An Italian listing is rarely a complete brief. It says "we are looking for a creator for product videos", gives the product name and stops there.
That is not negligence. It is written by someone who has never drafted a brief and does not yet know what they want. That completely changes what a good application must contain.
Applying means finishing the brief for them
Most replies ask for details: what format, what length, what usage, what budget. They add work for someone who already has too much.
The winning reply does the opposite. It proposes: "I suggest two thirty-second vertical videos, shot at my place, one demonstration and one opinion, delivered within five working days of receiving the product, for X. If you want to use them in advertising, allow Y."
The recipient only has to say yes or no. That is exactly what they were after without being able to phrase it.
What to guess and write down in black and white
The usage. If it is not stated, propose the narrowest one, brand channels only, and give the price of the advertising extension alongside. That avoids the video bought for one use and published for another.
The location. Say where you will shoot, and whether you can travel. A significant share of buyers wants a shoot on their premises.
The lead time, in working days from receipt of the product, never from the order.
And the number of revisions included, the first source of overrun.
What is decided in the first ten seconds of reading
A comparable piece, not your best. The one closest to the product requested, even if it is less spectacular.
A link that opens in one click, with no permission to request.
And a sentence showing you have read: the exact product name, a detail from the listing.
The rest, your background, your passion, your equipment, will not be read.
The rhythm of replies
Answer the same day. These listings are handled in waves, and whoever arrives after the wave is not refused, they are simply not seen.
One follow-up, five to seven days later, short, with the link again and nothing else.
And keep applying elsewhere meanwhile. Blocking your dates for an answer that never came is the fastest way to lose a month.
What gets an application set aside
A missing price. Many omit it out of caution and get dropped from the list, because whoever is comparing needs a number.
A generic message, recognisable by the fact that it mentions neither the product nor the category.
A request for a call before any information. That is more load for someone who just wanted to know whether it was possible and at what price.
What the person sorting looks at
| Element | Reading time | Weight in the decision |
|---|---|---|
| The link to the sample | 20 s | Decisive |
| The price and the deadline | 5 s | Strong |
| The rest of the message | 10 s | Low |
What goes at the top of the message
The sample closest to the product, then the price, then the date: everything else can wait for the reply.
What gets an application set aside
A link that does not open, an out-of-category sample, a rate with no rights scope.
What to keep from every application
What you proposed, to whom, when, and the answer. Without that you will chase the wrong people and forget those who said "not now".
That register has another use: after a few months it tells you which categories actually take you, and you stop applying to listings that never replied.
