A useful UGC brief tells a creator what the video needs to communicate, what they must deliver and how the work will be approved. For Meta ads, it should also identify the intended placements, content-use rights, audio restrictions and any partnership-ad permissions needed. Leave room for the creator's delivery, but not for uncertainty about the deal.
“Make it authentic” does not tell someone which product detail to show. “We need a few different versions” does not tell them whether to film three new videos or change the first sentence.
The brief below is designed for commissioned creator videos that a brand intends to use as advertising. It is not a Meta-required form, a legal contract or a formula that guarantees conversions. Copy it, remove fields that do not apply and complete the decisions before shipping the product.
Decide what this video is supposed to prove
Start with one audience and one buying question.
For a commuter bag, that might be: “Will the things I carry every day fit without becoming a mess?” For a kitchen tool: “Can I see exactly how I would use and clean it?”
Those questions suggest footage. A vague objective such as “build awareness and drive sales” does not.
Give the creator:
- The person the video should speak to.
- The problem or question the video should address.
- The product feature that can answer it.
- The evidence or demonstration available.
- One appropriate next action.
Separate what the creator should show from what the advertiser hopes to measure. The creator can deliver a clear demonstration. You can later test how that creative performs in a specified campaign. A performance target is not a sensible substitute for production acceptance criteria.
Copyable UGC brief template
Use this as an operational brief alongside the agreed contract and platform terms. If they conflict, resolve the conflict before filming.
1. Campaign and audience
- Brand and product:
- Product variant being sent:
- Who is the intended viewer?
- What buying question should the video answer?
- One main message:
- Offer or price, if mentioned, and when it expires:
- CTA and destination page:
- Campaign objective and planned test:
2. Creative direction
- Opening ideas to explore:
- Required product demonstration:
- Key facts to communicate:
- Approved claims and supporting evidence:
- Claims or impressions to avoid:
- Reference videos, with a note explaining what is useful:
- Room for the creator's own words or alternative concept:
Reference videos are direction, not instructions to copy another person's script, footage or distinctive performance.
3. Deliverables
- Number of distinct concepts:
- Finished video length range:
- Number of alternative hooks and final exports:
- Aspect ratio and resolution for each requested placement:
- Captions: burned-in, separate file, clean version, or a combination:
- Voiceover, direct-to-camera or demonstration audio:
- Music policy and who supplies cleared audio:
- Raw footage included, if any:
- File names and delivery folder:
- Any creator posting obligation:
Define “variation.” Two hooks attached to one shared body are different from two independently scripted and filmed videos. State both the filming work and the number of exports expected.
4. Schedule and approval
- Sample arrival or access date:
- Questions/concept check deadline:
- First-cut deadline:
- Brand feedback deadline and named reviewer:
- Included revision round(s) and scope:
- Final delivery deadline:
- Acceptance checklist:
- How extra work, reshoots or a changed brief will be agreed:
- What happens if the sample is late or defective:
5. Pay, rights and permissions
- Agreed fee and/or commission rules:
- Payment trigger and timing:
- Who can use the finished assets:
- Paid and organic channels included:
- Licence start trigger, duration and territory:
- Permitted edits, cutdowns and raw-footage use:
- Exclusivity, if any:
- Renewal and expiry process:
- Creator portfolio permission:
- Brand-handle ad or creator-handle partnership ad?
- Meta permission route required, if applicable:
- Required disclosures and who checks the final ad:
For help choosing pay rules, see flat fee vs commission for UGC. Keep the production price, licensing scope and Meta permission decision visible even when they are packaged into one offer.
A filled example: demonstrate a commuter bag
This is an invented brief for a fictional “Daypack Studio” brand and its fictional Everyday Tote. It is not a Myah campaign, a real client example or evidence of results. The pay and licence terms are illustrative negotiation choices, not recommended rates or Myah's standard terms.
The job
Audience: people who take a laptop, lunch and small essentials to work.
Buying question: can I organise my usual items and find them quickly?
Message: show where everyday items go and how the creator reaches them. Do not claim the bag fits every laptop or is suitable for a device size that has not been checked.
Deliverable: one roughly 25–35-second demonstration, with two alternative openings. Supply two completed exports using the same main body, plus clean versions without burned-in captions. Vertical 9:16 at 1080 × 1920 is the chosen production specification for this Reels-focused example, not a universal Meta requirement.
CTA: “See the compartments and dimensions.” Send viewers to the product page, not a discount that may expire before the ad stops running.
Tone: direct, conversational and specific. The creator can change the wording as long as the demonstration and factual limits remain intact.
The storyboard
| Beat | Picture | Possible line or direction |
|---|---|---|
| Opening A | Show the actual items on a desk, then the empty bag | “Here's what I carry to work, and where it all goes.” |
| Opening B | Close-up of the small-item pocket | “My keys need a place I can reach without unpacking everything.” |
| Main demonstration | Load the laptop used in the shoot, lunch container and small items | Show the fit honestly. Do not force an item into a compartment to support a claim. |
| Useful detail | Retrieve keys, then show the pocket they came from | Describe what the viewer can see. Avoid an invented story about months of use. |
| Closing | Show the loaded bag and a clear product view | “See the compartments and dimensions.” |
The creator uses products and props they can show lawfully. The brand supplies the bag's checked dimensions and any other facts needed. Neither side adds “waterproof,” “ergonomic” or “indestructible” without appropriate support.
The practical terms
- Pay: $300 fixed for this defined package, under separately agreed payment terms. This is a fictional figure, not a pricing benchmark.
- First cut: within five working days after the correct sample arrives; the schedule shifts if delivery is late.
- Feedback: one named reviewer sends consolidated notes within two working days.
- Included revision: one editing round using the agreed footage. New scenes or a changed concept are discussed and priced before extra work begins. Any correction of a failure to meet the original brief follows the contract's agreed process.
- Use proposed for agreement: paid Instagram Reels advertising from the brand's own account, targeting the UK, for 90 days from first paid use; first use must begin within 30 days of final payment. Incidental delivery outside a targeting setting needs to be addressed in the agreement, not assumed impossible.
- Edits proposed: captions, aspect-ratio crops and rearrangement of supplied scenes, without changing the creator's meaning or adding unapproved claims.
- Disclosure: an opening spoken and on-screen “Ad for Daypack Studio,” retained in both exports. The brand checks the final ad against the applicable UK rules; this wording is an example, not a compliance guarantee.
- Excluded unless separately agreed: raw footage, creator posting, creator-handle advertising, other channels and AI-generated alterations to the creator's face or voice.
- Expiry: the brand records the first-use date and removes the asset from active paid delivery when the agreed term ends unless a renewal is agreed.
The point of the example is not its particular fee or term. It is that the creator can understand the assignment and the brand can tell whether it received what it bought.
Four checks before the brief goes out
1. Specify placements, then check the crop
Do not assume one export will display identically everywhere.
Meta's aspect-ratio guidance distinguishes placements and formats. Its safe-zone guidance explains that interface elements and cropping can cover important text, logos and visuals.
For a Reels-first brief, request a suitable vertical composition and keep the key action away from vulnerable edges. Then check the actual placement preview and Safe zone guardrail in Ads Manager. If the plan also needs feed crops, commission and review them explicitly.
Captions should be readable on a phone and should accurately reflect the speech. Ask who will produce and proofread them. If you need a clean export for later edits, request it now rather than asking the creator to rebuild the file after delivery.
2. Give the creator facts, not a testimonial to pretend to have
A product demonstration and a personal endorsement are different creative choices.
“Here is how the lid opens” is something a creator can show. “I've used this every day for six months” is a claim about their experience. Do not put it in a script unless it is true.
The FTC's influencer guidance says people cannot describe an experience with a product they have not tried or make claims requiring proof the advertiser does not have. U.S. law can apply even to posts made abroad when it is reasonably foreseeable that they will affect U.S. consumers. Other countries and regulated categories have their own requirements. For UK-targeted work such as our example, consult the relevant UK rules too, including ASA/CAP guidance on recognising ads.
Add a disclosure instruction appropriate to the actual relationship and destination. For video endorsements where disclosure is needed, the FTC says it should be in the video, not only its description. The final ad review should check that editing has not removed or obscured it.
3. Clear the audio for its destination
“Use a trending sound” is not a commercial-rights plan.
Tell the creator whether to deliver speech and original sound only, use a track you supply or select audio under a specified licence. Confirm that the permission covers the intended paid advertising and distribution.
Meta Sound Collection's terms cover use on Meta Company Products, subject to their conditions. They are not blanket permission to upload the same audio file to every other platform or a standalone portfolio website.
For flexible editing, you can request a clean version without music and add properly cleared audio later. That is a production choice, not a guarantee that every other element in the video is cleared.
4. Separate the video licence from Meta access
A brand-handle ad and a creator-handle partnership ad do not have the same permission requirements.
For the independent creator-brand arrangements covered here, Meta requires the partner's permission for partnership ads. Its content-level permissions concern specific content; account-level permissions are broader and can allow new ads without a pre-existing post.
Downloading an approved file does not itself grant permission to use the creator's account identity. Equally, obtaining a partnership-ad code does not settle the full commercial licence for the video.
Decide the intended route before asking for access. Our usage-rights guide explains the difference and the limits of turning permissions off.
Review against the brief, not against a new idea
When the first cut arrives, separate acceptance checks from creative preferences.
Acceptance checks: correct product, agreed footage and exports, accurate statements, audible dialogue, readable captions, appropriate disclosures and no unapproved assets.
Creative feedback: “The product appears too late,” “this opening is less clear than the alternative,” or “the demonstration would read better with a tighter crop.”
Give feedback with a timecode, the problem and the requested change. “At 00:08, the caption covers the compartment; move it into the previewed safe area” is actionable. “Make it pop” is not.
If the feedback changes the original assignment, treat it as a scope conversation. A new product, location, concept or testimonial is not automatically a minor revision.
Once an ad runs, record what you learn in the next brief. Treat a weak result as a reason to examine the creative, offer and distribution together, not as proof the creator failed to deliver the commissioned work.
Common questions
Should a UGC brief include a complete script?
Sometimes. Exact wording can be useful for checked facts and necessary disclosures. For delivery and transitions, you can give the creator clear boundaries and room to speak naturally. Never ask them to read a personal claim that is not true for them.
How many hooks should we request?
Request a number that fits the agreed production scope and your test plan. Two is a choice in the example above, not an industry optimum. State whether you want separate clips, complete exports or both.
Is raw footage included in a finished-video fee?
Do not assume so. Specify which raw files you need, how you may edit/use them and what they cost before filming.
Make the next commission easier to deliver
A good brief leaves fewer decisions to be discovered at review time. The creator knows the work and the boundaries; the brand has a clear basis for approval.
Myah is building a performance-UGC marketplace for brands and creators. Join brand early access for updates from Myah. You can use this brief with your next creator independently of Myah.
