The perfect influencer briefing: template for successful collaborations

Influencer marketing is no longer a small trend, but has firmly established itself in numerous companies in recent years. According to a study by Bitkom, retail companies, for example, spend 7 percent of their annual advertising budget on influencer marketing. On average, that’s just under 67,000 euros. At the same time, we also see that the success of influencer campaigns varies greatly. In addition to choosing the creators that fit the brand, the briefing is important for several reasons:

• It specifies the content of the collaboration and determines the type, scope and specific topic of the content. Through the briefing, you ensure that everyone is on the same level of knowledge and that the cooperation runs smoothly.
• It protects brands and creators by, for example, pointing out legal requirements or special wording that should be used or is undesirable.
• It gives the influencer an overview of the brand, the USPs, what it stands for and how it should be presented.
• It sets clear expectations for the desired content, the scope and presentation of the brand, but also for the mention of discount codes and calls to actions.
• It saves time and correction loops because it is clear from the start what should be delivered.
• It makes scaling easier with multiple influencers because the basic requirements and brand appearance remain the same.

Video guide with examples and template: How to create the perfect influencer briefing

If you want to go deeper into the topic, you can find everything about the perfect influencer briefing - from the biggest campaign mistakes to the three golden rules for influencer briefings - in the detailed video.

Whether for the Berlin food start-up Hello Fresh, the mattress brand Emma or the breakfast brand oatsome, whether via YouTube, Instagram, Twitch or Podcasts - we have now helped brands achieve growth and visibility in over 10,000 campaigns. Our influencer briefings are always based on the same template with four topic areas.

Dos: What goes in?

First you specify what you definitely want to be part of the campaign. These can be, for example, specific terms, the ingredients of your product and the USPs of your brand. Here you explain everything the influencer needs to authentically represent your brand. But also be careful not to overdo it. Too many specifications can disrupt the flow and end up sounding like a commercial video. Here are some examples from our cooperation with mymuesli:

• Make sure the products are presented authentically, honestly and of high quality.
• Use words like “pleasure” or “self-care in every spoonful” as a guide.
• Emphasize that all ingredients are 100% organic.

Don’ts: What shouldn’t happen?

In addition to the points that should definitely be implemented, there are always some things that must not happen under any circumstances. The classics here are “Never portray the brand negatively” and “Don’t mention competition”. However, this can also involve specific wording that may not be used, for example for legal reasons. At mymuesli, for example, it was important to us that health-related statements such as “healthy” and “fill you up” are excluded.

Storytelling ideas: What can the content look like?

Has the team already brainstormed what the influencer campaign could look like? Then you can always provide initial ideas in the briefing. These can be, for example, best practice hooks that have proven themselves in past campaigns, but also completely new ideas that provide an initial direction. Important: Do not limit the creator's creativity; such suggestions are always optional. After all, he knows his own target group best. For example, we included this storytelling idea at mymuesli:

Your very own time out in the morning
Make the morning your morning with your new favorite muesli from mymuesli: Take time for yourself and enjoy your breakfast with your new muesli.

CTA: How do you reach the target group?

The call to action is usually more specific. You can set it precisely, as well as the number of mentions, a rough timestamp for the integration, the placement of banners and links, and the advertising label. At mymuesli it looked like this, among other things:

• Say your code twice and display the banner including the QR code in a clearly visible manner.
• Include your integration in the first third of the video.
• Paste your link into the info box and clearly refer to it.

Insider Tip: Always remember that influencers may read your briefing on the train instead of sitting at their laptop in the office. So that no one has to spend too much time clicking through the document, the most important information should be on the first page. Try to limit yourself to a maximum of two screen pages in total.

Before and after the briefing: The process until go-live

Collaborating with influencers is about more than just the briefing. In addition to preparing the dos, don’ts, CTAs and ideas, there are a number of tasks to do around the launch of the campaign.

• Determine go-live: At the beginning of your cooperation, you decide together when the campaign should be launched. The date depends on your internal planning and the influencer’s availability.
• The briefing: You send the briefing about one to two weeks in advance and clarify any questions you may have. This leaves enough time to create the content.
• Content release: You will receive the content for review one to two days before the launch. This still leaves time for a possible correction loop. A precise deadline is important here. If you only receive the content late in the evening before the launch, things can quickly become stressful.

When approving it, you pay attention to whether the briefing was implemented properly or whether corrections are still necessary. You can use our checklist as a guide and adapt it to your specific project:

• Is the discount code correct?
• Are the CTAs present in the right number?
• Is the display in the right place?
• Is the minimum order value correct?
• Is there a link to the website?
• Is the post marked as advertising?
• Does the influencer mention all the dos?
• Is there an info box?
• Does the content fit your brand, but also the influencer and the target group?

How does your influencer briefing become a real success? By sticking to three important rules that will make writing and content creators production easier.

1. Communicate as clearly as possible. With clear communication you lay the foundation for every cooperation. If the goals, deadlines and contact persons are clear from the start, there is little room for problems.
2. Less is more. As in so many other areas, this principle also applies to collaborations with influencers. Limit the briefing to the essentials such as clear core messages, tonality, the discount code and legal requirements. The creator can then target his content according to the target group.
3. Create a balance between control and freedom. Of course, clear guidelines are needed in the briefing, especially regarding CTA and presentation of the brand. But the creator also needs a certain amount of freedom to express his creativity. It is therefore all the more important that the creator really fits your brand.

A bad influencer brief can end up being expensive, impacting your campaigns and straining relationships with creators. Enough reasons to invest time in a good briefing. If you work with a template, you ensure brand consistency, you can easily work with multiple influencers and ensure that the cooperation runs smoothly. You can also incorporate your experiences into the template and continue to optimize your influencer brief - this is what we have done across numerous projects.

If you would like direct support for your next influencer campaign, simply book a free strategy meeting with Ad Specialist. We'll show you how influencer marketing can grow your brand and work with you to develop the perfect strategy for your brand.