The quality of your video brief determines the quality of your video. This is not a polite disclaimer — it’s a practical reality. The clearest, most effective promo videos come from clear, specific briefs. Here’s what every NZ business owner should put in a brief before ordering a short-form video ad.
1. What this video needs to do
Start with the job, not the description. Is this video for a Facebook ad campaign? A homepage hero? A hiring push? A product launch? Each of these contexts requires a different approach. A homepage video needs to quickly orient a new visitor. A Facebook ad needs to stop the scroll. A LinkedIn video needs to open a business conversation. Know the job before you write the brief.
2. Who the viewer is
Describe the specific person watching this video. Not “small business owners” — that’s too broad. Something like: “a marketing manager at a NZ software company, probably 28–40, frustrated by slow agencies and running campaigns on a tight timeline.” The more specific you are about the viewer, the more specifically the video can speak to them.
3. The single most important message
If the viewer remembered only one thing after watching your video, what should it be? This is the hardest question in the brief and the most important one. Most businesses want to say five things. A 30-second video can say one thing well. Choose the most important thing and trust the video to do it properly.
4. What you want the viewer to do next
Every video needs a call to action. Visit the website. Book a demo. Send a message. Call now. Apply here. Decide this before production starts, because it shapes how the whole video is structured. A video that ends without a clear next step wastes everything that came before it.
5. Tone and feel
Professional or warm? Fast-paced or measured? Conversational or authoritative? Reference three other videos or brands that have the tone you want. This saves more back-and-forth than any other part of the brief and often leads to a first draft that lands first time.
At Studio30, every order includes a short brief we send you after checkout. These five questions — in some form — are always in it. The businesses that answer them specifically get better videos faster.