One of the most common reasons a video project runs over time or over budget isn’t the production itself. It’s a brief that wasn’t clear enough at the start.

A well-written brief saves everyone time. It reduces the number of revision rounds. It ensures the creative team is solving the right problem. And it gives you something concrete to take back to your internal stakeholders when questions arise about direction or scope.

This guide is written specifically for communications teams in government, public health, education, and the not-for-profit sector, where briefs often need to navigate multiple stakeholders, sensitive subject matter, and strict approval processes.

Start with the problem, not the solution

The most common mistake in a video brief is leading with the format rather than the problem. “We need a two-minute animated video about our new program” tells a production team what you’ve already decided. It doesn’t tell them why.

Before you write anything else, answer this question: what behaviour or understanding do you want to change, and in whom?

A good brief starts with the communication problem. For example: “Community members eligible for our housing support program aren’t applying because they don’t understand the eligibility criteria or how to start the process.” That’s a brief a creative team can work with. “Two-minute video about housing support” is not.

Be specific about your audience

Government communication often has to reach broad audiences, but a video cannot be all things to all people. The more specific you are about your primary audience, the better the result.

Include the following in your brief:

• Who is the primary audience? Not “the general public”. Think about age range, cultural background, literacy level, digital access, and prior knowledge of the topic.
• Where will they encounter the video? A video watched on a phone during a lunch break requires different pacing and visual treatment than one shown in a community information session.
• What do they currently know, believe, or do in relation to this topic? What’s the gap you’re trying to close?

If your audience includes people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, note this explicitly. It affects creative decisions around voiceover, on-screen text, and visual representation.

Define what success looks like

A brief should include a measurable or observable outcome. This doesn’t have to be a precise KPI, but it should be more specific than “increased awareness”.

Examples of useful success definitions:

• Eligible community members can explain the three-step application process after watching the video
• Staff in regional offices use the video in onboarding sessions without needing to supplement it with additional explanation
• The video achieves a 60% completion rate when shared via email to current program participants

Knowing what success looks like also helps you evaluate whether the final product has done its job, and gives your production partner a clear target to work toward.

List your constraints upfront

Government and public sector projects often carry constraints that commercial clients don’t. Being upfront about these saves time later.

Include in your brief:

• Approval requirements: How many rounds of review? Who needs to sign off? Are there legal, policy, or ministerial approvals required?
• Brand guidelines: Are there style guides, colour restrictions, or logo usage rules that must be followed?
• Accessibility requirements: Does the video need captions? Audio descriptions? WCAG compliance?
• Language and cultural requirements: Does the content need to work across multiple language versions?
• Platform requirements: Where will the video live? YouTube, your intranet, social media, or all of the above?

The more clearly you define these upfront, the less likely you are to encounter costly surprises during production or in the approval process.

Provide examples of what you like and don’t like

Creative direction is hard to communicate in words alone. Include three to five examples of videos that feel right for your project, and note what specifically works about them. Similarly, note anything that definitely doesn’t fit your context.

This is particularly useful for tone. Government communications often need to be warm and accessible without being condescending, authoritative without being cold. Showing examples is far more efficient than trying to describe this in prose.

What to include in your brief: a summary checklist

• The communication problem you’re trying to solve
• Your primary audience and their current state of knowledge
• The key message or messages (ideally no more than three)
• What you want the audience to do or understand after watching
• Where the video will be used and how it will be distributed
• Tone and style direction, with examples
• Constraints: approvals, brand guidelines, accessibility, languages
• Budget range and timeline

A brief that covers these points gives your production partner everything they need to develop a creative approach that actually solves the problem, rather than one that looks good but misses the mark.

If you’re not sure where to start, we’re happy to work through the brief with you. Many of our clients come to us before the brief is fully formed, and early conversations often clarify the scope and approach significantly. Reach out to our team here, or take a look at how we’ve handled similar projects.