- 1
What you sell
One or two lines. What the business is and what it sells, in the words a customer would use.
- 2
Who this is for
The person you want to reach with this campaign, not everyone you could reach.
- 3
What you are promoting right now
The offer, the launch, the event, or the message. One thing.
- 4
Why they should care
The benefit in the customer's terms, or the problem it solves.
- 5
When it needs to happen
The launch date, the run of dates, and any hard deadline.
- 6
Where it should go
The channels. Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, the email list, Google Business Profile, ads.
- 7
What must be included
Prices, links, hashtags, legal lines, a specific photo, anything non-negotiable.
- 8
What it should sound like
The tone in three words, and a link to your brand kit or an example you like.
- 9
What success looks like
Signups, bookings, replies, sales. One number if you have one.
Template
The one-page marketing brief for small businesses.
Nine prompts. One page. Everything an AI marketing agent, a freelancer, or a teammate needs to produce the campaign without coming back with questions. Copy it, fill it in, hand it over.
ONE-PAGE MARKETING BRIEF 1. WHAT YOU SELL One or two lines. What the business is and what it sells, in the words a customer would use. 2. WHO THIS IS FOR The person you want to reach with this campaign, not everyone you could reach. 3. WHAT YOU ARE PROMOTING RIGHT NOW The offer, the launch, the event, or the message. One thing. 4. WHY THEY SHOULD CARE The benefit in the customer's terms, or the problem it solves. 5. WHEN IT NEEDS TO HAPPEN The launch date, the run of dates, and any hard deadline. 6. WHERE IT SHOULD GO The channels. Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, the email list, Google Business Profile, ads. 7. WHAT MUST BE INCLUDED Prices, links, hashtags, legal lines, a specific photo, anything non-negotiable. 8. WHAT IT SHOULD SOUND LIKE The tone in three words, and a link to your brand kit or an example you like. 9. WHAT SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE Signups, bookings, replies, sales. One number if you have one. Template from simplified.com/tools/ai-marketing-brief-template
A filled-in example
What a finished brief looks like
A yoga studio launching a summer membership. Notice how short each answer is. That is the point: enough context to produce from, nothing to interpret.
- 1What you sell
- A neighborhood yoga studio. Drop-in classes, monthly memberships, and a beginner course that runs every six weeks.
- 2Who this is for
- People within a 15 minute drive who have tried a class once or twice and never committed. Mostly 30 to 50, mostly women.
- 3What you are promoting right now
- The new summer membership: unlimited classes through August, with the first week included.
- 4Why they should care
- Summer is when people let the habit slip. Unlimited means no deciding whether a class is "worth it" each time.
- 5When it needs to happen
- Announce next Monday. Push for two weeks. Membership window closes on the 30th.
- 6Where it should go
- Instagram feed and stories, plus two emails to the list. Nothing paid this time.
- 7What must be included
- The price ($89 a month), the signup link, and the photo of the garden studio. No stock imagery.
- 8What it should sound like
- Warm, direct, unhurried. See the brand kit. The March newsletter is the tone we liked.
- 9What success looks like
- 25 summer memberships by the 30th.
Handed to Riley, this brief comes back as the campaign plan, the Instagram posts and stories, the two emails, and a publishing schedule, all waiting for approval.
Why it works
Why one page is enough
One page is a forcing function.
If the brief does not fit on a page, the campaign is not one campaign yet. The template makes you pick the one thing you are promoting before anyone starts producing.
It answers the questions before they get asked.
Every field is a question a freelancer or an AI agent would otherwise come back with. Audience, timing, must-haves, tone. Answer them once and the work comes back finished instead of half-finished.
It is exactly what Riley needs.
Riley, the AI marketing agent in Simplified, works from context, not a marketing plan. These nine prompts are that context. Paste the filled-in brief into Riley and the campaign comes back for your approval.
Questions about the brief template
Who it is for, what to fill in, and what happens next.
Who is this brief template for?
Owners and small teams who do their own marketing or hand it to one other person. It works for briefing an AI marketing agent like Riley, a freelancer, or a teammate. The point is the same in every case: give enough context up front that the work comes back finished.
Do I have to fill in all nine fields?
Fill in what you know. Fields 1 through 3 (what you sell, who it is for, what you are promoting) are the minimum. Leave a field blank rather than guessing, and expect a question back about it.
How is this different from a marketing plan?
A plan covers the quarter or the year. A brief covers one campaign. You write the brief each time you have something to promote, and it should take about ten minutes. If it is taking longer, the campaign is probably two campaigns.
What happens when I give this brief to Riley?
Riley plans the campaign, writes the copy, creates the design and video in your brand kit, and brings the finished set back for your approval. Once you approve, Riley schedules it across the channels in the brief. Nothing publishes without you.
Riley for small businessGive this brief to Riley.
Fill in the nine prompts, paste them into Riley, and review the campaign that comes back.