A brief for a PR agency is a document that introduces the client company and clearly articulates the client's expectations of the agency. It is created in order to select the PR agency most suitable for the company's needs, which then implements the assumptions contained in it.
The desirability and quality of the information contained in the brief will determine how smoothly the process of selecting a partner for joint activities will go, and to what extent the offer received will meet the company's needs.
In order to avoid wasting time resulting from an inadequately prepared brief for both parties - the company, which will ultimately be asked several times to answer basic questions anyway, and the agency, which instead of focusing on the creative concept itself will be wondering what the purpose of the communication actually is - it is worthwhile to prepare properly. Below is a diagram illustrating how to create a good brief for a PR agency. It should include the following elements:
- company description,
- product/service characteristics,
- target groups,
- competition and industry characteristics
- the objectives the brand wants to achieve,
- scope of work under the contract,
- expectations as to the content and form of the offer,
- Budget,
- schedule.
Write where you are from and where you are
The brief for the PR agency should start with company descriptions - This is a starting point. Do not be guided by the belief that all the information about the company is on the web anyway and the agency will find it easily. It is necessary to provide this information, facts that are confirmed and which the agency will then be tasked with communicating. In the description, we should include a brief history of the company, which can be an excellent source of inspiration, present its strengths and weaknesses, characterise its business profile and current industry situation. In addition, it should outline the company's mission and vision, its communication activities to date and its competitive differentiators. It should also include information on the company's structure and location.
Present the product/service characteristics
In this point, it is important to specify what the brief is specifically about - corporate PR, product PR or service PR. If the brief for the agency concerns general PR activities of the company as a whole, the information contained in the first point, i.e. in the description of the company, should be sufficient in terms of characterising the subject of the brief.
However, if the company is keen to promote a particular product or service, its specifics, competitive advantages, principles of operation as well as the sales process should be presented in detail. In this part of the brief, it is also worth writing whether the product/service is dependent on seasonal factors and how long it has been available on the market.
Defining the target group, i.e. who you want to reach
The brief should also answer the question of which sector the product/service is aimed at - B2B or B2C. We should then characterise exactly who our 'typical customer' is.
In the case of B2B, this involves data such as the industry, the size of the company in terms of revenue or number of employees, the specifics of its operation.
For the B2C sector, information such as age, gender, earnings, education, interests, how the customer spends his or her free time, where the customer lives will be useful.
The target group determines to a large extent the nature of the brand strategy activities, so this information cannot be missing from a document such as a brief for a PR agency.
Description of competition and industry
From the outset, it is useful to familiarise the agency with the brand's competitors and describe the specifics of the industry in more detail. It will certainly be useful for the agency to name the main competitors - direct and indirect - and briefly outline their market position. This will allow the PR agency to verify past marketing efforts made by competitors, which can be very useful in developing a campaign strategy.
When describing the market in which we operate, it is worth outlining its structure, i.e. whether it is highly fragmented or rather concentrates a few larger brands. It is also worth extending the industry theme to indicate industry events or conferences in which the brand is regularly involved.
Write down where you want to go, i.e. identify your goals
For the success of the project to be carried out in accordance with the brief, it is most important to clearly describe the objectives of the activities entrusted to the agency, i.e. what end result we want to achieve with a given project. A good brief should indicate both business and communication objectives.
A business objective may be, for example: to increase sales, increase market share, launch a new product or increase brand recognition.
Communication objectives, on the other hand, are designed to help achieve the business objective - so it is worth specifying them as well - indicating, for example, how we want the brand to be positioned as a result of the campaign. We also recommend that attention is paid to ensuring that the objectives are measurable - ideally, the brief should immediately include specific values for so-called key performance indicators (KPIs), i.e. measures of goal achievement. This will ensure that both sides are clear on how to account for the effects of the campaign - the agencies will know what the clients expect and the clients will know what they can demand.
Outline the scope of work under the contract
As a potential future client, you should indicate the scope of tasks to be carried out as part of the cooperation at the outset of the tender process. These may include, for example, the development of a year-round communication strategy, preparation of messages for distribution in external communication channels, cooperation with external stakeholders (media, KOLs, influencers, industry organisations) or development of materials for internal communication.
Indicate your expectations as to the content and form of the offer
In order to increase the agency's chances of preparing an offer corresponding to the company's needs, the brief should contain such information as the expected form of the offer, as well as indicate elements that should obligatorily be included in it, such as the presentation of the idea for the creative dispatch, the inclusion of case studies illustrating activities that the agency had the opportunity to realise for another brand from a given industry, the presentation of a team dedicated to cooperation with the brand or a monthly valuation of activities.
Budget
The question of budget is an extremely important point in a well-structured brief. Agencies need to know the budget assumptions when preparing an offer in order to be able to match ideas and tools to the client's financial possibilities.
Most often, a range is given as to the amount of money that can be allocated to the activities of the cooperation undertaken. If you want to receive an offer tailored to your company's needs and capabilities, specifying how much your budget is will certainly help.
Schedule
The project brief also needs to be appropriately framed. It is worth indicating here specific timelines for both the tendering process and project implementation.
In order to adequately plan activities in terms of time and human resources, the agency should find in the brief information on when the client intends to award the tender, start cooperation with the agency and launch the activities included in the previously prepared plan. This is important for the agency already at the bid preparation stage, as it will be better able to tailor the communication plan to, for example, specific industry events that take place at specific times during the year.
In summary, a well-prepared brief will allow a company to save time, receive an offer that fully meets its needs and, both during and after the project, enable ongoing verification of the effects of clearly defined activities.
