product + call-to-action". Five lines describing what happens on screen, in order. What the camera sees. What the microphone hears. Who speaks.

4. The constraints. Mandatory branding (colours, logo), maximum duration, output formats, what cannot appear (e.g. competitor products in background).

Three examples

Brief for a retail food reel.

Objective: 500+ saves in a week. Tone: ASMR + quiet voiceover, like @michellecho's bento videos. Shot list: 1. Hands open a box. 2s. 2. Contents slowly arrange themselves on the board. 4s. 3. Voiceover: "Buy on Sunday, eat all week." 4. Macro on food texture. 3s. 5. Final card with pickup in 30 seconds. Branding: logo in corner, Aktiv Grotesk type. Duration: 15-18 seconds.

Brief for a B2B reel.

Objective: profile visits from a CMO audience. Tone: founder on camera, like @brian_chesky's reels. Shot list: 1. Founder speaks directly into camera. "Here's what we learned in the last 12 months." 2. Cut to screen recording with a dashboard. 3. Voiceover: "Three things." 4-6. The three things, each with a 3s screen recording. 7. Final card with profile link. Duration: 45-60 seconds. Constraint: no client names appear.

Brief for an event teaser.

Objective: 200 RSVPs. Tone: BTS, energetic, like @daybreaker. Shot list: 1. Quick cuts from setup. 4 shots, 0.5s each. 2. Time-lapse of the team working. 4s. 3. Voiceover: "Saturday night. A few spots left." 4. Final frame with date and bio link. Duration: 12-15 seconds.

How we test if a brief is any good

We send the brief to two different videographers and don't talk to either. If the outputs are 80% similar in structure, the brief works. If one shoots a 2-minute BTS and the other shoots an 8-second cinematic, the brief was vague.

Key takeaways

- A brief needs four mandatory sections: single objective, visual frame, narrative shot-list, constraints. - "Generate 500 saves" beats "growth + brand + awareness" — pick one outcome. - Three concrete reference screenshots beat adjectives like "modern and fresh". - Write a 5-line shot-list: what the camera sees, what the mic hears, who speaks. - Test the brief by sending it to two videographers with no comment — 80% structural similarity means it works.