“UGC Creator” is one of the hottest roles in eCommerce right now. More and more eCommerce brands are relying on them to produce winning ad creative content to net new sales on social media.

It’s also become a highly competitive niche, with creators promoting their UGC portfolios on freelancer platforms and social media.

And the fact that it is so competitive means that eCommerce marketing teams can afford to be selective when it comes to choosing the right people for their ad creatives and UGC ads. It also means that marketers can test UGC creators on the same content to optimize the value of this channel.

In this article, we’re discussing:

• The basics of working with UGC creators
• How to brief creators for effective workflow
• The benefits of testing UGC creators on the same script

Let’s begin with the basics.

What is a UGC creator?

A UGC creator, or User-Generated Content creator, is someone who generates and shares content on online platforms, such as Facebook, TikTok or Instagram. 

Their content shows the perspective of an actual user of a product, not a professional marketer or influencer. This is important, because authenticity is key to maintaining engagement in the era of extreme ad fatigue.

People skip past polished ads. But they stop scrolling when they see someone who looks and talks like them using a product.

That’s the magic of UGC. 

UGC creator vs influencer: what’s the difference?

And it’s also what makes creators different to influencers.

When you work with an influencer, you’re paying for professional content boosted by the influencer’s reach. That comes with high costs, and more and more brands are realizing that it’s not enough on its own, as consumers are increasingly valuing the authenticity that UGC creators bring. 

Check out our glossary for more key UGC terminology. 

How to brief UGC creators

The content you get from a creator is only as good as the brief that you provide. If the brief doesn’t specify what you want, it’s hard to collaborate well. 

This brief should include technical and creative guidance. It should also specify your expectations when it comes to work flow and delivery.

Technical aspects of a UGC creator brief

Here are some basic elements you should include in your guidelines or briefing: 

• Format and length of the user-generated content
• The platform you’ll be posting to (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok etc)
• Deadlines for submission (this is critical for meeting your own internal targets)

Giving creative direction through an ad creative brief template

The amount of creative freedom you give creators is up to you. And creators with more experience can usually produce good content with less direct management.

But there are some elements that your ad creative brief template should always have.

• Product presentation: how to use the product and present it in the ad (it’s helpful to imagine that you’re explaining this to a customer)
• Background and setting: how do you want the ad to look? What background or room should the creator use? Get specific for best results
• Lighting: do you want “golden hour” sunset lighting or a professional grade indoor setup?

Good briefing is essential to avoiding misalignment and costly reshooting.

Why is 1 UCG creator not enough?

Now let’s look at why it’s so critical to test UGC creators (sometimes, many of them), and the benefits that these tests bring.

Let’s say you have a great ad creative brief template, and you’ve found a creator who matches your customer demographics. They have great reviews on Fiverr & Upwork, and they’re available to shoot some content for you.

This is a great start. But it’s not the end. Think about the ads you’ve seen on Instagram, Facebook or TikTok. For every ad you’ve clicked on and watched, there is a batch of similar ads that the store tested and discarded.

Here’s why so many ads simply don’t make the cut, even with the same script and B-rolls:

Age can play a huge role in purchasing decisions

Let’s consider a customer avatar like “mother of young kids”. A 30-year-old mom and a 40-year-old mom will connect with slightly different segments of that audience. By testing both, you’ll be able to figure out which segment is more lucrative. If you don’t test, you’ll never know.

UGC creators have different shooting styles

Like any creative professional, UGC creators have their own unique ways of doing things. Instead of trying to predict which of these will convert into more revenue (which is impossible), you can run creator tests to determine which one your audience loves. At Hustler Marketing, we test UGC creators’ various style so that we can match them with the right eCommerce client – a win-win for both. 

It’s about the right vibe

This is hard to quantify, but it’s real. Each creator brings their own energy to the content. That’s why promising ads sometimes fail, even when all the demographic factors are correct on paper: age, hair color, gender, and others. 

By testing multiple creators, you can pinpoint the ones who really resonate with your audience. You can use the results of these tests to maximize the value of your ad spend, by avoiding costly dead-ends and identifying the UGC creators who are most likely to net you high revenue.

If all of this sounds complex, that’s because it is. Briefing multiple UGC creators is time consuming and takes a lot of experience to get right. And that’s before you even consider the challenges of sourcing and paying creators. 

Easily manage and test UGC creators with an expert ad creative team

It’s important to remember that UGC is a numbers game. At Hustler Marketing, we test a lot of ads for our eCommerce clients. We test different angles, scripts, styles and lengths so that we can figure out the recipe for success. 

Then, we go a step further, by testing different creators to maximize conversions and revenue. By drawing on our extensive UGC creator network, we’re able to shortcut the process of getting the right creator in front of the right audience, at the right time. We’ve been able to reduce CPA by 48% in just 3 months for some of our ad creatives clients.

Our dedicated Ad Creative team is powering UGC success in a wide range of eCommerce verticals from supplements to dental care – and we’re ready to do it for your brand, too. Book a chat with our ad creative lead and in-house Facebook ads buyer to learn more.