What is a media agency brief?

A media agency brief is the document a brand gives its media agency before planning starts: the business and communication objectives, audience definition, budget, timing, channel guardrails, and how success will be measured. This skill produces all of those sections so the plan that comes back can be judged against strategy instead of simply accepted.

How is a media brief different from a creative brief?

A creative brief tells the agency what the advertising should say; a media brief tells the agency where, when, and against whom the money should work. This skill covers the plan mechanics — budget-split logic, channel roles, flighting, and measurement — and pairs naturally with a creative brief written for the same campaign.

Do I need a specific AI tool to use it?

No. The prompt works in any capable chat model — ChatGPT, Claude, or Google Gemini. It is fully model-agnostic, and many marketing teams save it as a Custom GPT or a reusable Claude Skill so every campaign brief leaves the building with the same structure and the same guardrails.

What should I have ready before using it?

At minimum: the business objective, a working budget, the campaign window, and what you know about your buyer. Bring prior media learnings and any commitments already made — retail programs, sponsorships, creative in production — because the skill uses them to set channel roles and non-negotiables instead of letting them surprise the agency later.

Brand Social

Media Agency Brief Builder

Brief your media agency with objectives, budget logic and guardrails.

What is the Media Agency Brief Builder?

The Media Agency Brief Builder is a free AI skill that turns a campaign's business goals into a complete, decision-ready media brief for food and beverage brand teams. You give it the business objective, target audience, budget, timing, and any channel commitments already made; it returns a structured brief covering communication objectives, an audience definition that goes beyond demographics, budget-split logic, the role each channel must play, flighting principles, a measurement framework, and the non-negotiables the agency must respect. It is built for brand and marketing managers who need to brief a media agency well enough to judge the plan that comes back — not just receive one. Because it forces objectives, channel roles, and success measures to be written down before planning starts, it keeps the agency accountable to strategy instead of inventory. Pairing it with live food and beverage demand data sharpens the audience and timing sections.

Who it's for

Brand managers briefing a media agency for the first time
Marketing directors resetting an underperforming media relationship
CMOs at challenger brands planning a first national push
Media leads translating brand strategy into channel plans

What you get

A one-page media brief with business and comms objectives
An audience definition built on behavior and occasions, not just demographics
Budget-split logic with the rationale the agency must honor
Channel roles and flighting principles tied to the purchase cycle
A measurement framework with KPIs agreed before planning starts
A non-negotiables list that keeps the plan on strategy

How to use it

1Paste the prompt into ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini.
2Fill the bracketed inputs (objective, audience, budget, timing, commitments).
3Answer its clarifying questions about goals and prior media learnings.
4Iterate: ask it to draft the ten questions a strong agency should ask back.

See it in action

Example input

Brand: fictional 'Nectarine' sparkling juice planning its first national media push after three years of regional-only sales. Budget: $4M over six months, aimed at parents buying better-for-you drinks. We have already committed to a summer retail program with our top grocer.

Example output

Media Brief — Nectarine Sparkling Juice (excerpt)

Business objective: Convert regional strength into national awareness that supports the summer retail program, prioritizing markets where distribution lands first.

Comms objective: Make Nectarine the sparkling juice parents feel good saying yes to — recognized on sight by the time it hits shelf.

Audience: Parents 28-45 buying better-for-you drinks for the household — define by behavior (soda cutbacks, lunchbox packing, heavier grocery baskets) rather than age alone. Streaming-first media habits assumed; validate.

Budget logic: Weight investment to the 12 weeks around distribution build; hold a reserve for overperforming markets. National awareness channels carry reach; retail media closes the loop around the committed grocer program.

Channel roles: CTV/online video introduces the brand. Social carries taste appeal and household occasions. Retail media converts at shelf. Audio adds frequency on commute occasions.

Non-negotiables: creative must carry pack shot and flavor cues; no awareness spend in markets before distribution clears agreed thresholds.

Measurement: aided awareness lift, household penetration proxy, and retail media return agreed with the agency before planning starts.

Want me to draft the ten questions a strong media agency should ask back about this brief?

The prompt

Here's the start of the prompt. Download the free bundle for the full, ready-to-paste version — plus the installable Claude Skill and Custom-GPT instructions.

# Role
You are a senior media strategist who has briefed media agencies for food and beverage brands for 15 years — on both the client and agency side. You believe a weak brief produces a plan built around inventory the agency wants to sell, and you refuse to let objectives, budget logic, or success measures stay vague.

# Context I'll provide
- Brand and product: [BRAND / PRODUCT]
- Business objective: [BUSINESS OBJECTIVE e.g. awareness, trial, distribution support]
- Target audience: [AUDIENCE — who they are and what you know about their habits]
- Budget and timing: [BUDGET / CAMPAIGN WINDOW]
- Commitments already made: [EXISTING COMMITMENTS e.g. retail programs, sponsorships, creative in production] (optional)
- Prior media learnings: [WHAT WORKED OR FAILED BEFORE] (optional)

# Your task

Frequently asked questions

What is a media agency brief?: A media agency brief is the document a brand gives its media agency before planning starts: the business and communication objectives, audience definition, budget, timing, channel guardrails, and how success will be measured. This skill produces all of those sections so the plan that comes back can be judged against strategy instead of simply accepted.
How is a media brief different from a creative brief?: A creative brief tells the agency what the advertising should say; a media brief tells the agency where, when, and against whom the money should work. This skill covers the plan mechanics — budget-split logic, channel roles, flighting, and measurement — and pairs naturally with a creative brief written for the same campaign.
Do I need a specific AI tool to use it?: No. The prompt works in any capable chat model — ChatGPT, Claude, or Google Gemini. It is fully model-agnostic, and many marketing teams save it as a Custom GPT or a reusable Claude Skill so every campaign brief leaves the building with the same structure and the same guardrails.
What should I have ready before using it?: At minimum: the business objective, a working budget, the campaign window, and what you know about your buyer. Bring prior media learnings and any commitments already made — retail programs, sponsorships, creative in production — because the skill uses them to set channel roles and non-negotiables instead of letting them surprise the agency later.

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