Free template · UGC · passes 14/14 checks
UGC product review brief template
The most common complaint about paid UGC is simple: "The creator didnt follow the brief." The second is that results were hard to see. A review brief with a clear rejection list and one tracked action handles both.
Why this brief is written this way
Brands on UGC marketplaces report that "The creator didnt follow the brief", so the brief lists exactly what gets rejected.
Source: Trustpilot (2023-03-26) — Self-selected reviews.
Reviewers of a creator marketplace wrote "ROI was not good" and "I did not see meaningful results", so every review carries a trackable code.
Source: Trustpilot (2026-04 to 2026-05) — Self-selected reviews.
"If you’re paid to talk about a product and thought it was terrible, you can’t say it’s terrific."
Source: U.S. Federal Trade Commission
The brief
Replace the [bracketed] parts with your own details. The starter rate, budget, cap and keep-live period are suggestions; change them to suit you.
[Product] — honest review videos Film your own 20–45 second vertical review after using [Product] for at least a few days: what you expected, what happened, who it is for. Call to action: say and show "use code [CODE]" and put [your product link] in your bio. Campaign rules (every clip must follow these): - Pay: $1.00 per 1,000 verified views. Total budget $300. - Where and how: post on TikTok, Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts. Vertical 9:16, 20–60 seconds. - Disclosure: every post must say it is paid. Turn on the platform's paid-partnership / branded-content label AND write #ad (or "Paid partnership with [brand]") in the caption or on screen. Don't present yourself as an unpaid fan or customer. - Music: use original audio or a track from the platform's Commercial Music Library / business sound library only. No trending or label-owned songs, even if the app lets you add them. - No watermarks: no personal watermark, handle overlay or editing-app logo on the video. Clips with a watermark are rejected and not paid. - Originality: film your own new video for this campaign. No re-using old videos, other creators' content, or the same video across several accounts. - Keep it live: each paid post must stay public for at least 60 days after it is paid. Posts deleted, archived or made private before then break the campaign rules. - Real views only: don't buy views, likes, comments or followers, use bots or engagement pods, or post from fake accounts. Only verified views are paid — views are verified before payout through several checks on a fixed schedule. - Audience: we are paying to reach viewers in [your target countries]. Post in English, and post from an account whose audience is mainly in those countries. - Cap: one creator can earn at most $50 per clip in this campaign, so the budget reaches more creators. - Brand safety: no hateful, sexual, violent, political or shock content, and don't post this campaign on accounts that publish that kind of content. - Claims: only say what is on our product page. No made-up results, health, money or price claims, and don't describe using the product unless you actually have. - Rejected and not paid: clips that break any rule above, use the wrong source, or are low quality (blurry, cut-off audio, wrong aspect ratio).
Already have a brief?
Paste your own brief to see what it is missing (each gap with its source) and get a corrected version. Free, no sign-up needed.
Check my brief freePaying for results
On Content Rewardz you set a reward per 1,000 verified views and a budget. Views are verified before payout through several checks on a fixed schedule, and the platform commission is shown on top of your budget before you fund anything.
Frequently asked questions
Do UGC reviewers have to actually use the product?
Yes. The FTC says you can’t talk about your experience with a product you haven’t tried, and can’t call a product terrific if you thought it was terrible.
How do I stop creators ignoring the brief?
Write the rules as short bullets and end with a list of what gets rejected and not paid, so creators can check their video before posting.
More brief templates
Sources
- Billo reviews — Trustpilot, 2023-03-26Self-selected reviews.
- Collabstr reviews (1–2 stars) — Trustpilot, 2026-04 to 2026-05Self-selected reviews.
- Disclosures 101 for Social Media Influencers — U.S. Federal Trade Commission
- Polymarket hit with deceptive influencer endorsements lawsuit — Bloomberg Law, 2026-06-26Allegations in a lawsuit, not findings.
- Trending sounds, brand posts and creator content: the music check — Ethos Engine, 2026-10-19Summarises filed lawsuits (Sony v. Kroger, Warner v. EssilorLuxottica, UMG v. Quince, Warner v. Crumbl).
- A SaaS brand’s write-up of its paid clipping campaign — Peter Claridge (a brand that ran a clipping campaign), 2025-09-15First-hand account from one brand.
- YouTube: original Shorts favoured, reposted clips get less reach — Search Engine Journal, 2026-10-01
- Meta is combating unoriginal Facebook content — GIGAZINE, 2025-07-15
- Clippers for music marketing — The Blossom Agency, 2026Vendor blog.
- Clipping campaign brief template — FindClout, 2026-08-27Vendor blog.
- Marketers making experiences worth clipping — Marketing Brew, 2026-04-24Figures taken from a search summary of the article.
- Clipping campaign budget and payout risk — OpenClip, 2026Vendor blog.
- 2026 State of Influencer Marketing — Linqia, 2026Figures taken from a search summary of the report.
- 17 ways brands accidentally kill their own clipping campaigns — Clipur, 2026-06-24Vendor blog.
- What marketers need to know about the clipping economy — ListenFirst, 2026-07-22
- Clipping businesses: pay-per-view distribution and view verification — Trends.vc, 2026-06-10
- The clipping economy: how short-form video clippers are overrunning the internet — NPR, 2026-05-12Figure taken from a search summary of the article.