The fastest way to get UGC video that works on the first pass is to remove guesswork before a creator ever hits record. A vague brief produces vague footage: off-tone delivery, the wrong aspect ratio, a hook that buries the product. A precise brief does the opposite. It tells the creator exactly what success looks like, which means fewer revision rounds, faster review, and matches that land sooner. On Purple Cow, a clear brief also helps the matching engine put your campaign in front of the right creators, so the first drafts you see are already close to what you wanted.
Use the checklist below as a template. Fill in every section before you publish the brief. The ten minutes you spend here save days on the back end.
The full creator brief checklist
1. The goal and the KPI
Lead with what the video is for. A creator who knows the objective makes better micro-decisions on tone, pacing, and call to action than one who is guessing. Be specific.
- The single business goal: awareness, consideration, app installs, sign-ups, or sales
- The one metric you will judge it by, such as view-through, click-through, or conversion
- Where the video will run: paid ads, organic feed, or both, because that changes the edit
2. Platform and aspect ratio
State the destination platform and the exact frame. A TikTok-native edit does not drop cleanly into a YouTube pre-roll slot, and a creator who knows the platform films for it from the first take.
- Primary platform: TikTok, Instagram Reels, Snapchat, YouTube Shorts, or feed
- Aspect ratio: 9:16 vertical, 1:1 square, or 16:9, and whether you need a safe zone for captions and UI
- Whether you need raw plus edited files, or edited only
3. Region, language, and dialect
This is where MENA campaigns are won or lost. “Arabic” is not a spec. A Saudi audience and an Egyptian audience hear different dialects, references, and humor, and a mismatch reads as inauthentic immediately.
- Target market: Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, or a defined multi-market mix
- Spoken dialect: Gulf, Egyptian, Levantine, or Modern Standard, plus any English or code-switching you want or want to avoid
- On-screen text language and direction, including whether Arabic subtitles are required
- Cultural notes: local references that land, and anything to steer clear of
4. The hook and the first three seconds
Most viewers decide whether to keep watching before the third second. Tell the creator how to open. If you have a hook you want tested, write it out; if not, describe the feeling the opener should create.
- The exact opening line or visual, or two or three options to test
- What the viewer should see and hear before they could scroll past
- Whether the brand or product should appear in the first frames or stay back until the hook lands
5. Key messages and must-say points
List the few things the video has to communicate, ranked. Three points land; ten do not. Separate what must be said word-for-word from what the creator can phrase naturally in their own voice, since the second usually performs better.
- The core message in one sentence
- Any must-say claims, offers, or product names, with exact wording where it is legally or factually required
- The single call to action and the exact phrase or link
6. Do, don’t, and brand safety
Give creators clear guardrails so they can be themselves inside them. Be explicit, because what is obvious to your team is invisible to someone outside it.
- Do: tone, energy level, settings, and the kind of authenticity you want
- Don’t: competitor mentions, claims you cannot substantiate, music or visuals to avoid, sensitive topics
- Brand-safety lines: anything that would make the video unusable regardless of quality
7. References and examples
Show, don’t only tell. Two or three reference videos communicate tone faster than a page of adjectives. Annotate why each one is relevant so the creator copies the intent, not the specifics.
- Links to videos with the pacing, tone, or framing you like, and a note on what to take from each
- Examples to avoid, with the reason
- Brand assets the creator needs: logo, product, packaging, fonts, or color cues
8. Deliverables and lengths
Spell out the count and the format so nothing is ambiguous at handoff.
- Number of videos and their target durations, for example one 30-second main cut plus two 15-second variations
- Whether you need alternate hooks or endings for testing
- Resolution, file format, and how captions or text overlays should be delivered
9. Revision expectations
Revisions are built into the process, so set the rhythm up front. On Purple Cow you review drafts with frame-by-frame comments and request edits in one place, which keeps feedback specific and fast. A brief that names what you will and will not revise prevents scope creep.
- How many revision rounds are included and what each round covers
- How you will give feedback and your turnaround time on reviews
- What counts as a change versus a new request
10. Usage rights and whitelisting
Decide rights before work starts, not after you fall in love with a cut. This protects both sides and avoids an awkward renegotiation.
- Where and how long you can use the content: organic, paid, your channels, the creator’s, and the license duration
- Whether you need whitelisting or paid amplification through the creator’s handle
- Any exclusivity terms within a category or market
11. The deadline
Give a real date and the milestones to it. First matches on Purple Cow typically arrive within 48 hours, so anchor your timeline around draft, review, and final dates rather than one vague “end of month.”
- Draft due date, review window, and final delivery date
- Any hard external date, such as a launch or seasonal moment
- Buffer for at least one revision round before the final date
Common brief mistakes to avoid
- Writing “make it go viral” instead of naming a goal and a KPI
- Saying “Arabic” without a dialect and target market
- Listing ten must-say points so none of them land
- Skipping the hook and leaving the first three seconds to chance
- Forgetting aspect ratio and platform, then needing a re-edit
- Leaving usage rights and whitelisting until after delivery
- Giving a single deadline with no draft or review milestones
- Over-scripting every word, which strips out the authenticity that makes UGC work
A good brief is not a cage. It sets the goal, the guardrails, and the deadline, then trusts a vetted creator to bring the craft.
Why a tight brief pays off on Purple Cow
Every field above does double duty. It tells the creator what to make, and it gives the platform the signal it needs to match you with creators who already fit the market, dialect, and format you specified. That is how you compress the distance between brief and approved video. Funds sit in escrow and release only when you approve the final work, so a precise brief also protects your spend by making “approved” a clear, shared standard rather than a moving target. When you are ready, see the full workflow on the businesses page or post your first brief and let the matching do the heavy lifting.