How To Write a Successful Influencer Brief

An influencer brief is a document a brand shares with a content creator to describe the expectations for an influencer marketing campaign.

A global 2025 marketing survey among brands revealed that 14.4% of respondents invested 10% to 15% of their marketing budget into influencer marketing, and nearly 12% allocated more than half. For every such collaboration, an influencer brief ensures both parties are aligned on the brand message, key talking points, campaign objectives, target audience, and influencer deliverables. 

In this guide, you’ll learn about the essential components of an influencer brief, as well as tips from marketing professionals on how to use the brief for a successful collaboration.

What is an influencer brief?

An influencer brief is a document that a brand shares with creators to outline the expectations for an upcoming influencer marketing campaign. It’s a type of marketing campaign brief tailored specifically to influencer collaborations and designed to set both parties up for success.

Here’s how an influencer brief facilitates a successful influencer campaign:

• Communicates your brand values and guidelines

• Sets clear expectations for influencer deliverables

• Gives creators the information they need to speak knowledgeably about the product 

• Defines the parameters for creative freedom

• Articulates key performance indicators (KPIs) you will use to measure campaign success 

• Establishes a repeatable process for long-term and future collaborations

What to include in an influencer brief

• Campaign overview
• Target audience
• Influencer deliverables
• Key talking points
• Brand assets and guidelines 
• Campaign inspiration
• Content approval process
• Payment details

An influencer brief creates alignment between your brand and the content creator you’re working with, communicating what they will deliver and when, and how both parties will benefit from the collaboration. Here are several key items to include: 

Campaign overview

The campaign overview covers your main goals, what you want to promote, why it matters to your target audience, and when the content should be delivered. This section also details any specific campaign goals and KPIs that the influencer is expected to hit, such as views, shares, or conversions. An overview helps set the stage and provide context before you get into the nitty-gritty. 

Target audience 

Equip influencer partners with specifics about your target demographic so they can tailor their message and creative approach. Ideally, you will have selected your influencer partner specifically for the strong following they have with your target audience. But you may have hard or soft data that the influencer does not, or vice versa. The more information you can exchange about who your ideal customer is, the more likely the content is to resonate with them.

Influencer deliverables 

This section lists how many posts you want, on what social media platforms, and in what formats (for example, Instagram Stories or grid posts). You can also specify details such as video length or how many images the creator should include in a carousel. Also, specify whether these should be dedicated posts (standalone pieces of content) or integrated posts (that are woven into the creator’s everyday content).

Key talking points

Provide influencers with key messages and talking points, like product specs you want them to highlight or a call to action to include; any integral details (does the sale end after a certain date?); any specific hashtags you want them to encourage their followers to use; and discount codes or links they should share. This helps to ensure that while the influencer uses their own style and words, they’re still getting all the essentials across. 

Brand assets and guidelines 

List the assets you’ll provide, such as product photography, videos, logos, or product samples.

Similarly, convey any important brand guidelines: Should the tone be humorous or more refined? What’s the correct way to hold or use the product? And is it OK to wear or showcase another brand’s products in the video? These guidelines facilitate your collaboration and protect your brand without stripping the influencer of their creative freedom. 

Campaign inspiration

Include content examples. If you’ve had successful influencer marketing campaigns in the past, or if you’d like to emulate another company’s branded content, share these examples in the influencer campaign brief. Be cautious, though, about being overly prescriptive, which might make creators feel restricted and could result in uninspired content. Sharing a mood board can set the vibe without being too hands-on. 

Content approval process

Share the steps of the content approval process. Note when the content is due to your marketing team for approval, and by when it should go live. List your expected rounds of feedback ahead of publishing and communicate the approval process. This will prevent any uncomfortably tight turnarounds, giving both parties ample time for review and revisions, if necessary.

Payment details 

List payment method, terms, and amounts. If your brief is for an affiliate campaign, explain how influencers can track their codes or links. If you’re making products or product samples available to the influencers for use during your partnership, specify whether or not they get to keep these beyond your collaboration. Transparency around payment details like these protects your brand and prevents disappointment or confusion after the campaign concludes.

Influencer brief details for different campaign types

• Product launch
• Affiliate campaign
• Giveaway

The following common types of campaigns often have unique information you need to go over in the influencer brief document: 

Product launch

 Any product launch campaign brief should include product details, such as materials, technical specifications, models or SKUs, and sizes. Include key dates like the launch date and embargo dates (dates after which confidential information can be made public). Describe how the product stands out from its competitors, how to use it, and how it differs from or complements other products you sell.

Affiliate campaign 

An influencer campaign with an affiliate link or discount code should clearly spell out how creators will receive their unique links or codes, when the code or link expires, and where it’s allowed to appear (for example, in Instagram Stories, bio, or feed). Include details on how your business tracks commissions, like through Shopify Collabs, and any performance expectations, like clicks, sales, or sign-ups. 

Giveaway

The influencer brief for a giveaway campaign explains what and how much you’re giving away, how followers enter, and who is responsible for selecting the winners (the brand or the creator). Include any legal requirements the creator needs to cover to ensure the campaign is compliant, such as the giveaway’s rules, eligibility, and disclosure language. 

Tips for writing an effective influencer brief

• Avoid scripted briefs
• Base briefs on organic consumer behavior
• Update your influencer brief template

Consider the following influencer brief tips from experienced marketing professionals: 

Avoid scripted briefs 

Handing over an influencer brief that reads like a script can stifle an influencer’s creative freedom and lead to inauthentic, stilted content. Julianne Fraser, president and founder of the digital marketing consultancy Dialogue, recommends inviting the influencer to the table to act as the “creative director” of the partnership. 

“How many people have never tried the product, but are reading a script? It’s just so obvious,” she tells Shopify. “So rather than dictating ‘This is our narrative, this is the campaign,’ ask them how to interpret it. They’re the best at socially native content, and there’s no one better than an influencer to dictate what will go viral or not.”

Base briefs on organic consumer behavior 

In the ideation stage of creating your influencer campaign brief, try observing how your audience is already naturally interacting with the product online instead of inventing a brand-new concept within the confines of a boardroom. For example, when beverage company Olipop’s head of development, Steven Vigilante, noticed a trend of people pouring creamer into soda, the brand leaned into that behavior and used it to brief their influencers, ensuring the resulting content reflected real life. 

Update your influencer brief template

If you nail your influencer brief template, you won’t have to write a new one from scratch for every partnership. However, you should treat each influencer campaign as a learning opportunity, leveraging your findings to improve the next brief you create. Note what caused friction (like conflicting brand guidelines, unclear expectations for deliverables, or unrealistic KPIs) and what resonated, and tweak the brief accordingly.