A UGC script in 30–60 seconds

A good UGC video is written before you turn the camera on. In one minute you have to say exactly what matters, and without a script you end up with either three minutes of footage or "oh no, I forgot the main thing".

Structure and timing

Five parts. For a 45-second video the guide looks like this, and the brief always sets the exact limits.

Hook, 0–3 seconds. The reason to keep watching: a problem, a question, an unexpected claim. "I spent three years looking for…", "If you also get…", "This costs less than a coffee and it…". The product is already on screen.

Problem or context, 3–10 seconds. One or two sentences about how things were before. Short and recognisable, so the viewer thinks "that's me".

Product as the answer, 10–26 seconds. What it is and how you use it. One or two concrete details, not five. How long it takes, how it opens, what sound it makes, what size it is.

Result, 26–41 seconds. What changed. Show it rather than say it: a clean surface, the app screen, a packed backpack.

Call to action, 41–45 seconds. Three or four seconds, no more. "Link below", "check the website", "try it". The brand usually writes the call to action in the brief. Take it from there.

For 30 seconds everything tightens: context goes, one detail stays. For 60 seconds you add a second detail or a brief moment of doubt before the result.

How many words

Relaxed speech, with pauses and the product being shown, runs at a little over two words a second. So 30 seconds holds 60–70 words, 60 seconds up to 130–140. If you've written 200 words for a one-minute video, you'll be racing, and the brand will send it back marked "too fast".

Write it, read it aloud with a stopwatch. If it doesn't fit, cut. The first thing to go is always what you consider "important context".

Write the way you talk

A UGC script is written as speech, not as a post. The differences are simple.

Short sentences. If a sentence can't be said in one breath, split it in two. Your own words: if you never say "this formulation", don't write it. Spoken connectors: "so", "look", "honestly". In moderation, but they make speech sound real.

There are two lists of words worth knowing. The clichés: "unique", "innovative", "revolutionary", "high-quality", "let me introduce". Not banned, but the moment they're spoken, the video turns into a shopping channel. Then the words advertising rules almost everywhere don't allow: "the best", "number one", "guaranteed", "gets rid of it for good", "cures", any promised result. Talk about your own experience: "my backpack stopped dragging on my shoulder", not "it takes the strain off everyone's back".

The video's key word should be on screen too. Many people watch without sound, and if the main word only lives in your speech, it's gone.

Tip. Record yourself telling a friend about the product on a voice memo, then transcribe it. It'll come out noticeably more alive than anything typed.

The brand's mandatory lines

Almost every brief has a line that has to be said word for word: the product name with the right pronunciation, a tagline, a specific feature. It needs to go in without sticking out.

The trick: put the mandatory line right after your own detail. "It keeps tea hot until the evening, and here's what I really liked: the lid opens with one hand." The second half is the brand's line, but it landed inside your experience.

Don't put the mandatory line in the hook if it sounds like an ad. The hook has to be yours.

If the line won't fit into speech, message the brand before filming: "Can I say it like this, same meaning?" Brands usually say yes. They say no when you change the line without asking.

Several hooks for one video

Brands test creatives, and what differs most between versions is the first three seconds. So brands running paid ads often ask for one body and several hooks for it, usually two to five. The brand assembles the versions and sees which one performs better.

A weak hook restates a feature: "This flask keeps drinks hot for twelve hours." A strong one triggers a reaction: "The tea I poured this morning burned my tongue at six in the evening." Write hooks of different kinds: through a problem, a question, an unexpected claim or number. Film them back to back, in the same light and the same clothes, so they cut onto the body without a visible seam.

If the brand didn't ask for hooks, offer them up front and agree the terms: hooks beyond the order count as a new job, which lesson five covers. The offer shows you understand how the brand's advertising works, and agreed terms protect you from working for free.

Do this now

• Pick any product from your home and write a 45-second script for it in five parts.
• Read it aloud with a stopwatch. Does it fit? If not, cut until it does.
• Write three hooks for that script: through a problem, a question and a claim.