Brief, manage, and use the content.
You've signed creators. Now you have to brief them, review what comes back, and turn that content into ads that perform across Meta and TikTok. This module covers all three steps: how to brief well, what angles to test, and how to repurpose every piece of content across platforms.
A great brief is the difference between content that performs well straight away and content that takes multiple revisions to land. A vague brief leads to vague output. A sharp brief gives the creator just enough direction to produce native, on brand content without killing the personality that made you sign them in the first place.
This module is split into three steps:
- Brief well. Give the creator clear direction without scripting them.
- Review and approve. What to look for when content arrives.
- Repurpose across platforms. One piece of content, multiple placements.
Step 01 — How to brief a creator
The biggest mistake brands make is treating creators like an agency. They write 5 page scripts, dictate every camera angle, and then wonder why the output feels stiff and robotic. Creators aren't actors. They're storytellers with their own voice. Your job is to give them the raw material, not the script.
A good brief is short. One page maximum. It covers what the creator needs to know, then steps out of the way. Here's the structure:
One page, eight sections.
One paragraph. What it is, what it does, who it's for. Send the actual product if you haven't already.
Who you're trying to reach. Be specific: "Time poor parents in their 30s and 40s who care about clean ingredients but don't have time for a 10 step routine."
2 to 3 hook ideas the creator can use or improve on. "I gave up on serums until I tried this..." Let them rephrase in their own voice.
3 to 5 things the content must mention. Keep it to genuine product benefits, not marketing speak.
Vertical 9:16, 15 to 30 seconds. Phone shot. Natural lighting. Keep important visuals and text inside the Reels safe zone (centre area, away from top and bottom edges where UI overlays sit). Burned in captions required, large enough to read on a phone.
Link 2 or 3 example videos that capture the vibe. Saying "like this" communicates faster than 500 words.
Do: show the product in real use. Speak naturally. Use your own words.
Don't: make health claims. Compare to specific competitors by name. Use [list any banned phrases].
What you want viewers to do at the end. "Link in bio", "Code XYZ at checkout", or just an implicit sell. Often less is more.
Word for word scripts. Creators read them like robots. Trust their voice.
Too many revisions on tone. If the tone feels wrong on round 1, the creator might be a bad fit. Don't try to retrofit them.
Demanding "go viral". No one can promise virality. Brief for clarity, not virality.
Rejecting natural language. If the creator says "this stuff is amazing", let them. That's why you hired them.
Briefing 3 or 4 creators every month gets repetitive. Use Claude (or your favourite LLM) to speed it up:
- Generate hook variants for the same product across different angles in seconds
- Tailor the brief for different personas without rewriting from scratch
- Translate a master brief into the tone or language of each creator
- Summarise content angles from competitor ads in the Meta Ad Library
- Draft do's and don'ts based on your brand guidelines once, reuse forever
Build a base brief template once. Then have the LLM customise it per creator and per angle. What used to take 2 hours per brief now takes 15 minutes. The same trick works for review notes, revision messages, and creator outreach.
Content angles that actually convert
When working with multiple creators, give each one a different angle to test. Same product, different stories. This is how you discover which angles work for which audiences. Six angles that consistently perform for ecommerce:
The problem and the fix
If you struggle with [problem], here's what changed everything for me
From doubt to belief
I didn't think this would actually work, but two weeks later...
Daily routine integration
My morning routine isn't complete without this
Why this beats the rest
I've tried 5 different [category], here's why this one stuck
Show, don't tell
Watch what happens when I use this for the first time
Visible transformation
Two weeks of using this every day. Here's the result
Don't just pick one. Have your creators each tackle a different angle in the same batch. Once you see which angles convert, double down on those in the next month's brief.
Step 02 — Reviewing the content
The first time content lands, you'll be tempted to ask for changes that match your taste. Resist this. Your taste isn't your customer's taste. You hired creators because they speak in a way that resonates with people who don't yet trust your brand. The review checklist below isn't about perfection. It's about catching deal breakers and protecting paid usage.
Greenlight and run it
- Hook lands within the first 3 seconds
- Product is clearly visible and identifiable
- Audio is clear, even if filmed casually
- 9:16 vertical format, full screen
- Key talking points are covered
- Tone matches your audience, even if not your taste
- CTA is present (visual, verbal, or both)
Send it back, briefly
- Audio is unusable or muffled throughout
- Product is barely shown or misidentified
- Content makes claims you can't legally support
- Key feature is missing entirely
- Format is wrong (horizontal, square, low resolution)
- The hook is buried after a 5+ second intro
Watch the content twice. Note everything you'd change. Send all of it in a single message with timestamps. Drip feeding revisions exhausts creators and slows your batch by weeks. Most agreements include only 1 to 2 revision rounds, so make each one count.
A simple approval workflow that works for most brands:
Watch on your phone, not desktop
The content will run on phones. Review it in the same context.
Run it past one customer
If you can, show it to someone who fits the target audience. Their reaction tells you more than yours.
Approve or send one revision round
Use the checklist above. Be decisive. Don't sit on it for a week.
Pay the second instalment promptly
Fast payment is the cheapest way to build long term creator goodwill.
Step 03 — Repurpose across platforms
One piece of creator content should run in multiple places. Same source video, different cuts and contexts. This is where most brands leave a lot of value on the table by only running it as one ad on one platform. Get every cent of value out of every creator partnership.
For Partnership Ads on Meta and Spark Ads on TikTok, you need the creator to publish the content on their own profile. That's how the native format works. But for re-edits, variants, and other distribution, you also need the raw video file. Make sure both are in the brief from day one. It costs nothing extra and gives you 10x the optionality.
If you want static images for ad variants or your product pages, request separate photos in the agreement, not screenshots from the video. Stills from video are usually low resolution and badly composed for static use. A few extra product photos cost the creator little extra time and give you much better static assets.
Meta Partnership Ads
Run the original creator post as a Partnership Ad on Meta. Their handle shows. Their organic engagement carries over. This is where most of the budget goes.
TikTok Spark Ads
If they posted the same video on TikTok too, run it as a Spark Ad. Same content, second discovery channel, no extra production cost.
Re-edits, statics, and product pages
Cut the source video into short variants with new hooks. Use the photos as static ads. Embed the video on the product page. Once it's there, that page video flows into Catalogue ads automatically.
From one creator partnership you can produce: the Partnership Ad on Meta, the Spark Ad on TikTok, a 15 second cut for stories and short feeds, an alternative cut with a new hook, a static image ad from the photos, an embedded product page video, and an organic Reel for your own brand account. One investment, many placements. Including a video on your product page also flows through to your Meta Catalogue, so creator content shows up directly inside Catalogue ads with zero extra setup.
Module 04 covers exactly how to set up Partnership Ads on Meta and Spark Ads on TikTok, including the technical authorisation flow that connects the creator's profile to your ad account.
Running this monthly
For the cadence to work, the same workflow needs to repeat every month. After two or three cycles, it becomes a habit. Three principles that keep monthly batches running smoothly:
Brief earlier than you think
Send briefs to creators at the start of each month. Most creators need 10 to 14 days from brief to delivery. If you wait until mid month, you'll miss the next ad set launch in your Prospecting CBO.
Vary the angles each month
Don't ask three creators to all do the "skeptic" angle. Spread angles across creators. This gives the algorithm more to test and saves you from creative fatigue inside an ad set.
Keep a feedback loop with your creators
After each batch, tell your creators which content performed best on Meta. They learn what works for your brand. The next batch gets sharper, faster, and cheaper to produce. This is the compounding advantage of long term partnerships.
What you should have at the end of this module
A one page brief template you can reuse for every creator, every month
A list of angles to assign across your creators
A clear deliverables list: published post + raw video file + photos for statics
A review checklist for content approval
A repurposing plan: each creator deliverable used as 5 to 8 placements across Meta and TikTok
A monthly cadence that fits inside your Creative Flywheel
Now you've got the content. Module 04 is where it actually starts running as ads.