A UGC script has five parts: hook (0–3 s), problem or context (3–8 s), product in use (8–20 s), proof (20–26 s) and a soft close (26–30 s). For a 30-second video that's about 70–80 spoken words; for 15 seconds, 35–40; for 60 seconds, 140–160. I write every video down before filming, shoot one to three hook variations, and when a brand sends its own script (most platform briefs do, scene by scene, sometimes with timecodes) I shoot it as written.
Every video I deliver starts as a script, even the ones with no talking in them. Not because I’m organised (I’m medium organised) but because the three times I “just filmed and figured it out”, I ended up with 90 seconds of footage for a 30-second brief and a product that didn’t appear until second eleven. So: the template I use, with word counts, then two real scripts from my portfolio, then what to do when the brand sends you theirs.
The 5-part UGC script template
| Part | Timing (30 s video) | Words | Job |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Hook | 0–3 s | 8–12 | Make a specific person stop scrolling |
| 2. Problem or context | 3–8 s | 12–15 | Say what was annoying before |
| 3. Product in use | 8–20 s | 25–30 | Show it doing the thing, on camera |
| 4. Proof | 20–26 s | 12–15 | One concrete result, texture, number or detail |
| 5. Soft close | 26–30 s | 8–10 | What you’d tell a friend; no “link in bio” voice |
The product is on screen by second three at the latest, even if you’re still saying the hook. In ads, that’s the whole difference between a video that gets watched and one that gets skipped.
Scaling it to 15 and 60 seconds
- 15 seconds (35–40 words): hook, product in use, proof. Drop the problem and the close. This is the demo format: texture on the hand, application, finish.
- 30 seconds (70–80 words): all five parts as above.
- 60 seconds (140–160 words): same five parts, but part 3 becomes two or three mini-demos, and part 4 gets two proofs. Don’t stretch the hook.
The maths is about 2.5 spoken words per second. If your script runs longer, you’ll either talk too fast or the brand will cut you, and brands always cut from the middle, which is where your best demo is.
Real script 1: a talking-head skincare review (30 s)
This is a clean-skincare video from my portfolio, a gifted collab, filmed straight to camera with on-screen captions carrying the claims. Here’s the script as I’d write it for that video today. The captions and the shot order are exactly what’s in the finished video; the spoken column is the script, not a transcript, so treat it as the plan rather than my word-for-word delivery:
| Time | On screen | Caption | Spoken |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0–3 s | Me, product in hand, raised eyebrow | “one single ingredient skincare” | “Okay, this whole brand is one ingredient. One.” |
| 3–8 s | Box open, two products out | — | “I’ve tried every clean skincare routine with twelve steps and I still didn’t know what was in any of it.” |
| 8–18 s | Balm on fingertip, pressed into cheek; lip product applied | “completely unscented = no weird smell” | “So this is a balm. You warm it, press it in, and it has no scent at all, which I didn’t know I wanted until now.” |
| 18–26 s | Macro of the jar, then the box | “third party tested for microplastics & heavy metals” | “They test every batch for microplastics and heavy metals and publish it, which is the part that made me actually read the label.” |
| 26–30 s | Back to camera, soft smile | “clean skincare that actually means it” | “If ‘clean’ has stopped meaning anything to you, this is the one I’d try.” |
Seventy-four words spoken. Notice the captions are not subtitles of the speech; they’re the three claims the brand cares about, one per scene, so the video still makes sense with the sound off.
Real script 2: a B-roll lifestyle video with no talking (20 s)
A candle video from my portfolio, “slow Sunday morning”. No voice, music only, and the script is a shot list. The scent was vanilla, so the props are vanilla: a cup, a bowl of ice cream, white sheets.
| Shot | Length | What’s in frame |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 s | Me in bed, white top, lifting a cup to my face with eyes closed |
| 2 | 2 s | Macro: a spoon scooping vanilla ice cream |
| 3 | 3 s | Me holding the candle at the camera, label readable |
| 4 | 2 s | Macro: the bowl of ice cream, spoon going in |
| 5 | 3 s | Me, candle in hands, eyes closed, smelling it |
| 6 | 3 s | Hand striking a match over the candle on the pillow |
| 7 | 4 s | Candle lit on the bed, my hand turning it to camera; hold |
Seven shots, twenty seconds, product in shot 3 and from shot 5 onwards non-stop. The “script” took five minutes to write and saved an hour of filming, because I knew exactly which seven things to shoot and in what light. This is the structure behind all the lifestyle B-roll in my examples article.
A fill-in version you can copy
Hook (0–3 s): “[Specific person], if you [specific annoying thing], watch this.” Context (3–8 s): “I used to [the before]. It was [one honest adjective].” Product in use (8–20 s): “[Product] does [one thing]. You [step 1], then [step 2]. [What it feels/looks like right now.]” Proof (20–26 s): “After [time], [one concrete change / texture / number / detail you can show].” Close (26–30 s): “If you’re [the person from the hook], this is the one I’d try.”
Fill in the brackets, read it out loud with a timer, and cut words until it fits. Twenty-five of my favourite first lines are in the hooks article if the hook is the part you’re stuck on.
Hooks: film more than one
I shoot one to three hook variations for every video: same body, different first three seconds. Two are included in my price as standard; brands test hooks in ads, so the extra take costs me a minute and gives them a real choice. If a brief says “two hooks”, film three; the third one is often the one they pick.
When the brand sends its own script
Most platform briefs come with one. On Insense it’s typical to get a scene-by-scene shot list, sometimes a full script with timecodes (“0:00–0:03 hold product up, say…”). Direct-deal brands more often send three key points and let me write.
My rule: shoot a brand script as written. They’ve usually tested it, legal has read it, and “I improved your script” is not a sentence a brand wants to hear from a creator they haven’t worked with before. If a line is genuinely unsayable, I film it their way and add one alternate take, and I say so in the delivery note. That’s it.
What I do add, always: captions in CapCut, one short line at a time, and clean file names so the brand’s editor can find the hook variations.
Lengths, honestly
Most briefs I get ask for 15–30 seconds or 30–60 seconds. My own posted videos run 30–40 seconds. When in doubt, film the 30 and deliver it; a brand can always cut a 30 down to a 15, but it can’t stretch a 15.
If you want the five-part template, my 25 hooks and the six-video portfolio plan on paper next to your tripod, they’re all in the free starter pack at the bottom of this page. The finished versions of both scripts above are on my Instagram and in the portfolio.
Frequently asked
What is a UGC script?
A short written plan for a UGC video: what you say or show in each few seconds, in order. Even a no-talking B-roll video has one, as a shot list. It keeps the product in the first three seconds and the video inside the length the brand asked for.
How long should a UGC script be?
About 2.5 words per second of talking. A 15-second video is 35–40 words, 30 seconds is 70–80, 60 seconds is 140–160. If your script is longer, you're reading, not talking.
Do brands give you a script for UGC?
Often, yes. Most briefs I get on platforms come with the brand's own script or a scene-by-scene shot list, sometimes with timecodes. I shoot those as written. Direct-deal brands usually give a few key points and let me write the script.
How many hooks should I film for one UGC video?
One to three. I film the same video with two hook variations as standard (they're included in my price) and a third if the brief asks. Brands test hooks in ads, so the extra take is cheap for you and valuable for them.
Should a UGC video have captions?
Yes, always. Most people watch with sound off. I add captions in CapCut and keep them to one short line at a time, and in B-roll videos the captions carry the message on their own.
I post the actual collabs, behind-the-scenes and what brands reply on Instagram.
Anastasiia, NYC beauty UGC creator since spring 2026, with a stylist background. I make product videos for beauty, wellness, fashion, home and tech brands, and I write about how the business side actually works.
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