Define the job before the deliverable
A business outcome, audience, and success measure give agencies something concrete to respond to.
Before hiring · Free private canvas
The Agency Brief Canvas
Turn a vague agency search into an explicit brief. Define the job, shape the engagement, name the evidence you need, and leave with a transparent shortlist.
No accountPDF exportEvidence-based matching
0/12prompts prepared
01
Define the job
Start with the change you need, not an agency category or fashionable deliverable.
Business outcome
What must change for this engagement to be worthwhile?
Audience and market
Whose attention, trust, or action are you trying to earn?
Industry context
Which industry should the agency understand?
Success measures
What evidence would show that the work is succeeding?
02
Shape the engagement
Make scope, money, timing, and the work your team can own explicit.
Required services
Which capabilities must the agency provide?
Maximum budget
What can you realistically invest in the initial engagement?
Timeline
When should the engagement begin?
Internal capabilities
What can your team own, and where does it need support?
03
Define the right fit
Name the practical working conditions and evidence that should shape your shortlist.
Location
Is there a market where the agency should be based?
Working style
How should the agency collaborate with your team?
Evidence priority
Which public buying signal matters most right now?
Must-haves and deal-breakers
What would rule an agency in or out?
Your private export
Turn the canvas into a useful agency brief
The completed PDF is created on this device. Your written answers are never uploaded or added to a search URL.
Or download a blank canvas:
Find agencies for this brief
Complete a service, location, or public-offer preference to shape the shortlist.
Find matching agenciesMatching uses services, location, and verified public offers. Industry, budget, timeline, and working style stay in your brief for human evaluation because unpublished data remains unknown.
How the template works
A useful brief makes trade-offs and unknowns visible before the first agency call.
Make constraints explicit
Budget, timing, internal capacity, and working style determine whether an otherwise capable agency can succeed.
Keep unknown evidence visible
Missing pricing or industry information is a question to investigate, not proof of a bad fit.
Agency Brief Canvas questions
Is the Agency Brief Canvas private?
Yes. Written answers stay in the current browser tab and are not uploaded. The completed PDF is generated on your device.
What should a marketing agency brief include?
A useful brief defines the business outcome, audience, success measures, services, budget, timing, internal capabilities, working conditions and evidence required from the agency.
How does agency matching work?
The directory uses selected services, location and verified public-offer preferences. Other answers stay in the brief for human evaluation so missing profile information is not treated as a negative signal.
Do I need an account?
No. The canvas and its blank and completed PDF exports are free and require no account or email address.