Before requesting proposals, write a one-page briefing: what you sell and to whom; business goal and deadline; margin per sale or customer; service capacity; available budget; history and data; competitors; legal and brand constraints; and what you don’t want to happen (for example AI-generated texts without approval, given that Meta and Google make the advertiser responsible). A good briefing makes proposals respond to your problem rather than a generic template.
Why the briefing changes everything
Without a briefing, agencies respond with templates: “Google Ads management for X euros”. With a briefing, they respond to your problem and have to justify choices. It also forces the company to think about what it wants, which is often the most useful part.
A one-page briefing saves meetings, avoids misunderstandings and lets you compare proposals.
Block 1: the business and the offer
What you sell, to whom, at what price, with what differentiation, in which areas or markets, with what lead times and conditions. State the priority products or services (those with higher margin or demand), seasonality and what you can’t sell more of (for lack of capacity).
If the offer isn’t competitive, no campaign solves it; a good manager will tell you that.
One-page PPC briefing
- Business, offer and priorities
- Goal with number and deadline
- Margin, close rate and capacity
- Budget, calendar and seasons
- Data, access and history
- Legal, brand and AI constraints
Block 2: goals, margin and capacity
Business goal with number and deadline (for example 30 qualified quote requests per month in six months), margin per sale or customer, current close rate, capacity to serve more customers and maximum acceptable cost per customer. These numbers let you calculate budget and targets.
If you don’t have them, the first job is to obtain them; an agency can help, but can’t invent them.
Block 3: budget and calendar
Monthly ad budget (separate from fees), start date, important seasons (Black Friday on 27 November, Christmas), internal deadlines and who decides. Also state constraints: periods when there can’t be big changes or campaigns that can’t stop.
Explain that already scheduled platform changes (for example February 2027 for DSA, call-only ads and Display in Search) affect the plan.
A briefing saying what you don't want avoids many problems.
Block 4: data, access and history
What accounts and tools exist (Google Ads, Meta, Merchant Center, Analytics, CRM, online shop), who has access, what historical data exists (exported or not; Google Ads keeps daily data 37 months, according to a compilation), which conversions are configured and what consents you collect.
State whether the existing account belongs to the company or the previous agency and what access you need to recover.
Block 5: legal, brand and AI constraints
Regulated sector? What claims can’t you make? Is there tone of voice and brand rules? What rights do images and videos have? And on AI: which features do you accept, which do you switch off, who approves? Meta’s terms, in force on 30 October, and Google Ads’, in force since 1 July, make the advertiser responsible for what AI creates or alters, according to PPC Land.
Write this in the briefing: it is the basis of the contract.
Block 6: what you don't want to happen
List concrete risks: ads published without approval; wrong prices or promotions; big changes at Black Friday; customer data sent without consent; account in the agency’s name; clicks-only reports; and promises of guaranteed results. It helps the provider understand what will be asked of them.
A briefing saying what you don’t want avoids many problems.
How to use the briefing in proposals
Send the same briefing to two or three agencies or freelancers and ask for proposals with scope, indicators, calendar, price and risks. Compare side by side. Ask questions about what the briefing doesn’t cover. A good proposal answers each block; a bad one repeats the company’s presentation.
If you want help writing your one-page briefing or comparing the proposals received, I can work with you.
A briefing template in ten lines
1) Who we are and what we sell. 2) Who we sell to and where. 3) Priority products or services. 4) Goal with number and deadline. 5) Margin per sale and close rate. 6) Capacity to serve more customers. 7) Monthly ad budget and maximum fees. 8) Existing data, accounts and access. 9) Legal, brand and AI constraints. 10) What we don’t want to happen.
A briefing with these ten lines fits on a page and guides any conversation.
Common mistakes when writing the briefing
Writing only “we want more customers”; omitting margin; hiding the budget; not stating what has been tried; forgetting legal constraints; and not saying who decides. Each omission makes proposals diverge and hampers comparison.
If you omit the budget for fear the provider will spend it all, explain: a realistic budget is the basis of a realistic plan.
Summary in three lines
A one-page briefing saves weeks and improves proposals. Include goal with number, margin, capacity, budget, data, constraints and what you don’t want to happen. Send the same briefing to several candidates and compare.
Frequently asked questions
How long should a briefing be?
One page is enough. What matters is clear numbers and constraints.
What if I don't know the margin?
The first job is to obtain it. Without margin, you can’t define budget or targets.
Do I need to mention AI in the briefing?
Yes: Meta and Google make the advertiser responsible for what AI creates. Define what you accept, what you switch off and who approves.