“We need some new ads” is a starting point. It is not quite enough for a designer to get moving.
Which audience are we talking to? What do we want them to understand? Are we testing a new message, refreshing a layout, or adapting an existing ad to another placement?
A paid ad creative brief should answer those questions without turning into a long strategy document. I would keep it focused enough that the designer can explain the assignment back in a couple of sentences.
Below is a reusable brief for static paid ads, followed by a filled-in example. The goal is to get a useful first version into review, with enough direction to avoid unnecessary back-and-forth.
Start with the campaign question, not the dimensions
A request for three square images tells the designer how many files you need. It does not explain what those images should do.
Start with the audience and the next action. Then write down what you want to learn from the creative. For example: can a clearer product explanation get more of the right people to visit the demo page?
That gives the designer a reason to prioritize the product, the message, or the offer. It also gives you something more useful to review than whether everyone likes the color.
Adobe’s creative-brief guidance covers the underlying project direction, objectives, and scope. For paid ads, I would add an explicit test question and the action that happens after the click.
Copy this paid ad creative brief template
Replace the bracketed prompts with your own information. If something is undecided, mark it as a question for review instead of leaving the designer to guess.
PAID AD CREATIVE BRIEF Request and owner: [Project name, person responsible, final approver] Audience and situation: [Who is this for? What problem are they dealing with? What do they already know about us?] Offer and next action: [What are we offering? What should someone do? Include the exact landing page or form.] One main message: [The single idea the audience should take away] Approved copy: [On-image text, ad headline, supporting copy, and CTA. Mark draft copy clearly.] Evidence and assets: [Approved product images, brand files, fonts, proof points, and links. Identify anything that needs permission or verification.] Creative direction: [What should be visually prominent? Include references and explain what you like about them.] Test question: [What are we trying to learn? What will change between versions, and what will stay the same?] Deliverables: [Platform, ad format, placement, dimensions, file type, number of concepts, versions per concept, and adaptations] Constraints: [Required brand elements, claims to avoid, accessibility/readability needs, and any required review] Priority and timing: [First version due, feedback owner, final delivery date, and which files are needed first] Success and next review: [Measured action, downstream quality check, review timing, and the next decision]
Be clear about concepts, versions, and sizes
I would separate these in the request because they are different kinds of work.
A concept is a creative approach, such as showing the product doing the work versus leading with the problem. A version changes something within that approach, such as the headline. An adaptation prepares the approved direction for another format or placement.
For example, one concept with two headline versions in two sizes means four exported files. That is not the same assignment as four completely different concepts.
For a first round, I would keep the request small. Get one direction into review, resolve the important feedback, and then produce the agreed versions and sizes. If the message is still changing, exporting every format can create work you have to repeat.
Specify the ad format, not just the platform
“Google and LinkedIn” is not a complete production specification.
LinkedIn’s current single-image specifications recommend 1200 × 1200 pixels for square images and 1200 × 628 for landscape images. They also note that paid vertical images serve on mobile. The format decision can affect where the ad appears, not just how it looks.
Google’s responsive display guidance treats images, logos, headlines, and descriptions as separate assets that can be combined. It recommends avoiding text and logo overlays on image assets. That is a different assignment from delivering a fully composed static social ad.
So include the exact ad type and current specification link in the brief. Do not assume a finished social graphic should simply be resized and uploaded everywhere.
A filled-in example: one message, two headline versions
Hypothetical example: a software company offers a project-approval tool. This is an illustration of a brief, not a client campaign or a performance result.
- Audience: marketing managers coordinating feedback across several reviewers. They know the approval problem but may not know this product.
- Offer: a short product walkthrough on a dedicated landing page. The media owner will provide and verify the URL before launch.
- Main message: give reviewers one place to leave campaign feedback.
- Visual direction: make the approval workflow the main visual, using an approved product image with no real customer information.
- Draft on-image copy: version A, “One place for campaign feedback.” Version B, “Still chasing campaign approvals?” Both require product-owner approval.
- CTA: “See how it works.” Keep the destination and surrounding ad copy consistent.
- Deliverables: one layout concept, two headline versions, each in a square and landscape LinkedIn single-image format. Four final PNG files, within the platform’s file-size limit.
- Test question: does a direct explanation or a problem-led question attract more useful visits?
- Review: check readability and message accuracy before export. After launch, review landing-page visits and walkthrough completions, then qualified demo requests where volume allows.
The designer still has room to make design decisions. The brief establishes the message and the boundaries without prescribing every element.
Also, two ads running together do not automatically make a controlled experiment. Uneven delivery, small samples, or other campaign changes can limit what you can conclude. Treat an early result as a signal for the next test, not a guaranteed winner.
Give feedback against the brief
When the first version comes back, I would review it in this order: is the message accurate, is the main idea clear at the intended viewing size, and does the ad connect to the next page?
Then get specific. “The product detail is too small to understand on mobile” gives the designer something to fix. “Make it pop” leaves the actual problem unresolved.
Have one person consolidate feedback, and distinguish a correction from a new direction. If the audience, offer, or core message changes, update the brief so the designer is working toward the current assignment.
Bring the result into the next request
The brief should not disappear after the files are delivered.
Keep the approved version names connected to the ads you launch. At the next review, record what happened and what remains uncertain. A better click-through rate does not tell you whether the visitors were useful, and a form submission is not automatically a qualified prospect.
If the problem-led version brings more relevant visits, that may be a reason to try another problem-led message. If clicks increase but the next action falls away, review the offer and landing-page connection before ordering more variations.
That is the practical job of the brief: make the first assignment clear, then make the next assignment more informed.
Platform specifications and source guidance checked October 16, 2026. Verify the requirements for your selected placements before production.