How to Write a Good Brief

The Six Components

The brief has six components. All six are required for a good video. The order in which you write them does not matter. The specificity of each one does.

Name and Address

Write the recipient's full name as they prefer to be addressed. Not “my friend” or “the birthday person.” Their name. If the creator is expected to use a nickname — “Rosie” rather than “Rosamund,” “Pop” rather than “Dad” — write that explicitly. The name should appear in the first 15 seconds of the video. It is the single most important signal that the video is specifically for this person.

Example: “Her name is Sofia. She goes by Sofi to everyone who knows her. Please use Sofi throughout.”

The Occasion

State the occasion explicitly and specifically. Not “it's her birthday.” Write: “She is turning 40 on June 3rd.” Not “they've been together a while.” Write: “They are celebrating their 15th wedding anniversary.” The specific milestone changes the entire register of the message — a 40th birthday is not the same as a 35th, and a 15th anniversary is not the same as a 5th.

If the occasion is a graduation, include the degree, the institution, and the graduation date. If it is a get well message, include what the person is recovering from if you are comfortable sharing it.

Example: “She is graduating with a Master's in Architecture from the Politecnico di Milano on July 12th. First in her class.”

The Location Reference

Explain why this city was chosen for this person. This is the brief component that most people skip, and it is one of the most valuable. A creator who knows why Venice was chosen — because the couple honeymooned there, because the recipient has always wanted to go, because the sender knows they love Venetian Gothic architecture — can weave that into the delivery in a way that makes the location feel chosen rather than random.

If there is no specific connection to the city, write that the city was chosen as an aspiration — and what aspect of the city fits the recipient. If the recipient loves Italian food, write that. If they love Renaissance architecture, write that. The creator can use it.

Example: “They visited Venice on their honeymoon in 2011. They always talk about the morning they spent at the Rialto fish market. If possible, film near there.”

The Personal Detail

This is the brief component that separates a good video from a great one. One specific detail about the recipient that a stranger could not guess. Not “she loves travel” — that is not specific. Not “he works hard” — that is generic. One real, specific, surprising detail.

The detail should be:

• True and specific to this person.
• Something the recipient would recognise immediately as being about them.
• Something that communicates that the sender knows them, not just their name.

Example: “She has been trying to learn Italian for three years and her dream is to order a coffee in Venice without the barista switching to English. She hasn't managed it yet.”

A creator who reads this brief has everything they need to make the recipient feel genuinely seen. That is the entire point.

The Tone

Specify the tone explicitly. Creators — real and AI — default to a general warm-celebratory register if no tone is specified. If you want something different, say so.

Useful tone descriptors:

• Warm and sincere, not performatively enthusiastic.
• Quietly proud, not overwrought.
• Gently humorous, but not at the recipient's expense.
• Formally respectful — this is going to a professor / a parent / a senior colleague.
• Intimate and direct — this is going to a partner.

If the recipient has a specific cultural context that affects tone — if they are Japanese and would find overt emotional display uncomfortable, if they are Italian and would appreciate a warmer register than an English speaker would — include that.

The Language

Specify the language explicitly. For most locations on this site, the default is English with a closing phrase in the local language. If you want the entire video in the local language, say so and confirm the creator's native fluency before ordering.

Include the closing phrase you want if you have a preference. “Tanti auguri, Sofi, da Venezia” is more specific than “please close in Italian.” If you are using HeyGen, write the closing phrase directly into the script.

The Brief Template

Copy and fill this before ordering any personalized video:

RECIPIENT NAME: [Name as used by people who know them]
OCCASION: [Specific — age, milestone, degree, years]
LOCATION REFERENCE: [Why this city for this person]
PERSONAL DETAIL: [One specific thing a stranger could not guess]
TONE: [Specific descriptor]
LANGUAGE: [English / Local language / Both — specify closing phrase]
LENGTH: [30 / 45 / 60 / 75 / 90 seconds]
LOCATION PREFERENCE: [Specific landmark or neighborhood]
DELIVERY DATE NEEDED: [Date — allow buffer for real person orders]