The Brief Guide

What Threader needs to work well.

Threader turns briefing information into strategic direction. The sharper the input, the sharper the output. This guide shows what good briefing information looks like, and where the gaps usually are.

Use it to prep before a pitch, or share it with clients to show them what you need.

The Six Essentials

1. Business Context

What good looks like: A clear commercial problem with stakes attached. "Sales have declined 12% over two years despite maintained media spend. We're losing share to challenger brands positioned on sustainability."

Red flags:

• "We want to increase awareness" (awareness of what, to what end?)
• No connection between marketing activity and business outcome
• Objectives that could apply to any brand in any category

Questions to ask:

• What happens to the business if this work fails?
• What would success look like in 12 months?
• Why is this brief happening now?

2. The Organisation

What good looks like: What the organisation does, who its key stakeholders are, what it is known for, and what it is not known for. Honest acknowledgement of perception gaps. "We see ourselves as innovative and transparent, but media coverage consistently frames us as evasive and reactive."

Red flags:

• Organisation described only in aspirational terms
• No distinction between internal belief and external perception
• "We are committed to excellence, innovation, and our people" (so is everyone)

Questions to ask:

• What do journalists, analysts, and stakeholders actually say about you?
• What narrative would you never want attached to the organisation?
• What were you known for that you have lost?

3. The Stakeholders

What good looks like: A human description of who you need to reach and what drives their behaviour. "Institutional investors who want ESG transparency but distrust corporate sustainability claims. They are actively seeking evidence that contradicts our messaging."

Red flags:

• Stakeholder groups listed by job title only: "media, investors, employees"
• "Our audience is all stakeholders"
• No insight into tension, motivation, or information-seeking behaviour

Questions to ask:

• Which stakeholder group can do the most damage if we get this wrong?
• What do they believe about us that might not be true?
• What are they actively looking for that we are not providing?

4. The Communications Landscape

What good looks like: Named peers with a point of view on how the sector communicates. "Our competitors all lead with thought leadership and executive positioning. Every CEO in our sector publishes the same LinkedIn posts about transformation. None of them acknowledge the tension between what they claim and what stakeholders actually experience."

Red flags:

• "We don't really have competitors in this space"
• Competitors listed but messaging not analysed
• No sense of what the sector takes for granted in its communications

Questions to ask:

• What does every organisation in this sector say in their comms?
• Whose narrative is winning and why?
• Where is the gap between what the sector claims and what stakeholders believe?

5. Constraints and Mandatories

What good looks like: Explicit rules, approval chains, regulatory requirements, and no-go areas. "We cannot comment on ongoing litigation. The CEO will not do broadcast media. All public statements must go through legal. Budget is £200k across earned, owned, and paid."

Red flags:

• "Just develop the strategy, no constraints"
• Constraints revealed after strategy is developed
• No clarity on approval process, legal review, or spokesperson availability

Questions to ask:

• What would get this communications strategy killed internally?
• Who needs to approve public statements and how long does that take?
• What topics are off-limits, legally or politically?

6. What Success Looks Like

What good looks like: A measurable outcome with a timeframe. "Shift media sentiment from 60% negative to below 40% within 12 months. Secondary: increase proactive coverage share from 20% to 40% of total mentions."

Red flags:

• No success metrics defined
• Metrics that can't be measured
• "We'll know it when we see it"

Questions to ask:

• How will you measure whether this worked?
• What's the benchmark you're trying to beat?
• If you could only pick one metric, what would it be?

The Gap Check

Before starting in Threader, score your brief:

Problem Reframing in Practice

The Story's job is to see through the stated brief to the real problem. This isn't about being clever or contrarian. It's about finding where strategy can actually make a difference.

Clients describe what they want to do. Your job is to understand what they're actually trying to solve.

Here are five examples showing how problem reframing works across different industries.

Example 1: NHS Trust

A regional NHS trust managing public communications

The stated brief: "We need a campaign to explain our new waiting list reduction plan and reassure patients."

The real problem: Patients are not anxious because they lack information about the plan. They are anxious because they have been promised improvements before and nothing changed. The communications challenge is a credibility deficit, not an information deficit.

The sector messaging convention: NHS trusts assume the barrier is public understanding. They publish infographics explaining processes, issue statements with statistics showing improvement, and use reassuring language. Patients have learned to discount all of it.

Why it matters: A campaign explaining the plan will be received as more of the same. The reframe: how does the trust communicate in a way that acknowledges broken promises and earns the right to be believed again?

Example 2: Energy Company

A major energy company repositioning after environmental controversy

The stated brief: "We need to communicate our net zero transition plan and rebuild trust with environmental stakeholders."

The real problem: Environmental stakeholders do not distrust the company because they have not seen the net zero plan. They distrust it because every energy company has a net zero plan, and the gap between corporate climate rhetoric and operational reality is the most publicly documented tension in the sector.

The sector messaging convention: Energy companies assume the barrier is awareness of their commitments. They publish glossy sustainability reports, sponsor climate conferences, and lead with emissions reduction percentages. Activists, journalists, and investors have learned to compare claims against capital allocation and lobbying records.

Why it matters: Communicating the plan more loudly reinforces scepticism. The reframe: what evidence can the company create that third parties will verify and carry on its behalf, removing the need to self-advocate?

Example 3: Financial Services

A retail bank facing regulatory scrutiny

The stated brief: "We need to reassure customers and investors after the FCA investigation. Our messaging should emphasise our commitment to compliance and customer protection."

The real problem: "Commitment to compliance" is what every financial services firm says after regulatory action. Customers do not need reassurance; they need to understand what actually happened and what changed. Investors need to understand the financial exposure and remediation timeline, not corporate platitudes.

The sector messaging convention: Financial services firms respond to regulatory issues with statements about commitment to the highest standards, investment in compliance infrastructure, and cooperation with regulators. The language is designed to say nothing specific while sounding responsible.

Why it matters: Reassurance messaging after regulatory action triggers further scepticism. The reframe: which stakeholder group poses the greatest risk (customers, investors, or regulators), and what does each group actually need to hear?

Example 4: Technology Company

A B2B SaaS company entering a new market

The stated brief: "We need to build awareness among enterprise CIOs in the UK market and generate qualified leads through thought leadership."

The real problem: CIOs are drowning in thought leadership. Every technology vendor publishes whitepapers, hosts webinars, and claims to be "transforming" something. The sector has so much content that none of it is distinctive. Awareness is not the barrier; narrative mental availability is. When a CIO thinks about the problem this company solves, which company comes to mind first?

The sector messaging convention: B2B technology companies assume thought leadership drives consideration. They lead with product capabilities, analyst endorsements, and case studies. The result is interchangeable messaging where every vendor sounds alike.

Why it matters: More thought leadership content will not solve a distinctiveness problem. The reframe: what single narrative position would make this company the obvious reference point when CIOs discuss this problem space?

Example 5: Public Sector

A local authority managing a contentious infrastructure project

The stated brief: "We need to communicate the benefits of the new development to local residents and manage opposition."

The real problem: Residents do not oppose the development because they have not been told about the benefits. They oppose it because they feel decisions have been made without genuine consultation, and previous "engagement exercises" were performative. The communications challenge is a democratic legitimacy deficit.

The sector messaging convention: Public sector bodies assume opposition stems from lack of information. They hold public consultations, distribute leaflets, and create websites explaining plans. Residents have learned that "consultation" means "we have already decided and this is your chance to feel heard."

Why it matters: Communicating benefits more effectively will not address a trust deficit rooted in process. The reframe: how does the authority demonstrate that stakeholder input genuinely shaped the outcome, not just the communications about the outcome?

"The brief you receive is rarely the brief you need. Clients describe symptoms, not causes. They tell you what they want to say, not what the audience needs to hear. Your job is to see through the stated brief to the real problem. That's what the Story is for."