What a reaction video is
A reaction video captures someone's live response to something new: tasting a snack, smelling a candle, seeing a room makeover, hearing new headphones. The face and the unscripted first words are the content. In UGC, the creator, or a friend or relative they film, tries the product on camera with as little setup as possible, so the response reads as real.
On TikTok the word often means reacting to another video, which is what a stitch or duet does with platform tools. A product reaction video is different: the thing being reacted to is physical and in the room, and the brand needs the reaction itself, not another creator's clip.
How brands use reactions
Reactions suit sensory products, where the result is felt rather than explained: food, drink, fragrance, audio, comfort products. Ask the creator to film the very first try, not a retake, and to keep rolling for a few seconds after the reaction, because the second comment is often the usable line.
Family and partner reactions are popular, and anyone on camera needs to agree to appear in an ad, so get signed releases before the footage goes into paid use. Short reactions also make strong openers spliced ahead of a product demo video.
Example: a hot sauce reaction brief
The creator sets up a taste test with three people at a kitchen table, each trying the sauce on a plain chip without being told the heat level. Film faces straight on with the bottle visible. After each reaction, ask one question: would you put this on dinner tonight?
Deliverables: three separate raw reactions, a 15 second montage and releases from each person filmed. Food creators who already film tastings are in the food creator directory.
Common mistakes
Faked reactions are the obvious mistake. An exaggerated gasp looks like acting and costs the format its whole point. If the first take is flat, the product may simply not suit the format.
Brands also forget the release forms. A great reaction from a creator's flatmate cannot run as an ad without that person's permission, and finding them three months later is harder than asking on the day.
How it's used
We want the very first taste, not a retake. If she hates it, we'd rather know.
Get releases from everyone at the table before the reactions go anywhere near the ad account.