A good UGC script does not look like an advertising script. There is no perfect voiceover and no grand closing line: there is a person talking the way people actually talk, getting to the point before the thumb moves.

The first three seconds decide everything

Do not start with "hi, today I want to show you". That opening lost half the audience before the word "show".

Start straight from the problem, the result or the contradiction:

  • "I took this to the Caribbean coast for three days and here is what happened."
  • "Nobody warns you about this before you book."
  • "I drank this coffee for a month and it changed my mornings."

The structure that sells

Hook, context, proof, close. Fifteen to thirty seconds in total.

Context is a single sentence that positions you: who you are and why it matters to you. Proof is what can be seen: the product in use, the real place, the texture, the result. The close is an action, not a farewell.

Writing for two languages

This is the most profitable skill in Costa Rica. Many clients want the same piece in Spanish and in English.

Do not translate literally. Write two native versions: the hook that works in Spanish is rarely the one that works in English, because the audience is not the same. The foreign visitor needs context the Costa Rican already has, and the other way round.

Charging separately for the second version is legitimate, and most clients accept it without argument.

Write three hooks, not one

This is the difference between a creator and an ad supplier. For the same product, deliver three different openings: one emotional, one rational, one provocative.

The brand tests them in paid media and keeps the one that performs. Delivering three hooks justifies a higher price.

What to cut from the script

Empty adjectives: incredible, spectacular, unique. Long sentences. Technical facts nobody asked for. And any promise you cannot back up, especially in health and wellness.

Subtitles are part of the script

A huge share of the audience watches without sound. Write with an eye on how those words will look on screen: short sentences, one idea per line.

How to practise

Take three ads that stopped your scroll this week and transcribe their first five seconds. Within a month you will have your own hook bank, worth more than any template.

Where to go next

The script is half the job, and the half that is learned fastest. Our guide on how to become a UGC creator covers the rest.