UGC-style ad
0:15 to 0:30Looks like a happy customer talking to their phone. Less polish is the point.
- Hook 0–3 s
- Problem 3–8 s
- Product 8–15 s
- Before and after 15–25 s
- Call to action 25–30 s
UGC-style ads
AI UGC ads that look like a customer filmed them
A UGC-style ad looks like a happy customer filmed it on their phone. UGC means user-generated content, and less polish is the point: it blends into the feed. customcommercials.ai, an AI commercial studio, plans yours in a free storyboard, a shot-by-shot plan you see before you pay, with one AI presenter, lines the way people talk and handheld B-roll, the footage between the talking.
Commercials aren't taking new orders right now. Email support@customcommercials.ai and we'll tell you when they open.
The look
What makes a UGC-style ad look real
Six choices, all made in the brief and the storyboard. Nothing to film, no creator to brief or ship a product to.
One presenter, talking to camera
A spokesperson is a realistic AI presenter who says your lines on camera. For this style you pick one, framed close like a selfie video.
Lines the way people talk
Short sentences, a little informal, first person about the problem. Write them that way in the brief, or ask the storyboard to, and edit any line before you approve.
Handheld-looking B-roll
B-roll is the footage that plays between the talking. Ask for it phone-shot and handheld in the brief notes: a kitchen, a desk, a car, not a studio.
A hook in the first two seconds
The hook is the moment that makes someone stop scrolling: a blunt line, a problem everyone has, a question. It is planned first in the storyboard.
Your product as its own shot
Your own photo or clip of the product appears as a shot of its own, so the product looks exactly like itself.
Vertical first, every shape delivered
Planned for vertical 9:16, the shape of TikTok and Reels, and delivered in square 1:1 and wide 16:9 too, from one approval.
How it's built
The beats of a UGC-style ad
Most run 15 to 30 seconds. The bars show each beat to scale.
The times are the storyboard's. The finished file also opens on a short title card with your title and logo, and closes on a card where the voice says your call to action, what you ask people to do next. Those cards are not billed.
- The product or brand shows up in the first 5 seconds.
- The product appears at least twice: once early and once big, just before the end card.
- One camera move per shot.
- The last 2 to 4 seconds are the end card, the last screen with your name and what to do next.
- People speak about 2.5 words a second, so a 30-second ad holds about 70 words with room to breathe.
How to order one
How to get a UGC-style ad made, in four steps
Nothing that costs money is made until you approve the storyboard.
Say it is a UGC-style ad in the brief
Write what you sell, who it is for, the one problem it fixes and the call to action, which is what you ask people to do at the end. Add a note: UGC style, one presenter talking to their phone, handheld B-roll.
Pick one presenter and a voice
Choose the spokesperson from the presenter library and the voice they speak in. Add your product photo or clip if you have one (uploading your own media needs a paid plan).
Read the free storyboard
The storyboard is a shot-by-shot plan with a preview still, one picture of what the shot will look like, for most shots. Make the lines sound like a person, move shots, and check the price for the length.
Approve, then download every shape
Pay once for the finished length. We make each shot, cut it with the voice and music, and deliver vertical, square and wide. Reshoot a shot with new words if one line feels stiff.
Plainly
What an AI UGC ad is, and is not
The person on camera is an AI presenter, not one of your customers. So write the lines as someone speaking about the problem and the product, not as a review from a real buyer. In the US the FTC's rule on fake reviews bans endorsements that pretend to come from a real customer, including AI-made ones. Check each ad platform's rules on labeling AI-made content before you run it.
The presenter does not hold or wear your physical product today. Your product shows up as its own shot, from your photo or clip.
Good fits
- Apps and software, where the screen is the product
- A problem everyone recognizes, said in one line
- Testing a new hook against your current ads
- Brands with no creators on call
AI or human creators
AI UGC ads compared with real creators
Real creators filming UGC-style ads on their phones on marketplaces like Billo and Insense need the product shipped to them first. Icon, a done-for-you creator service, has real people film six ads for a monthly fee and delivers 12 to 16 days after its creators get your product. A real person can hold your product and has a real voice of their own; that is what you pay for.
Here there is nothing to ship and no creator to wait for. You see the whole storyboard and the price in dollars before anything is made. For more, read customcommercials.ai vs Icon, customcommercials.ai vs Arcads (AI actor ads you script yourself) and what a commercial costs, with sources.
Pricing
What it costs
UGC-style ads are a set price for each format and finished length, shown on the storyboard before you pay. The storyboard is free.
Commercials open soon
Email us and we will tell you the price before anyone pays.
Commercials aren't taking new orders right now. Email support@customcommercials.ai and we'll tell you when they open.
Email usSee pricing. A polished feed ad instead? See video ads and shorts. Selling an app or a store? Read the apps and e-commerce pages.
From the blog
Keep reading
Formats
The first 2 seconds: video ad hooks that stop the scroll
Why the first two seconds decide a video ad, seven hook types with examples, how to make a hook work with the sound off, and what kills one.
Commercials open soon
We are not taking new orders yet. Email us and we will tell you when they open, and what the price is before anyone pays.
Questions
What is a UGC ad?
UGC means user-generated content. A UGC ad looks like a customer filmed it on their phone: one person talking to camera, plain words, handheld shots. It blends into TikTok and Reels instead of looking like a commercial.
Can AI make UGC ads?
Yes. Here an AI presenter says your lines to camera, framed like a selfie video, with lines written the way people talk and handheld-looking B-roll, the footage between the talking. You approve a free storyboard first. The presenter is an AI, not a real customer, and does not hold your product today.
Is it legal to use an AI presenter in a UGC ad?
An AI presenter speaking about your product is fine on most ad platforms, though some ask you to label AI-made content. What is not allowed in the US is a fake review: the FTC bans endorsements, AI-made ones included, that pretend to come from a real customer. Write the lines as a presenter, not as a buyer's review.
How long should a UGC ad be?
Most run 15 to 30 seconds: a hook in the first three seconds, the problem, the product, a before and after, and the call to action. Each format is billed for at least its base length, from 6 seconds.
Can I test several versions?
Yes, one commercial per version. Start a commercial for each hook or offer you want to test; each has its own free storyboard and its own price before you approve.
How much does an AI UGC ad cost?
A UGC-style ad is priced by its format and finished length, from 6 seconds to 1 minute 30 seconds. The storyboard is free and shows the exact price before anyone pays. Commercials are not taking new orders yet; email support@customcommercials.ai to hear when they open.