How to Write a Video Brief Your Editor Can Actually Use

Of all the reasons a first draft comes back not quite right, a thin or unclear brief is the most common one we see, by a wide margin. It's rarely the editor's skill. It's usually that the brief left too much open to guessing, and the editor guessed differently than the client pictured it. A better brief fixes most of this before a single clip gets cut.

Start with the goal, not just the topic

"Edit my podcast episode" tells an editor what the footage is, not what the video needs to do. Is this meant to bring in new subscribers, build trust with an existing audience, promote a specific offer, or just document something for the archive? The goal shapes decisions throughout the edit, from what gets cut to how much energy the pacing should carry.

Name the audience out loud

An editor cutting for total beginners makes different choices than one cutting for an audience who already knows your work. Mention who's likely watching and what they already know, so jokes, jargon, or callbacks land the way you intend instead of getting cut for seeming unclear out of context.

Point to a reference, even an imperfect one

"Something like this" with a linked example, even from a completely different channel, communicates tone faster than paragraphs of description. If you liked the pacing of a specific video, the graphics style of another, or the music energy of a third, say so directly. Editors work well with references because tone is hard to describe in words alone but easy to point at.

Flag your must-haves and your definite no-gos

If there's a specific line that has to stay, a moment that must be cut regardless of how good it looks, or a brand guideline around music or language, put it in writing up front. This is the single easiest way to avoid a frustrating first revision round where an editor made a reasonable choice that happened to break an unstated rule.

Give timestamps if you already know what you want

If you've already watched your own raw footage and have opinions, even loose timestamp notes save real time. "Keep 4:12 to 6:30, that's the best explanation" is more useful than a general instruction to "keep the good parts," which puts the entire judgment call on someone who wasn't there when it was filmed.

Say what you don't know, too

It's fine to say "I'm not sure what the best structure is here, use your judgment" as long as it's said clearly rather than left blank. A brief that's honest about where you want creative input, versus where you have a fixed opinion, helps an editor know when to make a call versus when to ask.

A simple brief template that actually works

• Goal of this video (subscribers, trust, sales, documentation)
• Who's likely watching it
• Reference video or style, even a rough one
• Must-keep moments and must-cut moments
• Anything you're unsure about and want the editor's judgment on

A great brief doesn't remove an editor's judgment. It just tells them where you actually want that judgment applied.

This is part of why we set every client up with a shared workspace from day one, so briefs, footage, and notes live in one place instead of scattered across messages. If you're curious what that process looks like end to end, we walked through it in an earlier post on what we actually look at before touching a single clip.