How to Brief a Promotional Video: A Template for Pune Businesses

A video is only as good as the brief behind it. Most disappointing films did not fail at the camera or the edit. They started with a vague request: "We need a video for our company." The studio guessed, the client reacted, and several rounds of revisions followed. A clear one-page brief prevents most of this. It saves money, shortens schedules and makes quotes from different studios comparable.

This article gives you a practical template to write a promotional video brief in an hour.

1. State the objective in one sentence

Begin with what the film must achieve, in measurable terms if possible. "Generate enquiries from distributors for our new range", "Explain our service to first-time customers in under a minute" and "Announce the launch at the exhibition" are real objectives. "Build awareness" on its own is too vague to guide decisions.

If you have several goals, rank them. A film that tries to educate, entertain, recruit and sell usually does none of them well.

2. Describe the audience

Who will watch, and in what situation? A procurement manager watching on a laptop at work has different needs from a young customer scrolling on a phone. Note their role, what they already know, what they worry about and what would persuade them. If you have customer insights, such as common questions or objections, include them, because they are the raw material for the script.

3. Choose the single message

Complete the sentence: "After watching, the viewer should remember that…". Keep it short and specific. Supporting points are fine, but one message should dominate. Studios will use it to shape the script, the opening and the closing line.

4. Define the call to action

What should the viewer do next? Visit a page, call a number, request a quote, visit a stall or simply remember the brand. A film without a call to action is a missed opportunity, and the call affects the ending, the graphics and even the length.

5. Set the tone and references

Describe the feel in a few words: confident, warm, playful, premium, technical, understated. Then give two or three examples of films you like, and one or two you do not, with a note on why. References communicate taste much better than adjectives. Share your brand guidelines, logo files, fonts and colours so the studio can match them.

6. List where it will appear

The channel affects everything. A film for your website can be landscape and unhurried. A film for Instagram needs vertical framing and fast pacing. A film for a trade show needs to work silently on a loop. Say where the film will run, and ask for versions for each. It is far cheaper to plan multiple versions before the shoot than to adapt after.

7. Specify length and deliverables

State the target length of the main film and any cut-downs, such as fifteen, thirty or sixty seconds. List what you expect to receive: the master file, vertical and square versions, captions, a thumbnail, music licence information and project files if you plan to edit later. Being explicit avoids disputes about what was included.

8. Share the budget range

Many clients hold back the budget, hoping to get a better price. In practice, sharing a range gets you a better plan. A studio can propose the best film for the money, suggest where to simplify and flag what the budget cannot do. Without a range, quotes are wildly different and comparison becomes meaningless.

9. Set the timeline and approvals

Give the date the film must be live and work back. Include the number of people who must approve each stage, such as script, rough cut and final, and who has the final say. A single decision-maker is fastest. If several people must review, collect their feedback into one document before sending it to the studio, to avoid contradictory notes.

10. Explain the practicalities

List locations, access rules, safety requirements, confidentiality limits, people who will appear and any products or props to be shown. If drone footage is needed, mention it early because permissions can take time. If talent are employees, note availability and any dress requirements.

A template you can copy

Objective: One sentence. Audience: Who and where. Message: The one thing to remember. Call to action: What next. Tone and references: Three words, three examples. Channels: Where it will play. Length and versions: Main film plus cut-downs. Deliverables: Files, captions, licences. Budget: A range. Timeline: Live date and approval steps. Practicalities: Locations, people, restrictions.

Pasting these headings into an email and filling them in will give any studio what it needs to respond intelligently.

Using the brief

Send the same brief to two or three studios and compare not only price but the questions they ask. A studio that asks sharp questions about your audience and objective is more likely to produce a film that works. At Khobare Studio, we begin every promotional video project this way, and we are happy to help you shape a brief if you are starting from scratch.

Mistakes that make briefs fail

Most weak briefs fall into a few traps. They describe the process, not the outcome, saying "we want a two minute video" instead of what the video should achieve. They try to speak to everyone, so the film speaks to no one. They list ten key messages when one would do. They hide the budget, then act surprised when the proposals miss. And they leave approvals vague, so feedback arrives from five people in five different directions.

Questions a good studio will ask you

Expect a good studio to ask who the viewer is, what they should do next, where the film will run, what you have tried before, who approves what and what happens if the date moves. It may also ask about your competitors, your customers' objections and any constraints on locations or people. If a studio sends a quote without asking any of these, treat it as a rough guess, not a plan.

Final thoughts

A good brief is short, specific and honest about budget and goals. It does not prescribe every shot. It gives creative people enough clarity to do their best work. An hour spent writing it will save weeks of back-and-forth, and it will make the final film far more likely to do its job.