How to brief a white-label partner (with a template)

A good brief is the cheapest way to improve the quality of delivered work. With a white-label partner it matters even more, because the partner can’t walk down the hall and ask what you meant. Everything they know about your client comes from the brief.

Write the client’s request in the client’s words

Start with what the client actually asked for, quoted as closely as you can. “We need 20 reels this month” is more useful than “social video support.” The partner can then see the request the way you did, before it was translated into scope.

State what you’ve already promised

Say what you’ve committed to the client: the deliverables, the date, and any details you agreed on a call. This is the part most often missing, and it’s the part that causes the most trouble later.

The ten parts of a brief

1. Client and account: who the client is, who on your team owns the account.
2. The request: what they asked for, in their words.
3. What you’ve promised: deliverables, date, commitments already made.
4. Audience and goal: who the work is for and what it needs to achieve.
5. Brand: brand kit, tone of voice, examples to match, things to avoid.
6. Tools and access: platforms involved, the access needed, who grants it.
7. Approvals: who approves, how many people review, how many rounds you expect.
8. Communication: preferred channel, point of contact, best hours.
9. Confidentiality: whether an NDA is needed, and anything that shouldn’t be mentioned or shared.
10. Anything else: context that would change how the work is done.

What to leave out

Leave out internal politics, pricing you charge the client, and anything the partner doesn’t need to do the work. Share the client’s name only if the work requires it, and sign an NDA first when it does.

Make the first project small

Pick a real piece of work with a clear finish line. A contained first project shows you how the partner scopes, communicates and checks their own work, without putting a key account at risk.

What should come back

Before work starts, you should receive a written scope and a delivery date. When it’s done, you should receive the finished work, unbranded, with a short note on what was done, what was checked and what to look at first. If you aren’t getting those, ask for them.