How to Write a Brief for Gaming Creators (Template)

Short answer: a good creator brief fits on a phone screen. Name the one moment that sells your game, list two or three must-haves, list your don'ts, give a few content angles instead of a script, and give creators access early. Some of the best briefs on Trapster were one line long. The campaigns below landed between $0.15 and $0.27 per wishlist.

Studios often write briefs like product sheets: the story, the feature list, the release roadmap. Creators skim it, miss the one thing that matters, and post a video that explains the game instead of showing it. A shorter brief usually gets better videos.

What did real briefs look like?

Game	The brief	Result
The Bus	"Drive a bus, film your reaction." Keys and an approved capture pack.	+11,082 wishlists in 4 days, $0.15 each
Global Rescue	A key pack and a three line brief: "play, react, post". No scripts, no approval rounds.	+9,000 in 7 days, $0.18 each
Cat Mail Co.	A 9:16 "first look" pointing to the Steam page, for cozy and casual fans.	+7,600 in 3 days, $0.21 each
ZOMBUTCHER	Keys, three content angles, a campaign hashtag, no scripts or retakes.	+7,400 in 3 days, $0.22 each
Off Road Together	Keys and a short brief on what makes the lobby loop special.	6,000+ in 7 days, $0.27 each

The pattern: short, built around one moment, no script.

The 7 parts of a good brief

1. The moment. One line on what to show first. "The bus taking a corner too fast" beats "showcase the realistic driving physics".
2. Must-haves. Two or three, no more: the game on screen in the first two seconds, the game title, the Steam page in the description.
3. Don'ts. For example: no other games in the same video, no spoilers past a certain point.
4. Content angles. Two to four ideas creators can pick from. ZOMBUTCHER's were the double life premise, the day and night tone flip, and the stealth and shadow mechanics.
5. Access. Keys, a demo build or a media kit with approved footage, early enough to record.
6. Hashtag and format. A campaign hashtag, vertical video, the length limit.
7. Timing. When videos can go live (an embargo time if you need one) and the last day to submit.

What to leave out

• A script. Creators know their audience better than you do. Scripted videos read like ads, and viewers scroll past ads.
• The full lore. If the story matters, one sentence is enough.
• A long feature list. Pick the one feature that looks good in 20 seconds.
• Rules you won't check. Every extra rule makes the brief harder to follow. Keep the ones that matter.

When to break the template

Some games work better with a looser brief. Dung Ho!, a short funny game, allowed compilations, because it played better as a segment than as a full dedicated video. 37 creators brought 516,721 views in 27 hours. Know your game and adjust.

Copy this template

Game: [Name] · [Steam link]
The moment: [the one thing to show in the first 2 seconds]
Must-haves: game on screen from the first second · title on screen · Steam link in the description
Don'ts: [no other games in the video] · [anything else that matters]
Angles you can use: [angle 1] · [angle 2] · [angle 3]
Access: [keys / demo / media kit link]
Format: vertical, under 60 seconds, #[campaignhashtag]
Timing: publish from [date and time] · submit by [date]

On Trapster, the campaign form already has fields for the rules, the talking points, the hashtag, the format and the dates, so the brief reaches every creator in the same shape. For the bigger picture on working with creators, see our influencer marketing guide for indie games.

FAQ

How long should a creator brief be?
Short enough to read on a phone. The Bus used one line.

Should I give creators a script?
No. Give rules and angles. Unscripted first reactions are what make these videos work.

Do I need to give keys?
Keys work best, because creators can play and react. A demo or a media kit with approved footage also works, especially before launch.

How do I know if my brief worked?
Look at which angles the best videos used, and at cost per wishlist. Our guide on how to measure wishlists from a creator campaign explains the math.

Let us help with your first brief

Every studio on Trapster gets an account manager who helps write the brief and pick the moment. Send us your Steam page for a free forecast. See Trapster for studios or book a call.

Sources: campaign figures and briefs come from Trapster case studies. Cost per wishlist is the creator budget divided by wishlists added, platform fee excluded.