Most first rounds go wrong for the same reason. The studio is guessing at something the brand already knows. Who the ad is for, where it will run and what must never appear in frame are all things you can write down in ten minutes, and each one saves a revision.
A brief does not need to be long. One page covers it.
The product, shown properly
Send photos of the real product from several angles, even if they are phone shots on a kitchen counter. The label, the cap and the proportions are what a studio locks in, and they can only lock in what they can see. If the product has a few variants, send each one.
Add the facts that go on the pack: the name, the size and the ingredient list. Studios use these to write honest copy and to check that nothing on screen contradicts the label.
Where the work will run
Say where each ad will live. A feed ad, a story, a product page and a marketplace listing all want different crops and different amounts of text. Tell the studio the placements up front and ask for each in its own ratio, such as 4:5 for the feed and 9:16 for full screen.
If you already run paid social, send two or three ads that have worked and one that has not. A single winner shows the format. A flop shows what to avoid.
Who it is for
Name one buyer. For example, a woman in her thirties who already uses an actives routine and reads the ingredient list before she buys. A specific person gives the studio a tone, a pace and a level of detail. A list of five audiences gives it nothing to aim at.
Add the objections you hear most. "Will it sting?" and "Is it worth the price?" are better prompts for a headline than any slogan.
What you can and cannot say
For skincare and beauty this section matters most. List the claims you are allowed to make and the words that are off limits. Many categories need careful wording around results, so give the studio your approved language, or say that copy will be checked by your own advisor before it runs.
Include offers and prices if they will appear in the ad. Say whether they are fixed or likely to change, because that decides whether the price should be a separate, editable layer.
The rules for what appears in frame
Write down the things to avoid. Competitor packaging, certain colours, props that do not match your ingredients, models you would not cast. A short list of rules does more for consistency than a long description of the mood you want.
Send any brand guidelines you have: logo files, fonts and colours. If you do not have them, say so. A good studio will build a short brand system first, so every frame holds together.
What to expect back
Ask for a clear scope in writing: how many frames, which formats, how many rounds of changes and how long it takes. Then ask what you will receive, and in what form. Files you can open and edit are worth more than flat images, because a price or headline change then takes minutes.
A one-page template
Copy this into a document and fill it in:
- The product, with photos and the label facts.
- Where each ad will run, and in which ratios.
- The one buyer, and their top two objections.
- The claims you can make and the words you cannot.
- The offer and price, and whether they change.
- What must never appear in frame.
- Your guidelines, or a note that you have none.
- The deadline.
Send that and you have given a studio what it needs to get close in the first round.