Updated
A
- Ad account
- An ad account is the account on an advertising platform, such as TikTok Ads Manager or Meta Ads Manager, that holds a business's campaigns, payment method, audiences and reporting. Videos are uploaded there to run as ads.
- AI actor
- An AI actor is a person on screen whose look, and usually voice, are generated with AI rather than filmed. In UGC-style ads an AI actor speaks to camera the way a creator would; see AI actors and voices.
- Aspect ratio
- An aspect ratio is a video's width compared to its height. Short-form ads are usually 9:16 (vertical), with 1:1 (square) and 16:9 (horizontal) for other placements; see UGC video ad specs.
B
- B-roll
- B-roll is supporting footage cut in over or between the main shot, such as product close-ups, hands using the product, or the setting. It shows what the speaker is describing and keeps a talking video moving.
C
- Creative fatigue
- Creative fatigue is the drop in an ad's results after its audience has seen it too many times: engagement falls and the cost per result rises. The usual fix is new hooks or a fresh version of the ad; see how to test UGC ad creatives.
- Creative testing
- Creative testing is running different versions of an ad against each other, ideally changing one element at a time, to learn which performs better and why. Hooks are usually tested first.
- CTA (call to action)
- A CTA, or call to action, is the part of an ad that tells the viewer what to do next, such as "Shop now" or "Download the app". In UGC ads it is usually a spoken line near the end plus the platform's button.
- CTR (click-through rate)
- CTR, or click-through rate, is the share of people who clicked an ad out of everyone it was shown to: clicks divided by impressions. It shows how well an ad turns attention into action.
D
- DTC (direct-to-consumer)
- DTC, or direct-to-consumer, describes a brand that sells to customers itself, usually through its own online store, rather than through retailers. DTC brands are heavy users of UGC ads on social platforms; see UGC ads for ecommerce brands.
H
- Hook
- A hook is the opening of a video ad, usually the first one to three seconds, designed to stop someone from scrolling past. It can be a line, a visual, a text overlay or all three; see UGC ad hooks, or draft some with the free hook generator.
- Hook rate
- Hook rate is the share of impressions in which someone watched the first few seconds of a video ad, commonly three-second views divided by impressions. It measures how well the opening stops the scroll.
J
- Jump cut
- A jump cut is an edit that removes a piece from the middle of a continuous shot, so the speaker appears to jump forward. In UGC videos jump cuts remove pauses and keep the pace quick.
L
- Lookalike audience
- A lookalike audience is an ad-targeting audience that a platform builds from people who resemble a source list, such as existing customers or site visitors. It helps an ad reach new people likely to respond.
P
- POV video
- A POV (point-of-view) video is filmed from the viewer's or creator's own eyes, often showing only hands, so the viewer feels they are the one using the product. It is a common UGC style; see UGC styles.
- Product demo
- A product demo is a video that shows a product working, such as setting it up, using it or the result it gives. In UGC ads demos are often filmed close up or from the user's point of view.
R
- ROAS (return on ad spend)
- ROAS, or return on ad spend, is the revenue an ad brings in divided by what was spent on it. A ROAS of 3 means $3 of revenue for every $1 of spend.
S
- Safe zone
- A safe zone is the area of a vertical video that the platform's buttons, captions and profile details don't cover. Faces, text and the product should sit inside it; see UGC video ad specs.
- Script
- A script is the written plan of what is said and shown in a video, line by line, from the hook to the call to action. UGC scripts are written to sound spoken and casual; see the UGC script template.
- Spark Ads
- Spark Ads are a TikTok ad format that promotes an existing organic post, from the brand's own account or, with permission, a creator's account. The ad keeps the original post's handle, likes and comments.
- Storyboard
- A storyboard is a scene-by-scene plan of a video that shows what each shot looks like alongside what is said. It lets people agree on a video before it is filmed.
T
- Talking head
- A talking head is a shot of one person speaking directly to the camera, usually framed from the chest up. It is the most common shot in UGC ads.
- Testimonial ad
- A testimonial ad is an ad in which a real customer describes their own experience with a product. To be honest it must reflect a real experience, so it needs a person who has actually used the product; see AI UGC vs creator UGC.
- Thumb-stop ratio
- Thumb-stop ratio is the share of people who stopped scrolling to watch the start of a video ad, usually three-second views divided by impressions. It is often used as another name for hook rate.
- TikTok Shop
- TikTok Shop is TikTok's in-app shopping feature, where people can buy products from videos, LIVE streams and a shop tab without leaving the app. Sellers often promote listings with UGC-style videos; see UGC ads for TikTok Shop sellers.
U
- UGC (user-generated content)
- UGC, or user-generated content, is content made by customers or creators rather than by a brand, such as reviews, photos and videos. In advertising, the term also covers videos made in that casual, first-person style, often called UGC videos.
- UGC ad
- A UGC ad is a paid ad that looks like a post from a real person, usually a phone-filmed video of someone talking about or using a product. See what UGC ads are.
- Unboxing video
- An unboxing video shows someone opening a product's packaging and seeing the product for the first time, often filmed from overhead. It shows the packaging, what is included and a first reaction.
V
- Variant
- A variant is a deliberately different version of the same ad, such as one with another hook, actor or call to action, made so the versions can be tested against each other. See review and revisions.
- Voiceover
- A voiceover is narration heard over a video from a speaker who isn't speaking on camera at that moment. In UGC ads it often runs over product shots or B-roll.
W
- Whitelisting
- Whitelisting is when a creator lets a brand run ads through the creator's account, so the ads appear under the creator's name and handle. Creators usually charge a monthly fee for it; see how much UGC ads cost.
