YOUTUBE AGENCY BRIEF
Machine House · 13 October 2026
Guide: https://machinehouse.media/guides/choosing-youtube-growth-agency

Copy this file and fill it in. Share the same brief with each shortlisted team.
No example below describes a client contract or a promised result.

1. OUR CHANNEL AND THE JOB
Channel URL:
Who we want to reach:
What that viewer should come to us for:
Business objective:
How we will recognise a qualified enquiry, if relevant:
The decision or task we currently cannot handle:
Three representative videos, with publication dates:
Relevant Analytics available for an authorised review:
Paid promotion used so far, with dates and spend:

2. THE PEOPLE AND CONSTRAINTS
Internal owner and final approver:
Existing writer, editor, producer or designer:
Founder/host recording availability:
Recording city and setup; who arranges it:
Working language(s):
Travel assumptions:
Approximate budget; whether it includes shoot costs, paid media and taxes:
Proposed formats and volume, open to revision after diagnosis:
Launch or review date and why it matters:
Time available for our reviews:

3. WHAT WE WANT THE AGENCY TO OWN
For each row, name the agency owner, client contribution and concrete output.
Audience and channel diagnosis:
Next episode ideas and topic approval:
Research and sources:
Scriptwriting or interview preparation:
Shoot planning and recording:
Long-form editing:
Title direction and thumbnail production:
Shorts: selected excerpts or newly written pieces? Who selects/writes them?
Publishing and release coordination:
Paid media, if commissioned separately:
Performance interpretation and next-slate recommendations:

4. QUESTIONS FOR THE PROSPECTIVE TEAM
Which problem would you investigate first, and what would you need to see?
Walk us through one suggested change to a specific video.
What is observed, what is your explanation, and how could we test it?
Show a relevant case: starting point, dates, release set and your contribution.
How did paid exposure and format mix affect that case's reported results?
What happened to a weaker release, and what changed afterwards?
Who would write/edit/manage our work? Can we inspect a relevant sample?
How much capacity can those people commit, and who covers an absence?

5. FIRST REVIEW
Agreed initial body of work:
Deliverables and acceptance criteria:
Review date:
Comparable video age, format and traffic-source groups:
Where paid results will be reported separately:
Business outcomes recorded alongside viewing behaviour:
What could remain uncertain with this number of releases:
Evidence that would make us change direction:
Person responsible for the next commissioning decision:

6. COMMERCIAL AND HANDOVER DETAILS
Fee and billing period:
Included filming, locations, crew and travel:
Media budget and who authorises it:
Taxes and other charges, where applicable:
Revision rounds and consolidated-feedback deadline:
Handling missed recordings and changes to the brief:
Any minimum term, cancellation terms and notice:
Files delivered: masters, projects where agreed, thumbnails, scripts and sources:
Licensing records and any asset-use restrictions:
Storage, transfer timing and handover owner:
YouTube permission role, approver and access-removal owner:

7. OUR COMPARISON
Proposal A: what remains with our team?
Proposal B: what remains with our team?
Additional hires/freelancers each proposal requires:
Internal coordination and review time each requires:
Unanswered questions before selection:
Who brings the next four episode ideas?