How we brief creators so the ads don't feel like ads
Creator content works when it feels like a recommendation, not a commercial. Getting there is mostly about what goes into the brief, and what stays out of it.
June 2026 · 6 min read · The Almaty RW team
The fastest way to waste a creator's talent is to hand them a script full of brand language and ask them to read it naturally. The result looks exactly like what it is: an ad wearing someone else's face.
Over many projects we have settled on a brief format that keeps creators authentic while still giving the media team ads it can test and scale.
Brief the problem, not the lines
Our briefs start with the situation the viewer is in. It is 7pm, the fridge is half empty and nobody has decided what is for dinner. The creator explains how they handle that moment in their own words, with the app as part of the answer.
We give them the one thing that must be said and the two things that must never be said. Everything else is theirs.
What every brief contains
- The viewer's situation in two sentences.
- Three possible opening lines to choose from or ignore.
- One product moment that must appear on screen.
- Claims and words that are off limits.
- A shot list for variations: different openings, different endings.
Let the results write the next brief
Every video is tagged by its opening, format and message before it goes live. After two weeks of spend, the patterns are usually clear. The next round of briefs builds on the openings that held attention, and the creators who made them get first call on new work.