What vertical video means
Vertical video is video recorded and delivered in portrait orientation, almost always at a 9:16 aspect ratio, so it fills a phone screen held upright. It is the native shape of TikTok, Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts and Stories placements, which means a vertical file runs edge to edge while a horizontal one gets letterboxed or cropped by the platform.
Aspect ratio is the setting underneath it. Feed placements on Meta also accept 4:5 and 1:1, so a brand may ask for a vertical master plus a 4:5 crop. That is a delivery spec, not a different format: the same UGC video is simply framed so both crops keep the face and product in shot.
Briefing creators for vertical delivery
Most creators film vertical by default because that is how they post. The brief still needs three lines: deliver at 1080 by 1920, keep key action in the centre of the frame, and leave clear space at the top and bottom. Those margins are the safe zones, where platform buttons, the caption and the handle sit on top of the video.
Ask for raw footage as well as the edit. A clean vertical file without burned-in text lets your editor reframe for a 4:5 feed placement or add new captions for a test. The TikTok UGC ads guide covers how those placements differ once spend is behind them.
A worked example
A skincare brand briefs five creators for Reels and TikTok ads. The brief asks for 9:16 at 1080 by 1920, the product held at chest height, the face and label kept out of the top and bottom fifth of the frame, and one extra version framed to survive a 4:5 crop.
When the files land, the editor checks each one in the placement preview before anything ships. One video has the product label hidden behind the caption box, so it goes back to the creator for a reframe instead of running and wasting its first impressions on a hidden label.
Common mistakes
Cropping horizontal footage into a vertical frame is the most common shortcut, and it usually shows: heads cut off, product drifting out of frame, soft resolution from the zoom. If a shoot will feed vertical ads, film it vertical from the start.
The other error is burying the message under interface. A price, a discount or a claim placed low in the frame often sits right behind the caption or the shop button. Put text overlays in the middle band and test the export on a real phone before it goes live.
How it's used
Brief note for all five creators: vertical 9:16 only, and keep the jar out of the bottom strip where the caption sits.
Can we get a 4:5 safe version of the vertical cut? Feed placements are eating the top of her head.