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Templates

Video creative brief

The video creative brief - what to include for video-specific work (length, ratios, opener constraints, sound strategy), plus three worked examples across paid social, YouTube, and CTV.

Updated

The template

The structure to copy and adapt

  • Video objective + distribution surfaceRequired
    One outcome + the specific surface where the video lives. 'Cold acquisition on Meta Reels' is different from 'cold acquisition on YouTube pre-roll' - different lengths, different hooks, different sound strategies.
  • Length variantsRequired
    Every length the video needs to ship in. '15s hero, 30s extended, 60s long-form for YouTube'. Specify which is the master and which are cutdowns. Cutdowns from longer to shorter is cheaper than reshooting.
  • Aspect ratiosRequired
    9:16 (Reels, Stories, TikTok), 4:5 (Meta Feed), 1:1 (square Feed + some LinkedIn), 16:9 (YouTube horizontal, CTV). Specify per surface; don't write 'all ratios' as a placeholder.
  • Audience (behavioral)Required
    Behavior + signal source. 'Cart abandoners last 14 days' or 'engaged with competitor brand content last 60 days'. Cite the signal.
  • Hook (first 2 seconds)Required
    What MUST appear in the first 2 seconds. Video distribution lives or dies on hook rate; this is the single highest-leverage field in a video brief. 'Audience pain in real environment' or 'creator's face + voice'.
  • Story arcRequired
    Beat-by-beat shape. Hook (0-2s) → context (2-5s) → product reveal (5-8s) → benefit demo (8-15s) → CTA (last 3s). Adapt per length variant but name the beats.
  • Sound + caption strategyRequired
    Sound-on vs sound-off optimized. Music source (licensed library, trending sound, original). Caption approach (baked-in burnt subs, platform auto-captions, none). Different per platform.
  • Do-notsRequired
    5-7 video-specific exclusions. 'No slow build past 2 seconds. No logo card opener. No more than one VO source per cut.' Tactical, video-specific.
  • Mandatories
    FTC disclosure placement, brand lockup rules, required CTA copy, performance claim disclosures. Disclosure-as-afterthought triggers takedowns.

Filled-in examples

See the template in use

Meta Reels acquisition - DTC supplement · DTC ecommerce

  • Video objective + distributionCold acquisition on Meta Reels. 1,500 starter-bundle purchases this quarter at CAC under $30. Meta Reels primary; Stories cutdowns; Feed (4:5) versions.
  • Length variants15s master (hook + product reveal + CTA). 30s extended (adds benefit demo). 6 variants per length.
  • Aspect ratios9:16 primary (Reels + Stories). 4:5 cutdown (Feed). 1:1 for retargeting tests only.
  • AudienceEndurance athletes 28-45 training 5+ hours/week. Lookalikes off top-25% LTV cohort. Signal: engaged with at least one competitor brand's content in last 60 days.
  • Hook (first 2 seconds)First frame must show audience pain (mile-18 cramp, mid-marathon bonk) in a real environment. No studio. No logo card. No slow build.
  • Story arc0-2s pain. 2-4s product reveal. 4-10s benefit demo (sodium content shot + endurance use). 10-12s social proof (third-party testing claim). 12-15s CTA.
  • Sound + caption strategySound-off default. Captions baked in (burnt subs, not auto). Music: licensed library, energetic but not generic. No VO; let captions carry the message.
  • Do-notsNo price-led hook. No bottle-shot static. No founder-to-camera. No urban environments. No 4K studio polish. No music drop on product reveal (too on-the-nose). No fade-to-logo close.

Shuttergen

Generate video-tuned briefs with hooks and beats built in.

Shuttergen reads your brand and target surface (Meta Reels, TikTok, YouTube pre-roll, CTV) and writes briefs with length variants, ratios, hook constraints, and story arcs already named. Less guessing in production.

Generate a video brief freeTry the live builder →

What makes a video brief different from an ad brief

Length variants, aspect ratios, sound strategy, story arc. A general advertising brief covers what the ad should be about; a video brief covers how the video is built. Length variants force the team to think about cutdown economics before production starts. Aspect ratios shape the shot list. Sound strategy determines whether the script writes for audio or for captions. Story arc names the beats so the editor isn't guessing.

The hook (first 2 seconds) field is non-negotiable. Video distribution on every social platform (Meta, TikTok, YouTube) decides whether to keep showing your video based on hook rate in the first 1-3 seconds. Briefs that don't specify what must appear in the hook produce videos with weak openers; weak openers don't get distribution. The hook field is the single highest-leverage line in the brief.

Sound strategy decides scriptwriting approach. Sound-on default (TikTok, YouTube, CTV) means the script writes for audio - the dialogue carries the message. Sound-off default (Meta, Instagram Feed) means the script writes for captions - the visual + captions carry the message, and the audio is supplementary. Writing the wrong way for the wrong platform produces videos that don't land.

Generate video-tuned briefs with hooks and beats built in. Shuttergen reads your brand and target surface (Meta Reels, TikTok, YouTube pre-roll, CTV) and writes briefs with length variants, ratios, hook constraints, and story arcs already named. Less guessing in production.

Generate a video brief free

Story arcs that work per format

Short-form acquisition (15-30s, sound-off, Meta Reels): pain → product reveal → benefit demo → CTA. Pain has to land in 2 seconds. Product reveal by 4 seconds. The arc compresses; every second carries weight.

Mid-form demo (30s, sound-on, YouTube pre-roll): pain → solution narrative → product proof → CTA. The 5-second skippable window means seconds 0-5 are the actual hook. Use them on a specific number + specific pain, not on brand intro.

Long-form brand (60-90s, sound-on, CTV + YouTube hero): scene-setting → narrative → climax → resolution → brand mark. The arc looks more like a short film than an ad. Brand mark is the last beat, not the first. Distinct from short-form: the viewer is sitting with the video, not scrolling past it.

Bumper / 6s (sound-off or sound-on per platform): single visual + single message + brand mark. No story arc; one beat. Use bumpers for retargeting and frequency, not for cold acquisition.

How to scope video brief production efficiently

Shoot the longest format; cutdown to shorter formats. A 60s hero filmed correctly can cutdown to 30s, 15s, and 6s variants without reshooting. A 15s shot tightly can't extend to 30s. Default to filming the longest length specified in the brief; cutdowns happen in post.

Aspect ratios in production, not post. Composing for 9:16 in a 16:9 master loses the vertical framing - subjects center-cut or off-center. Brief the production team on every aspect ratio the brief will ship in; let them frame each shot accordingly (multiple cameras, or generous headroom + side room).

Captions are part of the asset, not a post-production add-on. Briefs that treat captions as 'we'll do that in editing' end up with caption text that competes with on-screen elements or covers the brand mark. Brief the caption strategy up front; let the designer plan caption-safe zones in the shot composition.

Internal: video creative brief template, advertising creative brief, social media creative brief.

FAQ

Frequently asked

What is a video creative brief?
A 1-2 page document for video-specific work. Adds length variants, aspect ratios, hook (first 2 seconds), story arc, and sound + caption strategy on top of the general creative brief structure. Required for any video asset more complex than a single 15s Reel.
How is a video brief different from an advertising brief?
Five added fields: length variants, aspect ratios, hook (first 2 seconds), story arc, and sound strategy. These shape production decisions that a general ad brief leaves implicit. Video briefs prevent the most expensive failure mode - shooting the wrong format and discovering it in edit.
What's the most important field in a video brief?
The hook (first 2 seconds). Video distribution on every social platform decides whether to keep showing the video based on hook rate. Briefs that don't specify the hook produce videos with weak openers; weak openers don't get distribution.
Should I write separate video briefs per platform?
If the platforms have meaningfully different mechanics, yes. Meta Reels + TikTok can sometimes share a brief; Meta Reels + CTV cannot (different lengths, different sound defaults, different story arcs). The test: if the hook field varies across platforms, write separate briefs.
How long should a video creative brief be?
1-2 pages. The required fields (objective + surface, lengths, ratios, audience, hook, story arc, sound, do-nots) plus optional mandatories. Long enough to lock production decisions; short enough that production reads it before shooting.
Do I need a story arc field for short-form video?
Yes - especially for short-form. A 15s video has 3-4 beats; if those beats aren't named in the brief, the editor guesses. Story arc for 15s might be just 4 lines ('hook → product → benefit → CTA') but those 4 lines prevent rework.
Should sound strategy include music selection?
Source, not specific tracks. The brief specifies whether music comes from a licensed library, trending sounds (TikTok), or original composition. Specific track selection happens in post. The brief constrains direction (energetic vs ambient vs none); the editor picks the track.

Related

Keep reading

Resource

Video creative brief template

Downloadable video brief template.

Resource

Advertising creative brief

Platform-agnostic ad brief variant.

Resource

Social media creative brief

Social-platform-specific brief.

Resource

Creative brief template

The general template.

Research

Creative Brief Builder

The Shuttergen brief workflow.

Generate video-tuned briefs with hooks and beats built in.

Shuttergen reads your brand and target surface (Meta Reels, TikTok, YouTube pre-roll, CTV) and writes briefs with length variants, ratios, hook constraints, and story arcs already named. Less guessing in production.

Generate a video brief freeTry the live builder →