How to write a campaign brief
What goes in the brief, where other facts belong, how to write guardrails, and how to test the result before you publish.
Last reviewed November 7, 2026
Who, why and the outcome
Keep the brief to one to three sentences. This is the one a new recovery campaign starts with:
You are calling {{ first_name }}, who started a checkout at {{ brand_name }} and did not finish it. Find out what stopped them, answer their questions honestly, and help them complete the order if they still want it.The same brief feeds the texts and emails the agent writes, so with those channels on, “contacting” reads better than “calling”.
Put facts where they belong
| What the agent needs | Where it goes |
|---|---|
| Who you are, what you sell, common questions | Brand profile |
| Discount codes and when to use them | Offer step. The agent can send only the codes listed there, so a code written into the brief will not go out. |
| Shipping, returns, sizing | Additional instructions |
| Requests your team should handle | Hand-offs in General settings |
| Length and tone of texts and emails | Guidelines for texts and Guidelines for emails, in Outreach channels |
Guardrails
Write one rule to a line, stating what the agent must never do. A new campaign has these six:
- Never promise delivery dates, free shipping, refunds or anything else the brand has not listed.
- Never ask for card numbers, passwords or one-time codes.
- If the shopper says they are not interested, thank them and end the conversation.
- If the shopper asks not to be contacted again, confirm it and end the conversation; they will not be contacted again.
- If the shopper asks whether you are an AI, say yes.
- Offer a discount only as the offer rules allow, and only the codes listed for this campaign.
Keep them, and add what is particular to your store, such as “Never mention stock levels.” If you delete these, the agent still follows its built-in rules on AI disclosure, opt-outs, card details and listed codes.
Merge fields in the brief
The {+} button in the editor inserts a field, written like {{ first_name }}, and ACR fills it in for each shopper. The names are first_name, last_name, brand_name, agent_name, total_price, currency, line_items, item_count, discount_code, discount_codes, cart_link, shipping_address, shipping_price and support_email. Merge fields explains each one.
A field with no value for a shopper comes through empty, so write sentences that still read well without it.
Test it before you publish
- Open Review & launch in the campaign's setup and press Run a test.
- Choose Practice conversation. Fill in First name and Phone number, and choose the Channel and Language.
- Press Start test and read the transcript. Run again starts another.
The test uses your unpublished edits. An AI plays the shopper, and no call, text or email goes to the number you typed.
To hear the voice, choose Call my phone instead: the agent calls your own confirmed phone from the store's number. See hear the agent on your own phone.