---
name: produce-ugc-creative-brief
description: >-
  Turns a product/offer and a funnel stage into a shoot-ready UGC creative brief: one core angle, an
  arc matched to the funnel stage (problem-agitate-solve for cold, testimonial/proof for
  warm/retargeting), 3-5 distinct hook options for the first 1-3 seconds, a talk-track skeleton, a
  single CTA, and the format spec, 9:16 native vertical, captions/subtitles, top/bottom ~14% safe
  zones kept clear, and a do/don't list that includes a hard claims-must-match-the-landing-page
  rule. Creator sourcing is a HUMAN STEP the brief feeds into, not something this skill performs.
  Reach for it whenever a testing cycle needs new concepts, a winning angle needs adjacent hooks
  explored, or the account is moving into a funnel stage its current creative doesn't address. It
  ends at a shoot-ready brief per concept, it does not test the resulting hooks against each other
  (run-creative-testing-framework) or diagnose an existing video's retention
  (improve-hook-rate-and-hold).
---
# Produce a UGC Creative Brief

## Purpose
A UGC-style ad lives or dies on the brief, not the edit, a vague brief produces generic footage
that can't hook anyone, no matter how well it's cut. This skill turns a product/offer and a funnel
stage into a shoot-ready brief: the angle, several genuinely different hook options to test, a
talk-track arc, and the on-screen constraints a creator needs before a camera turns on.

## When to run
- A testing cycle needs new creative concepts and none are currently in production.
- An existing angle is winning and needs a second brief exploring adjacent hooks, not a copy of the
  same script.
- The account is moving into a funnel stage (cold awareness vs. warm retargeting) its current
  creative doesn't address.

## When NOT to run
- Creative already exists and needs testing, not production, `run-creative-testing-framework`.
- The problem is an existing video's retention curve, not a lack of concepts, `improve-hook-rate-and-hold`.
- The ask is polished, non-UGC brand creative, this skill's structure assumes native/testimonial
  UGC; a produced brand brief follows a different structure.

## Prerequisites
- The offer/product and its landing page, every claim in the brief must be provable on the page
  the ad drives to.
- The funnel stage this batch targets (cold/awareness, warm/consideration, or retargeting), the
  brief's arc depends on it.
- Any brand do/don't list: banned claims, required disclaimers, restricted-vertical constraints from
  the account's policy profile.

## Procedure
1. **Set the angle.** State the single core message in one sentence, tied to a real customer
   pain/desire, not a feature list.
2. **Pick the arc for the funnel stage.** Cold/awareness → problem-agitate-solve. Warm/retargeting →
   testimonial/social-proof, leaning on results the audience already half-believes.
3. **Write 3-5 hook options for the same concept.** Each is a distinct opening line or visual for
   the first 1-3 seconds (a question, a bold claim, a pattern interrupt, a relatable scenario, a
   cold open on the result), these become separate test cells later, not alternates to pick one
   from now.
4. **Write the talk-track / shot list.** Problem → agitation → solution → proof → CTA, or
   testimonial → specific result → how it happened → CTA, per the chosen arc. Keep it a skeleton the
   creator can say naturally, not a word-for-word script that reads as an ad.
5. **Specify format constraints.** 9:16 native vertical (Stories/Reels-first), on-screen
   captions/subtitles required (most viewers watch muted), key text and faces kept out of the
   top/bottom ~14% safe zones, and a length range matched to the arc, shorter for cold hooks, more
   room for testimonial proof.
6. **Write the do/don't list.** Do: film handheld/native-feeling, say the product name early, show
   the product in use. Don't: make claims the landing page can't support, use stock-ad music or
   transitions that break the native feel, bury the offer past the midpoint.
7. **Set the CTA.** One clear spoken and on-screen CTA, matched to the objective and event chosen in
   `select-campaign-objective`, never mix multiple asks in one spot.
8. **HUMAN STEP (outside VigilDog).** Source the creator(s), a creator marketplace, existing
   customers, or in-house talent. This skill hands off the brief; it does not perform casting.
9. **Package and hand off.** Bundle angle, arc, hooks, shot list, format spec, do/don'ts, and CTA
   into one brief per concept. Once shot and edited, route the finished cuts to
   `run-creative-testing-framework` as cells for a hypothesis-led test, one hook difference per
   cell.

## Decision rules
- **Funnel stage decides the arc:** cold → problem-agitate-solve; warm/retargeting →
  testimonial/proof-led. Never run a testimonial arc cold, it assumes belief the audience doesn't
  have yet.
- **Multiple hooks are mandatory:** fewer than 3 hook options per concept under-uses the brief; a
  single-hook brief produces one shot at retention instead of a testable set.
- **Claims gate:** every on-screen or spoken claim must be checkable against the actual landing page
  before the brief ships to a creator, an unsupported claim is a rejection risk downstream, not
  just a trust problem.
- **Length scales with arc:** hook-first cold content stays short because the opening seconds carry
  the whole burden; testimonial/proof content can run longer once trust is partially established.
- **Done means:** one brief per concept exists with an angle, a funnel-matched arc, 3-5 distinct
  hooks, a shot list, format/safe-zone specs, a do/don't list, and one CTA, ready to hand to a
  creator.

## Common failure modes
- **Word-for-word scripts** that read as ads instead of a skeleton a creator can say naturally.
- **One hook per brief**, wasting the chance to seed a real test.
- **Testimonial arc run on a cold audience** that has no reason to believe it yet.
- **Claims in the brief the landing page doesn't back up**, caught at review, or worse, at policy
  rejection.
- **Skipping format constraints** and getting back 16:9 footage that has to be reframed for 9:16
  placements.

## Related skills
- Before: `select-campaign-objective` (sets the funnel stage / target event the CTA should match).
- After: `run-creative-testing-framework` (tests the hooks this brief produced).
- Related: `improve-hook-rate-and-hold` (feeds a "why the current hook is weak" diagnosis back into
  the next brief).