A UGC brief is a short document given by a brand to the creator, describing the objective, the product, the key messages, the format, the instructions and the usage rights.
What does a UGC brief contain?
Seven elements, and nothing more.
The objective of the video, phrased as the sentence the viewer should be able to say afterwards.
The product and what has to be shown of it: the function, the gesture, the packaging, the dimensions.
The compulsory messages, with their exact wording, including the advertising disclosure.
The prohibitions: words, gestures, places, visible brands, claims.
The technical specifications: format, length, sound, subtitles, file naming.
The rights requested: duration, territory, channels, paid advertising included or not.
And the delivery date, in working days.
Why is the brief so important?
Five measurable effects.
It removes the rounds of messages, which cost more than the production itself.
It makes the videos comparable, the condition for testing angles.
It protects the brand, because it fixes in writing what could be said.
It protects the creator, who can prove they delivered what was asked.
And it makes the order repeatable: a good brief is reused ten times by changing two lines.
What does a simple UGC brief look like?
A one-page structure, in the order of the shoot.
Before: the product to prepare, the place, the expected light, the clothing to avoid.
During: the compulsory shots, the mandated sentence, the advertising disclosure, what must not be said.
After: the export format, the file naming, the version with no music, the delivery method.
And at the end of the document: the rights, the price, the revisions included, the date.
One note on length: beyond one page, a brief stops being read. What goes beyond belongs to the conversation, not to the document.
Brief or script: what is the difference?
Three useful distinctions.
The brief says what has to be obtained; the script says word for word what has to be spoken.
The brief leaves the phrasing to the creator, which produces a natural tone; the script produces a reading, which is audible.
And the script remains necessary for the non-negotiable elements: legal disclosures, mandated sentence, approved wording in regulated categories.
The combination that works: a one-page brief, plus two or three scripted sentences to be included as they are.
What a brief replaces
| Without a brief | With a brief |
|---|---|
| Three rounds of correction | One approval |
| A video making the wrong point | A message held |
| A dispute over rights after delivery | A written frame from the start |
What separates a brief from a script
A brief says what the video must achieve and what it must not contain. A script dictates every word. The first leaves the naturalness, the second erases it.
What is reread before sending
One question only: could someone who does not know the product shoot from this document? If the answer is no, information is missing, not one more instruction.
Who writes the brief, and when?
Four points of organisation.
The brief is written by the brand or its agency, never by the creator, because it commits what may be said.
It is approved before the product is sent, otherwise the parcel leaves before the decision.
It is reread by the person approving compliance, particularly in regulated categories, where the exact wording is checked with a lawyer.
And it is dated, because a brief modified during production has to be distinguishable from its initial version.
One last marker: a good brief does not explain how to film, it decides what must not happen and what the video has to have proved by the end. Between those two markers, the chosen person does their job, and that is exactly what is being bought.
