Contractor / freelancer brief

Last tested 2026-04-26 Part of AI Prompts for Solopreneurs

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the prompt

Write a clear brief for a contractor I'm hiring. Include:

1. Deliverable: exactly what I'll receive, in what format.
2. Timeline: with explicit milestones (day 1 / day 4 / day 7), not 'flexible.'
3. Payment terms: 50% on brief acceptance, 50% on final delivery (always - protects both sides). Specify amount and method.
4. What good looks like: 3-4 specific criteria the contractor can use to self-evaluate before submitting. This is the most important section.

Including the 'what good looks like' criteria is non-negotiable - without it, the contractor will produce work that's technically on-spec but tonally wrong.

The scope I'm hiring for + reference materials:
{{scope_and_references}}

Why it works

Hiring contractors is one of the moments solopreneurs lose the most time and money - bad briefs produce bad work, and bad work needs three rounds of revision (or you eat the cost and re-hire). This prompt forces a clean brief: deliverables (what you'll receive, in what format), timeline (with explicit milestones), payment terms (when, how, against what), and 'what good looks like' - the criterion that lets the contractor self-evaluate before submitting. The 'what good looks like' section is the highest-leverage part - contractors who know your bar can hit it; contractors who guess produce 50% of what you wanted. Use this for every contractor over $500 and revision rounds drop dramatically. Tested cleanest on Claude Opus 4.7.

Example output

Brief: Landing-page hero illustration

Deliverable:
- 1 illustration, 1600x900px, PNG with transparent background + JPG flat version.
- Source file (Figma or Illustrator).
- Two color variants: warm/light (matching attached brand palette) and dark mode.

Timeline:
- Day 1 (today): I send you the brief + 3 reference images + brand palette.
- Day 4: First draft due. One round of feedback within 24 hours from me.
- Day 7: Final files delivered.

Payment terms:
- $1,200 total. 50% on brief acceptance ($600 today), 50% on final delivery ($600 day 7).
- Payment via bank transfer (preferred) or Stripe invoice.

What good looks like:
- Reads as 'modern Apple ad' rather than 'startup hero illustration.' The references show the gap I'm trying to close.
- One visual idea, executed clearly. Not three competing ideas.
- A new visitor should understand the product is a clipboard tool from the illustration alone - no logo or text needed.
- The dark-mode variant should not feel like a different illustration. Same composition, dark palette only.

Common mistakes

Don't skip the 'what good looks like' section. It's the only section the contractor reads twice. Without it, you'll get work that's technically on-spec but tonally wrong. Also: do not use vague timelines like 'flexible' or 'whenever you can.' Vague timelines tell contractors you don't actually need it, which means it gets bumped to whenever they have a slow week. Set explicit dates. Third mistake: payment terms with one big payment at the end. 50/50 protects both sides; 100% on completion makes contractors carry your cash flow risk and they'll price accordingly.

Contractor / freelancer brief

Why it works

Example output

Common mistakes

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