Write the brief before you compare builders

Vendor sites are written to make every plan look sufficient. A brief written before you open them is the only way to notice what is missing.

One sentence

Finish this line in the language your visitors use: “When someone opens this, they must be able to ______.” A radio station might write “see what is on tonight and play the live stream.” A club might write “read this week’s notice and find the ground.” If the sentence needs three unrelated jobs, you have three products. Split them before you shop.

The section list

Turn the sentence into sections, not features. A notice is an article. A ground is a map or an address. A live stream is audio that only works online. Write the list on one page and count it. Many plans charge by how many sections you switch on, or they cap the free ones. The count is the quote.

What you will not promise

Add a second list: actions that need a person, a payment, or a live connection. Ticket sales, member login, and indoor directions belong here until you have seen them work in a trial. Leaving them off the public description is cheaper than apologising later.

Who edits it

Name one person who can publish a correction the same day. A builder that only the agency can log into is a custom project with a monthly bill. The brief should say who holds the password and who covers them on leave.