Commissioning a 60-second product review that actually converts is deceptively hard. I’ve written and briefed dozens of these for brands and creators, and the ones that perform best share the same traits: crystal-clear objectives, ruthless editing, and a scoring system that keeps creative decisions anchored to commercial impact. Below I’ll give you the exact brief I use and a practical scoring sheet you can hand to creators, agencies, or your internal studio to ensure every second earns its keep.
Why a precise brief matters
Short-form product reviews live or die on intent. If your brief is vague you’ll get a “pretty” video that doesn’t answer the buying questions or map to your comms funnel. I treat every 60-second review like a tiny sales page: headline, proof, objection handling, and a clear CTA — all in one tightly-edited minute.
Audience and objective (what to put at the top)
Start the brief with two lines that can’t be misunderstood.
Primary objective: Convert cold social viewers into a product page click or add-to-cart within a single view.
Audience: 25–40, tech-savvy early adopters, mid-to-high income, uses Instagram and TikTok for product discovery, cares about performance and build quality more than price.
Creative direction (what the video should feel like)
Keep this short and prescriptive.
Essential 60-second structure (use as the script backbone)
Every second should map to a purpose. I use this structure as my default template:
Shot list & technical specs (copy-paste into your brief)
Be explicit about what you need to avoid multiple rounds of revisions.
| Shot | Description | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Hook Visual | Dynamic close-up or product-in-hand shot showing the main benefit | 2–3s |
| Context/Problem | Show the problem state (e.g., slow transfer bar, bulky charger) | 5–7s |
| Demo Sequence | Clear, simple steps showing product solving the problem; include UI if relevant | 15–18s |
| Proof Elements | Text overlays for specs, quick testimonial clip or a benchmark screen | 8–10s |
| CTA | Final frame with clear direction and offer | 5–8s |
Script guidance and exact lines I use
I don’t force a word-for-word script for every creator, but I do provide line options that map to the structure above. Here’s a compact script you can drop in:
Hook: “Meet the XPad — a pocket SSD that transfers a full-length 4K movie in less than 30 seconds.”
Problem: “Old drives make you wait. That’s downtime you don’t have.”
Demo: “Plug in USB-C, drag the file — watch the transfer bar finish in real time.”
Proof: “Actual test: 4K file transferred in 28s. Bus-powered, durable metal casing, rated for 1M hours MTBF.”
Objection handling: “Worried about compatibility? Works with Windows, Mac, and most phones via adapter.”
CTA: “Tap to compare offers — get 10% off with code MEDIAFLASH.”
Deliverables and formats
Mandatory brand and legal notes
The scoring sheet every brief should include
Briefs without measurable evaluation create subjective feedback loops. I use the following scoring sheet during both creative review and QC. Each criterion is scored 1–5 (1 = poor, 5 = excellent). Multiply each score by its weight to get a weighted total. Aim for a weighted total of at least 80% before signing off.
| Criterion | What I look for | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Hook effectiveness | Immediate attention grab; clear main benefit in first 3s | 15 |
| Clarity of problem | Viewers instantly understand the pain point | 10 |
| Demo persuasiveness | Shows product solving the problem with visible proof | 20 |
| Proof & credibility | Includes data, testimonial, benchmark, or real-use evidence | 15 |
| Objection handling | Addresses the dominant buyer concern (compatibility, price, battery) | 10 |
| CTA clarity | Specific action and, if applicable, offer or urgency | 15 |
| Technical & production quality | Good audio, readable captions, proper framing and lighting | 10 |
How to score (quick example)
Score each criterion 1–5, multiply by the weight, add totals, then divide by maximum possible (100) to get a percentage.
Example scoring row: Demo persuasiveness = 4 (score) × 20 (weight) = 80 points. Sum all rows and divide by 500 (5 max × 100 total weight) then multiply by 100 to get percent. Target ≥ 80%.
Turn this into a simple pass/fail checklist
Alongside the weighted score, I use a hard pass/fail checklist for non-negotiables:
What I’ve learned from bad briefs
In practice the most common failures stem from one of three things: the video treats the review like an unstructured diary, there’s no measurable outcome tied to the brief, or the CTA is fuzzy (“link in bio” without incentive). A direct example: I once approved a technically beautiful 60s review with no proof and the client’s conversion rate stayed flat. Beautiful doesn’t equal persuasive.
Final tips for commissioning
If you want, I can convert this into a fillable brief template (Google Doc) with the scoring sheet pre-built so your team can use it straight away.
