You do not deliver the same thing for TikTok as for a hotel's booking page. Knowing what each platform buys in Costa Rica is what separates a creator who invoices from one who hands over generic files.

Instagram Reels

It is the main square for tourism, food, natural cosmetics and local retail. Vertical, first three seconds decisive, subtitles always.

What brands buy here: pieces of fifteen to thirty seconds, attractive but believable. A hotel wants the room to look real, not like a render.

TikTok

Less saturated than in other countries in the region and very useful for reaching a young audience and travellers planning a trip. Here tone beats finish.

Story formats work: the problem at the start, the proof in the middle, the conclusion at the end. And more and more brands ask for several hook versions to test which performs in ads.

Meta Ads and TikTok Ads

This is the game that really pays. When the video goes to paid media, the client is not looking for art, they are looking for results: opening shot variants, on screen text, a clear call to action and versions at different lengths.

It is also where the price changes, because advertising use is a separate licence. If you deliver material for ads at organic content rates, you are giving away the most valuable part of your work.

YouTube

More relevant in Costa Rica than many assume, especially in tourism, real estate and content for foreigners weighing a move or an investment. Longer pieces, better audio, calmer pace.

Booking sites and product pages

A quiet and very profitable lane. Hotels, tour operators and shops need short, clean video, without licensed music and without seasonal references, for their site and their listing.

That material ages well and gets bought again. Many creators ignore it because it does not generate likes, and for that same reason it is less contested.

WhatsApp Business

Costa Rican local commerce lives on WhatsApp. Shops ask for short vertical videos for their catalogue and statuses. Small but recurring jobs, and often the way into a client who grows later.

What it means for your delivery

Always ask where it will be published before filming. It changes format, pace, length and price. Asking that question already makes you look professional before the camera is on.

Where to go next

Mastering two platforms properly is worth more than half covering five. Our guide on how to become a UGC creator explains how to pick yours.