How to write a brief that gets great results.
The 7-section template our highest-performing buyers use. A half-page brief saves you 10 hours of back-and-forth.
AE Studio
Blog · 2026
Most freelance projects fail before anyone writes a line of code or moves a pixel. They fail at the brief.
A bad brief gets you generic pitches, inflated quotes, and scope misalignment. A great brief filters out 80% of the wrong freelancers and gets the right ones replying within hours.
Here's the exact structure we've seen work across 1,200+ briefs on AE Studio.
The good vs. bad brief
Bad brief
"Need a modern website for my startup. Clean, professional look. Budget flexible. ASAP if possible. Let me know what you can do."
→ Generic. Vague. Gets 47 copy-paste pitches.
Good brief
"Redesign B2B logistics SaaS landing page. Goal: 2x free-trial signups by Q3. Refs: Linear, Vercel, Ramp. Budget: $8-12K AUD. Deadline: Aug 14. Must include: hero, feature grid, customer logos, pricing CTA."
→ Specific. Gets 5 thoughtful pitches.
The 7-section template
Copy this structure. Fill it in. Send it. That's it.
The one-line summary
This is the entire brief compressed to a tweet. If you can't write this, you don't know what you want yet.
The context
Three sentences. Who you are, who your customer is, why you're doing this project now. This is the filter — good freelancers will reference this in their pitch.
The deliverables
Specific outputs. Specific formats. 'Deliverables' is the most under-specified field in every brief we see.
The success metric
This is the magnet for senior talent. Junior designers focus on deliverables. Seniors focus on outcomes. Specify the outcome and you'll attract the right tier.
The references
Three links. One line each on WHY. This prevents the #1 miscommunication in every project: 'I thought you meant the other clean and modern.'
The constraints
Hard deadlines. Hard budget ceiling. Non-negotiables. Be honest — vague budgets kill projects.
The decision maker
Name of one person who approves final work. Nothing kills projects faster than revisions from 4 stakeholders.
The full template (copy-paste)
Here's the entire template as one block. Copy it, fill it in, and paste it into your brief form.
Project: [one-line summary] CONTEXT • Who we are: [1 sentence] • Who our customer is: [1 sentence] • Why we're doing this project now: [1 sentence] DELIVERABLES • [Specific output 1 — with format] • [Specific output 2 — with format] • [What 'done' looks like] SUCCESS METRIC • [Business outcome, not deliverable] • [How we'll measure] CONSTRAINTS • Deadline: [hard date] • Budget: [range — be honest] • Must-haves: [3 max] • Must-not-haves: [if any] REFERENCES • [Link 1] — [1 sentence why] • [Link 2] — [1 sentence why] • [Link 3] — [1 sentence why] DECISION MAKER • [Name + email of ONE person who approves final work] BUDGET & TIMELINE • Budget: [exact number or tight range] • Start date: [when talent can begin] • Final delivery: [hard deadline]
Time to write this: 15-20 minutes.
Time it saves you: 8-12 hours of back-and-forth.
Signal-to-noise improvement: 10x.
How good freelancers read your brief
A senior freelancer receives your brief and spends 5-10 minutes evaluating it. Here's what they're looking for:
Green flags
- • Specific success metric (not just deliverables)
- • Realistic budget with a range
- • References you admire + why
- • Named decision maker
- • Hard deadline with context
Red flags
- • "Budget flexible" — translates to "I want it cheap"
- • "ASAP" — means no real deadline
- • "Modern/clean" — means "I can't articulate taste"
- • "Small project, should be quick" — scope creep incoming
- • No references — you're the art director AND hiring
Before you send
Quick final checklist:
- Could someone completely unfamiliar with your business understand the goal?
- Is the success metric a business outcome, not a deliverable?
- Are the references specific (with one-line reasons), not just 'modern sites'?
- Is the budget honest? Vague budgets get vague work.
- Is there ONE decision maker named? Committees kill projects.
Use our guided brief form.
We'll walk you through the exact structure above. Most founders finish in 12 minutes. You'll get matched talent replies within 24 hours.
Start your brief →