Guide · 10 min read
The UGC marketing guide
Six chapters on briefing, choosing creators, writing hooks and testing, taken from the campaigns we run every week.
Contents
Six chapters, one workflow
1. Start with the buyer, not the video
One person, one problem, one promise.
2. Write a brief creators can film
A one-page brief that saves revisions.
3. Choose creators who fit your buyer
What to check before you hire anyone.
4. Win the first two seconds
Three hooks for every video.
5. Test like a media buyer
Equal budget, one change at a time.
6. Scale what works, retire what does not
How to keep winners from tiring out.
marketing guide
Chapter 1
Start with the buyer, not the video
Every good UGC video begins with one specific person and one specific problem. Before you brief anyone, write down who is watching, what they already tried and what made them look for a fix. Use their words, from reviews, support chats and comments, not yours.
Then pick one promise. A skincare video can sell calmer skin, a faster routine or fewer products, but not all three. The video that says one clear thing is the one people remember and repeat.
A useful test: say the idea out loud in one sentence. If it needs two, it is two videos.
Key takeaways
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Write the buyer and their problem in one line
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Collect five phrases from real reviews
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Choose one promise per video
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Say the idea in one sentence
Chapter 2
Write a brief creators can film
A brief is a short document, not a script to read word for word. Creators know their audience better than you, so give them the goal, the buyer, the claim and the proof, and let them find the voice.
Include the product benefit in plain words, three hook ideas, any claims you cannot make, the formats you need and the deadline. One page is enough. A longer brief usually means the idea is not clear yet.
Add two example videos you like and say what you like about them. It saves a round of revisions every time.
Key takeaways
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One page, one goal
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Three hook ideas and one proof point
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Formats and deadline stated
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Two reference videos with notes
Chapter 3
Choose creators who fit your buyer
Follower count is a weak signal. Look at whether the creator speaks like your buyer, holds attention in the first seconds and shows a product being used instead of held up to the camera.
Watch five of their recent videos with the sound on. Check the audio, the light and how they handle a pause. Then ask for a short test video before you commit to a batch.
Work with three to five creators at first. Different voices make your test results far more useful.
Key takeaways
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Watch five videos with sound on
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Check audio, light and pacing
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Start with a short test video
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Use three to five creators per batch
Chapter 4
Win the first two seconds
Most viewers decide in two seconds. The hook is the line and the image that earn the next five. It should start mid-thought, show the problem or make a claim the viewer wants to check.
Write three hooks for every video: a problem hook, a result hook and a curiosity hook. Film all three openings and keep the rest of the video the same, so the test is fair.
Keep captions large, cut dead air and put the key word on screen. Many people watch with the sound off.
Key takeaways
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Three hooks per video
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Start mid-thought, not with a greeting
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Captions on and easy to read
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No dead air before the point
Chapter 5
Test like a media buyer
Treat each video as a test. Run the versions with the same audience and a small equal budget for 48 to 72 hours, and change only one thing at a time, usually the hook.
Judge hooks by thumb-stop rate and cost per click first, then by sales. A hook with a high stop rate and weak sales has a good opening and a weak ending, so fix the ending.
Write down every result. After ten tests, the pattern in your winners is more valuable than any single ad.
Key takeaways
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Equal budget, equal audience
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Change one variable at a time
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Read stop rate, then cost per click, then sales
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Log every result
Chapter 6
Scale what works, retire what does not
When a video holds its cost for three days, raise its budget in small steps and brief two new versions with different hooks. Winners fatigue, so the next batch needs to be ready before the first one tires.
Retire the bottom half of every test without guilt. Keep a swipe file of old winners and remake them with a new creator or a new proof point after a few weeks.
Share what you learn with every creator. The more they know about what worked, the better the next batch gets.
Key takeaways
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Raise budget in small steps
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Brief the next batch early
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Retire the bottom half
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Share results with creators
Your first month
A four-week plan you can copy
01
Launch
Week 1
Run six hooks across two or three creators at a small daily budget.
02
Cut
Week 2
Pause the bottom half and note what the winners have in common.
03
Iterate
Week 3
Remake winners with new openings, new creators and new proof.
04
Scale
Week 4
Raise budget on what holds and brief the next batch.
Done for you
Want us to run this for you?
We handle creators, scripts, edits and the testing loop, so your team only reviews and approves.
Tell us the goal and monthly volume and we reply with a written quote.
What we take off your plate
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Creator sourcing and briefing
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Scripts and hooks for every video
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Editing, captions and formats
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A weekly testing report
Guide FAQ
Questions about UGC marketing
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