Brief templates › Marketing Research Brief · Last updated October 24, 2026
When to use this marketing research brief
Use it when a client commissions research: the business question, audience, method, sample, timeline and how results will be used.
- 23 questions
- Free to copy
- Editable in MyBriefy
The 23 questions
- What is the main purpose of this marketing research project? (e.g., understanding the target audience, evaluating a new product, assessing market trends)
- What specific decisions will this research help you make?
- What are the key questions you want the research to answer?
- What outcomes or insights are you hoping to achieve?
- Who is the focus of this research? (e.g., current customers, potential customers, competitors’ customers)
- What are the key demographics, behaviors, or psychographics of the audience?
- What specific area(s) will the research cover? (e.g., product feedback, brand perception, competitor analysis, industry trends)
- Are there any geographic regions or markets the research should focus on?
- What type of research do you prefer? (e.g., surveys, interviews, focus groups, observation, secondary data analysis)
- Should the research include quantitative, qualitative, or mixed methods?
- Are there existing data sources to incorporate into the research? (e.g., sales data, website analytics, previous studies)
- Should primary data be collected? If so, through which methods?
- Are there specific competitors to include in the research?
- What aspects of competitors’ marketing strategies or products should be analyzed?
- What is the budget for this research project?
- Are there specific resources (e.g., tools, platforms, personnel) available to support the research?
- What is the desired timeline for completing the research?
- Are there any milestones or deadlines to consider?
- What final outputs are expected? (e.g., a detailed report, presentation, data dashboard)
- Should the deliverables include actionable recommendations?
- Who will use the results of the research?
- Are there any decision-makers or teams that need to be involved in the process?
- What challenges or limitations should be considered? (e.g., time constraints, budget restrictions, accessibility of participants)
How to get a good marketing research brief back from your client
The most important question in a marketing research brief is the second one: what decisions will this research help you make? Research without a decision attached tends to produce a long report nobody acts on. Start there, then let the decision shape the audience, the method and the deliverable.
Tie every question to a decision
For each research question the client lists, ask what they'll do differently depending on the answer. Questions that don't change a decision can usually go.
Check what data already exists
Sales data, CRM records, support tickets and past surveys can answer some questions for free. Ask for them before planning new fieldwork.
Agree the method with the budget
Surveys, interviews and focus groups differ a lot in cost and in what they can tell you. Settle quantitative, qualitative or mixed methods alongside the budget, not before it.
Name the people who'll use the results
A board wants a short recommendation; a product team wants detail. Knowing the audience for the findings shapes the deliverable from day one.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Research goals so broad ("understand our customers") that no method can answer them.
- Forgetting to define the geography or market, then recruiting the wrong respondents.
- Not agreeing whether the deliverable includes recommendations or just findings.
- Ignoring constraints such as time, sample access or privacy rules until fieldwork starts.
Skip the copy and paste. In MyBriefy this brief is ready to send: your client answers online, you both comment on the answers, and the approved brief stays on the client's record.
Send this brief freeHow to use it in MyBriefy
- Start a free 30-day trial and add your client. 30 clients and projects are free on every paid plan, and you can add more as you go.
- Pick the Marketing Research Brief template. Add your own questions or hide the ones that don't fit the job.
- Share the brief with your client. They answer online and approve it, and comments stay next to each answer.
- Work from the approved brief. Turn it into tasks, a contract or an invoice with the add-ons when you need them.
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Questions about this template
- What should a marketing research brief include?
- The purpose, the decisions the research supports, the key questions and expected insights, the target audience, the scope and markets, the preferred methods, existing data, competitors to cover, budget and resources, timeline and milestones, the deliverables, who will use the results, and any limitations.
- Who writes a marketing research brief?
- The client owns the goals and decisions; the agency or researcher helps shape the method. Sending the brief as a form lets the client answer the business questions while you fill in the method later.
- How detailed should the research questions be?
- Specific enough that you could tell when one has been answered. "Why do trial users not upgrade?" works; "learn about pricing" doesn't.
- Is this marketing research brief template free?
- Yes. Copy the 23 questions for free, or use them in MyBriefy, where you can try everything free for 30 days with no credit card.
- Can I change the questions?
- Yes. In MyBriefy you can add your own questions or hide the ones that don't fit the job before you send the brief. If you copy them instead, they're yours to edit however you like.
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