Clarify Engagement Objectives in Media Campaign Briefs using Get Who To By
Look, we’ve all read media briefs that list 'engagement' as a goal, which is about as useful as saying your goal is to 'exist.' Most briefs are just a collection of buzzwords hoping for a miracle. The Get Who To By framework is your bullshit detector. It forces you to stop hiding behind vague metrics and actually decide what you want people to do before you blow the entire Q4 budget on ads that everyone will ignore.
The TL;DR
Stop treating your media brief like a wish list for Santa. Use GWTB to nail down your target (GET), identify why they’re currently scrolling past you (WHO), give them a clear command (TO), and build the actual mechanism to make them bite (BY). It turns 'maybe they'll like us' into 'here is exactly how we win.'
Why This Saves You from a Mediocre Campaign
Because 'engagement' isn't a strategy, it's a hope. This framework kills the ambiguity before it kills your ROI.
The Four Steps
GET
Who exactly are you stalking?
Define the smallest, most winnable group of people. If you say 'everyone,' I'm closing the deck. Be specific about who is actually primed to care about this specific campaign right now.
WHO
What is their current behavioral baggage?
Identify the habit or friction that is stopping them. Are they bored? Skeptical? Overwhelmed? You need to know why they are currently choosing NOT to engage with you.
TO
What is the 'so what' message?
Give them a message so simple a toddler could follow it. This isn't the time for poetry. Tell them exactly what the value is and what the next step looks like.
BY
What is the actual trap - I mean, mechanism?
How are you physically or digitally making them act? This is the 'how.' Is it a gated tool, a countdown timer, or a 'click here to win' button? Define the plumbing.
Briefing Disasters to Avoid
(Unless you enjoy wasting money)
- ×Defining the audience so broadly it includes 'people with skin'
- ×Mistaking a demographic for a behavior insight
- ×Writing a 'TO' that sounds like a corporate mission statement
- ×Forgetting the 'BY' and just hoping people 'find' the link
- ×Using 'awareness' as a cover for not having an engagement plan
- ×Ignoring the fact that people hate ads and need a real reason to stop scrolling
- ×Overcomplicating the mechanism until it breaks
- ×Trying to solve five problems with one 15-second pre-roll
Fix these, or prepare for a post-campaign report full of 'learnings' and zero results.
Real Examples
B2B SaaS Lead Gen
Getting cynical CTOs to actually try a new security tool.
GET
Overworked CTOs at mid-sized firms who just survived a minor data scare.
WHO
They are tired of 'revolutionary' sales pitches and assume every new tool is just more bloat they have to manage.
TO
See exactly where your current stack is leaking in 5 minutes, no sales call required.
BY
A self-serve 'vulnerability calculator' that provides a PDF report in exchange for an email address.
DTC Product Launch
Launching a high-end coffee subscription to caffeine addicts.
GET
Home-office workers who spend $40 a week at local cafes.
WHO
They want the 'ritual' of good coffee but are starting to feel the sting of inflation and daily commute costs.
TO
Get cafe-quality morning vibes for 1/4 of the price without leaving your kitchen.
BY
A 'blind taste test' starter kit for $5 that ships instantly when they take a 3-question flavor quiz.
App Re-engagement
Getting ghosting users back into a fitness app.
GET
Lapsed users who haven't opened the app in 14 days.
WHO
They feel guilty for stopping but are intimidated by the thought of a 'hard' workout after a break.
TO
Just give us 4 minutes today. That’s it. No sweat, just movement.
BY
A push notification linking directly to a 'Day 1: Reset' video that is locked at exactly 4 minutes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I have more than one GET in a single brief?
No. Pick one. If you have two distinct audiences, you have two distinct campaigns. Don't be lazy; do the work.
What if my WHO is just 'they want to save money'?
Everyone wants to save money. That's not an insight, it's a fact of life. Dig deeper. Why are they specifically NOT saving money with you yet?
Does the TO have to be the actual headline?
It should be the soul of the headline. If your creative team can't see the 'TO' in the final copy, you've failed.
Is the BY just the 'Link in Bio'?
Only if you want to fail. The BY is the entire experience - the landing page, the offer, the friction-free path to 'Done.'
How do I know if my engagement objective is 'clarified'?
If you can read your GWTB to a stranger and they know exactly who the ad is for and what happens when they click, you're good.
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