What makes a UGC brief different from a normal video brief?

A UGC brief controls the message and leaves the delivery to the creator. The format works because it looks and sounds like a real person talking, so the brief should fix what must be true and what must be said, then get out of the way. Overwritten scripts read like ads with a phone camera.

It also carries legal weight a studio brief doesn’t. A creator speaking to camera is an endorser, which brings FTC endorsement rules, platform branded content policies and a usage agreement into scope. Write those into the brief, not into a follow-up email after the footage is shot.

What goes in the brief?

Six message fields, then the production and compliance fields. Fill in every row before you send it to a creator. A blank “proof” row is the most common reason an ad later gets pulled or rewritten.

Field What to write Example of a filled-in row
Audience One person, one situation Renters who work from home and cook most meals
Problem The pain in their words “My kitchen counter is always cluttered”
Claim One benefit you can prove Folds flat to under two inches deep
Proof The evidence you hold for the claim Product spec sheet; on-camera demo of folding
Offer What they get and on what terms Free shipping on first order, stated terms
CTA One action “Tap Shop now to see sizes”
Hook The opening type and line to try Problem callout: “If your counter looks like this…”
Length Target cut(s) 15s and 30s
Format Aspect ratio and safe zone 9:16, key text inside the safe zone
Disclosure Required wording and placement Spoken and on-screen at the start
Rights Usage scope, term, placements Paid social, agreed term, partnership ads allowed
Variants What changes between versions Three hooks, same body and CTA

The claim and proof rows come first for a reason. Under the FTC’s advertising guidance for small business, advertisers need a reasonable basis for their claims before the ad runs, and that covers implied claims reasonable viewers take away, not just the words spoken. Health and safety claims generally need competent and reliable scientific evidence, and the FTC notes that customer testimonials usually don’t meet that standard.

Which hook types should you brief?

Brief two or three hook types per concept and let the test pick. The hook is the first line and the first frame. Common types:

  • Problem callout. Names the viewer’s situation. Works when the audience row is specific.
  • Result first. Shows the after state, then explains. Only use a result you can substantiate as typical.
  • Demonstration. The product doing the thing, no setup.
  • Objection. Opens with the doubt (“I thought these were all the same”).
  • Comparison. Old way versus new way, without naming a competitor you can’t fairly compare against.

Write the hook as a line to try, not a line to read. Ask the creator for two or three takes of each in their own phrasing.

How should 15, 30 and 60-second cuts be structured?

Shorter cuts keep the hook, claim and CTA and drop proof depth. Meta’s video length specifications note that shorter videos are usually more engaging on mobile, and some placements cap length (as of October 2026, Facebook in-stream on desktop takes 5 to 15 seconds and Facebook Stories takes 1 to 120 seconds). Plan cuts in the brief so the creator films enough coverage.

Cut Structure What to film for it
15s Hook, one claim with a quick visual proof, CTA Tight hook takes; one clean demo shot
30s Hook, problem, claim, proof, offer, CTA Problem moment; demo; offer line
60s Hook, problem, story of use, claim, two proof points, objection handled, offer, CTA Longer honest account of using the product

Shoot the 60-second version first and cut down. It is much easier to remove material than to reshoot a missing proof shot.

What aspect ratios and safe zones apply on Meta?

Shoot a 9:16 master and keep key elements away from the edges. Meta’s aspect ratio guidance recommends:

Placement Recommended ratio
Stories, Status, Reels 9:16
Facebook and Instagram Feed 1:1 or 4:5
In-stream video 16:9
Audience Network 9:16

Ads Manager automatically adjusts media to fit more placements, using padding, expansion, cropping and AI-enabled options when you don’t supply every ratio. Meta advises reviewing auto-generated crops before publishing.

For the safe zone, Meta’s text overlay and safe zone article says 9:16 ads in Stories, Reels, Feed and Facebook in-stream reels should keep the top, bottom and sides free of key creative, text and logos, so the profile icon and call to action don’t cover them. If a Reels ad includes disclaimers, Meta says to leave the bottom 40% free. Ads Manager has a Safe zone guardrail toggle that overlays the area on your creative. Put the safe zone rule in the brief so captions and product shots land inside it during filming, not after.

What rights and disclosures does the brief need?

Three layers: the creator agreement, Meta’s branded content rules and FTC disclosure.

Usage rights. State the channels, placements, term and whether you may edit, cut down or run the content as ads from your account or the creator’s. Get this in writing before filming.

Meta branded content. Meta’s Branded Content Policies define branded content as a creator’s content that features or is influenced by a business partner for an exchange of value, including free gifts. It must be posted with the branded content tool, tagging the business partner with prior permission, which shows a “Paid partnership with” label. Per Meta’s branded content overview, you can run partnership ads in Ads Manager if the creator has allowed you to boost their content, and creators are paid off the platform. The policy also restricts some categories and requires written pre-authorization for others, and for branded content posts it bars title cards in a video’s first three seconds.

FTC disclosure. The FTC’s Endorsement Guides Q&A sets the rules creators and brands share:

  • Disclose a material connection, including free product, payment or employment.
  • In video, a visual endorsement needs at least a visual disclosure and a spoken one needs at least an audible one; both is more likely to work. A disclosure only in the description is not enough, and one at the end is easy to miss.
  • A platform’s disclosure tool is no guarantee of compliance. Add your own.
  • The endorsement must reflect the creator’s honest opinion, and they can’t describe experience with a product they haven’t used.
  • If a featured result isn’t what people generally get, the ad must make clear what the generally expected results are.
  • Advertisers are responsible for what endorsers say and need training and monitoring. Using an agency doesn’t remove that.

If any part of the creator, voice or footage is AI-generated, see disclosure rules for AI-generated ads.

How do you plan variants for testing?

Decide the test before filming, then shoot what it needs. A brief that says “a few variations” produces footage that can’t answer any question.

  1. Write the hypothesis. “A problem callout hook will lower cost per purchase versus a result-first hook for cold prospecting.”
  2. Pick one variable. Usually the hook. Hold the body, claim, offer and CTA constant.
  3. List the exact variants in the brief’s variants row, with the shot each one needs.
  4. Match the landing page to the claim and offer, so the click isn’t the reason a winner loses. See landing pages for paid traffic.
  5. Set a budget and decision date, then run it as a controlled test. Our method for that is in testing Meta ad creative.
  6. Record the result against the brief. The next brief starts from the winning hook and tests the next variable.

How MSG approaches this

Our creative work is mostly short-form video, and we brief it the way we run media: every test has a written hypothesis, a budget and a decision date, and every read ends in keep, change, scale or stop. We read results by concept, audience and channel, so a winning hook becomes a reusable finding rather than a lucky ad. We keep claims to what can be supported and disclosures clear, because compliant advertising is a principle, not a review step. See performance creative and Meta Ads management.

Sources

  1. Meta Business Help Center: About text overlays and the safe zone for ads on Facebook and Instagram
  2. Meta Business Help Center: Best practices for aspect ratios
  3. Meta Business Help Center: Video length specifications across placements
  4. Meta Business Help Center: Branded Content Policies
  5. Meta Business Help Center: About branded content on Facebook, Instagram and Threads
  6. FTC: FTC's Endorsement Guides, what people are asking
  7. FTC: Advertising FAQ's, a guide for small business

Platform features and policies change. This guide reflects the sources above as of October 28, 2026.