What Should a Brand Include in a UGC Creative Brief?

Most disappointing UGC traces back to the brief. Either it was too vague to aim at, or so prescriptive that it produced a stiff recital of your marketing copy.

A good brief is short. It tells the creator what the video must accomplish and what it must not do, then leaves the rest alone.

What a brief is for

Two jobs, and it is worth being clear about both.

Alignment. You and the creator should picture roughly the same finished video.

Boundaries. The claims that cannot be made, the things that must not appear, the format requirements that make the file usable.

Everything else — phrasing, pacing, personality — is what you hired them for. Scripting those removes the quality you were buying.

The sections worth including

The product, in one paragraph

What it is, what it does, who it is for. Assume no prior knowledge. Link to the listing or product page.

The one thing this video must land

If a viewer remembers a single fact, what is it? One thing, not five. Briefs listing eight key messages produce videos that land none of them.

Where it will run

Paid ads, product page, listing, organic social. This changes length, pacing, opening, and whether sound can be relied on. It is the detail most often missing.

Format requirements

Orientation, rough length, resolution, file format, whether you need clean footage without burned-in text. Be specific here — this is where precision helps rather than hinders.

What to show

Concrete actions, not adjectives. “Show it going into a dishwasher and coming out” beats “convey durability.”

What not to say

The claims boundary. Health claims, comparative claims, anything you cannot substantiate, competitor names. Creators will not guess your legal exposure, and this section protects both of you.

Practical details

Delivery date, revision rounds, whether the product comes back, how files get sent.

Usage rights

Where you may run it and for how long. Agreed before filming — see usage rights explained.

What to specify precisely

Some things genuinely need to be exact, because getting them wrong makes the file unusable:

• Orientation and aspect ratio. A horizontal video cannot be rescued for a vertical placement.
• Length. Especially where a platform enforces limits.
• Whether you need footage without text or music. If you plan to recut or add your own captions, say so before filming, not after.
• Claims boundaries. Non-negotiable, and specific.
• Anything that must appear in frame. Packaging, a specific colourway, a logo.

What to leave alone

And some things should not be scripted:

The exact wording. Give the message; let them phrase it. Word-for-word scripts are audible.

Their setting. You hired them partly for where they film. Redecorating their kitchen defeats the purpose.

Every shot. A shot list of twenty items produces a checklist, not a video. Three to five priorities is plenty.

Their opinion. If you commissioned an honest take, you have to let it be honest.

A simple template

PRODUCT
What it is, what it does, who it is for. Link.

THE ONE THING
The single message this video must land.

WHERE IT RUNS
Placement, and whether sound can be relied on.

FORMAT
Orientation · length · file type · clean footage needed? yes/no

SHOW
- Three to five specific things to demonstrate

AVOID
- Claims we cannot make
- Words or comparisons to steer clear of

PRACTICAL
Delivery date · revision rounds · product returned? · how to send files

USAGE RIGHTS
Placements and duration.

Short enough to read, complete enough to work from.

Common gaps that cause reshoots

No stated placement. The creator picks a format, it is the wrong shape, everyone is annoyed.

Assuming sound. Most feed video is watched muted. If the point only works with audio, it does not work.

Forgetting the scale shot. Almost always wanted, rarely asked for.

Only one hook. Ask for a few opening variations on the same demo — cheap during the session, expensive afterwards.

Rights raised after delivery. The single most avoidable problem in the whole process.

Before you send it

Read it back and ask: could someone who has never seen this product produce the right video from this alone? If they would have to guess at the placement, the format, or the message, add those. If they would have to guess at your tone of voice — that is fine. That is theirs.

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If you are still choosing formats, 15 UGC video ideas has options you can name directly in the brief. For the hiring process itself, see how to hire a UGC creator.