How do you create the perfect UGC-style video ads quickly and efficiently?
We covered the several steps involved in creating high-impact, on-trend UGC ads in great detail here, so scoot on over if you want the full rundown.
But hey, TL;DR, amirite?
Here’s the secret sauce. It all boils down to 2 things – your brief to your creator, and how you review the footage you receive.
Here are 3 points to keep in mind for both of the above.
1. Detail, but with context
When you create the script, go ahead and add the various shots and lines of dialogue. But for each of these, try to add a line that tells the creator exactly what you’re visualizing. For instance, in a shot, you may want to add a text overlay, or pop up specific UI elements of your app, etc. Tell the creator this, so that they know exactly what to express while they speak.
Example
Concept brief
– Person A: Hey, that’s a cool skirt!
– Person B: I know, right? And that mascara is amazing.
– Person A: Thanks!
– Person C (thinking): Huh? What mascara?
Script brief
– <Note: This will be a quick back-and-forth exchange, alluding to things that are obviously absent. The scene is meant to be humorous to a third person who has no clue what’s happening.>
– Person A, looking to the left as if speaking to someone off camera: Hey, that’s a cool skirt!
– Person B (wearing a hoodie and sweats), looking to the right as if replying to A: I know, right? And that mascara is amazing.
– Person A, not wearing any makeup at all: Thanks!
– Person C, looking from left to right as if from A to B (thinking): Huh? What mascara?
– <Note: Person C’s line will be added as a text overlay in a speech bubble>
2. More footage is better, always
It’s best to get as much footage as possible, since you know more about your product than the creator does, and hence, will know better which shot or line or expression is a better fit.
This means a couple of things –
– If the creator likes to film multiple takes, ask them to share everything. 99% of the time, the first take is not the one we ultimately go with.
– Remember to request B-roll footage (20-25 seconds minimum) of the creator simply using the phone and/or interacting with your app from different angles – front, off-center, over-the-shoulder – as well as with different expressions. That way, you have a bank of shots to use when testing various iterations.
3. Remember your iterations
This is often the most overlooked, both by you the scriptwriter, and the creator while shooting!
So once you heave a sight of satisfaction upon finishing the script, stop, and double check that all shots and lines for variants and iterations are also accounted for.
This can be as simple as changing a single word in a line, or more complex like different shots and lines for a different opening hook.
These are the 3 most critical things to remember when reaching out to a creator. Similarly, after receiving footage, there are a few critical things to watch out for.
But we’ll take care of that in another article.
Until then, stay tuned!
