The template
The structure to copy and adapt
- Heading 1: Project nameRequiredWord style: Heading 1. One line at the top - campaign name, date, owner. Keeps the brief findable in a folder of 30 other .docx files six months from now.
- Heading 2: Brand & productRequiredWord style: Heading 2 (section header), Normal (body). What you're selling, in 1-2 sentences. Tight enough that a stranger gets it on first read.
- Heading 2: GoalRequiredWord style: Heading 2. One measurable outcome. Use Word's bullet list if you need to break out a primary + secondary metric.
- Heading 2: AudienceRequiredWord style: Heading 2. Behavioral and specific. If you're co-authoring with a client, use Word's Track Changes to red-line the audience field - it's the section that drives the most revisions.
- Heading 2: AngleRequiredWord style: Heading 2. Single sentence. Consider bolding the angle line in Word so it's visually impossible to miss when the doc is scrolled.
- Heading 2: Hook archetypeRequiredWord style: Heading 2. Named archetype. If multiple archetypes are in play, use a Word numbered list with each archetype as a numbered item.
- Heading 2: Do-notsRequiredWord style: Heading 2. Use Word's bullet list with 3-5 explicit exclusions. Each bullet should be one short sentence.
- Heading 2: References (optional)Word style: Heading 2. Use Word's Insert Hyperlink to add 5-10 reference URLs. For internal references, link to OneDrive / SharePoint paths.
- Heading 2: Deliverables (optional)Word style: Heading 2. Consider a Word table here - one row per deliverable, columns for format, count, ratio, and length. Tables read more cleanly than nested bullets.
Filled-in examples
See the template in use
Word .docx layout - DTC paid social brief · DTC ecommerce
- Project name (H1)Greenline Q3 Cold Acquisition - 2026-05-20 - Owner: J. Park
- Brand & product (H2)Greenline Supplements - electrolyte powder, 1.2g sodium per serving (3x mainstream), third-party tested.
- Goal (H2)Cold acquisition on Meta. 1,500 starter purchases this quarter at CAC below $30.
- Audience (H2)Endurance athletes 28-45 training 5+ hours/week. Currently using Liquid IV or LMNT.
- Angle (H2, bolded)Higher sodium ratio than mainstream alternatives - built for actual endurance.
- Hook archetype (H2)Problem→solution. Open on mile-18 pain. Product reveal by 0:04.
- Do-nots (H2, bullet list)• No price-led hook • No bottle-shot static • No founder-to-camera • No discount as the lede • No 'hydration is important' generic copy
- Deliverables (H2, table)Word table: 10 rows. Columns: Format | Ratio | Length | Count. Example row: Video | 9:16 | 15s | 3.
Shuttergen
Skip the Word template. Generate the brief..
Shuttergen reads your brand and category, then generates a sample-quality brief - exportable to Word, Google Docs, or PDF. Audience, angle, archetype, do-nots all pre-filled. Faster than styling Word headings.
Why a Word version of the creative brief template still matters
Despite the dominance of Google Docs and Notion in modern marketing teams, Microsoft Word is still the format clients ask for. Enterprise procurement workflows, legal review pipelines, and most agency-to-client deliverables flow through .docx. If your client's legal team needs to red-line the brief, they're doing it in Word with Track Changes - not Notion.
The other reason: Word's offline-first model, its mature Track Changes, and its integration with corporate SharePoint / OneDrive make it the right format for any brief that has to survive a legal review. The trade-off is that Word is heavier to maintain than Google Docs - version conflicts, formatting drift across machines, the joy of 'this document was created in an earlier version of Word' dialogs.
The template above is structured around Word's native style system. Heading 1 for the project name, Heading 2 for each section, Normal for body copy, bullet lists for do-nots, tables for deliverables. Using Word's styles (not just manually bolding headings) keeps the doc clean across exports - to PDF, to SharePoint web view, to copies that get pasted into other systems.
Skip the Word template. Generate the brief.. Shuttergen reads your brand and category, then generates a sample-quality brief - exportable to Word, Google Docs, or PDF. Audience, angle, archetype, do-nots all pre-filled. Faster than styling Word headings.
How to download and use the Word version
Hit the download button on the template card above. The default download is markdown - to convert to Word: paste the markdown into a blank Word document, then run a quick style pass. Word's Format → Style menu lets you batch-apply Heading 1 to all # lines and Heading 2 to all ## lines. Takes about 60 seconds for the full template.
Alternatively, paste the markdown into Google Docs first (which auto-renders the formatting), then use File → Download → Microsoft Word (.docx). Google Docs preserves the heading hierarchy on export, which means you get a fully-styled Word file without manual style assignment.
Once you have the .docx, save it as a Word template (File → Save As Template / .dotx) so you can spin up a new brief from File → New. This is the highest-leverage workflow move - eliminates the 'where's the latest template?' question forever.
Word-specific tips and conventions
Use Track Changes for collaborative drafting. The audience field generates the most revisions; running Track Changes from the first draft means you have a clean revision history when the client asks 'why did we change this?'
Use Word's table feature for deliverables. Bullet lists work for do-nots; tables work better for deliverables (Format | Ratio | Length | Count). Tables are easier to scan and they export cleanly to PDF.
Bold the angle line. The angle is the single sentence the work has to express; bolding it makes it visually impossible to miss when the doc is being scrolled by a stakeholder reviewing on Monday morning.
Add the cover page only for client-facing deliverables. Internal briefs don't need a cover page - it adds friction. Client deliverables benefit from one (Word has cover page templates under Insert → Cover Page).
For PDF export from Word: File → Save As → PDF. Word's PDF export is more reliable than print-to-PDF for preserving formatting. For the dedicated PDF guide, see creative brief template pdf.
For Google Docs version: see creative brief template google docs for the dedicated walkthrough. Google Docs is usually the better starting format if you're doing real-time collaboration.
FAQ
Frequently asked
Where can I download the creative brief template for Word?
Why use Word for a creative brief template?
Can I save the Word creative brief template as a reusable Word template?
Does the Word creative brief template work in Word for Mac?
How do I convert the Word creative brief template to PDF?
Can I edit the Word creative brief template with Track Changes?
Is the Word creative brief template free?
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Shuttergen brief workflow.
Skip the Word template. Generate the brief..
Shuttergen reads your brand and category, then generates a sample-quality brief - exportable to Word, Google Docs, or PDF. Audience, angle, archetype, do-nots all pre-filled. Faster than styling Word headings.