how to get good user generated content

howdy!! it’s september! wtf! anyway, happy sunday. hope you’re having a nice weekend and tuned into the US open. I am officially a tennis snob.

before we get into today’s newsletter, anyone do anything fun over the long weekend? i wanna hear about it so hit reply. i went up upstate to beacon, touched grass, ate really good chicken tenders, and found the cutest shop called little king that i literally need everything from. if you love homegoods, you must check it out.

anyway, let’s get into why you’re reeeeally here, shall we?

a few weeks ago, i put out a newsletter around how to create an influencer brief to get content that you’ll actually like.

so, i thought that it’s only right to put a newsletter together around how to get user generated content (UGC) that you’ll actually like by leveraging smaller creators (even customers!) who are creating assets only for your paid or organic accounts.

let’s hop on in!

BUT BEFORE WE GET INTO IT…

There’s no sponsor for this week’s edition so you know what that means. Here’s a really good song for you to listen to while you read through this.

BTW can someone please bond with me over the new Sabrina Carpenter album and what drugs did she put in it???

HOW TO BUILD A CREATIVE BRIEF FOR GOOD USER GENERATED CONTENT

To review again since we have had a few hundred people join, a creative brief helps document the goals, scope, and creative approach for the project that is assigned to the influencer. These briefs are often made for specific marketing or advertising campaigns within your business. It helps make sure that as a brand you get what you’re asking for and paying for versus getting something you were not expecting.

But, what is User-Generated Content (UGC)? It’s one those terms that often gets through around. User-Generated Content (UGC) refers to any form of content—text, images, videos, reviews, social media posts, etc.— created by consumers or users of a product or service, rather than by the brand itself. UGC is valuable because it's often seen as more authentic and trustworthy by potential customers. It can be shared organically or as part of a marketing campaign, and it's frequently used by brands to build community, increase engagement, and provide social proof.

Now, this section will basically be a quick page by page of what I would include in a brief.

First off, you’re going to make a deck. Whether you use Powerpoint, Canva, or Google Slides, you are going to start by making a deck because you need to supply visuals.

Now, let’s get into this imaginary deck page-by-page:

Slide 1: About Your Brand — Use the page to educate about why you exist, what your mission is, what sets you apart, and your wins (awards, press hits).

Slide 2: Guidelines — What Must Be Considered Before Filming

• Length: Using the data for your past paid ads, your brand will know best for how long a piece of content should ideally be. Content should always (IMO) be filmed in a 9×16 format so that teams can edit it and crop it accordingly.

• The Hook: Begin the video with a strong hook! Note: You can let creators pitch you hooks, but I recommend having some prepared to share. For those not familiar, a “hook" has the goal of immediatley capturing the viewer’s attention so that you can hold the viewer throughout the video and to avoid them swiping away.

• Showcase The Product: No matter the brand, a creator should show your product within the first 5 seconds of a video whether in use, tasting it, drinking it, holding it up — you get the point.

• Music: No copyright music like literally ever. If a creator uses any copyrighted music, you will not be able to boost the content. You can share the Meta Sound Collection with them here/ use it for any of your ads, too!

• Text: Not all ads need text. I always like to ask creators for one video with and without, dependent on the type of creative the person is making. For example, if you’re asking a creator to add captions, just remind them of text safezones so that they text doesn’t get cut off. Here’s a resource.

Slide 3: Brand Talking Points — Write out some of the most important talking points about your brand that differentiate you or are the most attention-grabbing. Urge the creators and make sure they include at least 2 of them in their content.

Slide 4: Product Talking Points — Is the creator creating content around a new product line or certain SKU? Include specific talking points about it!

Slide 5: Hook Examples — Like I said, make your creator’s life easier with some hooks that they can use and play around with.

For example, I was writing a few hooks for a creator for a a new healthy soda with low sugar, here are a few (okay) examples from ChatGPT just to give some examples:

• “Craving soda but not the sugar? Meet the refreshing alternative you’ve been waiting for! 🍋🥤”

• “Looking to satisfy your soda cravings without the sugar crash?”

• “Trying to cut back on sugar, but still need that soda fix?”

Slide 6: Music/Visuals — Encourage your creators to take different angles. Jumpcuts can actually help increase retention in your videos since they keep up the pace and the energy of a video to help speed up delivery of your message. If your creators are new to the world of filming, share your favorite resources with them for editing and more. For example, Capcut is a great and easy editing tool.

Slide 7 + 8: Brand Do’s and Don’ts — The good and bad for a creator to follow. This can include things from natural lighting to not showing any competitors to not using copyrighted music and more.

BRAND OF THE WEEK: UGMONK

BOTW (Brand of the Week) is a section where I highlight a brand I am loving because I either own it and have formed a deep obsession for it or just admire what they are doing online.

This week’s is a maaajor key if you’re someone who needs a clear space in order to do you best work or just love a to-do list.

Let me introduce you to Ugmonk. I have known Jeff online for a minute now and finally got to virtually meet him the other month and he is one of the most down to earth, creative, and thoughtful people i’ve met. His design studio produces and curates products that combine form and function to make your life simpler (and look hella good).

When I moved into my new spot, the first thing I knew I wanted to do deck the office out in true Ugmonk style.

Here are a few of my go to’s:

• Analog Starter Kit - If you’re someone who loves a written to-do list, but it often becomes a stream of 80+ tasks, I have been loving Analog to get myself to prioritize the tasks at hand that actually need to get done. It also comes with cards so that you can shift tasks to the next day or “some day”.

• Gather 2×2 Set - perfect for keeping your nightstand, entry way, or desk nice and tidy. Each piece magnetically connects to the base plate which keeps things neat, but also gives you total flexibility.

• 15-minute Hourglass - ultimate hack for staying focused

Shoutout to Jeff who was kind enough to hook you guys up with 10% off when you click the link HERE so that y’all can get organized before the Q4 craziness.

LOGGING OFF FOR NOW

If you’re reading this, I hope you have a great Sunday night. I am sitting here not sure if what I am supposed to do now that the US Open is over. I am obviously writing this before today’s Men’s Final, but let’s see who will get it. My money is on Fritz (even though I love Sinner), but will I be right? We’ll see.

For the foreseeable future, I’ll be watching the new season of Selling Sunset.

Anyway, if you enjoyed today’s newsletter, it would mean the woooorld if you shared it with anyone who you think would like it.

You can share the link right here: https://kendalldickieson.beehiiv.com/subscribe

Also, if you’re new here, you can read all the past editions right HERE for free.99

Until next time friends! See you Thursday.

Peace, love, and KPIs,

-KD