What is a UGC video and how do you make one?
Last updated · by Buse Dülger
A UGC video is a short, phone-shot clip made by a real customer or paid creator in their own voice, then published or advertised by the brand. To make one, film vertically in 9:16, light your face from a window, record clean audio, open with a hook, keep it to 15-45 seconds and add captions.
What is a UGC video?
A UGC video is a short clip filmed in a real person's own style, usually on a phone, that a brand then posts on its own channels or runs as an ad. 'User-generated' describes the look and the voice, not who pays. Most of the UGC videos brands use are commissioned from creators who film to a brief and hand over the file.
The format borrows how everyday social video looks: someone talking straight to camera in a real room, natural light, quick cuts, captions, and the product shown in use. That is why it works on TikTok, Reels and product pages. In those places a polished commercial feels like an interruption, while a person feels like a recommendation.
Organic UGC still exists, for example a customer posting a review nobody asked for, and brands can reuse it with permission. Commissioned UGC is the version you can brief, plan and test at scale.
What types of UGC video are there?
Six formats cover most UGC briefs: the testimonial, the product demo, the unboxing, the before-and-after, the 'get ready with me' and the problem-solution clip. Each one answers a different buyer question. Pick the format that removes the doubt your buyer has, not the trend of the week.
Demos answer 'how does it work?'. Unboxings answer 'what do I actually get?'. Before-and-afters answer 'does it work?', and GRWM clips answer 'does it fit my life?'. Testimonials answer 'can I trust it?' and have their own section below. Most brands start with two or three formats and test which one their audience responds to.
Product demo
Shows the product doing its job in real time: a serum's texture on skin, a supplement powder mixing into water, a jacket's hidden pockets. Best for products with a feature that is hard to explain in text. Keep hands and product in frame, film close, and say out loud what the viewer should notice.
Unboxing
The creator opens the parcel on camera and reacts to the packaging, the inserts and their first impressions. It suits giftable products, subscription boxes and premium packaging. Tell the creator what must be shown, such as the free sample or the refill pouch, and ask for a natural first reaction rather than a rehearsed one.
Before and after
Two states of the same thing: skin before and after a routine, a wardrobe before and after a capsule edit, a messy bag before and after an organiser. Keep the lighting, angle and distance identical in both shots. Never promise results the brand cannot back up with evidence.
Get ready with me
The creator talks while doing their routine, with the product slotted in naturally between other steps. It works for beauty, haircare, fashion and accessories because it shows the product being used in context. Include at least one clear close-up and a spoken reason why the product earned its place in the routine.
Problem-solution
Opens on a frustration the buyer recognises, such as frizz, an afternoon energy dip or jeans that gape at the waist, then shows the product as the fix. It is the most common structure in paid social because the hook comes built in. Keep the problem real, specific and in the viewer's own words.
What kit and set-up do you need to film one?
For almost every UGC brief, all you need is a recent smartphone, a window, a cheap clip-on microphone and a tidy corner. Expensive cameras tend to make the footage look like an advert, which defeats the point.
Two technical basics are not optional. TikTok's ad specifications recommend vertical 9:16 video and require every video creative to have sound, so framing and audio matter more than gear. Get those right and viewers judge the person, not the production. The cards below cover the rest: making phone footage look natural and clean.
Phone and settings
Use the rear camera when you can, because it is sharper than the selfie lens. Shoot at the highest resolution the phone offers, lock focus and exposure on your face, wipe the lens and turn on grid lines. Switch on airplane mode so a notification cannot ruin a good take.
Framing in 9:16
Hold the phone upright and frame from mid-chest up, with your eyes roughly a third of the way down. Leave clear space at the bottom and right edge, where captions, buttons and the account name sit in the app. Bring the product close to the lens for detail shots instead of zooming in digitally.
Lighting
Face a window in daylight so the light falls evenly across your face, and never film with the window behind you. On dull days, add a ring or panel light at eye level, slightly to one side. Switch off mixed overhead bulbs, which turn skin tones orange or green and make the product colour look wrong.
Audio
Record in a soft room with curtains, rugs or a sofa, and turn off fans and fridges. For talking-head clips, a clip-on wireless mic beats the phone's built-in mic. If the scene is noisy, record the voice-over separately, and leave a second of silence at each end of a take so it cuts cleanly.
Set and props
Pick a real, tidy space that suits the buyer: a bathroom shelf for skincare, a kitchen counter for supplements, a full-length mirror for fashion. Remove other brands' logos, keep the product label facing the camera, and have spares ready in case the product gets used up or opened on camera.
How do you script, film and edit a UGC video?
Write a one-line hook, a three-beat script and a call to action. Film each beat several times, then edit it tightly with captions burned into the video. That is the whole craft of making UGC, whether you are a creator working to a brief or a brand filming its own customers.
Start from the brief: who the viewer is, the single message, the claims the creator must make and the claims they must avoid. A creator who knows the one thing the brand wants viewers to remember makes better choices on the day than one handed a long script to read.
1. Hook
Open with the most interesting thing you have: the result, a bold statement, a question your buyer is already asking, or the product mid-use. Say it and show it at the same time, with on-screen text, because many people watch with the sound off. Film three or four alternative hooks so the brand can test them.
2. Script in three beats
Problem, proof, push. Name the problem in the viewer's words, show the product solving it with a demo or close-up, then give one clear call to action. Write bullet points, not a word-for-word script, because reading lines kills the natural tone that makes UGC work. Stick to one message per video.
3. Film in takes
Record each beat separately and repeat it two or three times with small variations. Then capture B-roll: texture shots, pouring, applying, packaging, the product in a bag or on a shelf. B-roll hides jump cuts, gives the editor options and lets the brand build extra cuts from a single shoot.
4. Edit and caption
Cut every pause and breath; most clips get faster on the second edit. Burn in captions in large, high-contrast text inside the safe area, and add short text overlays for key claims or prices. Keep music low under speech, and only use tracks you are licensed to use commercially.
5. Deliver clean files
Export from your editing app, never by downloading from a social app: TikTok's ad specifications do not allow watermarks, including TikTok's own. Send a captioned version, a clean version without captions or music, the raw clips, and each hook as a separate, clearly named file.
How length shapes short-video performance
- 6.00% Average engagement rate for TikTok brand videos under 30 seconds, the highest of any length band.
- 0.35% Peak Instagram Reels engagement rate, reached at 45-60 seconds, ahead of both shorter and longer Reels.
- 10× More average TikTok views at 120-180 seconds (12,000) than for videos under 30 seconds (1,200).
- 0.15% Reels engagement beyond three minutes, less than half the 45-60 second peak.
How long should a UGC video be?
For most paid UGC, 15-45 seconds is the working range: long enough to show the product and land one call to action, short enough to hold a viewer who has never heard of you. The right length depends on the platform and the goal, so plan several cuts rather than one fixed length.
Socialinsider studied 111,000 brand videos. On TikTok, clips under 30 seconds had the highest average engagement rate at 6.00%, and the 30-60 second band had the lowest. Views went the other way, rising with length and peaking at 120-180 seconds. On Instagram, Reels engagement peaked at 45-60 seconds and fell by more than half beyond three minutes.
In practice, ask for a 15-30 second cut for TikTok ads and a 30-60 second cut for Reels from the same shoot. Only ask for a longer demo or tutorial when the product genuinely needs explaining. Do not pad a simple idea to reach a longer length.
What export specs does each platform need?
Deliver one vertical 9:16 master as an .mp4 or .mov at the highest resolution the phone records, then cut platform versions from it rather than filming again. The platforms differ more on length and safe zones than on shape.
Agree file names, versions and delivery format in the brief so nothing has to be re-exported later. Before posting, watch each cut on a phone with the app interface on top. If a caption or the product is hidden behind buttons, move it in the edit.
TikTok
The reservation in-feed ad spec recommends vertical 9:16 at 540×960 pixels or more, in .mp4, .mov, .mpeg or .3gp, up to 500 MB. Videos run 5-60 seconds, with 9-15 seconds recommended. Creator posts boosted as Spark Ads (pull) have no length limit. Keep text and logos inside the safe zone so the interface does not cover them.
Instagram Reels
Reels play full-screen and vertical, so the same 9:16 master works. Check Meta's current Reels ad specs in Ads Manager before a campaign, because length limits and safe zones change. Keep captions and the product away from the bottom and right edges, where the caption text, audio label and buttons sit.
YouTube Shorts
YouTube Help says square or vertical videos up to three minutes long are classed as Shorts. A Short over one minute with an active copyright claim is blocked worldwide, so use royalty-free or properly licensed music on longer cuts. Anything wider, such as 16:9, is treated as a regular video.
Version pack
Ask for each video as a set of versions: captioned and clean, with and without music, a short cut and a longer cut, plus three or four alternative hooks as separate files. Extra versions cost little on the day and give paid-social teams enough variants to test without a reshoot.
What is a testimonial video?
A testimonial video is a person explaining, in their own words, the problem they had, what they tried and what changed after using a product or service. It builds more trust than any other UGC format because viewers hear the result from someone like them, not from the brand.
Testimonials come from three sources, and each needs a different set-up. Whoever films it, the disclosure rule is the same. The ASA and CMA influencer guide says free products count as payment, so a gifted or paid creator posting a testimonial on their own channel must label it 'Ad' upfront in the UK; in the US, '#ad' is the usual label. The views must be genuine: never script an experience the person has not had.
Customer testimonial
Filmed by real buyers, usually in response to a post-purchase email or review request asking them to record a short clip on their phone. It is raw and highly credible, but quality varies, so send three simple prompts and a framing tip. Get written permission before using the clip in ads or on product pages.
Client testimonial
The version for B2B and service businesses: a named client, with their role and company on screen, describing the problem, the work and the result. Film it as an interview with off-camera questions so the answers sound natural. Then cut a 30-second social edit and a longer version for your website or sales deck.
Creator testimonial
A commissioned creator uses the product for an agreed period, then reports back honestly in their own words. You control framing, length and versions, which makes this the easiest testimonial to run as an ad. Give the creator enough time with the product for the review to be real.
What are good testimonial video ideas to brief?
The strongest testimonial videos are specific: one person, one problem, one change, told in under a minute with the product on screen. Vague praise such as 'I love it' persuades nobody, because the viewer cannot picture themselves in the story.
Brief creators and customers with a structure rather than lines, and choose an angle that fits the product category. The five ideas below work across DTC beauty, supplements, fashion and service businesses. Film two or three people on the same angle so you can compare which voice your audience trusts most.
The sceptic
'I didn't think a high-street serum would do anything.' Starting from doubt makes the turnaround believable. It works well in beauty and skincare, where buyers have been let down before. The creator names what they expected, what they noticed first, and what they would tell an equally sceptical friend.
Weeks in
The creator records a first impression, then a follow-up after several weeks of use, edited together as one video. It suits supplements, haircare and skincare, where change is gradual. Keep claims to what the person noticed themselves, and avoid health or medical promises the brand cannot back up with evidence.
The fit check
For fashion: the creator tries the item on, moves, sits and turns, and talks about sizing, fabric and how it compares with what they normally wear. Honest notes such as 'size down if you're between sizes' make the praise more credible and answer the sizing doubts that put buyers off.
The switch story
Why I moved from what I used before to this. Comparing without naming competitors keeps it compliant and relatable. It works for subscriptions, household products, and food and drink, and it gives paid-social teams a ready-made problem-solution hook to test against other openings.
The client walk-through
For service businesses and B2B: the client walks through where they started, the moment they decided to get help, the work and the result, ideally with a figure they are happy to share. Film on-site or over a clean video call, and show the person's name and role on screen.
How can you get UGC videos made affordably?
The cheapest reliable route is to commission a small batch of videos from vetted creators, test them as ads, and reorder only the formats that win. Four or five videos across two formats will teach you more than one expensive 'hero' video.
Budget for the hidden costs too: product shipping, revisions, usage rights for paid ads, and the time spent chasing files and invoices. Choose the route that takes away the admin you least want to do.
#Collabz suits brands that want vetted creators, briefs, usage rights and payments handled in one place, starting with 4 UGC videos for £280.
Your own customers
The lowest-cost source: ask recent buyers for a short clip in a post-purchase email, offering a discount or entry into a prize draw. Expect variable quality and low volume. Get written permission for each use, and remember that an incentive makes any post on their own channels an ad that needs a label.
Freelance creators direct
Find creators through their portfolios or social profiles and agree terms by DM or email. Rates can be flexible, but you handle the contract, usage rights, product shipping, payment and deadline-chasing yourself. This works if you only need a few videos and have time to manage them.
Creator marketplace
You post one brief and either get matched with vetted creators or receive their applications, with contracts, rights and payments handled in the platform. There is less admin per video and batches are easier to scale. The trade-off is that you choose from the platform's creator pool rather than the whole internet.
Agency
A managed service that handles strategy, casting, scripting and editing. It costs the most per video, but it is useful if you need large volumes or strict brand control, or have no one in-house to brief and review. Ask whether usage rights for paid ads are included or charged on top.
Sources and further reading
- ASA and CMA, Influencers' guide to making clear that ads are ads — Advertising Standards Authority
- Disclosures 101: New FTC resources for social media influencers — Federal Trade Commission
- TikTok reservation in-feed ad specifications — TikTok for Business
- Understand three-minute YouTube Shorts — YouTube Help
- Social Media Video Statistics — Socialinsider
- ASA and CMA, Influencers' guide to making clear that ads are ads, 2023
Frequently asked questions
What software do you need to make and edit UGC videos?
Most UGC is shot on a phone's built-in camera and edited in a mobile app such as CapCut or the editors inside TikTok and Instagram, which offer auto-captions, trimming and text overlays. Desktop editors such as Adobe Premiere Pro or DaVinci Resolve help when you need many versions or colour correction. Always export from the editing app rather than downloading from a social app, so the files carry no watermark.
What is a UGC content creation request?
It is the brief a brand sends a creator asking for a specific video. It covers the product, format, key message, what must and must not be said, length, versions, deadline, usage rights and fee. A clear request saves rounds of revisions and gets usable footage first time.
Can you get UGC videos for free?
Yes, if customers film them unprompted or in reply to a request, but you still need their written permission to reuse the clip, especially in ads. If you send free product in return, the FTC treats free or discounted products as a material connection, so any post on the creator's own channels must be disclosed as an ad. Free UGC is a useful extra, but rarely a reliable supply.
How do you run a testimonial video campaign?
Pick one product and one buyer doubt, then collect five to ten testimonials from customers or commissioned creators using the same three prompts. Cut each into a short social version and a longer version for product pages, run them as ads against each other, and move budget to the voices and angles that win. Refresh the set when performance drops.
Do testimonial videos help conversions?
They tend to work hardest close to the purchase decision: on product pages, in retargeting ads and in abandoned-basket emails, where the buyer already knows the product and needs reassurance. Test them against your current creative rather than assuming an uplift. Measure add-to-basket and conversion rate, not just views.
What does user-generated video production involve?
There are four stages: the brief, shipping the product, filming and editing by the creator, then review and delivery of the final files with the agreed versions and usage rights. Most of the time goes on shipping and revisions. A precise brief and a single round of combined feedback keep the turnaround short.
Does a UGC video posted on a brand's own account need an 'Ad' label?
The ASA's influencer guide notes that content on a brand's own channels is often already clearly advertising in that context. If the creator posts the same video on their own profile after being paid or gifted product, it must carry 'Ad' upfront in the UK or '#ad' in the US.