How To Improve Your UGC Briefs (Because Your Mistakes Are Costing You More Than You Know)
We all have seen a UGC video or two out in the wild with good quality and the right intention, but it came off sort of lackluster. Trust me, this doesn't mean that the creator isn't talented. It actually reflects more on the brand's brief than anything.
Brands everywhere think they can just put a couple bullets and "use your imagination!" and it'll turn into a 500% ROI UGC-video for them. While creative freedom is important, there's a lot more that your brand needs to communicate in order for UGC to be a successful investment.
Let's talk about common mistakes that brands make when writing UGC briefs for their creators and what you should be doing instead.
First and foremost, the audience needs to care about this video. Which also means the creator needs to care about this video. If your brief doesn't answer the question, "why should anyone care about this?" then your brief is built on a cracking foundation. Don't leave them guessing. This only leads to generic hooks and viewer skips.
Why does this product matter? Why is it actually different? What problem is it solving for the user? The creators should be able to answer that and get their audience to understand it as well.
"We want it to feel real". We know this. That's kind of the entire point of UGC. Tell your creator how you want it to seem authentic. Do you want Get Unready With Me style video with a whisper voiceover? Do you want a chaotic kitchen cleanup & review? At the bare minimum, you should be telling the creators to show how the product has improved or impacted their life.
But don't be shy! Give them some examples of content you really like- it's even better if you can pull from their profiles or portfolios to give them an idea of what pieces of their content you pictured your brand being featured in.
Without briefing on the importance of a hook in the UGC content, your creators might be lost on that front. The first 3 seconds are the most crucial part of getting people to pay attention. Let your creators know about hooks that have worked or haven't worked in the past. Build them a "swipe stopper" list to make it super easy for them to pull hooks and inspirational ideas from. Make it super easy for their videos to have a strong start.
Your creators want their freedom- and you should absolutely trust them with that. After all, they know their audience best. Their personal touch is what is going to make these videos perform well.
However, if you're not fueling their creative process with your overall vision or brand tone, their message can come off as disconnected from the brand. Brief them on your brand's goals, mission, and general personality so when their content hits, you can tell who they're talking about.
UGC can be a "one and done" play, but to extend the true relationship with your creators and their audience it's best to have a full feedback loop. Creators want to win and they want to see you win. They only way that they know that they've accomplished that goal, or the impact they've had on it, is if you tell them about the performance.
Focusing not only on your creative brief, but also your performance debrief will help the creator make improvements and adjustments needed to help their content better match your brand/audience in the future. Tell them what flopped, what hooks crushed, what concepts got the audience engaged. Close the loop and further the growth.
At the End of the Day
It's important to take your UGC briefs seriously. Small adjustments can increase your ROI for this piece of your marketing strategy and stretch your marketing dollars even further. Don't waste your money on bad briefs, set your creators (and your brand) up for success by recognizing these common mistakes and be the brand that overcomes them.
