Marketing in a Minute – Episode 26 | Ahmed Moaaz

A clear brief and a written scope of work make life easier for both sides. When extra requests arrive without changes to time or price, the project is experiencing scope creep. Define the boundaries at the start.

Two documents that protect a marketing project

Before working with a designer, copywriter, agency or web developer, prepare two documents: a brief explaining what you want and why, and a scope of work specifying exactly what will be delivered and what is excluded. Without them, an enthusiastic start can turn into disagreement about fees, deadlines and expectations.

What is a brief?

A brief can be one or two pages answering the questions the person doing the work needs answered:

• Who are we and what do we sell? Give two clear lines about the business and product, not the company’s entire history.
• What is the objective? “A campaign to increase sales of the new product during launch month” is understandable. “Content that shows our brand” is too vague to guide execution.
• Who is the audience? State whom you are speaking to, what matters to them and the language and tone they use.
• What is the single main message? If the customer remembers one sentence, what should it be?
• What are the deliverables? Specify quantities, formats, dimensions and delivery dates.
• What references help? Share work you like and work you do not want to resemble. A reference can prevent several rounds of misunderstanding.
• What are the constraints? Include budget, deadline, brand colors, prohibited wording and any legal requirements.

What is the scope of work?

The brief explains what and why. The scope establishes how much and under which terms:

• A defined deliverables list: “Three static designs and one 30-second vertical video”, not simply “social media designs”.
• Revision rounds: For example, two rounds included, with additional rounds priced separately. This prevents a common source of disputes.
• A timeline: First delivery, feedback and final delivery dates, including how quickly each party needs to respond.
• Explicit exclusions: For example, “Ad copy is not included” or “Publishing and content management are not included”. Clear exclusions protect both parties.

What is scope creep, and why does it disrupt projects?

It often begins innocently: “While you are making the designs, add a quick Instagram story.” Then comes a horizontal video version, followed by a completely new copy direction. Each request looks small, but together they can create a larger unpaid project. The supplier feels drained and the client does not understand why delivery is late.

The answer is not an unhelpful refusal. Use a simple change process: estimate the time and cost of anything outside the agreed scope, then obtain written agreement from both sides before starting. A useful response is: “That is possible. It sits outside the original scope, costs X and adds two days to the schedule. Would you like to go ahead?”

Once the effect is clear, some requests are dropped and others become agreed additional work. Either outcome is better than unspoken resentment.

Common mistakes on both sides

• “Just be creative”: Freedom without context can produce attractive work that misses the objective, followed by endless revisions because nobody defined success.
• An overly restrictive brief: Instructions dictating every execution detail can remove the professional judgment you are paying for. Explain the problem and objective, then allow room to solve them.
• A verbal-only agreement: “We agreed on the call” is difficult to rely on when memories differ. A short written summary after the meeting helps preserve the relationship.
• Separate feedback from five people: Appoint one decision-maker to combine the team’s comments into a single response. Otherwise the supplier is left between conflicting opinions.

A project comparison

Consider two similar campaign launches with the same agency. One begins with a clear brief, three revision rounds and explicit exclusions. It runs smoothly and is delivered early. The other starts with “You are the experts, surprise us.” It uses eight revision rounds, grows by half through small additions, runs three weeks late and ends in a billing dispute.

The comparison illustrates the purpose of writing those two pages before starting: agreeing on expectations is cheaper and calmer than negotiating them after work is under way.

A compact brief template

If you have never written a brief, this outline is enough to begin:

• Two lines describing the business and product.
• One line stating the measurable objective.
• Two lines describing the audience and tone.
• One line giving the main message.
• Three lines listing deliverables, quantities and formats.
• One or two links showing work you like, with examples you want to avoid where useful.
• The budget, deadline and any firm constraints.

Send it before the first meeting. The discussion can move from “What do you want?” to “How do we achieve it?” with less time spent discovering basic requirements.

A final note for both parties

If you are the client, a good brief is not administrative decoration. Time spent clarifying the work can save repeated revisions. If you are the supplier, start with a written scope and do not treat pricing additional work as a personal confrontation. Professional clarity helps serious clients know what to expect.

These documents also help you make your own decisions. Writing a brief forces you to answer questions you may not yet have settled: what is the real objective, who is the audience and which message matters most? Some projects do not need a different supplier; they need a clearer decision from the person commissioning the work.

Summary

A good brief communicates what you mean. A scope protects both sides from an expanding project, and a clear change process turns extra requests into calm business decisions. Write the documents before work begins. Many problems blamed on agencies or freelancers are really disagreements that could have been prevented by setting expectations in writing.

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