Fitness and supplements is the category with the most competition and the least credibility. The audience has seen everything, distrusts everything, and that is exactly why honest UGC outperforms advertising production.

What actually converts

Real progress, with a stated timeframe

"Eight weeks, three times a week." Without a timeframe, the transformation looks fake.

The usage routine, not the result

When they take it, how they prepare it, what it actually tastes like. Taste is the number one objection in supplements and almost nobody addresses it.

The ordinary person

Not the athlete with abs: someone starting out, training in a regular gym, with a recognisable body.

The price objection

"I thought it was expensive until I worked out the cost per dose."

The testimonial from someone who quit and came back

It sounds bad in theory and it is one of the best converting formats.

What cannot be said

This is the critical part of the category. In the European Union, health claims on foods and supplements are regulated and only authorised ones may be used. Claiming the ability to prevent, treat or cure disease is prohibited.

Put an explicit list of forbidden phrases in the brief, and another of acceptable formulations. A creator saying "it cured my anxiety" on camera can cost you an entire campaign and more.

Also ask for the packaging with the nutritional information visible at least once.

Which creators to hire

People whose starting point resembles your customer's. A beginner protein brand that hires only fitness competitors signals that the product is not for the audience it wants to reach.

Look for variety in age and level. A forty five year old man starting to train converts an audience no twenty year old athlete reaches.

The brief that produces good material

Include: how the product is used, at what moment, what the main objection is, three suggested hooks and the list of forbidden claims.

The Spanish calendar

January is the absolute peak, driven by new year resolutions. Spring is second, in the run up to summer. September works well with the return to routine, and summer is slower except for hydration products.

Where to go next

In fitness, credibility is worth more than muscle. Our complete UGC guide for brands explains the rest of the process.