Create a Clear Brief Under Time Pressure using Get Who To By
So, the clock is ticking, your coffee is cold, and your boss wants a 'visionary' brief in ten minutes. Great. Instead of staring at a blank Google Doc until you start hallucinating, use the Get Who To By framework. It’s the strategic equivalent of a cold shower: it wakes you up, strips away the nonsense, and forces you to actually commit to a direction before the meeting starts. It's not about being perfect; it's about being clear enough to actually get something done.
The TL;DR
Stop trying to boil the ocean. Use Get Who To By to define exactly who matters (GET), why they’re currently ignoring you (WHO), what you need to tell them (TO), and the actual mechanism to make it happen (BY). It’s fast, it’s brutal, and it actually works when you're under the gun.
Why Get Who To By Saves Your Sanity
Because most briefs are just a collection of 'vibes' and 'aspirations' that mean nothing to the creative team. This framework cuts the nonsense.
The Four Steps
GET
Who exactly are you trying to reach?
Not 'people with skin.' Pick a specific, winnable group that actually has a reason to care about this right now. If you can't describe them in one sentence, you're already failing.
WHO
What’s the critical behavior insight about them?
Stop looking at demographics and start looking at their baggage. What are they doing right now that’s getting in the way? What’s the specific frustration that makes your solution look like a miracle?
TO
What’s the message that makes action obvious?
This isn't the time for poetry. Tell them what to do. If it takes more than three seconds for your audience to understand the value proposition, throw it in the trash and start over.
BY
How are you going to make them actually do it?
What’s the bridge between 'nice idea' and 'actual action'? Is it a link? A discount? A giant red button? If there's no mechanism, you don't have a brief; you have a hope.
How to Ruin a Brief in Record Time
(Try Not to Do These)
- ×Targeting 'everyone' because you're scared of missing out
- ×Writing insights that are just boring facts nobody cares about
- ×Being so 'creative' that nobody knows what you're selling
- ×Forgetting to include a way for people to actually buy or sign up
- ×Treating the brief like a high school essay instead of a roadmap
- ×Using jargon to hide the fact that you don't have a point
- ×Confusing 'TO' (the message) with 'BY' (the execution)
- ×Overthinking it until the deadline has already passed
If you avoid these, you're already doing better than 90% of the strategists out there.
Real Examples
SaaS Product Launch
Getting stressed freelancers to try a new project management tool.
GET
Stressed freelancers who are currently drowning in spreadsheets.
WHO
They use 5 different apps and still miss deadlines because nothing talks to each other.
TO
Stop the tab-switching nightmare and get your weekends back.
BY
A 14-day 'Chaos-Free' trial with a one-click data import from their current mess.
Local Service Expansion
A high-end gym trying to attract busy parents.
GET
Busy parents who haven't seen a dumbbell since 2019.
WHO
They desperately want to workout but feel guilty leaving the kids with a sitter just to hit the treadmill.
TO
Your 'Me-Time' is finally scheduled and guilt-free.
BY
Offering free on-site childcare for the first month of membership.
B2B Cybersecurity
Selling security audits to small business owners.
GET
Local small business owners who think they're 'too small' to be targeted.
WHO
They ignore security updates because they think hackers only care about Fortune 500 companies.
TO
You're a target, not a ghost - don't let one email kill your business.
BY
A free 2-minute 'Vulnerability Score' that shows exactly how easy they are to hack.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I have two 'GETs'?
No. Pick one. If you try to talk to two different people at once, you'll end up talking to a wall. Pick the most winnable one and stick to it.
What if I don't have a 'WHO' insight?
Then you don't have a campaign. Go talk to a customer, look at a support ticket, or read a bad review. Stop guessing.
Is 'TO' supposed to be the tagline?
Maybe, but usually it’s just the core truth. Keep it blunt and honest. You can hire a copywriter to make it pretty later; right now, just make it clear.
Why is 'BY' necessary?
Because 'awareness' doesn't pay the bills. You need a way to track if this actually worked. If there's no way to act, you're just making art, not marketing.
How fast should I be able to do this?
If you can't fill this out in 15 minutes, you're overthinking it. It's a brief, not a memoir. Get it down and move on.
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Use our framework generator to generate various Get Who To By, 4C, 4 Points Strategy, and other frameworks — all in one place and directly to editable Google SLIDES!
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