Operations
Part of How to write a UGC creator brief for UK campaigns
How to write a UGC creator brief for UK campaigns
How to write a UGC creator brief for UK campaigns: six blocks, ASA disclosure wording, rights terms and payment stages in pounds, plus a drafting sequence.
What to take away
- A UGC creator brief is a production document, not a mood board: objective, audience, deliverable, disclosure, rights and payment in one file.
- Write the disclosure line yourself and hand it over as a sentence the creator copies.
- Quote fees in pounds, name what triggers each payment, and say who owns the footage once the term ends.
- Give one person final approval. Shared sign-off is the usual cause of a re-shoot.
Why a UK brief differs from a copied template
A brief written for a US client carries dollars, FTC wording and platform habits that do not travel well. UK campaigns run on pounds, ASA rules and a narrower set of formats, so a copied template creates rework at the first review.
Channel choice should start with the ONS figures on home internet and social media usage: pick the platform your audience already uses rather than the one a copied template assumed.
The six blocks every brief carries
People searching for a UGC brief template usually want structure rather than prose. The table below is that structure, and each row needs an answer before the creator starts.
Six blocks every brief carries
- Objectiveone measurable outcome sentence
- Audiencewho buys, where they shop
- Deliverablelength, ratio, hook, captions
- Disclosureexact words and on-screen position
- Rightsterritory, term, channels, exclusivity
- Paymentfee, VAT, stages, invoice route
| Block | What it holds | Test before sending |
|---|---|---|
| Objective | One sentence with a measurable outcome | Can the creator repeat it back? |
| Audience | Who buys, where they shop, what they already believe | Is it a group, not "everyone"? |
| Deliverable | Length, ratio, hook, captions, file format | Could two editors produce the same file? |
| Disclosure | The exact words and where they sit on screen | Does it survive a muted opening? |
| Rights | Territory, term, channels, exclusivity, raw files | Does it name a start and an end date? |
| Payment | Fee, VAT, stages, invoice route, revision limit | Is every trigger dated? |
Fill the objective and audience rows first, because they decide what the deliverable should be. A brief that opens with a shot list is a production plan wearing the wrong label.
Worked example, using illustrative figures. Objective: 200 tracked free-trial sign-ups by 30 June. Audience: UK adults aged 25 to 44 who buy speciality coffee online. Deliverable: one 30-second vertical video, 9:16, spoken hook inside three seconds, captions burned in, MP4. Disclosure: "Ad: paid partnership with [brand]", said aloud and on screen.
Rights: UK only, six months, paid social plus the creator's own feed, no raw files. Payment: £500 plus VAT, half on brief sign-off, half on approved delivery.
Writing direction without a shot list
Give the creator three things: the promise the viewer should hear, the proof you can support, and the action at the end. Leave framing, pacing and setting to them, because that is what you are paying for. A shot list removes the creator's advantage and produces an advert with a familiar face in it.
Keep the do-not-say list separate from the direction. Claims about health, finance or children's products are the ones most likely to need evidence on file before filming starts.
A drafting sequence that ends with one approver
Work through these steps in order. Each one feeds the next, and step seven is the one most often skipped.
Drafting sequence for a UK brief
- Write objective as one verifiable sentence
- Fix deliverablelength, ratio, hook, captions
- List permitted and forbidden claims
- Draft disclosure line and placement
- Agree rightsterritory, term, channels, raw files
- Set fee, payment stages, VAT, revisions
- Name one approver and one working day
- Draft the objective rowone sentence with a measurable outcome.
- Draft the audience rowthe group that buys, not "everyone".
- Set the deliverablelength, ratio, hook, captions and file format.
- Fix the disclosure wording and where it sits on screen.
- Set the rights rowterritory, term, channels, exclusivity and raw files.
- Agree the fee in pounds, the VAT position and what triggers each staged payment.
- Name the single approver and get the creator to repeat the objective back before filming starts.
Disclosure, rights and personal data
The ASA's guidance on recognising ads in social media explains what makes a post identifiable as advertising, and a paid partnership counts as an ad whatever the tone. Put the disclosure line in the brief as fixed wording.
Copy this line into the brief as the wording the creator pastes: "Ad: paid partnership with [brand]". Change nothing but the brand name.
What a fee does and does not buy
A fee normally buys
- Term
- Stated term
- Territory
- Stated territory
- Channels
- Named channels
- Raw files
- If agreed
A fee does not buy
- Term
- Forever
- Territory
- Worldwide by default
- Channels
- All channels
- Raw files
- Automatically
A fee normally buys the content for a stated term and territory, not forever. Write both down, and check the restrictions in this guide to UGC usage rights in the UK before you promise perpetual use.
Where footage shows an identifiable person, UK GDPR applies to the clip and to your creator records. The ICO's UK GDPR guidance covers lawful basis, retention and subject access.
Payment terms in pounds sterling
State the fee in pounds sterling, exclusive of VAT, and note whether the creator is VAT registered. Small commissions are often paid on completion, but staged payment suits longer briefs.
A common staged split is half on brief sign-off and half on approved delivery, or thirds on sign-off, first cut and final approval. On an illustrative £500 fee, half is £250.
Agree what happens if the content is never published, and what a late change costs. Ask for an invoice template with the campaign name on it, because finance teams reject vague invoices.
Rates move with usage, exclusivity and whether the creator appears on camera, so read this breakdown of what UGC creators charge in the UK before you set a number.
Common questions
Do I need a written brief if the work comes through a marketplace?
Yes. A marketplace handles payment, rights and delivery, but it does not know your audience or your claims. A one-page brief still cuts the number of revisions.
How long should a UGC brief be?
One page for a single asset, two at most. The table plus four or five lines of direction is usually enough; long briefs get skimmed.
Can I ask a creator to leave out the disclosure?
No. Hidden advertising breaches the CAP Code, and the creator carries reputational risk too. If the ad label spoils the opening, move it rather than remove it.
What if the content arrives off brief?
Say in advance how an off-brief asset will be handled. Without that clause, the argument happens after delivery.
