The most common reason a UGC ad fails is the script. Specifically, one that opens like an ad rather than like a person.
The four part structure
- Hook (0 to 3 seconds). Names a problem or makes a specific claim. About your viewer, not your product.
- Relate (3 to 10 seconds). Briefly acknowledge the frustration. One or two sentences. Viewers decide if the ad is for them.
- Reveal (10 to 25 seconds). Introduce the product as the solution. Show it, use it, describe the experience.
- CTA (final 5 seconds). One clear action. Not three options. One.
What makes a hook feel like a person
- Specific over general. "I have been trying to fix my under eye circles for two years" lands harder than "Are you tired of looking tired?"
- Spoken, not written. Read the script out loud. If it sounds like a brochure, rewrite it.
- Start mid-thought. "Okay so I finally tried the thing everyone is talking about" opens differently than "Hi I am here to tell you about."
- Name the person, not the product. The hook describes someone who has a problem, not a product that solves it.
Mistakes that kill conversions
Opening with the brand name. Earn attention first. Features over experience. "Made with vitamin C" tells someone what is in the product. "My skin looked different the next morning" tells them what it is like to use it. Multiple CTAs. Give people one thing to do.
Every AI UGC ad we produce at TR Digital includes a written hook and script as standard. See pricing or read about hooks that stop the scroll.