What is a UGC video ad?

UGC ads sit in the feed next to posts from real people, so they look less like ads. On TikTok and in Reels, that is often the difference between a scroll and a view.

They are still ads. A paid creator is an endorser, and the endorsement rules apply.

Under the FTC's endorsement guidance, a creator who has not used a product cannot describe results as their own, and paid endorsements need a clear disclosure. Source: FTC: Endorsements, Influencers, and Reviews, checked on 29 October 2026.

A UGC video is one of 5 video formats in a batch, next to formats such as a street interview, a podcast cut or a claymation scene. See our UGC ads and AI UGC ads pages.

• UGC scene: a creator films an everyday moment that leads into the service.
• In-car POV: a person talks to camera from the driver's seat.
• Street interview: a host asks people on the street a question, and the brand answers it.
• Testimonial: a real customer describes their experience with the service.

All four keep the look of a post filmed on a phone, and any of them can sit next to other formats in the same batch. Our UGC agency page shows how we cast and script them.

The FTC's health products guidance covers claims made in social media and influencer marketing, so a UGC video ad is held to the same standard as any other ad. Source: FTC Health Products Compliance Guidance, checked on 3 November 2026.

A platform's built-in disclosure tool does not by itself make the disclosure effective, and a disclosure in the lower corner of a video could be too easy for viewers to overlook. Source: FTC's Endorsement Guides: What People Are Asking, checked on 3 November 2026.

The format stays the same either way: one person, close to the camera, speaking plainly, with captions on screen for people watching without sound. We do not publish a rule that AI UGC beats filmed UGC or the other way round.

Meta says it automatically applies an AI info label when it detects that an ad was created or edited with third-party generative AI tools. Source: Meta: About AI info on ads created or edited with generative AI tools, checked on 3 November 2026.