A UGC brief has one job: get a creator to make an ad that sounds like a real customer, not a script being read out.
Most bad UGC isn't the creator's fault. It's a brief that said too little ("full creative freedom", then five rounds of revisions) or far too much (camera angles, pronunciation and a word-for-word script crammed into 30 seconds).
This guide covers what a good brief includes, how much to script, how to brief hooks, what to ask for as deliverables, and a template you can copy and send today.
What a UGC brief needs to include
A good brief answers every question a creator would otherwise have to guess at. These are the sections, in the order a creator needs them.
- Reference ads. The brand's best-performing ads, so the creator sees what already works and can aim to beat it.
- Product information. What the product is and the problem it solves. The product description is the starting point.
- Brand values. What the brand stands for, so the content fits.
- Script or talking points. Say which one, and how much freedom the creator has.
- The point of the video. What the viewer gets out of watching. This is the hook.
- Deliverables. The main video, plus any hook, body or CTA variations, raw footage and extra B-roll.
- Revisions. How many rounds, and what counts as a revision versus a new job.
- Contract and usage terms. Agreed in writing before anyone films.
What to gather from the brand first
You can't write a useful brief from a product name. Before writing anything, get:
- The brand's top-performing ads. These are the best reference a creator can have.
- If there are no ads yet: the brand's expectations on scripting, plus full product information.
- The product description and the problems it solves.
- The brand's values and tone.
A note on claims: a real creator can demo a product and talk about their own results. That's what makes UGC believable. If you're also using AI-generated presenters, they can't truthfully claim a product did something for them, and that's a compliance risk under FTC guidelines in the US. Keep personal-result claims to real people.
Script or talking points?
This is the biggest decision in the brief, and it shapes everything the creator sends back.
Heavily restrictive briefs make content stiff. Creators get less creative and less enthusiastic, and it shows on camera. An over-instructed brief, with exact camera angles, voice and pronunciation packed into a 30-second video, often gets declined by good creators or costs more.
Scripts written by AI tend to sound robotic, and viewers can tell. If you use AI to draft a script, rewrite it in the way a real customer talks.
If you give a full script, experienced creators will deliver it as written rather than argue with it. If it doesn't perform, you'll learn more by loosening it next time than by adding more instructions.
If you give talking points, a strong creator will usually:
- Open with the point of the video.
- Combine information (the problem it solves) with emotion (why they personally love it).
- Speak to "you", not "I".
When to choose each: use a script when the message has to be exact, such as a regulated claim or an offer with precise terms. Use talking points when you want the creator to sound like a real customer, which for most UGC is the point.
Good creators decline it, or it comes back stiff.
The creator sounds like a real customer.
How to brief hooks
The hook is the point of the video. Starting with the point holds attention better than a gimmick or a stock question opener.
Ask for hook variations in the brief, not afterwards. It's common to ask for several hook variations and a couple of body versions. A creator might offer a bundle of 4 hooks, 2 bodies and 2 CTAs.
Treat that bundle as modular footage, not 16 tests. Swapping hooks on one body teaches you which opening stopped the scroll, but to Meta those versions are close to the same ad. Real testing comes from genuinely different angles. Hook variations are how you get more life out of the one that wins.
Hook banks are a cheap refresh. If a brand already has strong content, a set of short hook clips (a few seconds each) can refresh existing ads without paying for full new videos.
How the brief changes by format
- Talking to camera. Creators often say their ads perform best when they open speaking to camera, then cut between voiceover and B-roll, rather than voiceover throughout. Natural sit-down, talking-to-camera videos are working well for skincare.
- Storytelling. Open on something personal the viewer has been through and bring the product in midway. It needs a very strong intro, or people leave before the product appears.
- Voiceover-led. Still useful, especially for edits built from existing footage. Brief the voiceover script and the B-roll shot list separately.
For more formats and how each one sells, see our UGC ad examples.
Shot list and deliverables
Be specific about what you want back. Vague deliverables are where most disputes start.
- Length. Most UGC ads run 30 to 60 seconds.
- Structure. A good 30-second UGC video has multiple frames: the creator speaking, with B-roll changing every 1 to 3 seconds to hold attention.
- Raw footage. Ask for it. It lets you remix, build a content bank, and combine UGC with other footage into new ads.
- Extra B-roll. Shots that aren't in the finished ad, for later edits.
- Variations. Extra hooks, bodies and CTAs. Hook-only clips of a few seconds each work for refreshes.
Usage rights and contracts
- Agree usage in writing before filming. How long you can run the content, and where.
- Raw footage and extra B-roll are a bigger ask than a finished video, so agree them up front.
- Always have a contract. Without one, creators risk not being paid and brands risk disputes.
- Expect watermarks. Experienced creators may send work watermarked and release it once paid. That's normal.
9 UGC brief mistakes to avoid
- Picking a creator without checking their organic content. What you get back will look like what they already post.
- Picking a creator who doesn't care about the product. Boredom shows on camera.
- No reference ads or clear expectations. Nobody knows what "good" looks like, so somebody ends up disappointed.
- "Full creative freedom", followed by endless revisions. It wastes everyone's time.
- Instruction-manual briefs. Too many instructions for a short video gets declined or delivered stiff.
- Robotic AI-written scripts. Rewrite them in the customer's voice.
- Changing direction after delivery. A new script is a new job, not a revision. Redoing one scene or one line of voiceover is fair. Reshooting the whole video isn't.
- No contract.
- Treating creators as cheap labour. The best UGC comes from a partnership.
Free UGC brief template
Copy this into a doc and fill it in for each creator.
| Section | What to write |
|---|---|
| Product | What it is and the problem it solves |
| Brand values and tone | What the brand stands for, how it sounds |
| Reference ads | Links to the brand's best-performing ads |
| Script or talking points | Which one, and how much freedom the creator has |
| The point of the video | The hook: what the viewer gets |
| Must-say information | Facts, claims and offer terms that must be said exactly |
| Emotional reason to buy | Why a real customer would love it |
| Format | Talking to camera, voiceover with B-roll, or story |
| Deliverables | Main video length, hook, body and CTA variations, raw footage, extra B-roll |
| Revisions | Number of rounds, and what counts as a revision |
| Usage terms | How long and where the content can run |
| Deadline and delivery | Due date and how files are sent |
How we brief UGC for clients
At 225 Media we write briefs around one tested angle at a time, cast creators from our network to match the persona, and ask for modular footage so every winner can be re-cut and iterated. Every UGC ad goes into the same testing system as our in-house video and statics, so you know which brief produced which result. See our UGC ads service for how it works.
Want briefs that turn into winning ads?
Book a Creative Diagnostic. It's a live teardown of your ad creative on the call: which of your UGC is carrying spend, which angles you haven't briefed yet, and what we'd film next.
Book a Free Creative DiagnosticA live teardown of your ad creative, on the call. No obligation.FAQs
What is a UGC brief?
A UGC brief is the document a brand sends a creator before they film. It covers the product, the problem it solves, reference ads, the point of the video, script or talking points, deliverables, revisions and usage terms.
What should a UGC brief include?
Reference ads, product information, brand values, a script or talking points, the point of the video (the hook), deliverables, revision rounds, and contract and usage terms agreed before filming.
Should I give UGC creators a script?
Use a full script when the message has to be exact, such as a regulated claim. Otherwise talking points usually work better: over-scripted briefs make content stiff, and good creators often decline them.
How long should a UGC ad be?
Most UGC ads run 30 to 60 seconds. In a 30-second ad, keep the picture changing, with B-roll every 1 to 3 seconds around the creator speaking.
Should I ask for raw footage?
Yes, if you can agree it up front. Raw footage and extra B-roll let you re-cut winners, swap hooks and build new ads without a new shoot.