Affordable Email Marketing

Free template

Email Campaign Brief and Approval Template

A fill-in-the-blanks brief that collects everything a campaign needs before it is written, plus a written approval step before anything is sent.

Free template Resources

What this template is for

A campaign brief is the document that collects everything a writer needs before a single line is drafted: who the email is for, what it is offering, where links go, what claims can be made, and when it should send. This template adds a second job that is just as important — recording written approval from the person authorised to make the final call.

This is the brief our own service uses for every campaign. It exists because most email problems are not writing problems. They are missing-fact problems: an unverified price, an old link, an audience that was never agreed, or a version that went out without anyone confirming it. A structured brief catches those before the send, not after.

When to use it

Use a fresh copy of this document for every campaign you send — once a month, twice a month, or on a special promotion. It works whether you write in-house, hire a freelancer, or use a flat-rate service. You can keep it as a document, a note, or a section in your project management tool.

The approval step matters most when another person or company writes and sends for you. Our guide to outsourcing email marketing covers why written approval is the control that keeps outsourcing safe. If you are comparing done-for-you services, the done-for-you guide explains how a brief and approval loop fits into a monthly service.

How to use it step by step

  1. Duplicate the file into a private workspace. Create one copy per campaign and name it with the campaign name. Never commit completed client information, subscriber data, credentials, or approval records to a public repository.
  2. Fill in the campaign record. Client, campaign name, audience, purpose, call to action, destination URL, requested send date, and sender and reply-to details.
  3. Collect client-supplied facts. The offer, event, or update; prices, dates, availability, eligibility, and restrictions; any claims or regulated statements needing verification; required legal or brand language; and approved images or assets.
  4. Draft the email. Subject line, preheader, design or preview link, and a check that the plain-text version still makes sense without images.
  5. Run the pre-approval quality check. Work through the ten items in the checklist, from audience selection to confirming that no purchased, scraped, rented, or otherwise unauthorised contacts are included.
  6. Consolidate one revision round. Collect the client's complete list of changes, return the revision, and quote anything genuinely outside the agreed scope separately.
  7. Get final written approval. The authorised approver sends the approval statement in writing, with a timestamp. Silence is never approval.
  8. Re-approve if anything changes. If content, audience, links, sender details, or schedule change after approval, obtain a new written approval before sending.

The template

Here is the full template, section by section, as it is used. Placeholders in double braces are filled per campaign.

Campaign record

  • Client
  • Campaign name
  • Campaign number this month: 1 / 2
  • Intended audience
  • Purpose
  • Primary call to action
  • Destination URL
  • Requested send date and time
  • Sender name
  • Sender email
  • Reply-to email

Client-supplied facts

  • Offer, event, announcement, or useful update
  • Prices, dates, availability, eligibility, and restrictions
  • Claims or regulated statements requiring client verification
  • Required legal or brand language
  • Approved images or assets

Draft

  • Subject line
  • Preheader
  • Design or preview link
  • Plain-text version checked: yes / no

Pre-approval quality check

  • Agreed audience selected
  • Sender and reply-to details correct
  • Subject and preheader checked
  • Every price, date, name, claim, and restriction verified
  • Every link opened and destination confirmed
  • Unsubscribe and sender-identity footer present
  • Personalisation and fallback values tested
  • Mobile and desktop previews checked
  • Final test email received
  • No purchased, scraped, rented, suppressed, or otherwise unauthorised contacts included

Consolidated revision round

  • Client's complete requested changes
  • Revision returned on
  • Any new direction or additional deliverable quoted separately

Final written approval

The client should send the following approval from the authorised approver:

I approve the final copy, design, links, sender details, audience, claims, offer terms, and scheduled send time for "{{campaign_name}}". I authorise Affordable Email Marketing to schedule and send this version through our email platform.

  • Approver
  • Approval timestamp and timezone
  • Approval channel or message link
  • Final scheduled time and timezone
  • Email-platform campaign ID

Silence is never approval. If the content, audience, links, sender details, or schedule changes after approval, obtain a new written approval.

Why written approval matters

Written approval protects both sides. For the business owner, it is the guarantee that nothing goes out without an authorised person seeing the final version, links, and claims. For the writer or service, it is the record that the version was accepted as-is. It also assigns responsibility for commercial accuracy: prices, dates, and claims are facts only the business can verify, and the template says so explicitly.

You can adapt the approval wording to name your own writer or service. The important part is the form — a dated, written confirmation from a named approver — not the exact sentences.