Marketing

How to Brief a Google Ads Expert in 15 Minutes

A template you can copy to get a media buyer up and running the same day.

ViaHourly EditorialGrowth & SEO Desk January 22, 2026 5 min read

The single biggest cause of slow Google Ads onboarding isn't the media buyer — it's a vague brief that forces multiple rounds of clarifying questions before any real work can start. A tight, specific brief gets a specialist actively optimizing your account on day one.

The five things every brief needs

A useful brief doesn't need to be long — it needs to answer five specific questions clearly enough that a media buyer can start working without a scheduling back-and-forth first.

What's the target cost-per-acquisition or ROAS goal, specifically?
What's the current monthly ad spend, and is there room to flex it?
Which campaign types are already running (Search, Shopping, PMax, YouTube)?
Is conversion tracking currently set up and verified accurate?
Who has access to grant Google Ads and Analytics account permissions?

Why 'grow sales' isn't a usable goal

A goal like 'increase sales' gives a media buyer nothing to optimize toward. A specific target — 'get blended CPA under $45' or 'hit 4x ROAS on the Shopping campaign' — lets them make concrete bid, budget and creative decisions from the first day rather than guessing at what success looks like.

Give access before the kickoff call, not during it

Account access delays are the single most common reason a Google Ads engagement stalls in its first week. Granting read access to Google Ads, Google Analytics and Google Tag Manager before the kickoff call — rather than during or after it — means the first working session can start with diagnosis instead of IT logistics.

A copy-paste brief template

'We run [business type] and currently spend $[X]/month on Google Ads across [campaign types]. Our target is [specific CPA or ROAS goal]. Conversion tracking is [verified accurate / unverified / broken]. We're looking for [audit only / ongoing management]. Account access will be shared before our first call.' Fill in the brackets and most media buyers can start meaningful work within a day.

Key takeaways

A specific, numeric goal (target CPA or ROAS) is more useful to a media buyer than a general growth objective.
Sharing account access before the kickoff call, not during it, removes the most common onboarding delay.
A five-question brief covering goal, spend, campaign types, tracking status and access is usually enough to start.
Clarify upfront whether you want a one-time audit or ongoing account management.

#google ads#ppc#briefing#media buying