Most disappointing UGC isn't the creator's fault — it's the brief's. When a creator gets a product and a vague “just be authentic,” you get a pretty unboxing that doesn't sell. A good brief gives them a direct-response structure and lets their personality do the rest.
1. Start with one angle, not five
Every video should test a single idea: a pain point, a desire, an objection, or a comparison. If you want to test five angles, write five briefs. Mixing them makes the ad muddy and makes your results impossible to read.
2. Write three hook options
The first two seconds decide whether anyone sees the rest. Give the creator three written hooks plus a visual hook (what's on screen in frame one), and ask them to film all of them. Hooks are the cheapest variable to test and usually the biggest lever.
3. Give them the customer's words
Pull real phrases from reviews, comments, and support tickets. Creators deliver lines far more naturally when they sound like a real person said them — because one did.
4. Spell out the must-haves
Keep this list short and specific so it doesn't kill the creator's natural delivery:
- Key claims you can say — and the ones you legally can't
- Product shots or demos you need (texture, before/after, in-use)
- Format: vertical 9:16, length range, safe zones for captions
- Deliverables: number of hooks, raw clips vs. edited, B-roll
5. Include a reference, not a script
Link one or two ads in the style you want. A rigid word-for-word script usually reads as an ad; a structure plus references reads as a recommendation.
6. Plan for the edit
Ask for extra B-roll and multiple takes of the hook and call to action. Your editor can then build several variations from one shoot, which is where UGC really pays for itself.
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