Executive PR buyer brief template

Define the objective, stakeholder, expertise, evidence, boundaries, scope, participation, governance, budget, measurement, and exit before requesting proposals. Providers can then price the same problem and state their assumptions.

1. Name every party and decision owner

• Working name:
• Executive:
• Company or organization:
• Contracting party:
• Payer:
• Day-to-day manager:
• Objective owner:
• Approval owner or owners:
• Risk escalation owner:
• Target start and review dates:
• Reason for buying now:

If these parties differ, assign termination, identity, information, account, and asset control.

2. Define the stakeholder change before the outputs

• Organizational or professional objective:
• Priority stakeholder:
• Decision or change sought from that stakeholder:
• Current baseline and source:
• Target, measure, and time window:
• Why executive visibility is appropriate:
• Why this executive is the right source:
• Other executives or company channels in scope:
• Non-goals and excluded stakeholders:

Use goals and baselines to connect activity and outputs to stakeholder response and impact.

3. Bound expertise, claims, and risk

• Subjects supported by direct executive experience:
• Distinct positions the executive can defend:
• Approved company facts, examples, research, or customer evidence:
• Claims that require new substantiation:
• Company-confidential subjects:
• Personal subjects the executive will not discuss:
• Legal, compliance, investor, employment, privacy, safety, or security triggers:
• Known conflicts, investments, sponsorships, gifts, or other disclosure needs:
• Relevant prior statements, coverage, disputes, or corrections:

Classify speech as personal, company, or both using the voice rules.

4. Mark scope and opportunity class

Mark each item required, optional, excluded, or provider-recommended:

• positioning and narrative;
• executive interviews and source development;
• thought leadership or ghostwriting;
• media relations and reactive commentary;
• social strategy, drafting, publishing, or engagement;
• podcasts, speaking, awards, or contributed content;
• media or presentation training;
• search-profile work;
• monitoring, preparedness, or crisis counsel;
• measurement and research; and
• account transition or cleanup.

For each service, define the deliverable, service level, responsibility, dependency, and acceptance test. Classify opportunities as earned, paid, sponsored, or controlled.

5. Match the operating model to available time

• Executive interview time available per month:
• Executive review time available per week:
• Standard approval window:
• Urgent opportunity response window:
• Internal subject-matter experts available:
• Company reviewers and their authority:
• Meeting and reporting cadence:
• Required working hours, locations, languages, or travel:
• Named provider roles that must attend meetings:
• Delegate and process during executive absence:

Test requested output against executive time with the interview and approval cadence.

6. Assign account, asset, and security controls

• Owner and recovery contact for each account, domain, list, archive, and source file:
• Permitted provider access method:
• Approved storage and collaboration systems:
• Subcontractor and AI restrictions:
• Recording, transcription, retention, and deletion rules:
• Background intellectual property:
• Ownership or license required for new work:
• Likeness, recording, excerpt, syndication, and reuse limits:
• Incident reporting and offboarding requirements:

Require named, revocable access where supported. Record exceptions through the account security process.

7. Make commercial proposals comparable

• Budget range and currency:
• Project, retainer, or open recommendation:
• Minimum and preferred term:
• Outside-cost ceiling:
• Travel policy:
• Paid-opportunity policy:
• Billing and procurement requirements:
• Proposal due date and decision date:
• Pitch format and time limit:
• Selection participants and decision owner:
• Required references, samples, conflicts, and disclosures:
• Required assumptions, exclusions, and dependencies:

Separate fees, expenses, tools, paid access, and options. Require proposed team names and allocations.

8. Define evaluation and exit before selection

• Baseline data available:
• Required operating, output, response, outcome, impact, cost, and risk measures:
• Data systems the provider may access:
• 30-, 60-, and 90-day review decisions:
• Corrective-test process:
• Pause and termination rights sought:
• Transition assistance required:
• Final deliverables, data export, access removal, and deletion certification:

Use the provider scorecard. Share source material through an appropriate confidentiality process and only with bidders who need it.