UGC Brief Template: How to Write a Creator Brief (Free Template)
A copy-ready UGC brief template with every section creators need — product, audience, key messages, must-say and must-avoid, deliverables, rights — plus a filled-in example.
A good UGC brief tells a creator what to make and why, and leaves the how mostly to them. It covers the product, the audience, the one problem the product solves, up to three key messages, what to show and say, what to avoid (especially claims you can't prove), the exact deliverables, usage rights, the timeline, and how revisions work. Copy the template below, fill in the brackets, and compare your draft with the filled-in example.
What a creator brief needs to do
This page is the document itself. The detailed spec for files, hooks, and revisions lives in the deliverables checklist, and how to plan and judge a whole test round is in your first UGC campaign.
A creator reads your brief to answer four questions: What is this product and who is it for? What should my video make the viewer feel or do? What must I include, and what must I avoid? What exactly do I deliver, and by when? If any of those answers is missing, you'll get a guess back, and the fix will cost you a revision round.
The brief also protects you. The FTC's guidance for advertisers says plainly: "Your company is ultimately responsible for what others do on your behalf," and recommends that you "explain to members of your network what they can (and can't) say about the products." The "Claims" section of the template exists for that reason.
The UGC brief template
Copy it into a doc, delete any section that doesn't apply, and keep the finished brief short enough to read in a few minutes. Anything in [BRACKETS] is for you to fill in.
UGC BRIEF: [BRAND] - [PRODUCT] - [PROJECT NAME] Brief date: [DATE] Contact: [NAME, ROLE, HOW TO REACH YOU] 1. THE PRODUCT - What it is (one sentence): [PLAIN-LANGUAGE DESCRIPTION] - Price / where it's sold: [PRICE] / [WEBSITE, AMAZON, RETAIL] - Product link: [URL] - What makes it different (max 3 points): [POINT 1] / [POINT 2] / [POINT 3] 2. THE GOAL - Where the video will run: [ORGANIC TIKTOK / META ADS / PRODUCT PAGE / ...] - What the viewer should do after watching: [CLICK, BUY, DOWNLOAD, REMEMBER] - Funnel stage: [COLD AUDIENCE / RETARGETING / EXISTING CUSTOMERS] 3. THE AUDIENCE - Who they are: [AGE RANGE, SITUATION, LIFESTYLE - not just demographics] - The problem or moment that makes them need this: [PROBLEM] - What they've tried before and why it didn't work: [ALTERNATIVES] - Objections they'll have: [OBJECTION 1] / [OBJECTION 2] 4. KEY MESSAGES (pick 1 per video, max 3 total) - Message A: [MESSAGE] - Message B: [MESSAGE] - Message C: [MESSAGE] 5. MUST SHOW / MUST SAY - Show: [PRODUCT NAME VISIBLE, PACKAGING, SPECIFIC FEATURE IN USE] - Say: [PRODUCT NAME, PRONUNCIATION, OFFER IF ANY] - Call to action: [EXACT CTA OR "CREATOR'S CHOICE"] 6. CLAIMS: WHAT YOU CAN AND CAN'T SAY - Approved claims (we can substantiate these): [CLAIM 1] / [CLAIM 2] - Do NOT claim: [E.G. MEDICAL, "CURES", "BEST", RESULTS NOT TESTED] - Do NOT mention: [COMPETITORS BY NAME, PRICES, DISCOUNTS] - Disclosure: [HOW THE VIDEO MUST BE DISCLOSED IF THE CREATOR POSTS IT] 7. CREATIVE DIRECTION - Format(s): [TESTIMONIAL / DEMO / UNBOXING / PROBLEM-SOLUTION / ...] - Tone: [E.G. CASUAL, FUNNY, CALM, EXPERT] - Hook ideas (optional starting points): [HOOK 1] / [HOOK 2] - Script: [FULL SCRIPT PROVIDED / TALKING POINTS ONLY / CREATOR WRITES] - Setting: [HOME / BATHROOM / GYM / CAR / OUTDOORS] - Avoid: [VISUAL NO-GOS: OTHER BRANDS' LOGOS, MESSY BACKGROUND, ...] - Reference videos (examples of the feel, not to copy): [LINKS] 8. DELIVERABLES - Edited videos: [NUMBER] x [LENGTH RANGE] seconds - Aspect ratio(s): [9:16 / 4:5 / 1:1] - Hook variations: [NUMBER] alternate openings per video - Captions: [BURNED IN / NONE / SEPARATE FILE] - Music: [NONE / CREATOR'S CHOICE OF LICENSED / WE ADD LATER] - Raw footage: [YES - ALL USABLE TAKES / NO] - Photos: [NUMBER, IF ANY] - File naming and delivery: [FORMAT, LINK OR PLATFORM UPLOAD] 9. USAGE RIGHTS - Channels: [ORGANIC SOCIAL / PAID SOCIAL / WEBSITE / EMAIL / OTHER] - Duration: [TERM] - Exclusivity: [NONE / CATEGORY EXCLUSIVITY FOR TERM] - Creator may post on own channels: [YES WITH DISCLOSURE / NO / AFTER DATE] 10. PRODUCT HANDLING - What we ship: [ITEMS, QUANTITY] Return needed: [YES/NO] - How to use it correctly: [INSTRUCTIONS, SAFETY NOTES] 11. TIMELINE AND REVISIONS - Product ships by: [DATE] - First delivery due: [N] days after product arrives - Revisions included: [N] round(s); a revision = [EDITS TO DELIVERED FOOTAGE] - Reshoots: [WHEN THEY APPLY AND HOW THEY'RE PRICED] - Feedback turnaround from us: [N] business days
Download this brief template (.docx) — opens in Word, Google Docs, or Pages.
The template has eleven sections, but a single video for one product often needs only three or four lines in each one. When a brief starts to look like a screenplay, cut the creative direction first. Creators are hired for their delivery, and an over-scripted video usually sounds read aloud.
The short version: a five-line brief
Marketplace brief forms and first messages to creators often have room for only a paragraph. Lead with these five lines, then attach or paste the full brief once a creator is interested.
Product: [WHAT IT IS, WHO IT'S FOR, PRICE] Video: [N] x [LENGTH]s vertical, [FORMAT], one message: [MESSAGE] Must show / say: [ITEM] / "[LINE]" Never claim: [BANNED CLAIMS] Usage: [ORGANIC / PAID ADS], [PLATFORMS], [TERM] Extras and timing: [N] hooks, raw footage [Y/N], [N] revision round(s), first draft [N] days after product arrives
Filled-in example for a fictional product
The brand, the product, the price, and every detail below are invented to show how a completed brief reads. They don't describe a real company or a real product.
UGC BRIEF: Harbor & Pine - TrailCup Insulated Tumbler - Fall launch test Brief date: [DATE] Contact: Sam, Growth Lead, via platform chat 1. THE PRODUCT - What it is: A 20 oz stainless steel tumbler with a lid that locks closed and fits standard car cup holders. - Price / where sold: $34 / harborandpine.example - Different because: lid locks so it doesn't leak in a bag / fits car cup holders / dishwasher-safe lid 2. THE GOAL - Runs as: Meta and TikTok ads to cold audiences - Viewer should: click through to the product page - Funnel stage: cold 3. THE AUDIENCE - Commuters and parents who drink coffee on the go, 25-45 - Problem: coffee spills in the bag or car; tumblers that don't fit cup holders - Tried: travel mugs that leak when tipped; cheap cups that go cold - Objections: "All tumblers say they don't leak." "$34 is a lot for a cup." 4. KEY MESSAGES (one per video) - A: Toss it in your bag - the lid locks. - B: Fits your car's cup holder. - C: Lid goes in the dishwasher. 5. MUST SHOW / MUST SAY - Show: locking the lid with one hand; the logo on the cup at least once - Say: "TrailCup" (rhymes with "mail cup") - CTA: "Link's right here" or your own natural version 6. CLAIMS - Approved: "the lid locks closed", "fits most standard car cup holders", "lid is dishwasher-safe" - Do NOT claim: a specific number of hours hot or cold; "100% leakproof"; "the best tumbler" - Do NOT mention: other tumbler brands by name, or prices - Disclosure: if you post this on your own account, disclose the paid partnership clearly using the platform's tool and in the video 7. CREATIVE DIRECTION - Formats: Video 1 problem-solution (spill, then TrailCup); Video 2 "day in my commute" demo - Tone: casual, a little funny, no hard sell - Hook ideas: "I've ruined three work bags with coffee." / "Watch me throw this in my bag upside down." - Script: talking points only - use your own words - Setting: kitchen, car, real bag - Avoid: other drink brands' logos visible; driving while talking to camera - References: [LINKS TO 2 VIDEOS FOR PACE AND ENERGY] 8. DELIVERABLES - 2 edited videos, 20-40 seconds each - 9:16 vertical - 3 hook variations per video (first 3-5 seconds only) - Captions burned in; deliver one version with no music - Raw footage: yes, all usable takes - File names: HarborPine_TrailCup_[Creator]_V1_H1_9x16.mp4 9. USAGE RIGHTS - Organic + paid social, product page; [TERM AGREED IN THE OFFER] - No exclusivity - Creator may post on own channels with disclosure 10. PRODUCT HANDLING - We ship 1 tumbler (keep it). Hand-wash the body; only the lid is dishwasher-safe - please don't show the body in a dishwasher. 11. TIMELINE AND REVISIONS - Ships by [DATE]; first delivery 7 days after it arrives - 1 revision round on delivered footage (trims, text, swapping takes) - New scenes or a different concept = reshoot, quoted separately - We give feedback within 2 business days
Notice what the example leaves out: there's no word-for-word script, no requirement on how many times the creator smiles, and no demand to "go viral." It does pin down the things that create risk or rework: approved claims, the product's real limits (the body isn't dishwasher-safe), file names, and what counts as a revision.
Section by section: what to get right
Audience and problem
"Women 25–45" doesn't help a creator. "A parent who drinks coffee in the car on the school run" does. Describe a situation and a frustration, because that is what a creator turns into a hook. For more opening lines organized by angle, see UGC hooks.
Key messages
Give each video one message. A video that tries to cover five features usually lands none of them. If you want to test messages against each other, assign one to each video. The first UGC campaign plan shows how to set up that test.
Claims
List the exact claims you can substantiate and the ones creators must not make. The FTC's endorsement guidance says endorsers "shouldn't make claims about a product that would require proof the advertiser doesn't have." Health, beauty, supplement, and financial products need particular care. For disclosure rules when a creator posts the video on their own account, see FTC rules for UGC. This section is general information, not legal advice.
Deliverables
Vague deliverables cause many disputes. State the number of videos, the length range, aspect ratios, hooks, captions, music, raw footage, and file naming. The UGC deliverables checklist has a spec block you can paste in.
Usage rights
State the channels and term before the creator quotes, because both change the price. See UGC usage rights for brands for how license terms work.
Common brief mistakes
| Mistake | What you get back | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| A word-for-word script | Stiff delivery that sounds read aloud | Give talking points and one required line |
| "Make it engaging" | A guess | Name the problem, the message, and an example hook |
| Five messages in one video | A rushed feature list | One message per video |
| No claims guidance | Overstated results you can't run | List approved claims and banned phrases |
| Deliverables decided after delivery | Disputes and paid reshoots | Specify formats, hooks, and raw footage upfront |
| Usage rights not mentioned | A quote that doesn't match how you'll use the video | State channels and term in the brief |
| Product instructions missing | The product shown being used wrong | Add how-to-use notes and safety notes |
Before you send the brief
- A creator who has never heard of your brand could explain the product in one sentence after reading it.
- Each video has one assigned message.
- Approved claims and banned claims are both listed.
- Deliverables include count, length, ratio, hooks, captions, music, raw footage, and file names.
- Usage channels and term are stated.
- The product ship date and delivery deadline are realistic.
- What counts as a revision and what counts as a reshoot is defined.
- You've removed anything that is a preference rather than a requirement.
If you are commissioning through CreatorsUGC, you can turn this template into a free brief at post a brief. The form takes you through about eight short steps, and creators reply with offers.
Sources
- FTC's Endorsement Guides: What People Are Asking — Federal Trade Commission
CreatorsUGC publishes this guide. We run a UGC marketplace, so we have an interest in the topic — we link to independent sources for facts and label illustrative examples.