How to Brief a Content Creator (With a Template)

To brief a content creator well, tell them what the content is for, which moments you need, what you will deliver on your side, when you need it and what rights you want. A good brief fits on one or two pages, leaves room for the creator's judgement and spares everyone a round of avoidable questions. A template you can copy sits further down.

Why does a brief matter?

Most disappointing shoots come from unspoken assumptions. You expected edited video, they delivered raw clips. You wanted your restaurant at night, they shot it at lunch. You planned to run ads, they believed the content was for organic posts only.

A brief turns those assumptions into a short, shared document. It also shows a creator that you take the work seriously, which usually improves the work.

What should a creator brief include?

Think in eight parts. Each answers one question the creator will otherwise ask you.

1. Why this content exists

Be specific about the goal. "More followers" is hard to shoot for. "A set of guest-style clips for our booking page and a Meta ads test" is clear.

2. Who it is for

Name the guest you want to attract: couples on a quiet escape, remote workers staying a month, families, surfers. This guides tone and choice of moments.

3. The feeling

Give three words. "Slow, warm, private." Then show a few reference clips and say what you like in each.

4. Must-have moments

A short list of scenes. Not a script, just the beats that matter. If you are unsure, our Reels shot list for hotels has ideas.

5. Deliverables and formats

Number of edited videos, photographs, raw clips, crops (vertical, square), and any talking-to-camera piece.

6. Logistics

Dates, access to rooms, times of day for the best light, contact on site, staff or guests who can appear.

7. Rights and credit

Where you will use the content, for how long, whether paid ads are included, and how to tag your property. Our guide to usage rights explains each term.

8. Approvals and delivery

Who signs off, how many rounds of feedback, and the delivery date.

How much freedom should a creator have?

A common mistake is writing a shot-by-shot script. It treats the creator as a camera operator and removes the thing you hired them for: their eye.

A better balance:

• Fix the goal, the must-have moments, the formats and the licence.
• Leave open the framing, the movement, the small moments and the order of shooting.
• Agree what is off limits: guest privacy, private rooms, certain staff, competitor mentions.

If a creator suggests something that differs from your brief, ask why. They may have seen something you have not.

What does a good brief look like in practice?

Here are three short examples, not real clients.

A twelve-room hotel in Canggu. Goal: guest-style content for the booking page and a Meta ads test. Feeling: easy, social, sunlit. Must-haves: arrival, room reveal, pool, breakfast, rooftop at golden hour. Deliverables: five edited vertical videos and a set of photographs.

A private villa in Pererenan. Goal: a refreshed library for direct enquiries. Feeling: private, slow, green. Must-haves: waking up, floating breakfast, evening lights. Deliverables: three edited videos, a walkthrough and raw clips.

A restaurant with a terrace. Goal: short appetite-first video for social and Google profile. Feeling: warm, lively. Must-haves: the pour, the pass, a table with friends. Deliverables: four edited videos and photographs.

For more on how these formats work, see our vertical video and hotel photography services.

How early should you send the brief?

Send it as soon as dates are agreed, ideally a couple of weeks before the shoot for a stay-based job. That gives the creator time to ask questions, plan around the light and prepare equipment, and it gives you time to fix practical issues like access or staffing.

For a same-week shoot, a shorter version still helps: goal, must-have moments, dates, deliverables and rights. Even five lines beat a verbal "just come and film whatever looks good".

The copyable brief template

Copy this into an email or document and fill in the blanks.

• Property or venue: [name, location, number of rooms or covers]
• Contact on site: [name, phone, WhatsApp]
• Goal of this content: [booking page, social, Meta ads test, website refresh, other]
• Target guest: [who you want to attract]
• Feeling in three words: [for example slow, warm, private]
• References: [three to five links, with one line on what you like]
• Must-have moments: [list of scenes, in any order]
• Nice-to-have moments: [list]
• Off limits: [private rooms, certain guests, staff, competitors, anything sensitive]
• People on camera: [creator only, staff, guests, who has agreed]
• Dates and times: [arrival, shoot windows, best light]
• Access and logistics: [rooms, keys, transport, power, parking]
• Deliverables: [number and type of videos, photos, raw clips, crops, talking-to-camera piece]
• Formats: [vertical 9:16, square, horizontal if needed]
• Delivery date: [date, method of delivery]
• Approvals: [who signs off, rounds of revisions, deadline for feedback]
• Usage rights: [organic, website, booking platforms, paid ads, duration, territory]
• Raw footage: [included or not]
• Credit and tagging: [handle, hashtag, caption wording]
• Fee and inclusions: [production fee, payment terms and schedule, and any stay inclusions]
• Anything we missed: [space for questions]

If your deal involves a stay as well as a fee, or a stay-for-content trade, our guide to content exchange collaborations shows how to add scope and dates.

How do you share the brief?

Send it as a short document or a message the creator can scan on a phone. Follow it with a quick call or voice note to talk through anything unclear. A five-minute conversation often surfaces the questions a written brief cannot.

Ask the creator to reply with a summary in their own words. If their summary matches your intention, you are aligned. If not, you have caught the problem early.

What should you do on shoot day?

• Be available but not hovering.
• Make sure access is smooth: keys, staff, spaces ready.
• Share any last-minute changes, such as a closed pool or an unexpected event.
• Offer water, a place to charge devices and a quiet corner.
• Agree a check-in at the end of the day to confirm what was captured.

How do you give feedback?

Be specific and kind.

• Say what works first.
• Point to the exact moment you want changed.
• Explain why, in terms of the goal.
• Give all feedback in one round where possible.
• Respect the agreed number of revisions.

"I do not love it" is hard to act on. "The first three seconds do not show the pool, and that is the main thing our guests ask about" is easy.

What mistakes make a brief fail?

• Too many goals. A single shoot cannot be a brand film, an ad test and a menu launch at once. Pick the top one or two.
• Vague adjectives. "Luxury" and "authentic" mean different things to different people. References and specific moments beat adjectives.
• Hidden rules. If a certain terrace is off limits at lunch, or a guest asked not to be filmed, say so before the day.
• No decision-maker. Feedback that arrives from five people in five directions creates delay and confusion. Nominate one person.
• Forgetting the weather. In Bali's wet months a plan B, such as covered spaces and rain footage, protects the shoot day.
• Leaving rights to the end. Agreeing the licence after the content exists puts both sides in an awkward position.

Which platform specs belong in the brief?

If any of the content is meant for booking platforms, put the specs in the brief, not in a follow-up email after the shoot. They are easy to state and expensive to fix afterwards. Two examples from official sources, which you should recheck before you send yours, since platforms change their rules:

• Booking.com asks for landscape photos only, at least 2048 x 1080 pixels (4000 x 3000 preferred), at least ten photos in total, at least four per room or unit and at least one of each bathroom, shot from a height of around three to five feet. It lists things to avoid, including heavy filters, strong HDR, collages, watermarks and fisheye lenses (Booking.com Partner Hub photo requirements).
• Airbnb suggests horizontal photos for better display in search, a minimum resolution of 1200 x 800 pixels, natural light with no flash, and a shot list that covers each room from several angles (Airbnb Resource Centre).

So a brief that says "Reels and a gallery for Airbnb and Booking.com" should list vertical video for social and landscape stills at platform sizes, as separate deliverables. If you are unsure how the gallery should be sequenced, our guides to Airbnb listing photos and Booking.com property photos cover the order guests expect.

A worked brief: a filled-in example

Templates are easier to use when you can see one completed. This is an invented example, not a real client.

• Property: a six-room guesthouse near Canggu, with a pool, a garden and a breakfast terrace.
• Contact on site: the owner, by WhatsApp, available all day.
• Goal: content for the website homepage and booking page, and a small Meta ads test aimed at couples.
• Target guest: couples in their thirties wanting a quiet base away from the busiest streets.
• Feeling: slow, green, unhurried.
• References: three clips the owner likes, each with one line, such as "the unhurried pace of the walk" or "the sound of the water".
• Must-have moments: arrival at the gate, room reveal, first swim, breakfast on the terrace, the garden at dusk.
• Off limits: room 4 (long-stay guest), the owner's private courtyard, and any shot that shows other guests' faces.
• Deliverables: four edited vertical videos, a thirty-second horizontal walkthrough for the homepage, twenty edited stills, and raw clips.
• Rights: organic social, website, booking platforms and paid ads, for twelve months, worldwide.
• Disclosure: the creator uses the platform partnership label on any post on their own account.
• Approvals: one decision-maker, one round of feedback within five working days.

That is a page and a half, and it removes almost every question the creator would otherwise ask.

What is a realistic shoot-day schedule?

A brief works better when it includes a loose timeline. A typical stay-based day for a small property might run like this, adjusted to your light and your guests:

• Early morning: exterior, garden and pool while the water is still and guests are asleep.
• Mid-morning: breakfast on the terrace and any staff moments, with agreed consent.
• Midday: a break. Harsh light is bad for the property and tiring for the crew, so this is for editing, charging and a short rest.
• Afternoon: rooms and details, with curtains open and overhead lights off.
• Golden hour: arrival sequence, pool at dusk and the walk to the beach or rice fields.
• Evening: lamps, a dinner table, a night version of the pool.

Share this with housekeeping and the kitchen the day before, so rooms are ready and nobody is surprised.

How do you handle disclosure in the brief?

If the creator will post any of the work on their own account, the post is likely to count as advertising whether you paid them or gifted a stay. The US Federal Trade Commission says material connections, including free products and perks, must be disclosed clearly and prominently, not hidden behind a "more" link, and that the endorser cannot assume the brand will handle it (FTC disclosures guide). On Instagram, the paid partnership label is how that is done for Reels, posts, Stories and Live, and Instagram says it applies to branded content where a creator received money or goods (Instagram branded content help).

One line in the brief covers it: "Posts on the creator's own account will use the platform's partnership label." It protects both of you.

A one-minute test before you send

Read your brief out loud as if you were the creator the night before the shoot. Can you say what the content is for, who it is for, which five moments you must get, what you are delivering and where it will be used? If any answer takes longer than a sentence, the brief needs trimming. If you are not yet sure who should shoot it, how to vet influencers for hotels and our comparison of a content creator versus a photographer help you choose.

When should you hire a studio rather than a solo creator?

If you want consistent output across a season, a mix of photography and video, ad-ready files and clear rights, a studio can simplify things. Properties in Bali can find out more on our work with us page, and we are happy to talk about UGC content for your specific property.

The short version

• A brief answers the creator's questions before they ask them.
• Cover goal, audience, feeling, must-haves, deliverables, logistics, rights and approvals.
• State platform specs and the disclosure label in the brief, not after the shoot.
• Fix the essentials and leave room for the creator's eye.
• Use the template above, follow it with a short conversation and give specific, kind feedback tied to your goal.

If you would like to brief us for a shoot, contact the studio and we will help you shape it.