The template
The structure to copy and adapt
- Brand & productRequiredWhat you're selling, in 1-2 sentences. Tight enough that a stranger gets it on first read.
- GoalRequiredOne measurable outcome with a target metric. Acquisition, retention, launch, reactivation - pick one.
- AudienceRequiredBehavioral and specific. Name the substitute they're paying for today. 3-4 cuts: behavior, substitute, signal, situation.
- AngleRequiredOne sentence. The single sharp lens on your product. If it doesn't fit one sentence, it isn't the angle yet.
- Hook archetypeRequiredNamed (problem-solution, day-in-the-life, founder-to-camera, etc.) with concrete opening moments specified.
- Do-notsRequired3-5 explicit exclusions with reasoning. Negative space generates distinctive work.
Filled-in examples
See the template in use
Sample 1 - DTC supplements (Greenline) · DTC supplements
- Brand & productGreenline Supplements - premium electrolyte powder with 1.2g sodium per serving (3x mainstream), third-party tested, no artificial dyes.
- GoalCold acquisition on Meta. 1,500 starter-bundle purchases ($45 AOV) in 90 days at CAC < $30. Secondary: 22%+ subscription attach.
- AudienceEndurance athletes 28-45 training 5+ hours/week. Currently using Liquid IV, LMNT, or DripDrop. Active in Strava cycling/running clubs.
- AngleHigher sodium for actual endurance, not casual hydration. Mainstream is hydration-marketing; we're built for the second half of a long ride.
- Hook archetypeProblem→solution. Open on mile 18 / mid-marathon bonk / brick-workout cramp. Product reveal by 0:04. Lifestyle context, no studio.
- Do-notsNo price-led hook. No bottle-shot static. No founder-to-camera. No 'hydration is important' generic copy. No discount lede. No DSHEA-non-compliant claims.
Shuttergen
Six samples, all generated.
Shuttergen reads your brand, your competitive set, and your campaign type, then generates a sample-quality brief - audience at three cuts, angle compressed to one sentence, do-nots specific to your category - from the first draft.
Six samples, six different jobs - read for structural patterns
The six samples above span six different campaign types - cold DTC acquisition, B2B thought-leader, beauty creator-led, outdoor product launch, fintech regulated acquisition, and multi-creator influencer. The category specifics are different. The *structure* is identical.
Read the samples for what they have in common, not what's different. Every audience line names a substitute the audience is paying for today. Every angle compresses to one sentence. Every hook archetype is named with a concrete opening moment. Every do-nots section has 5-6 specific exclusions, not 'follow brand guidelines'. Those structural commonalities are what makes them work; the category-specific substance is what makes them yours.
Pick the sample closest to your campaign type and adapt structurally. Greenline if you're running cold DTC acquisition. Orbital if you're running B2B thought-leader. Honeydrop if you're running beauty creator-led. Aurora if you're launching a single hero product. Brightcap if you're in a regulated category. Hearth & Hue if you're running multi-creator influencer.
Side-by-side: what changes by campaign type
Goal metrics shift by funnel stage. DTC acquisition samples (Greenline, Honeydrop, Brightcap) name CAC + volume as primary. Launch samples (Aurora, Hearth & Hue) name revenue + pre-orders. Thought-leader samples (Orbital) name downloads + follower growth. The metric should match what the campaign is actually trying to move.
Audience cuts shift by category maturity. Mature categories (electrolytes, savings accounts) name specific competitor products the audience pays for. Newer categories (RevOps consolidation, sustainable home) name the situation or pain ('frustrated on LinkedIn about reconciliation', 'value verifiable claims'). When a clean substitute exists, name it; when it doesn't, anchor in pain.
Hook archetypes shift by surface. Meta paid social tends toward problem-solution and day-in-the-life. LinkedIn thought-leader tends toward first-person narrative. TikTok creator-led tends toward POV and documentary. The sample's hook section should match the platform's native form, not impose a foreign format.
Do-nots shift by regulation. Regulated categories (supplements, finance, beauty) need compliance-specific do-nots (DSHEA, FINRA, FTC). Unregulated categories (apparel, home) need fewer compliance-specific exclusions and more brand-voice ones. The do-nots section is the place to encode category constraints.
Six samples, all generated. Shuttergen reads your brand, your competitive set, and your campaign type, then generates a sample-quality brief - audience at three cuts, angle compressed to one sentence, do-nots specific to your category - from the first draft.
Anti-patterns: what bad samples look like
Common failures in the 'creative brief samples' content you'll find online. First, the audience line is demographic ('women 25-45, college-educated, household income $75K+'). No behavioral cuts, no substitutes named, no situational anchor. Second, the angle is three sentences with bullet sub-points. No compression; not actually an angle, just a feature list. Third, the do-nots say 'follow brand guidelines' or 'maintain brand voice'. No specific exclusions; no negative space.
The samples above pass all three tests. Each audience has behavioral cuts + named substitutes + situational anchors. Each angle compresses to one sentence. Each do-nots section has 5-6 specific exclusions with reasoning. That's the bar a sample needs to clear to be calibration-worthy.
If you're auditing a sample (from a blog post, a template library, a textbook), run those three tests. Most samples online fail at least two. The samples above are designed to pass all three so they serve as actual calibration documents, not decorative content.
Using the samples in your own brief-writing workflow
Step 1: Pick the sample closest to your campaign type. Match by funnel stage and creative format first, industry second. A B2B SaaS DTC acquisition campaign is closer to the Greenline sample than the Orbital sample, despite sharing the SaaS industry with Orbital.
Step 2: Use the sample as your structural reference. Lay your draft brief next to the sample. Compare section by section. Check resolution - does your audience line have 3+ cuts like the sample's? Does your angle compress to one sentence? Do your do-nots have 5+ specific exclusions?
Step 3: Iterate until your brief reads as densely as the sample. Same word count is fine; same *resolution* is what matters. Most first-draft briefs read at half the resolution of the samples; iteration to match takes 30-60 minutes.
Internal links: for a single deep sample with line-by-line annotation, see creative brief sample. For the blank template, see creative brief template. For more variants by industry, see creative brief examples.
FAQ
Frequently asked
What's the difference between creative brief samples and creative brief examples?
How many creative brief samples should I look at before writing my own?
Are these creative brief samples real campaigns?
Can I download all six samples as a bundle?
Which sample is closest to a typical DTC ecommerce campaign?
Should I copy any of these samples verbatim?
Why aren't the samples longer?
Related
Keep reading
Resource
Creative brief sample
Single deep sample with line-by-line annotation.
Resource
Creative brief examples
More filled-in briefs across industries.
Resource
Creative brief template
Blank template ready to fill.
Resource
What makes a good creative brief
Quality properties to check against.
Research
Creative Brief Builder
Shuttergen brief workflow research.
Six samples, all generated.
Shuttergen reads your brand, your competitive set, and your campaign type, then generates a sample-quality brief - audience at three cuts, angle compressed to one sentence, do-nots specific to your category - from the first draft.