Guides · 4 min read

How to write a brief that gets the first draft right

Aug 6, 2026

mapo.example/blog

The brief is the highest-leverage 200 words you'll write. It's also where most revision rounds are lost before production even starts.

Cover five things: who the audience is, what the piece should achieve, the topic or keywords, the tone, and any hard constraints (things to always or never say, links to reference). Skip anything the team can infer from your brand profile.

Be specific about the outcome, not the execution. 'A post that gets independent cafe owners to try a loyalty program' is a brief. 'Make it pop' is not.

Name your references. One example of a piece you'd be happy to have produced is worth three paragraphs of adjectives.

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Brief it once and the team produces to the same workflow every time.

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