Creator brief template for an AI coding tool launch

Which launch role is each creator playing?

Brief each creator for one role. The role sets the publish date, the depth and what "done" looks like. The roles follow the launch playbook.

Which creators fit each role?

These five posted about AI coding tools or the models behind them on YouTube in the last 30 days. Subscriber counts are from vidIQ. None of them paid to be listed.

Kiko scores every creator 1–5 on audience match, recent posting, ability to show the product doing a real task, disclosure history, brand safety and price against expected views, and shortlists only those averaging 4 or more. The full list is on AI coding tool creators.

The template

This is the brief Kiko sends creators for an AI coding tool launch. Kiko's defaults are filled in; change them per creator. Copy the box into a doc, make one copy per creator and fill in the curly braces.

AI CODING TOOL LAUNCH BRIEF
Product: {name}          Creator: {name / channel}          Launch role: {explainer / deep-dive /
build-along / long-use review / written or audio}          Brief version: {v1, YYYY-MM-DD}

1. LAUNCH BASICS
   What's launching: {new product / major version / new model / pricing change}
   Launch date and embargo lift: {YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM time zone}
   Your publish window: launch-day roles within 48 hours of embargo lift; build-along 1–2 weeks
   after launch; long-use review 6 weeks after launch
   Format and length: {dedicated video __ min / integration 60–90 s / Short / newsletter slot / podcast read}

2. WHO THE VIEWER IS
   User type: {professional developers / non-developer builders (founders, PMs, operators) / both}
   What they're trying to get done: {one sentence}
   What they use today: {named tools or "nothing"}
   What they'll be skeptical about: {cost, code quality, lock-in, "another AI wrapper"}

3. THE ONE TASK
   Finish this on camera: {e.g. "add auth to an existing Next.js app" / "go from a prompt to a deployed
   CRUD app" / "fix a failing test suite in a real repo"}
   What "done" looks like on screen: {passing tests / deployed URL / merged PR}

4. DEMO PATH AND ACCESS
   Starter repo or project: {URL}, or bring your own repo of at least 50 files
   Account: staging account with launch features on, sent 21 days before launch
   Credits: enough to finish the task 10 times
   Rate limits: raised to 5x the standard paid tier for your account until 14 days after launch
   Model version for recording: {model name and version}. Frozen from 14 days before launch to
     7 days after. We'll tell you before any change, and offer a re-record if a change breaks your demo.
   Known-issues list: {link}, updated daily until launch
   Engineering contact while recording and on launch day: {name, channel}, replies within 30 minutes,
     9am–7pm ET

5. CLAIMS
   You can say: what you saw happen, your own timings and your honest opinion.
   Approved facts you can repeat: {pricing as of date; supported languages and editors; free tier}
   Don't say: benchmark numbers we haven't published with a method; "replaces engineers" or similar;
   comparisons with named tools unless listed here: {list}
   Benchmarks we have published (with method): {link or "none"}

6. EMBARGO AND RECORDING
   Recording window: 14 to 5 days before launch, on build {version}
   Don't share access, screenshots or details before {embargo time}
   If you find a bug while recording, tell {contact}; it goes on the known-issues list

7. DISCLOSURE
   Say it in the video, spoken and on screen, near the start: e.g. "{Product} sponsored this video".
   Turn on YouTube's paid promotion setting (or the platform's equivalent).
   Put it in the description too.
   Free access, early access and credits are part of the relationship. Ask us if unsure how to word it.

8. TRACKING
   Link: {unique tracked link}
   Code: {credit or promo code}, gives viewers {offer}, valid 30 days from your publish date
   Say the product name clearly and show it on screen; many developers search instead of clicking.
   Our signup form asks "How did you hear about us?" and lists your name.

9. REVIEW
   We check your draft for factual errors and disclosure only.
   Draft due: 5 days before launch. We reply within one business day. One round.

10. USAGE RIGHTS
   90 days of paid use as Spark Ads or Partnership Ads, from first ad delivery, included in your fee.
   Cut-downs and captions allowed; no change to what you say.
   Whitelisting beyond 90 days is priced separately, at 20–30% of your fee.
   See the usage-rights schedule attached.

11. AFTER LAUNCH
   Access continues until: 90 days after launch
   Follow-up content (optional, paid separately): {build-along / long-use review}
   Results we'll share with you: signups and first projects from your link, if you want them

12. PAYMENT AND CONTACTS
   Fee: {$___}   Credits: {value}   Paid: net 15 days from publish
   Day-to-day: {name}   Engineering: {name}   Escalation: {name}

How do you use this template?

1. Pick the user type first. Professional developers and non-developer builders need different creators, tasks and claims. If the launch serves both, write two briefs.
2. Make one brief per creator. The launch role (section 1) changes the task, the dates and the access period.
3. Run the task yourself on the frozen build. Use the starter repo, credits and model version the creator will get. Fix or list anything that breaks.
4. Lock claims with legal before access opens. Section 5 is the list creators can rely on. Unpublished benchmarks stay out. Kiko checks every script against the FTC Endorsement Guides and platform branded-content rules.
5. Send the brief with the access email, not after it. Creators start exploring as soon as they have access.
6. Freeze, then communicate. If the model or build must change after recording, tell every affected creator the same day.
7. Measure past views. Join section 8's link and code data to first-project and paid conversion. See activation and the creator CAC calculator.

Kiko's default launch timeline

What do creators need that a normal software brief leaves out?

These are the lines that matter most for AI coding tools. Each comes from the access section of the launch playbook.

What do the disclosure rules say?

From primary sources:

• The FTC's influencer guidance counts free or discounted products as a relationship to disclose. It says the disclosure belongs in the video, not only in the description (FTC, Disclosures 101).
• Material connections must be disclosed "clearly and conspicuously" (16 CFR § 255.5).
• YouTube requires creators to select the paid promotion setting, which shows a label at the start of the video (YouTube Help).

Questions for your legal team: does early access or a large credit grant count as a material connection for unpaid launch coverage? Who checks that the paid promotion setting is on before publishing?

Frequently asked questions

What should a creator brief for a developer-tool product launch include?

The creator's launch role, the user type, one task to finish on camera, a demo path with a starter repo, credits, raised limits, a frozen model version and a known-issues list. Also approved and banned claims, the embargo and publish window, disclosure, a tracked link and code, usage rights and a factual-only review. Leave the script out.

Should each creator get the same launch brief?

No. Use one template, but fill it in per creator, because the launch role changes the task, the publish date and how long access lasts. A launch-day explainer and a week-two build-along need different briefs.

How do we stop a model update from breaking creators' launch demos?

Freeze the model version creators record on, from 14 days before launch to 7 days after, and put the dates in the brief. Tell every affected creator before any change, and offer a re-record if a change breaks a recorded demo.

Can creators publish benchmark numbers in launch videos?

Only numbers you have published with a method, listed in the brief as approved. Anything else should be the creator's own observations, described as such.

Where do we find creators for an AI coding tool launch?

Start with the five above: Fireship for launch-day reach, Theo and Matt Pocock for hands-on deep-dives, Cole Medin and Riley Brown for build-alongs. Kiko's AI coding tool creator list has more, grouped by audience (professional developers vs non-developer builders) and campaign role.

How long before launch should creators get the brief?

21 days. That leaves a week to explore, a recording window from 14 to 5 days before launch, and time for one review round before the embargo lifts.