The brief isn’t your job
Something I hear from clients a lot: "sorry, my brief is a bit rough." Or worse... "I don't even really know where to start."
That's fine. That's actually where I want you to start.
If you're hiring someone who calls themselves a content partner, the brief-thinking shouldn't be all on your shoulders. That's what they're there for.
What actually happens when you hire the right partner
You come to me with something rough. Maybe a video idea you've had rattling around for a while. Maybe a strategic goal... launching a new product, recruiting nurses, getting more of the right kind of client through the door. Maybe just "we should probably be doing video and I don't know where to start."
That's the perfect starting point. Then I ask questions. Just a conversation, no form to fill in.
Here's what I'd be asking you
What are we actually trying to achieve? Why video, why now, what's changed?
Who is this for? Specifically... not "everyone."
What's the one thing you want them to know, feel, or do after they see it?
Where will it live? A website, a social feed, a fundraising event, a job portal... they all need different things.
What does success look like? Reach, enquiries, awareness, conversions? How will we know it worked?
Any references or tone notes? Anything to avoid?
Practical stuff... who's being filmed, locations, timing, budget?
By the end of that conversation I've got enough to come back to you with a proposal. The video idea, the strategy behind it, how I'd approach it, what it'd take. And you get to look at it and say "yes that's it" or "no actually, it's more like this" - way easier than starting from a blank page.
Why this matters
Because the people I work with are busy. Marketing managers running comms for a whole hospital, solo. Business owners juggling clients, staff, kids, life. They don't have time to become a video expert on top of their day job.
They also don't have context on what makes a video work. That's not their job to know. It's mine. I've been running this business for 12 years. I should be able to translate "we need to do something about staff retention" into "here's a three-video series that shows what it's actually like to work here, filmed with real staff, that drops into your recruitment portal and social feeds."
That's the value. The strategic thinking is what you're actually paying for. The prep is what makes it work. The filming comes after.
The signal to look for
If you're talking to a videographer and they hand you a template to fill in before they'll quote you... that tells you something.
Not that they're bad at their job. Just that they're a pair of hands, not a partner. Which is fine if that's what you need - if you've got a clear internal brief-writer and you just need someone to shoot it. But most people don't. Most people need someone to take the whole thing off their plate.
If the brief is stopping you
Plenty of people have hired videographers before and ended up doing most of the strategic thinking themselves. That's just what happens when the person on the other end sees themselves as an executor, not a partner.
If a video project has been sitting on your list and writing the brief is what's stopping you... don't. Come to me with the mess in your head. That's my starting point.
If you're not sure what kind of video would actually move the dial for your business try this…
My Lights, Camera, Strategy quiz will give you a starting point. Takes two minutes. (No brief-writing required.)