UGC creator brief example: a filled brief and how to write one

A filled UGC creator brief example

This example is for a fictional skincare brand. Swap in your own product; keep the structure. A blank version with every field explained is on our UGC brief template page.

1. 01

   Goal: one 30-second TikTok and Reels ad to test a new hook for our vitamin C serum. Viewer action: tap Shop Now.

2. 02

   Audience: women 25–40 who already use a skincare routine and find serums sticky. Customer moment: putting makeup on after a serum that never dries.

3. 03

   Product facts: 30 ml, $34, water-based, absorbs in about a minute in our own tests. Approved claims: "brightening look", "lightweight", "layers under makeup". Banned claims: anything about treating acne, scars, wrinkles or pigmentation, and any "results in X days" line.

4. 04

   Talking points (say them your way): the sticky-serum problem, the texture on your hand, it drying before makeup, the price. No memorized script.

5. 05

   Hooks: film three different openings, each with a different visual action: (1) pressing a fingertip on your cheek to show it is not sticky, (2) holding our bottle next to the serum you stopped using, (3) a close-up of the drop on your hand.

6. 06

   Format and specs: vertical 1080x1920, natural light, sound on, product label readable in at least one shot, face and product in the upper two-thirds of the frame.

7. 07

   Do not: mention competitors by name, use music, show other brands' logos, or film in a bathroom with visible personal items.

8. 08

   Disclosure: say "ad" or "I was paid to try this" on camera and add #ad to the caption.

9. 09

   Deliverables: one edited 30-second video with captions, plus the three raw hook takes. One revision round within this brief.

10. 10

    Usage rights and payment: paid social on TikTok and Meta for 90 days, including a 30-day Spark Ads code; flat fee agreed in writing before shipping the product.

What UGC marketplaces ask a brief to contain

Each marketplace structures the brief differently, and some rules conflict, so check the one you post on. Billo puts everything (script, talking points, references, style and shots) into the brief fields before creators apply. It sells videos at 15, 30 or 60 seconds, allows one hook per video unless you buy the extra-intros add-on, and does not allow briefs in Google Docs or Canva, "script after approval", requests for raw footage or requests for creators' social handles.

Insense's brief setup asks for the campaign goal, platform, product details and delivery method, creator filters with a screening question, what creators should do per asset, optional don'ts and reference content. Its blog recommends describing the customer moment, adding two or three reference ads, storyboarding hook (0–3 s), body (3–15 s) and CTA (15–25 s), asking for at least two hooks that differ in visual action, and always requesting raw footage. Note the conflict: Insense recommends raw footage, Billo prohibits requesting it.

Collabstr's guide names six core elements: goal, product context, format and specs, visual references, talking points, and deliverables with revision terms. It recommends one goal per piece, 1080x1920 vertical, two or three references with a note on why each works, three to five talking points instead of a script, three to five don'ts, and settling payment and usage rights before sending the brief.

TikTok One's creator projects ask for a project description, product information, selling points, creator requirements, turnaround time, "must include" and "must avoid" lists, reference videos and brand assets, and TikTok reviews each project for about one business day before creators see it. TikTok's 2023 analysis of more than 300 top Creator Marketplace videos recommends dropping the script, finding a natural hook and moving long calls to action into the caption.

Talking points beat scripts, except for claims

Every marketplace guide above recommends talking points over a word-for-word script, because creators sound like themselves when they use their own words. The exception is anything legal: approved claims, banned claims, the disclosure line and any discount code should be written exactly. Put them in a separate list so creators can paraphrase the story but not the claims.

If you do want a structure, give the creator the beats rather than the lines. Our UGC script templates list six structures (problem-solution, demo, review, comparison and more) with timings, and the UGC hooks library gives openings to suggest by angle.

FTC disclosure: what the creator must do

Paid creators must disclose the relationship. The FTC's "Disclosures 101 for Social Media Influencers" says to disclose financial, employment, personal or family relationships, including free or discounted products. The disclosure must sit with the endorsement and be hard to miss: not only in a bio, behind "more" or among hashtags. In video it should be in the video itself, ideally both spoken and on screen, using clear words such as "ad", "advertisement" or "sponsored" rather than "sp", "collab" or "ambassador" alone. Creators must not talk about a product they have not tried.

The Endorsement Guides put responsibility on the brand as well. Section 255.1 says endorsements must reflect the endorser's honest opinion, advertisers are liable for misleading endorsements, and advertisers should give guidance, monitor compliance and fix problems. The brief is where that guidance lives, so write the disclosure requirement into it.

Usage rights, Spark Ads codes and partnership ads

Usage rights decide whether a video is an organic post or an ad you can run for months. Write down where the content can run, for how long, whether you can edit or recut it, and whether you can run it from the creator's handle. Backstage and Collabstr both recommend settling these terms before the brief goes out.

On TikTok, creators authorize a post as a Spark Ad by generating a code in the post's ad settings and choosing a duration of 7, 30, 60 or 365 days. Duets and Stitches need codes from both creators, and advertisers can batch-authorize up to 20 codes at a time. On Meta, branded content ads are now called partnership ads. Creators grant permission per post (the paid-partnership label with "allow brand partner to boost", or a partnership ad code) or per account, and they can revoke it at any time; Instagram's help says turning the code off stops new ads but active ads keep running.

Price usage rights separately. Aspire's 2026 survey of nearly 900 marketers and creators found that 67% of brands include paid usage in the initial rate, and that creators who charge separately commonly use 15–35% of the base rate per 30 days.

Briefing AI actors uses the same document

The brief does not change when an AI actor delivers it instead of a creator. The goal, audience, talking points, claims and hooks are the same; the difference is that you write the final script yourself and can render several hooks at once. In FireplaceUGC, the brief becomes the script for a Talking Video or Product in Hand take, cast from 500+ AI actors. Disclosure rules for AI presenters differ from creator rules; see our AI ad disclosure rules post.

Whichever way you produce it, decide in the brief how you will judge the result. For hooks, that means hook rate: compare openings with the hook rate calculator once each has enough impressions. For more examples by category, see the skincare and SaaS pages.