The formats brands actually order
Most paid UGC content falls into a short list of formats. Knowing the names makes briefs faster and helps you compare quotes, because creators price by format and length rather than by idea.
Product demo: the creator uses the product on camera and shows what it does. Unboxing: opening the package, first reactions, what's inside. Testimonial: a first-person account of the experience and result. Talking head: creator speaks to camera about a problem and the product as the answer. Get-ready-with-me or routine: the product appears inside a daily habit. How-to or tutorial: step-by-step use for a specific outcome. Before-and-after: a visible change over time, kept honest and disclosed. Comparison or duel: the product against an alternative or the creator's old solution. Green-screen reaction: the creator comments over a screenshot, review, or ad.
How to use the list in a brief
Pick two or three formats per batch, not one. A typical first-pass brief might read: "Deliver one 30-second demo, one 20-second testimonial, and one unboxing with raw footage. Vertical, captions on, native audio." That gives creative testing something to compare.
Match format to funnel stage. Unboxings and routines work for cold audiences that need context. Demos and testimonials work for retargeting where the viewer already knows the product. Comparisons work for shoppers weighing options.
Organic vs commissioned examples
Organic UGC is content customers post on their own: reviews, tagged photos, hauls. It is cheap and credible but you cannot control format, quality, or rights. Commissioned UGC is made by paid UGC creators to your brief, with usage rights agreed up front.
Both belong in the mix. Collect organic examples for social proof on product pages, and commission the formats above when you need a specific hook, length, or claim for paid social.
How it's used
"Send the creator three UGC examples of the format we want, then let her write her own script."
"Our best UGC examples last quarter were all demos under 25 seconds, so this batch skips unboxings."