UGC formats: the video types that work, and when to use each

Published 30 September 2026 · by UGC Pocket · ~11 min read

How to choose a UGC format

Three questions settle the format before anyone writes a script.

1. The goal. To get seen: POV, green screen, reaction. To convince: demo, tutorial, comparison. To convert: review, objection handling, before/after.
2. The product. A physical product is unboxed, applied or worn. Software is shown on screen. A service is told through a situation.
3. The placement. An organic post has to fit the creator's feed. An ad states its idea in the first seconds, with captions and one call to action.

TikTok's best practices for performance ads give useful benchmarks for any format: vertical 9:16 with sound, a DIY look that is not overly polished, and real people on screen. On the opening, TikTok separates the two: the key message within the first 3 seconds, the hook prioritised within the first 6. It also advises testing creatives with big differences: in practice, several formats rather than several versions of one.

Source: TikTok Ads Manager, Creative best practices for performance ads (last updated June 2025), checked 30 September 2026

The chosen format then goes into the brief, with its structure and hook: see our UGC brief template.

The 15 UGC video formats

The hooks below are templates: a good creator says them in their own words.

1. Review or testimonial

The creator tells their own experience of the product, after really using it. Use it to convert people who know the category and want a peer's opinion.

• Structure: the situation before, what changed, an honest verdict with one limit.
• Hook: “I've used [product] for [period]. Honest verdict.”
• Trap: a script read word for word. And, as the FTC puts it, a creator can't talk about their experience with a product they haven't tried.

2. Product demo

The product in real use, hands or screen in frame, with a voice explaining. Use it to convince when the product has a visible “how”: gadgets, kitchen tools, apps.

• Structure: the task, the product doing it, the result.
• Hook: “This is how I [task] now.”
• Trap: listing features. Show one task from start to finish.

3. Unboxing

Opening the parcel on camera, up to the first use. Use it for physical products and launches, when the first moment with the product is what sells it.

• Structure: the parcel, the reveal, the first use.
• Hook: “Opening the thing you keep asking me about.”
• Trap: stopping at the box. Without a first use, the viewer learns nothing.

4. Tutorial

The steps to reach a result with the product. Use it for products with a learning curve, and for content people save.

• Structure: the result first, three steps at most, the result again.
• Hook: “How to [result] in 3 steps.”
• Trap: too many steps. One tutorial, one result.

5. Before / after

The same subject before and after the product. Use it when the result is visible: skin, hair, a room, a messy spreadsheet turned into a dashboard.

• Structure: the before, a few seconds of process, the after in the same light and framing.
• Hook: open on the after, then “This was me [period] ago.” (only if you can prove it)
• Trap: an unfair comparison (light, filter, angle). In France, sponsored creator content with a slimmed or thickened silhouette or a modified face must carry the “Images retouchées” label.

6. Problem / solution

The video opens on a frustration the viewer knows, then brings in the product as the answer. Use it for products that fix a precise pain, which makes it a good fit for software and services.

• Structure: the problem acted out, the product, the problem gone.
• Hook: “If you still [painful task] by hand, watch this.”
• Trap: a vague problem like “save time”. Name a situation the viewer has lived.

7. Green screen

The creator comments in front of an image: a screenshot, an article, a review. Use it for products that are hard to film, and for news or figures worth reacting to.

• Structure: the image, the comment, the takeaway.
• Hook: “Someone left this review and I need to talk about it.”
• Trap: a background nobody can read. Zoom in and stay inside the safe zone.

8. POV

A short scene seen through the viewer's eyes, with on-screen text that starts with “POV:”. Use it to get seen, for everyday products that need little explaining.

• Structure: the situation in text, the twist, the product as the punchline.
• Hook: “POV: you finally found [solution].”
• Trap: a long setup where the product arrives as an afterthought.

9. Day in the life

A real day, with the product where it naturally fits. Use it for products used daily or at work: apps, food, wellness, services.

• Structure: the morning, the product in use, the evening with the result.
• Hook: “A day as a [job], and the one tool I can't drop.”
• Trap: a product on screen for one second. Give it one real moment of use.

10. GRWM (get ready with me)

The creator gets ready while talking to camera, and the product is part of the routine. Use it for beauty, fashion, accessories and fragrance.

• Structure: the occasion, the routine with the product, the final look.
• Hook: “Get ready with me for [occasion].”
• Trap: a routine so long the product gets lost, or a face filter that changes the result.

11. Comparison

The product next to the old way or an alternative, on the same criteria. Use it in crowded categories and for people about to switch.

• Structure: the criteria, the side-by-side test, the verdict.
• Hook: “A week the old way, a week with [product].”
• Trap: naming a competitor without an objective, verifiable comparison. In France, comparative advertising that identifies a competitor must not mislead and must objectively compare essential, relevant, verifiable and representative features of products meeting the same needs. “The old way” is a safer rival.

Source: Légifrance, article L122-1 of the French Consumer Code, checked 30 September 2026

12. Screen recording with face cam

The app screen fills the frame and the creator's face, in a corner, narrates. It is the core format for apps, SaaS and online courses. A version without a face is covered in our faceless UGC guide.

• Structure: the task, a few taps through the interface, the result.
• Hook: “The app that [result] in three taps.”
• Trap: an empty demo account, notifications, personal data on screen.

13. The “3 reasons” list

A numbered list: reasons, mistakes, ways to use it. Use it to convince, and for content people save, like “3 ways to wear one jacket”.

• Structure: announce the list, three points, the call to action.
• Hook: “3 reasons I switched to [product].”
• Trap: reasons that would fit any product.

14. Reaction, Duet or Stitch

The creator reacts to another video. On TikTok, a Duet shows two videos side by side in split screen, and Stitch puts part of another video inside yours. Use it to join a conversation or answer a myth.

• Structure: the original clip, the reaction, the answer with the product.
• Hook: “Wait, that's not how you [task].”
• Trap: relying on a clip you can't use. The original creator decides whether Duet and Stitch are allowed on their video.

Sources: TikTok Help Center, Duets and Stitch, checked 30 September 2026

15. Objection handling

The creator answers the doubt that blocks the purchase: price, complexity, “will it work for me”. Real comments are the best material. Use it at the bottom of the funnel, for expensive or new products.

• Structure: the objection, the honest answer, the proof.
• Hook: “You asked if it's worth the price. Honest answer.”
• Trap: dodging. If the answer is “not for you”, say so.

Rules that apply to every format

• Disclose. In France, a creator's commercial intent must be flagged (“publicité”, “collaboration commerciale” or an equivalent mention) unless the context already makes it obvious. In the US, the FTC wants the disclosure in the video itself, not only in the description.
• Label retouching and AI. In France, creator content that slims or thickens a silhouette or changes a face must carry “Images retouchées”; faces or silhouettes produced by AI, “Images virtuelles”.
• Keep claims provable. In the EU, cosmetic claims, pictures included, must be truthful and backed by evidence, whatever the medium. Claims in food advertising must be clear, accurate and based on scientific evidence.

Sources: Légifrance, law 2023-451, article 5-2 and article 5; FTC; EU Regulation 655/2013; European Commission, nutrition and health claims; checked 30 September 2026

UGC formats by sector

Each sector has its codes. Here is where we would start.

• Beauty. Before/after, GRWM, tutorial, review, with texture close-ups in daylight. See beauty UGC videos.
• Fashion. GRWM with a try-on, “3 ways to wear”, POV, day in the life. Movement sells a piece better than a still pose. See fashion UGC videos.
• Tech and gadgets. Unboxing, demo, comparison, “3 reasons”, filmed in real conditions. See tech UGC.
• Food. Recipe tutorial, tasting reaction, POV. The first second has to look appetising. See food UGC.
• Wellness. Day in the life, routine, review, objection handling. Tell an experience, never promise a health result. See wellness UGC.
• Apps, software and B2B. Screen recording with face cam, problem/solution, tutorial, objection handling. See B2B UGC and our guide to promoting software with creators.

Organic or ads: same format, different edit

Organically, the video fits the creator's feed and tone. As an ad, the idea lands in the first seconds, captions carry the message for people watching without sound, and one call to action closes it. For on-screen text, TikTok suggests 5 to 10 words per second.

On Meta, partnership ads let a brand run ads with creators, and a creator's testimonial can appear as a featured comment, currently on Instagram feed and reels placements only. Running a creator's video as an ad depends on the usage rights you agreed: see usage rights and whitelisting. Specs by platform are in our UGC ads guide.

Sources: Meta Business Help Center, About testimonials in partnership ads; TikTok Ads Manager, Creative best practices; checked 30 September 2026

The 15 formats at a glance

An editorial grid, not a performance ranking: results depend on the product, the creator and the hook.

How UGC Pocket uses these formats

Our team builds the campaign and writes the video scripts, following the codes of the formats that work in your sector. It selects the creators and reviews every video. Creators publish on their own TikTok and Instagram accounts, declared in the app, and views are read from public statistics. Reuse of the videos in ads or on your website is defined in the commercial proposal.

From €2,000 per campaign, no subscription, price and terms set out in the commercial proposal. Nothing is billed by an AI agent or before acceptance. To compare budgets by model, see our UGC pricing guide.

When UGC Pocket is not the right choice

• A test of a few videos, or a budget under €2,000. A per-video platform fits better.
• Raw files needed fast. Production-focused platforms are built for it.
• A physical product where the unboxing is the point. E-commerce UGC platforms suit it better; our focus is software, apps, services and training.

FAQ