Give Creative Teams Clear Direction without Over-Directing using Get Who To By
You’re currently handing your creative team a 40-page 'vision document' that they’re using as a coaster. Stop it. Creative teams don't need a manifesto; they need a target they can actually hit. The Get Who To By framework is the antidote to the vague, over-prescriptive garbage that kills good ideas. It defines the sandbox without telling them what color to paint the slide. Use it, or keep wondering why your campaigns look like they were designed by a committee of confused pigeons.
The TL;DR
Stop suffocating your creatives with 'vibes.' Use Get Who To By to define the audience (GET), find the human truth (WHO), set the objective (TO), and name the lever (BY). It’s the shortest path from 'what are we even doing?' to work that doesn't suck.
Why This Stops Your Creatives From Quitting
Most briefs are either too vague to be useful or so restrictive they’re basically a coloring book for adults. This framework hits the sweet spot.
The Four Steps
GET
Who exactly are we talking to?
The smallest, most winnable group. If you say 'everyone,' I'm closing this tab. Find the people whose problems you actually solve and who are ready to listen.
WHO
What's the real human behavior here?
Not their demographics, their baggage. Why aren't they doing what you want right now? Find the friction, the habit, or the lie they tell themselves.
TO
What's the one thing they need to do?
Make the action so obvious a toddler could explain it. If it’s 'engage with our brand,' try again. Make it a verb that leads to a result.
BY
How are we forcing their hand?
The mechanism. The hook. The reason they’ll actually stop scrolling. It’s the delivery system for your message that makes the action inevitable.
How to Ruin a Creative Brief
(A checklist for the incompetent)
- ×Writing a brief that’s longer than the actual campaign assets
- ×Defining the audience as 'anyone with a credit card'
- ×Telling the designers exactly which hex codes and fonts to use in the strategy phase
- ×Using the word 'disruptive' or 'innovative' unironically
- ×Confusing a tactical feature with a human behavior insight
- ×Setting five different goals for a single Instagram post
- ×Ignoring the fact that most people actively hate ads
- ×Forgetting to include an actual reason for the audience to care
Avoid these, and your creative team might actually stop rolling their eyes when they see your name in their inbox.
Real Examples
B2B SaaS Onboarding
Getting project managers to switch from a legacy tool to a new platform.
GET
Frustrated mid-level project managers at tech firms.
WHO
They hate their current clunky tool but fear the 'learning curve' of a new one more than the daily annoyance.
TO
Ditch the legacy bloat for a tool that actually works like your brain does.
BY
A 'one-click migration' guarantee and a 10-minute 'stress-free' setup demo.
DTC Coffee Brand
Launching a premium coffee subscription.
GET
Burnt-out 9-to-5ers working from home.
WHO
They drink sludge coffee because it's there, but they desperately crave a 5-minute 'mental escape' from their screens.
TO
Treat your morning like a ritual, not a chore.
BY
Packaging that highlights 'The Five-Minute Reset' and a flavor profile guide that isn't snobby.
Fitness App
Increasing sign-ups for a new home workout feature.
GET
'Gym-timidated' beginners who feel out of place.
WHO
They want to move but feel judged by the 'protein-shake-and-mirror-selfie' culture of traditional fitness.
TO
Start your fitness journey in your pajamas with zero witnesses.
BY
A 'no-equipment, no-judgment' 7-day challenge delivered via low-pressure daily texts.
Frequently Asked Questions
How specific is 'too specific' for the GET?
If your target is 'left-handed dentists named Steve,' you've gone too far. If it's 'people who buy things,' you're lazy. Find the middle ground where a real human lives.
What if the creative team ignores the BY?
Then your 'BY' wasn't a mechanism, it was a suggestion. Make it a core requirement of the deliverable, not an optional 'nice to have.'
Why can't I just give them a mood board?
Because a mood board isn't a strategy, it's a Pinterest fail waiting to happen. Give them the logic first; let them handle the 'vibes' later.
How do I know if my WHO is an insight or just a boring fact?
A fact is 'people buy shoes.' An insight is 'people buy shoes to feel like the version of themselves they haven't met yet.' If it doesn't feel a little uncomfortable, it's not an insight.
Can this work for small social posts or just big campaigns?
It’s actually the only way to make small social posts not a total waste of pixels. If you can't define G-W-T-B for a tweet, don't post it.
Generate a Framework for your Product Launch Strategy
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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