KOL Brief

SKILL.md

---
name: kol-brief
description: Create detailed creative briefs for KOL and influencer partnerships covering product positioning, dos and don'ts, deliverables, and timeline expectations. Use when onboarding TikTok Shop affiliates, LIVE co-hosts, or sponsored creators, defining deliverables and talking points, or fixing off-brand creator content with clearer guidance.
---

# KOL Brief

Partnering with KOLs (Key Opinion Leaders) and influencers can drive massive TikTok Shop GMV — but only when creators have a clear, detailed brief. Vague instructions lead to off-brand content, poor conversion, and wasted spend. This skill generates fully structured, campaign-ready KOL briefs that tell creators exactly what to say, show, and avoid, so every piece of content aligns with your product positioning and platform compliance rules.

## Quick Reference

| Decision | Strong | Acceptable | Weak |
|---|---|---|---|
| Positioning angle | One angle matched to this creator's audience ("budget-conscious skincare beginners") | General product positioning | "Make it go viral" with no angle |
| Talking points | Top 3, each with a proof point (clinical stat, review count, demo moment) | 3–5 unproven claims | 10+ points the creator will ignore |
| Deliverables | Exact count, duration, posting window, hashtags, link placement | Count and rough timing | "A few videos when you can" |
| Dos & don'ts | ≤7 dos, ≤7 don'ts, each tied to compliance or conversion | Generic brand guidelines | Pages of legal boilerplate |
| Creative freedom | Mandatory elements separated from creator-choice elements | Mostly prescriptive | Fully scripted word-for-word |
| Compensation | Rate, payment schedule, usage rights, exclusivity window all stated | Rate and schedule only | "We'll discuss after posting" |
| Brief length | 1–2 pages, scannable, copy-paste ready | 3 pages with clear headers | 6+ page PDF nobody reads |

## Solves

- Creator content that misses the product's actual selling points because nobody told them
- Off-brand or non-compliant videos that must be re-shot after platform takedowns
- 45–90 minutes per brief drafted manually by marketing teams
- Disputes over deliverables, usage rights, or payment because the brief never specified them
- Briefs so long and prescriptive that creators produce stilted, low-converting content
- Inconsistent positioning when multiple KOLs promote the same product simultaneously
- Missing platform-compliance rules (health claims, before/after restrictions) that get videos removed

## Workflow

### Step 1: Collect the inputs

1. **Product name and key benefits** (required) — top 2–3 selling points, e.g., "AuraGlow LED Face Mask — reduces fine lines in 4 weeks, FDA-cleared, cordless design."
2. **Creator handle or profile summary** (required) — niche, follower count, audience demographics.
3. **Campaign goal** (required) — GMV target, awareness, LIVE session co-host, product launch.
4. **Deliverables expectation** (required) — number of videos, LIVE hours, posting window.
5. **Compensation structure** (required) — flat fee, commission, free product, or hybrid; payment schedule.
6. **Compliance constraints** (optional but critical for health/beauty/supplements) — claims that may and may not be made.

### Step 2: Choose the positioning angle

Select ONE angle that intersects the product's strongest benefit with this creator's audience identity. A skincare product briefed to a budget-beauty creator gets the "salon results under $3/use" angle; the same product briefed to a tech reviewer gets the "FDA-cleared red-light engineering" angle. Write the angle as one sentence the creator could read aloud.

### Step 3: Build the top-3 talking points with proof

Each talking point pairs a claim with proof the creator can show or cite: a demo moment ("show the 3-second fold-flat"), a stat ("12,000+ five-star reviews"), or a comparison ("half the price of the salon version"). Three points maximum — creators reliably integrate three, and conversion drops when scripts get denser.

### Step 4: Specify deliverables precisely

State: content count and type (short video, LIVE segment, story), minimum duration, posting date window, required hashtags and @mentions, product link placement (TikTok Shop anchor link, bio link), and whether drafts are submitted for review. Include the re-shoot policy (typically one revision round within 5 days).

### Step 5: Write the dos and don'ts

Maximum 7 each. Dos are conversion levers: show the product in first 3 seconds, demonstrate the hero feature on camera, state the discount code verbally. Don'ts are compliance and brand protection: no medical cure claims, no competitor mentions, no undisclosed sponsorship (platform + FTC), no price promises beyond the campaign window.

### Step 6: Summarize compensation and timeline

One table: rate and structure, payment trigger and schedule, usage rights (can the brand re-use the video in ads, for how long), exclusivity window if any, and the full timeline from product shipping to posting to payment.

### Step 7: Format for delivery and verify

Assemble using `references/output-template.md`, keep it under 2 pages, and run `assets/brief-quality-checklist.md`. The brief must be copy-paste ready for email or creator portal — no internal notes left in.

## Example 1: TikTok Shop skincare launch

**Inputs:** AuraGlow LED Face Mask, $129 — reduces fine lines in 4 weeks, FDA-cleared, cordless. Creator: @glowwithmaya, 85K followers, skincare-routine niche, 25–40 female US audience. Goal: launch-week GMV. Deliverables: 2 short videos in launch week. Compensation: $400 flat + 12% commission. Compliance: no "cures wrinkles" claims, no before/after under 4 weeks.

**Output (excerpt):**

> **Positioning angle:** "The FDA-cleared LED mask that fits a real nighttime routine — no cords, no salon appointments."
>
> **Talking points:** (1) Visible fine-line reduction in 4 weeks — cite the clinical study card included in your shipment. (2) Fully cordless — show yourself walking around the house wearing it. (3) One-tap 10-minute auto session — demo the single button.
>
> **Don'ts include:** Don't say it "cures" or "erases" wrinkles (FDA compliance — say "reduces the appearance of fine lines"). Don't show before/after photos claiming results under 4 weeks. Don't mention competitor masks by name.
>
> **Deliverables:** 2 videos, ≥30s each, posted between June 10–16, TikTok Shop anchor link attached, #AuraGlowPartner + @auraglow tagged, draft 1 submitted 48h before posting.

## Example 2: TikTok LIVE co-host for kitchen appliance

**Inputs:** CrispWave Air Fryer Oven, $159 — 12-in-1 functions, family size, 40% launch discount. Creator: @cookingwithdannyfam, 210K followers, family-cooking LIVE streams. Goal: 2-hour co-hosted LIVE, 300-unit target. Compensation: $800 flat + 8% LIVE commission. 

**Output (excerpt):**

> **LIVE run-of-show:** Segment 1 (0:00–0:20) — unboxing and first-impressions, state the 40% launch price in the first 5 minutes. Segment 2 (0:20–1:10) — cook two recipes live (wings + veggie chips) demonstrating 4 of the 12 functions. Segment 3 (1:10–1:50) — Q&A using the FAQ sheet; re-state price drop every 15 minutes. Segment 4 (1:50–2:00) — final call with bundle offer.
>
> **Dos include:** Repeat the discount code verbally at each segment break; pin the product link; show the interior rack capacity with a full chicken.
>
> **Compensation table:** $800 flat (50% on confirmation, 50% within 7 days post-LIVE) + 8% commission on LIVE-attributed sales, paid monthly; brand may clip LIVE segments for ads for 90 days; no competing air-fryer LIVE for 14 days.

## Common Mistakes

1. **Briefing the product instead of the angle.** Listing every feature forces the creator to guess what matters. Choose one angle and three points.
2. **Full word-for-word scripts.** Scripted creator content underperforms native-style content consistently; specify mandatory elements, leave the delivery to the creator.
3. **No proof attached to claims.** "Best-selling" without a number, or "clinically proven" without the study card, produces content that platforms flag and viewers distrust.
4. **Vague deliverables.** "A couple of videos soon" guarantees disputes. Date windows, durations, and link placement are contractual specifics.
5. **Missing usage rights.** Brands that re-use creator videos in paid ads without negotiated rights face takedowns and damaged relationships. State the rights and duration in every brief.
6. **Compliance as an afterthought.** Health, beauty, and supplement categories have platform-specific banned claims; a removed video wastes the entire spend. Put banned claims in the don'ts, verbatim.
7. **Burying compensation.** Creators read the money section first. Put rate, schedule, and triggers in a clean table — ambiguity here stalls campaigns more than any creative disagreement.
8. **One brief for all creators.** Copy-pasting the same brief to a 20K micro-creator and a 500K macro ignores audience and format differences; at minimum, re-select the angle and adjust deliverables.
9. **No revision policy.** Without a stated review round and re-shoot limit, brands either accept off-brief content or demand unlimited free re-shoots. One revision round within 5 days is the standard.

## Resources

- `references/output-template.md` — complete brief structure ready to fill
- `references/positioning-angles-guide.md` — angle selection by creator niche and product category
- `references/compliance-claims-guide.md` — banned and restricted claim patterns by category (beauty, supplements, electronics, kids)
- `assets/brief-quality-checklist.md` — pre-delivery checklist (40+ items)