What are the main types of UGC video?
The main types of UGC video are the demo, unboxing, tutorial, comparison, before-and-after, testimonial, get ready with me, day in the life, point of view and problem-solution. Each type is a repeatable shape, so once you can name it, you can pick the one a brief needs and script it on purpose.
Why does it help to name the type of a UGC video?
Naming the type tells you what the camera has to show and in what order, before you write a single line.
A type is close to what this site calls a format: the shape a video follows, whatever it happens to be about. When a brand asks for a demo, it is asking for that shape. If you can name the shape, you can reuse it for the next product too. What a UGC video format is explains why a shape carries over between products when a subject does not.
Which types of UGC video put the product at the centre?
Five types put the product at the centre: the demo, the unboxing, the tutorial, the comparison and the before-and-after.
- Demo: you show the product doing its one main job, in your hands, in one clear take.
- Unboxing: you open the package on camera and react to what is inside, so the viewer sees it fresh.
- Tutorial: you teach a short how-to where the product is one of the steps, so it earns its place in the lesson.
- Comparison: you set the product next to what you used before and show the difference you noticed yourself.
- Before-and-after: you film a change you can show on camera, like a tidy drawer or a set table, and leave out any change to a body, skin or money.
Which types of UGC video put the creator at the centre?
Five types put you at the centre: the testimonial, get ready with me, day in the life, point of view and problem-solution.
- Testimonial: you talk straight to camera about what you noticed using the product, in your own words.
- Get ready with me: you go through a routine while chatting, and the product turns up as one step of it.
- Day in the life: you film moments across a day, and the product appears where it fits rather than as the star.
- Point of view: the camera plays the viewer, so the video acts out a moment they recognise; the point-of-view video entry covers the term.
- Problem-solution: you name a small, everyday annoyance, show what you tried, then show the product as what you switched to.
A storytime video can sit on top of any of these, because it is a way of telling rather than a fixed set of shots. How to script a storytime video for a brand shows how to keep the product inside the story.
How do you choose the right type for a brief?
Start from what the brief needs the viewer to understand, then pick the type whose shots show that most directly.
| If the brief needs the viewer to see | Try this type | Because |
|---|---|---|
| How the product works | Demo or tutorial | The viewer watches it work instead of hearing about it. |
| What arrives in the box | Unboxing | The packaging and contents are the point, so they lead. |
| Why it beats the old way | Comparison or problem-solution | The old way is on screen, so the switch makes sense. |
| Where it fits in a real routine | Get ready with me or day in the life | The product sits among ordinary moments, not on a plinth. |
| A moment the viewer has lived | Point of view | The viewer is cast in the scene, so they stay to see it end. |
If the brief names a type, use that one, and if it leaves the choice to you, ask the brand which of two types it prefers before you film. How to turn a brand brief into a script walks through matching a shape to what a brief asks for.
What does a problem-solution UGC script look like?
A problem-solution script names the annoyance, shows a failed fix, then shows the product as the switch you made, in that order.
- hooksay: “I work from my sofa, and my laptop has been living on a cushion.”do: Wide shot of you on the sofa, laptop tilted on a cushion on your knees.
- setupsay: “The cushion slides, the screen sits low, and I keep leaning in to read it.”do: Close shot of the cushion slipping sideways as you type.
- beat 1say: “I tried a stack of books. It wobbled every time I hit a key.”do: Set the laptop on a pile of books, tap a key, and let the pile shift.
- turnsay: “So I tried this instead. It folds flat and opens in one move.”do: Unfold the stand in one motion, then hold a close shot on the hinge.
- beat 2say: “Now the screen sits where I can see it, and the laptop stays put while I type.”do: Side angle of the laptop on the stand as you type, with nothing moving.
- closesay: “It folds back into my bag at the end of the day. The one I use is linked.”do: Fold the stand, slide it into a bag, then point down at the caption.
Notice that the failed fix comes before the product. Without it, the turn has nothing to turn from. The same beat order works for most of the types above once you swap what each shot shows, and the parts of a UGC video script names each part.
Can you mix two types in one UGC video?
You can mix two types when one leads and the other supports it, but pick a single lead so the viewer knows what they are watching.
An unboxing that ends in a short demo works, because the demo answers the question the unboxing raised. A get ready with me that turns into a comparison halfway through tends to lose its thread, because the viewer settled in for a routine. If you want both, film them as separate takes and offer the brand the choice.
Write your next UGC script with lynxr
Paste a public TikTok or Instagram link on the homepage and lynxr works out the format — hook, beats, turn, close — and writes it as a script for the brand you make content for. How lynxr writes scripts shows each step. Free to start: 3 scripts a week, no card.
More questions about UGC video formats
- All questions about UGC video formats — one format at a time.
Keep reading
- What a UGC video format is
- How to script a storytime video for a brand
- Questions and answers — about lynxr, and every topic UGC creators ask about.