Most influencer posts that miss go wrong before anyone films: the creator was never told the goal, the posting date, the claim they must not make or the disclosure to use. An influencer brief fixes that in one page. This guide gives you a free influencer brief template you can copy, a filled-in example, the platform specs and disclosure settings to name as of October 2026, and realistic view targets from the delivered posts in Kolect-run campaigns, so the KPI in your brief is one a creator can actually hit.
What is an influencer brief?
An influencer brief is a short document that tells a creator what a campaign is for, what to say and deliver, and by when. It is the creator’s working reference, written before outreach is finished and sent with the offer or right after the creator agrees.
A brief is not a contract, and you need both. The brief explains; the contract binds.
| Influencer brief | Influencer contract | |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Explain the goal and creative direction | Make the commercial terms enforceable |
| Contains | Goal, audience, messages, hooks, specs, do’s and don’ts | Fee, deliverables, dates, usage rights, exclusivity, revisions, payment |
| Tone | Practical, written for the creator | Precise, written for both parties |
| When | Sent with the offer or right after agreement | Signed before the product ships or filming starts |
| What overlaps | Deliverables, dates, rights, disclosure | The same four, copied word for word |
Our influencer contract template covers the contract side clause by clause.
What should an influencer brief include?
An influencer brief should include ten sections. Each one answers a question the creator would otherwise answer for you.
| # | Section | What to write | Common mistake |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Goal and KPI | One goal (awareness, traffic, sales or content) and the single metric you will judge it on | Listing every goal, so nothing is a priority |
| 2 | Brand and product | Three sentences on the brand, the product and its one promise | Pasting the brand history |
| 3 | Audience | Who should watch, and the problem they have | Demographics with no problem attached |
| 4 | Key messages | Up to three, in plain words | Seven messages and a tagline |
| 5 | Creative direction | Two or three hook options, the moment the product must appear, the tone | A word-for-word script |
| 6 | Deliverables and specs | Platform, format, length, number of posts and stories, posting window, link or code | “One TikTok sometime next month” |
| 7 | Do’s and don’ts | Claims you can prove, claims to avoid, competitors, music, things not to show | Leaving out regulated claims |
| 8 | Disclosure | The label and words to use on each platform | “Please disclose as required” |
| 9 | Usage rights | Organic reposts, paid ads from your account or theirs, duration | Agreeing rights after the post goes viral |
| 10 | Timeline, approvals, payment | Product delivery, draft date, review rounds, go-live, data due, payment trigger | No date for the draft, so no time to review |
Influencer brief template you can copy
Copy this into a doc and fill in every line. A blank line is a decision the creator will make for you.
INFLUENCER BRIEF: [Campaign name]
Brand: [Brand] · Contact: [name, email, time zone]
1. GOAL AND KPI
Goal: [awareness / traffic / sales / ad content]
Primary KPI: [e.g. link clicks via tracked link]
Data we need from you: [screenshots of views, reach, clicks] by [date]
2. BRAND AND PRODUCT
[Brand] makes [what] for [whom].
Product: [name], [price], [where to buy].
The one promise: [benefit in one sentence].
3. AUDIENCE
Who: [describe the viewer]
Their problem: [what they struggle with today]
4. KEY MESSAGES (three at most)
- [Message 1]
- [Message 2]
- [Message 3]
5. CREATIVE DIRECTION
Hook options (pick or adapt one):
- [Hook A]
- [Hook B]
- [Hook C]
The product must appear: [when and how, e.g. in use, close-up]
Tone: [e.g. honest, practical, funny]
Your call: setting, story, words, editing style.
6. DELIVERABLES AND SPECS
Platform and format: [TikTok video / Instagram Reel / YouTube integration]
Length: [range] · Aspect ratio: [9:16 / 16:9]
Number of posts: [ ] · Stories or extras: [ ]
Posting window: [date range, time zone]
Link / code: [tracked link] / [discount code, expiry]
Tag: [@brand] · Hashtags: [only if needed]
7. DO'S AND DON'TS
Do: [show the product in real use; mention X]
Don't: [claims to avoid]; [competitor names]; [uncleared music]
8. DISCLOSURE
TikTok: turn on the commercial content disclosure setting
Instagram: add the paid partnership label and tag [@brand]
YouTube: tick the paid promotion box
Every platform: say and show "ad" or "paid partnership with [Brand]" at the start
9. USAGE RIGHTS
Organic repost by [Brand]: [channels, duration]
Paid ads: [from our account / from your handle via Spark Ads or partnership ads], [duration]
Exclusivity: [none / category, duration]
10. TIMELINE, APPROVALS, PAYMENT
Product arrives: [date]
Draft due: [date] · Our feedback within: [hours]
Revision rounds included: [number]
Go live: [date] · Keep the post up for: [period]
Payment: [amount, currency], [trigger, e.g. within X days of go-live]
Influencer brief example: a filled-in campaign
Here is the template filled in for a hypothetical brand. None of it describes a real client.
Campaign: “Morning in 5”, a portable blender, US launch on TikTok and Instagram.
- Goal and KPI: traffic to the product page; KPI is clicks on a tracked link. Creators send screenshots of views and link clicks seven days after posting.
- Brand and product: a small kitchen brand that makes compact appliances for people who cook in tiny spaces. The blender charges by USB-C and fits in a bag. Promise: a real smoothie anywhere, in under a minute.
- Audience: people in their twenties and thirties who skip breakfast because mornings are rushed.
- Key messages: it blends frozen fruit; it fits in a work bag; it charges by USB-C.
- Creative direction: hooks to choose from: “I stopped skipping breakfast because of this”; a frozen-fruit blend shown in one shot; “my desk breakfast setup”. The blender must be in use within the first 3 seconds. Honest tone; show any limits you notice.
- Deliverables: one TikTok video and one Instagram Reel, 9:16, 20–40 seconds each, posted in the same week; one Instagram story with the link sticker. Tracked link in bio for the posting week.
- Do’s and don’ts: do show a real morning; don’t call it a meal replacement or make health claims; don’t show other blender brands; use only commercially cleared music.
- Disclosure: TikTok commercial content disclosure on; Instagram paid partnership label with the brand tagged; “ad” said in the first seconds.
- Usage rights: the brand may repost on its own accounts for six months and run both videos as Spark Ads and partnership ads for 60 days.
- Timeline: product arrives a week before the draft is due; brand feedback within 48 hours; one revision round; payment within 14 days of go-live.
How do you set realistic KPIs in an influencer brief?
Set view and cost targets from what sponsored posts actually deliver on each platform, not from follower counts. A brief that promises a creator’s full follower count in views sets everyone up to miss.
Delivered sponsored posts in Kolect-run campaigns, Aug 2025–Oct 2026 (medians, first-month views)1
| Platform | Views as a share of followers | Realized CPM (creator fee per 1,000 views) |
|---|---|---|
| TikTok | 26.1% | $6.73 |
| 28.2% | $17.96 | |
| YouTube | 7.6% | $74.24 |
Read the table as a starting point: a TikTok creator with 50,000 followers would, at the median, reach roughly 13,000 views in the first month. YouTube looks expensive here because these views were captured for about 30 days, while long videos keep collecting views for months1. Use the numbers to write a target range into the brief, and ask for the data you need to check it.
To estimate what each creator should cost before you brief them, see our guide to influencer rates or the free influencer rate calculator.
Platform specs to name in the brief
Name the format, the hook timing and the disclosure for each platform; these are the details creators most often guess.
TikTok. TikTok’s creative guidance recommends introducing the product or proposition in the first 3 seconds, shooting vertically at 9:16 and at least 720p, using sound, showing 5–10 words per second when using text, and closing with a clear call to action3. Creators posting commercial content outside TikTok One must turn on the commercial content disclosure setting; undisclosed videos can become ineligible for the For You feed4.
Instagram. Ask creators to add the paid partnership label and tag your account on Reels, posts and stories6.
YouTube. Creators disclose by selecting the paid promotion option in YouTube Studio, which adds a disclosure label at the beginning of the video7.
On every platform, also ask for a plain “ad” or “paid partnership with [Brand]” said and shown early in the video. Platform labels are easy to miss; our guide to FTC influencer disclosure explains why the brand should require both.
| Platform | Format to specify | Disclosure to name |
|---|---|---|
| TikTok | 9:16, 720p or higher, product in the first 3 seconds3 | Commercial content disclosure setting4 |
| Reel, post or story; link sticker for stories | Paid partnership label with your tag6 | |
| YouTube | Integration length and placement in the video | Paid promotion option in Studio7 |
Usage rights and Spark Ads codes
Decide usage rights in the brief, because they change the fee and decide whether you can turn a strong post into an ad. In Kolect-run campaigns, 80.4% of single-post agreed collaborations included paid-usage, whitelisting or ad-code rights2, so asking for them is normal, not a special request.
Spell out three things:
- Organic reuse: where you may repost (your accounts, website, email) and for how long.
- Paid use: whether you will run the video from your own ad account, or from the creator’s handle as TikTok Spark Ads or Instagram partnership ads, and for how long.
- Authorization codes: on TikTok, creators generate a Spark Ads code in the app and choose 7, 30, 60 or 365 days5. Write the duration you need into the brief so the code matches the contract.
Timeline and approvals: a two-week example
A simple schedule keeps drafts and payment on track. This one assumes a single post per creator; 14.5% of agreed collaborations with written deliverables in Kolect-run campaigns were multi-post bundles2, which need a longer window.
| Day | What happens |
|---|---|
| 1 | Brief and contract sent; creator confirms |
| 2–4 | Product ships and arrives |
| 5–8 | Creator uses the product and films |
| 9 | Draft due |
| 10–11 | Brand feedback, one round |
| 12 | Final approved |
| 13–14 | Post goes live in the agreed window |
| 21 | Creator sends performance screenshots |
Give creators real time with the product before filming. A rushed shoot shows, and creators should only describe experiences they actually had.
Influencer brief vs UGC brief
An influencer brief is for a creator who posts to their own audience; a UGC brief is for content your brand publishes or runs as ads. The influencer brief carries more about the audience, posting window, disclosure and data; the UGC brief carries more about hooks, variations, raw footage and ad placements. Our guide on how to find UGC creators includes a UGC brief template. Many deals are both, so combine sections 5, 6 and 9 when a creator posts and grants ad rights.
Seven brief mistakes that cost reshoots
- No single KPI. If the creator doesn’t know whether you want clicks or reach, they optimize for their own audience.
- A script instead of direction. It sounds like an ad and gets watched like one.
- No posting window or time zone. A post that lands overnight in your market loses its first hours.
- Disclosure left to the creator. Name the label and the words for each platform.
- Rights agreed after the post wins. Renegotiating a viral video is expensive.
- No feedback deadline for the brand. Creators wait, and the posting date slips.
- No data request. Ask for screenshots by a date, or you will chase them for weeks.
Where Kolect fits
A brief is only as good as the creators who receive it. Kolect’s creator search finds TikTok, Instagram and YouTube creators from a one-sentence description, which can be your brief’s audience line, with each result’s matching videos so you can judge tone before you reach out; the influencer search page shows how it works, and the fake follower checker is free for vetting. If you would rather hand the whole process over, the Kolect team’s managed creator marketing covers strategy, shortlisting, outreach, rates and contracts, scripts and drafts, delivery and creator payment, and the brand approves the creator list and the content8. More guides are on the UGC and creator-made ads topic page.
Methodology
The view and CPM figures come from published sponsored posts in Kolect-run campaigns with partnerships created between 19 August 2025 and 15 October 2026, excluding test campaigns; views were captured for about 30 days after each link was added. The rights and bundle shares come from agreed collaborations in the same campaigns. All figures are medians or shares; no brand or creator is identified. Full definitions are in the sources and in the influencer rates methodology.
