UGC Brief Template

A thin brief leads to a wasted first draft. Send this back to fill in the gaps before you start filming.

Quick answer

A complete UGC brief covers eight things: the goal, the product, the hook, required must-says, tone, format, delivery dates, and what's off-limits. When a brand's brief is too thin, sending this template back to fill in gets you a clear brief before you start filming, not after a wasted draft.

UGC brief template

UGC CONTENT BRIEF

Use this to send back to a brand when their brief is thin ("just make something
that feels organic!") — filling this in together avoids a wasted first draft.

1. GOAL
   What is this content for? [awareness / conversions / a specific launch]
   Where will it run? [organic post / paid ad / whitelisting from my handle]

2. THE PRODUCT
   What am I actually using/showing? [product name, key feature to highlight]
   Any claims I can or can't make? [e.g. "don't say 'clinically proven'"]

3. THE HOOK
   What's the problem this solves, in one sentence?
   [e.g. "for people whose skin gets oily by noon"]

4. MUST-SAYS / MUST-SHOWS
   - [Required line, e.g. brand name spoken in first 3 seconds]
   - [Required shot, e.g. product label clearly visible]
   - [Any disclosure requirement, e.g. #ad or #brandpartner]

5. TONE & REFERENCES
   [2–3 words: "casual, funny, no hard sell" / links to videos they like]

6. FORMAT
   Platform: [TikTok / Instagram Reels / YouTube Shorts]
   Length: [15s / 30s / 60s]
   Orientation: [9:16 vertical]

7. DELIVERY
   Draft due: [date]
   Feedback window: [e.g. 3 business days]
   Final due: [date]
   File format: [raw + captioned, or platform-native export]

8. WHAT'S OFF-LIMITS
   [Anything to avoid — competitor mentions, certain language, etc.]

Now do it for real

Attach a real brief to the deal in PlugKeep the brief, the contract, and the deliverables in one place.

Turn into a dealLog it in your pipeline Track in WorkbenchProduce & deliver it

Inside Plug, a brief lives on the deal record next to the contract and deliverables — not buried in a DM you'll have to scroll back to find.

How it works

Send it back

When a brief is thin, this becomes your intake form for the brand.

Fill what they give you

Goal, must-says, format, and delivery dates.

Flag the gaps

Anything left blank is a question to ask before you film.

FAQ

What should I do if a brand's brief is too vague?+

Send this template back and ask them to fill in the blanks — goal, must-says, format, and delivery dates. It turns 'make it feel organic' into something you can actually film from.

What should a UGC brief include?+

The goal, the product and any claims, the hook, required must-says, tone, format (platform, length, orientation), delivery dates, and anything off-limits. This template covers all eight.

Who fills out a brief — me or the brand?+

Usually the brand, with you asking follow-up questions. If they can't answer something (like the hook), that's useful information too — it means you have more creative freedom there.

Keep going

UGC Shot List TemplatePlan a 30-second UGC video shot by shot before you film.UGC Contract TemplateA plain-language UGC agreement you can copy or download.UGC Revision Policy TemplateA short policy that stops endless 'just one more tweak' requests.

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