Libraries/Social Media Ad Techniques/Formats

    Raw UGC + Brand Editing

    Authentic UGC footage cut with brand captions, pace, and structure.

    VideoCost: mid

    Keeps the raw, real feel of UGC but adds an editor's hand - captions, retention edits, a tighter structure - so it performs like a direct-response ad without losing the native look. The best of both: trust from the rawness, conversion from the craft.

    Why it works

    It keeps the raw, real feel that earns trust but adds an editor's hand - retention edits, captions, structure - so it converts like a direct-response ad without losing the native look.

    Format Examples

    How this format plays out across different products and segments.

    Supplements

    Creator clip re-cut hook-first with bold captions and a clean CTA.

    Beauty

    Raw testimonial trimmed to its strongest 15 seconds with text overlay.

    DTC

    Native-feeling footage with subtle brand pacing.

    How to build it

    1

    Start with real footage

    Use authentic creator or customer clips as the raw material.

    2

    Add the retention layer

    Hook-first re-cut, bold captions, tight pacing.

    3

    Keep it rough enough

    Stop short of polishing away the authenticity.

    Example executions

    Creator clip recut with bold captions and a hook-first structure.

    Raw testimonial trimmed to its strongest 15 seconds with text overlay.

    Native-feeling footage with subtle brand pacing and a clean CTA.

    Carries these angles well

    Problem-Agitate-Solve (PAS)Before & After / TransformationObjection HandlerSocial Proof / Crowd Logic

    Reach for it when

    Scaling a winning raw concept, and audiences across stages where you want authenticity plus retention.

    Skip it when

    Over-editing that strips the authenticity that made the UGC work in the first place.

    Common mistake

    Over-editing until it looks like a TV spot - you pay for production and lose the trust that made UGC work.

    Combine it into an ad

    A format is the container. In the Hi5 Framework it wraps an angle and opens with a hook to become a finished concept.

    The Hi5 FrameworkBrowse angles