The technical assignment or a brief for an advertising publication are the instructions for the influencer, which are made by an advertiser. It can be written in any form: a file in Google Docs or simply a message Instagram direct messages. The main thing is to make it clear to the influencer what needs to be done and within what time frame.
Another option is to make a technical assignment part of the contract. A document signed by the client and the influencer will have a full legal force. If an influencer does not fulfill his or her obligations, an advertiser will be able to refer to the contract to get money back. Having a detailed brief is important for both parties. It ensures that an advertiser spends the promotion budget efficiently. Also, it helps an influencer to understand what the advertiser is expecting. In addition, a detailed technical assignment saves time. If you have a clear task, you won't have to redo the script for a video or the text of a post several times.
In this article we explain how to write the right technical assignment for an ad campaign with an influencer. We will also show you ideal examples of the brief for advertising campaigns with influencers.
What to write in a brief?
There is no universal template for a technical assignment. The document should include details and conditions that the advertiser considers important. Well-drafted brief should give a clear idea of the product, brand, advertising campaign objectives and customer expectations. At the same time, a technical assignment should not be overloaded with details. Otherwise, an influencer will be uncomfortable with it. So, always leave a space for the creativity. If you are planning a long-term collaboration, it is better to include legal details in a separate document.
Don't be too rigid in your requirements for content. Integration should be native. In that case people will perceive it as a friendly recommendation, but not as a direct sale. So, once again, leave room for the influencer's creativity. Influencers know from experience what kind of content their audience likes. For example, you can create a rough text for a post, and an influencer will adapt it to suit his or her own writing style.
What to include in a brief?
- A description of the product or service. Explain briefly the characteristics of your product: who it is useful for, what it is suitable for, its main benefits. Don’t forget to add some photos.
- The information about the brand. Give links to the company website and social media pages. Provide information on how to spell and pronounce the brand name. If you plan a long-term relationship with an influencer as a brand ambassador, provide detailed information about the company's values and mission. This will help the influencer create relevant content.
- Goals and objectives of the advertising campaign. Explain what results you expect from the integration. For example, you might aim to attract customers to your online shop, sell tickets to an event, increase interest in your brand. By understanding your expectations, an influencer will be able to formulate the right call to action for their followers.
- The format of the integration. It depends on the social network. For example, on Instagram an influencer can promote your product in posts, Stories or Reels. On Telegram, bloggers publish text posts with photos or videos. On YouTube, ad integrations are posted in video format.
- Content requirements. In this paragraph explain in detail the requirements for the visual, text and pitch of the integration. You can send a ready-made layout of the post or specify requirements for photo and video design. For example, color scheme, angle, position of the product in the frame, etc.
Agree on the script for the video or the text of the post in advance. Suggest your own options or just give the main points. Explain to an influencer the message you want to transmit. Specify whether you want subtitles for the video. Choose the format of the video: particular mentions, recommendations, tips, reviews, unboxing.
- Timing and number of publications. Specify the dates and times when the integrations must be posted.
- References of successful integrations. Give examples of native advertising that you like. These could be integrations of your brand with other influencers, or any other promotional posts.
- Links, hashtags, promotional codes. Agree where an influencer can publish a link to your website or social media page. The options are: in the header of Instagram profile, as a sticker for Stories, at the beginning or end of a text of the post, or other options depending on your goals. Include hashtags for the promotional post. Give an influencer a promo code to share with followers. By the way, it's very convenient to monitor the effectiveness of the integration by the number of applied promo codes.
- Payment terms (if there is no contract). If you do not sign a separate contract, specify the terms of payment in the brief.
How to write a brief?
Remember that the influencer can refuse to collaborate. It might mean that your product does not correspond to the theme of the account or an influencer has different personal beliefs from your brand values. Therefore, it is necessary to obtain a preliminary consent for cooperation. Send the product samples. After that an influencer is familiar with the terms of reference and can confirm the possibility of a collaboration.
The principles for writing a brief for promotional collaborations are the same for all social networks. Here are examples of technical assignments for Stories, Reels and Instagram posts. We will also share a useful service for creating native integrations with influencers.
Stories are up to 60 seconds long. This is important to consider when writing your script. Don't try to fit a full product story into 1 single Story. It's better to focus on 1-2 main benefits. Or make the engagement with the content gradual by publishing a series of Stories.
Example of a technical assignment for Instagram Stories
Let's look at a real-life example by @elenahazinah.
Stories #1: The influencer natively mentions a hair salon. An is always busy, so there's no time to do hair at home, so going to this particular beauty salon is an important step on the to-do list.
Stories #2: Benefits of this particular salon and a second link to the company's social media page. Here an influencer shows a result of the procedure, which she adores.
Suppose what the terms of reference for this integration could look like:
- A product or service description. A beauty salon with an excellent hairdressing service .
- Goals and objectives of the advertising campaign. To increase sales, attract new customers.
- Format of integration. Series of 2 Stories.
- Requirements to the content. Natural presentation, live emotions, real-life example. Close-up video of hair style.
- Main messages. Beauty salons can save a modern woman from spending too much time on hairstyles at home. Hair style professionals can do it quickly and beautifully.
- Timing and number of publications. One publication, 20.06.2023 - in time slot from 17.00. to 21.00.
- Links, hashtags, promo codes. Attach 2 stickers with a link to the social media page of the salon.
If you are planning to promote your goods or services on Instagram via influencers and want to avoid problems with briefs, you should pay attention to Instajet.io service. This is a platform of native integrations in Stories. Here you can choose the suitable influencers from more than 6 000 verified accounts in the various niches. If you find your perfect influencer from collaboration, the platform suggests you a standard form for a brief and you don’t need to create it manually, which is very convenient.
The work in Instajet.io is fully automated.
1. You choose influencers from the catalog;
2. You select as many accounts as you wish;
3. Send tasks to all at once or to each individually;
4. Then you receive reports on publications.
Instajet.io protects users from fraud with "safe deals". In case the influencer hasn't published Stories according to the terms of reference, the money will be returned to your account. The service provides the necessary closing up documents, which is convenient for accounting.
Example of a brief for a post and Reels
Posts and Reels also have restrictions. You can write no more than 2,200 characters with spaces and no longer than 60 seconds respectively. It's important to grab your followers' attention from the first seconds of a video or the first lines of a post.
Here's a real example of an advertising integration in posts by @chiaraferragni.
A possible version of a brief for these posts.
- Description of the product or service. The limited edition watch is exclusively available in the Hublot shop chain.
- Goals and objectives of the advertising campaign. To inform about the product, increase sales, increase brand awareness.
- Integration format. Series of pictures, carousel. Photos plus text.
- Content requirements. All photos must include the watch. It must be distinctive on the wrist. Low-key text to convey a positive attitude towards the product. Emoji usage should be minimum, if they are used, they must reflect the colors of the photos and the watch itself.
- Main points. The watch suits all summer outfits. Especially for the vacation in the South of Italy.
- Timeline and number of posts. One post, 10 photos, June 2023.
- Links, hashtags, promo codes. Add a link to the brand page in the text. Add one hashtag at the end of the text.
On Instagram you can also make collaborative posts and Reels. Such posts are made by one of the co-authors and appear simultaneously in the accounts of all participants.
Co-posting allows you to extend your reach because the integration will be seen by another influencer's followers and your own page's audience. The statistics of likes, views and reposts will be summed together.
Mistakes in the brief that can lead to budget drain
It happens sometimes that the advertiser has chosen the right influencer, made detailed technical assignments, however the integration simply does not work. The budget is spent ineffectively. It is possible that one of the common mistakes was made.
What mistakes in the brief for influencers should be avoided?
1. There is no exact time of publication. It is important to agree not only on a date of a publication, but also on a specific publishing time during the day. Find out when the influencer's audience is the most active and book this time slot. If the integration comes out at the wrong time (for example, at 3 a.m.), it will not have the expected results.
2. Not making a provision for a publication report. Write in the brief that the influencer has to send you a link to the post and its statistics. This is needed to assess the effectiveness of the advertising campaign.
3. There are no clear points about a script or text. The influencer needs to know how to position the product, what to put emphasis on, what values to transmit in the publication. To avoid misunderstandings, include the main point in the technical assignment.
4. Too narrow requirements. This mistake is the opposite of the previous point. In integrations with influencers, creativity is very important. To be effective, your ad should fit in seamlessly with the rest of the influencer's content. Therefore, in the brief indicate the general direction and the main message, but do not put strict limits.
Summing up
A detailed brief for an ad for an influencer helps to get the most out of the integration. Describe the product, state the goals and objectives of the campaign, state the content requirements. You can propose a sample video script or post text.
Avoid common mistakes in the technical assignments to save your budget. Agree not only on the date but also on the time of a publication. Ask to provide post statistics and links. Provide the main points, but do not put an influencer in a rigid framework. Finally, don't forget about special services like Instajet.io, which guarantee that an influencer will meet the requirements of a brief.
Any questions left?
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