# UGC Creator Deliverables: What to Expect From Every Package > Brands commission UGC content, receive a folder of files, and then discover they can't use half of it. The aspect ratio is wrong for the ad placement. The raw files weren't included so creative tes... **Author:** Trisha Hitches **Published:** 2026-03-22 **Updated:** 2026-05-03 **Category:** Creators **Read time:** 10 min read **Canonical URL:** https://trishahitches.com/blog/ugc-creator-deliverables --- Brands commission UGC content, receive a folder of files, and then discover they can't use half of it. The aspect ratio is wrong for the ad placement. The raw files weren't included so creative testing is impossible. The music in the edit is unlicensed and can't go near paid media. The captions are baked into the video so they can't be adjusted for different markets. None of this is the creator's fault. Nobody specified what was needed. Deliverable scope is one of the most consistently under-briefed elements of a UGC engagement. Brands know they want a video. They don't always know what a usable video actually consists of — the files, formats, formats, permissions, and additional assets that determine whether the content can do what the brand needs it to do. This guide sets the record straight. ## What a Standard UGC Package Typically Includes There is no universal standard, but most professional UGC creators work within a broadly similar deliverable set for a standard package. Understanding this baseline makes it easier to identify what's missing for your specific use case. A standard single-deliverable UGC package typically includes: - One edited video. Cut to the agreed duration (usually 15, 30, or 60 seconds), exported in 9:16 vertical format for TikTok and Reels, at 1080p minimum resolution. - Basic colour grading and audio levelling. The delivered video should be colour-consistent and audio should be mixed to broadcast standard levels — not raw, not over-processed. - Licensed background music (if music is used). This is a major assumption. Many creators use music that is platform-safe for organic posts but cannot be used in paid advertising. Verify this explicitly — more on this below. - Usage rights for the agreed channels and duration. Whatever was negotiated in the contract, the deliverable includes the content license. That's the floor of a standard package. Everything else — raw files, additional aspect ratios, captions, b-roll, multiple hooks — is typically extra, either built into a premium package or available as an add-on. ## Raw Files: Why They Matter More Than Most Brands Realise Raw files are the unedited footage from the creator's shoot. They're not the same as the edited deliverable, and they're not automatically included in most packages. Why do they matter? Creative testing. Performance-driven UGC campaigns run multiple versions of content against each other — different hooks, different CTAs, different edit pacing — to identify what converts best. If you only have the edited final cut, your testing options are limited to what the creator chose to include. If you have the raw footage, your in-house team or media agency can cut alternative versions, test different hooks, and iterate on the creative without going back to the creator for every variation. For brands running paid media at any meaningful scale, raw files are not optional — they're essential. Build them into the brief and the contract from the start. Trying to acquire raw footage after the fact is a conversation most creators find uncomfortable, and some will decline entirely if it wasn't part of the original agreement. Raw files are typically delivered as MP4 or MOV, ungraded, without music. They will be larger files than the edited export — plan your delivery method accordingly. A file transfer service like WeTransfer or Google Drive is standard; email attachments are not workable for large raw video files. ## Aspect Ratios: Get Specific Before the Shoot 9:16 vertical is the default for short-form UGC, and it's correct for TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts. But it's not the only format your content will need to exist in. If you're running the content in Facebook feed ads, 1:1 square or 4:5 portrait often outperforms vertical. If the content is going on YouTube pre-roll, 16:9 horizontal is the required format. If it's appearing in Instagram Stories versus Instagram feed, the crop requirements differ. A creator who shoots natively in 9:16 may not be able to reframe their footage for 16:9 without losing critical content — if they're framed tight in vertical, a horizontal crop may cut their face out of frame. The time to solve this is the brief stage, not the delivery stage. Specify every aspect ratio you need at the time of briefing. Ask the creator whether their planned shoot setup can accommodate those ratios. If you need 9:16 and 1:1 from the same shoot, a creator who knows this upfront can frame their shots to allow for both crops. One who doesn't know until delivery cannot. Additional aspect ratio exports are typically charged as add-ons — each export from the same edit at a different ratio. This is reasonable and worth budgeting for. Understand the full cost of UGC content across all the formats you actually need before finalising your budget. ## Captions: Baked In vs. Separate Files Captions on short-form video are not optional in 2026. A significant proportion of social video is watched without sound, particularly on mobile in public spaces. Content without captions loses that audience entirely, and platform algorithms increasingly reward captioned content with better organic distribution. The question is not whether to have captions — it's what form they take in your deliverable. Baked-in captions are text overlaid directly onto the video file. They cannot be removed, restyled, or translated without re-editing the video. They're the default for most UGC creators because they're simple to produce and look clean in the edited output. Separate caption files (SRT or VTT format) are text files that contain the caption timing and content as a separate file from the video. They can be uploaded alongside the video on most platforms, restyled to match brand guidelines, translated for different markets, or updated if a claim changes. They give you far more flexibility. If you're running content across multiple markets, need captions in Australian English and other languages, or want to maintain brand-consistent caption styling, specify separate caption files in the brief. Most creators can produce them — it's not a standard inclusion because most clients don't ask for it. ## Music Licensing: The Risk Most Brands Don't See Coming Music in UGC content is a minefield that most brands walk into without knowing it. A creator who uses a trending audio track from TikTok's built-in music library is using platform-licensed music. That license covers organic posting by creators on TikTok. It does not cover paid advertising. It does not cover use of the content outside TikTok. If you download that video and run it as a Meta ad, you're using unlicensed music in a commercial context — that's a copyright infringement with real financial exposure. The same applies to Reels audio, YouTube audio library tracks, and any commercially popular music. The platform license is for the platform, for organic use, for creators. It is not a brand usage license. For content intended for paid media — TikTok Spark Ads, Meta ads, YouTube pre-roll — music must be either: - Licensed through a commercial music library (Epidemic Sound, Artlist, Musicbed) with a license that covers advertising use. - Absent entirely — content delivered music-free, with the brand adding licensed music at the ad assembly stage. Specify this in the brief. Ask the creator what music library they use and confirm that their license covers commercial advertising. If they're using TikTok sounds or Reels audio for a piece intended for paid media, that needs to change before the shoot — not after delivery. Many brands find it simpler to request music-free delivery for all content intended for paid use, and handle music at the ad production stage using their own commercial license. This removes the uncertainty entirely. ## Multiple Hooks: The Most Underutilised Deliverable The hook — the first two to three seconds of the video — has a disproportionate impact on performance metrics. Thumb-stop rate, view-through rate, and cost-per-click are all heavily influenced by whether the opening seconds capture attention. Smart brands brief for multiple hook variations on the same piece of content. The body of the video — product demonstration, key message, CTA — remains the same. The opening three seconds is shot in two or three different ways: a talking-head confession, a text-overlay statement, a satisfying visual reveal. Each version is delivered as a separate export. This approach lets you run genuine A/B tests on hook performance within a single piece of content, using the same creator, same product, same core message. The performance difference between hook variations is often significant — **30–50% differences in thumb-stop rate between hook variants on the same core content are not uncommon in paid media testing.** Multiple hook variations are rarely included in a standard package — they're typically priced as additional exports. But the performance data they generate makes them one of the highest-ROI add-ons available in UGC production. Use the ROI calculator to model what a 30% improvement in thumb-stop rate would mean for your ad spend efficiency. ## B-Roll: Flexible Footage for Versatile Use B-roll is supplementary footage — product close-ups, lifestyle shots, environmental context — that supports the main edit without featuring the creator directly. It can be cut into the main video, used as standalone footage, repurposed for static ads, or used as background content for Stories and Reels. B-roll is almost always a separate deliverable from the main edited video. If you need it, brief for it explicitly. Useful b-roll specifications to include: - Product shots: close-up, in use, from multiple angles - Lifestyle context: product in a natural setting relevant to your brand - Texture or detail shots: particularly relevant for food, skincare, and home products - Before/after or transformation footage if relevant to the product B-roll is typically delivered as raw footage — unedited, ungraded, without music. It's raw material for your team to use in creative assembly, not a finished deliverable in itself. ## Voiceover: When It's Separate and Why It Matters Some UGC formats use a voiceover track recorded separately from the video — the creator speaks over footage rather than directly to camera. This format works well for product demonstration content, tutorial-style pieces, and any content where the creator wants to provide detailed commentary without the constraints of a direct-to-camera delivery. If voiceover is part of the brief, specify whether you want the voiceover track delivered as a separate audio file alongside the edited video. A separate voiceover file lets you swap in a different language track for international markets, adjust audio levels independently, or re-use the voiceover with different b-roll in future creative. This is a niche deliverable but valuable for brands operating across multiple markets. It needs to be in the brief — no creator will automatically deliver separate audio files unless asked. ## What's Typically Not Included — and What It Costs To summarise what usually sits outside a standard package and attracts additional cost: - Raw footage: add-on, typically 20–50% of the base package rate - Additional aspect ratio exports: add-on, typically priced per export - Multiple hook variations: add-on, typically priced per additional hook - Separate caption files: minor add-on, often included if requested - B-roll package: add-on, priced based on volume and complexity - Commercially licensed music: may be included if the creator has an active commercial license; otherwise a separate cost or music-free delivery - Separate voiceover track: add-on, priced per piece - Spark Ads authorisation: sometimes included, sometimes priced as an add-on for extended authorisation windows Understanding this structure lets you build an accurate budget before you brief. The UGC content cost guide and the rate card give specific pricing benchmarks for these add-ons. ## How to Brief for the Assets You Actually Need Start from the end point, not the creative. Ask: where is this content going to be used, and what does it need to do there? If the content is going into a Meta ad campaign, you need: edited video in 9:16 and 1:1, music-free or commercially licensed, with raw footage for hook testing, and separate captions. That's a specific deliverable set that needs to be in the brief from day one. If the content is for organic TikTok posting by the creator as part of a micro-influencer partnership, the requirements are different — platform-licensed music is fine, captions can be baked in, raw footage is less critical. Different use cases require different deliverable sets. The brief is where that specificity lives. Use the UGC brief checklist to make sure deliverable specifications are captured before any creator confirms a commission. ## File Delivery and Naming Conventions Specify how you want files delivered and how you want them named. This sounds administrative. It saves real time. A folder of files named "Final_v3_REVISED_use this one.mp4" and "Hook_option2_FINAL.mp4" is a project management problem waiting to happen. Establish a naming convention upfront: brand name, campaign, creator handle, format, version. Apply it consistently across every deliverable. Delivery method: a shared cloud folder (Google Drive, Dropbox) gives both parties visibility and a clear record of what was delivered when. It removes "I sent it" and "I didn't receive it" disputes entirely. Make it the standard, not the exception. ## The Deliverable Spec Sheet The cleanest solution is a deliverable spec sheet that accompanies every brief — a one-page document that lists exactly what the brand needs, in what format, by what date. Creators who receive this document know precisely what they're producing. There's no ambiguity at delivery, no post-submission requests for additional files, no surprise add-on conversations. Build this once. Update it as your content strategy evolves. It becomes part of your standard onboarding package — alongside brand guidelines, reference content, and the brief itself — and it pays dividends across every engagement you run. For the full picture on how deliverable management fits into a professional UGC programme, the UGC campaign checklist covers production through to post-campaign review. And if you want to work with creators who operate to a clearly defined deliverable standard from the first engagement, explore UGC content options or review the media kit to see exactly what's included in every package.