Before You Launch a Campaign, Write the Problem Clearly
In this guide
A business asks for a campaign.
The team starts discussing videos, social posts, advertising and a landing page. Someone suggests an influencer. Someone else wants a new slogan.
There is plenty of activity in the room.
But one question remains unanswered: what is this campaign supposed to change?
“Get more customers” is a reasonable ambition. It is too broad to guide the work on its own.
A useful campaign brief explains which people you need to reach, what is stopping them from acting, and what you want them to do differently.
That clarity gives the creative work a purpose—and gives the business a better way to judge it.
What problem can you actually demonstrate?
In Before You Spend More on Marketing, Find the Real Problem, I explored five places where customers may struggle: finding, understanding, trusting, choosing and returning to a business.
Once you have identified a possible gap, the next step is to describe it precisely.
Compare these two statements:
“Our marketing is not working.”
“People enquire about our service, but several ask what is included and leave the conversation without booking.”
The second statement gives you something to investigate. You can review the enquiries, examine your explanation of the service and ask customers what was unclear.
It still does not prove why people leave. They may find the price unaffordable, be comparing alternatives or simply need more time.
Good briefs separate what happened from why you think it happened.
What belongs in a campaign brief?
I use these five prompts to organise a campaign decision. They are a practical planning aid; their value depends on the evidence you bring to them.
1. Audience: Who needs to make a decision?
Describe a group with a relevant need and a recognisable situation.
“Everyone aged 25–45” leaves too much unexplained.
“Owners of small businesses who are choosing their first marketing agency and are unsure how to compare proposals” gives you a clearer starting point.
You now know something about the decision, the uncertainty and the information that could help.
A useful audience description tells you more than age or location. It explains why this person might pay attention now.
2. Barrier: What appears to be stopping them?
Identify the obstacle, then label your confidence in the explanation.
You might have evidence that people cannot find your business. You might repeatedly hear that your offer is confusing. You might suspect that customers need stronger proof before committing.
Write the barrier in the customer’s terms:
“I cannot tell what I will receive for this price.”
That is more useful than “we need better content”.
If the explanation is still a hypothesis, say so. Include a quick check before committing a large budget: review recent enquiries, speak to customers or observe someone trying to use your website.
Some barriers require changes to pricing, delivery or the enquiry process. Assign those changes alongside the campaign.
3. Change: What should the person do next?
Choose a specific action that fits the decision.
Depending on the business, that might be to book a consultation, request a proposal, compare a service package or complete a purchase.
“Engage with our brand” is harder to work with. A person can like a post and remain just as uncertain about buying.
Finish this sentence:
“After encountering this campaign, the intended customer should be able and willing to ______.”
Be realistic about the distance between first contact and purchase. A complex service may require several conversations.
4. Proof: What will make the message believable?
Decide what evidence supports the change you are asking for.
A service business could explain its process, show relevant work or provide an authentic client account. A retailer could show materials, dimensions, details and how the product is used.
The proof should answer the customer’s uncertainty.
If people do not understand the scope of your service, a clear breakdown may help more than another general claim about quality. If they question your experience, a relevant case study may be useful.
5. Check: How will you assess progress?
Choose a measure connected to the action you want.
For a booking campaign, track completed bookings and relevant enquiries. For a proposal campaign, track suitable requests and what happens after the proposal is sent.
Also record the starting position, the review period and who owns the measurement.
Reach and clicks can help explain how a campaign is performing. They do not, by themselves, establish whether it solved the business problem.
Compare similar periods where possible. Record other changes—such as a promotion, price adjustment or seasonal shift—that could affect the result.
What does a completed brief look like?
Imagine a training provider whose potential customers regularly ask whether a course is suitable for beginners.
The initial request is simple: “We need more social media posts.”
A clearer brief would read:
| Prompt | Example |
|---|---|
| Audience | People considering their first course in this subject. |
| Barrier | Recent enquiries suggest that the required starting level is unclear. Other reasons for not enrolling still need checking. |
| Change | Help suitable beginners understand the requirements and proceed to registration. |
| Proof | Show the starting level, a sample lesson, what support is available and who the course is designed for. |
| Check | Track completed registrations from the campaign and the frequency of suitability questions during a defined review period. |
The brief now gives the team a reason to create a lesson preview, revise the course page and explain the entry requirements.
It also gives them a reason to review what happens after someone clicks “register”.
The format follows the problem.
Where can you find the campaign brief template?
Campaign name:
[Working title.]
Business outcome:
[What result matters to the business?]
Audience and situation:
[Who are we helping, and what decision are they facing?]
What we have observed:
[Specific behaviour, customer comments or records.]
Likely barrier:
[What may be preventing the next step?]
Evidence and uncertainty:
[What supports this explanation? What else could explain it?]
Desired customer action:
[One clear next step.]
Main message:
[What does the audience need to understand?]
Proof:
[What can we show to support that message?]
Supporting business changes:
[What needs improving in the offer, website, response process or delivery?]
Channels and formats:
[Where can we reach this audience, and which formats can explain the message well?]
Budget, owner and deadline:
[Resources and responsibility.]
Measurement and review:
[Starting position, relevant measure, review date and other changes to account for.]
How does the brief guide the creative work?
A strong brief leaves room for creativity. It gives that creativity a problem worth solving.
Before discussing the visual, headline or platform, write down the audience, barrier, desired change, proof and measure.
If those answers are unclear, spend time clarifying them.
A useful campaign starts with a decision the customer needs to make—and a clear reason your communication can help.
Want help turning a business challenge into a clearer communications brief? Tell me about the challenge.
Brand & Communications Strategist based in Amman. Curious about brands, people and the decisions that connect them.
Common questions
Is a campaign brief a content calendar?
A brief defines the audience, barrier and intended change. A calendar organises what will be published and when. The brief should guide the calendar so the activity serves a clear purpose.
How much detail should the brief include?
Include enough information to make the key choices clear: who the audience is, what is stopping them, what they should do, the proof and how progress will be checked. Keep supporting research available. More pages do not automatically create a clearer decision.
What if the real barrier is uncertain?
Treat it as a hypothesis and say what evidence is still missing. Customer questions, enquiry patterns and feedback can help test it. The brief is more useful when it distinguishes what you know from what you are assuming.