How to brief a UGC creator

Nearly every disappointing piece of creator content comes from the same three causes: the creator did not know what the product does, they did not know what the content is for, or they were never told what to avoid. Fix those three and quality jumps immediately.

A good brief is one page. Longer than that and creators skim it; shorter and they guess.

• What the product is and how to use it. Write it as if explaining to a friend. If it needs shaking, warming or two pumps, say so.
• Where the content will be used. "This is for paid ads on Instagram" produces very different content from "this is for our website".
• A shot list. Four specific shots beat any amount of mood-board.
• A hook. Give them the first line to say or show. It is the single biggest driver of whether the video performs.
• Hard no-gos. Claims you cannot legally make, competitor products, pets near food, colour filters.
• The deadline and the format. Vertical or square, video length, and originals rather than compressed re-uploads.

Fill in the blanks and send it as-is. It works for photos, video or both.

BRAND
Who we are in one line:
What we want people to feel about us:

PRODUCT
Product being filmed:
How it's used, step by step:
The one thing that must be obvious in the content:
Anything you must NOT say or show:

CONTENT WANTED
Pieces: 3 photos, 1 video
Orientation: vertical 9:16 for video, 4:5 for photos
Setting: natural daylight, kitchen or bathroom, tidy background
Wardrobe: neutral, nothing branded

VIDEO DIRECTION
Hook (first 2 seconds):
Middle (show it working):
Ending (what we want viewers to do):

MUST-HAVE SHOTS
1. Product held in hand, label readable
2. Product in use
3. Product in its setting, no hands
4. Close-up texture or detail

DO NOT
- No competitor products in shot
- No health, medical or "cures" claims
- No music with lyrics
- No filters that change the product colour

DELIVERY
Deadline:
Format: original quality files, no watermarks
Where to upload:

Judge the content against the brief, not against your taste. If a shot is missing or a claim slipped in, ask for a revision and be specific about which shot and why. If it meets the brief but you have changed your mind, that is a new brief rather than a revision.

Give feedback once, in one message. Creators respond badly to three rounds of small notes, and it is the fastest way to lose good ones.

On our packages we write and issue the brief with you, chase the creators, run the revision rounds and put every file in one library for you to download. You approve or reject — that is the whole job on your side. See what that costs on the pricing page.