UGC-style ads look simple: a real person, a phone camera, a product. The editing decides whether they sell. This is the checklist we run on every UGC ad before it goes to the ad account.
The first three seconds
- Open on the problem or the surprise, never the brand logo.
- Put a short text hook on screen that works with the sound off.
- Show movement in frame one: a hand, a product being picked up, a face reacting.
For a kids vitamin brand, we opened on the sugar in an ordinary gummy vitamin before showing the zero-sugar product. The viewer sees the problem before they hear the pitch. The full ad is in our case studies.
Pacing
- Cut every pause. UGC should feel natural, but dead air loses people.
- Change the shot every two to four seconds with b-roll of the product in use.
- Keep the total length honest. Many strong UGC ads land between 15 and 45 seconds.
Proof and product
- Show the product clearly at least twice: once in use, once in a clean hero shot.
- Put the key claims on screen in plain words, and only claims the brand can back up.
- Show the result or the reaction, so the viewer sees the benefit.
Captions and sound
- Captions on every word, inside the safe zone, readable on a small phone.
- Clean up the voice and level it. Bad audio reads as low effort.
- Music low enough that the voice always leads.
Formats for every placement
Export 9:16 for Reels and Stories, 1:1 or 4:5 for feed, and keep text away from the edges each placement covers. An animated version of the same message, with motion graphics and kinetic type, gives the ad team a second creative to test against the UGC cut.
Built to be tested
Deliver two or three hook variations on the same body. The ad account finds the winner, and the next round of edits starts from what worked. Ad editing and hook variations are included in our monthly plans. Let's talk about your next campaign.