What Makes
a Killer UGC-like
Video?
a Killer UGC-like
Video?
What
Makes
a Killer
UGC-like
Video?
Makes
a Killer
UGC-like
Video?
Aigiza
Sales Manager of JOY ads
Introduction
At JOY ADS, we’ve analyzed over 1,000 video creatives across markets from San Francisco to Tokyo, pinpointing exactly what grabs attention – and what gets instantly skipped.
In 2025, video isn’t just advertising – it’s the universal language of digital marketing. 92% of global internet users watch videos daily (TheSocialShepherd). Short-form content is especially explosive, with 81% of consumers craving more bite-sized videos from brands (Sprout Social)—a format that consistently delivers the highest ROI (Dash Hudson).
In 2025, video isn’t just advertising – it’s the universal language of digital marketing. 92% of global internet users watch videos daily (TheSocialShepherd). Short-form content is especially explosive, with 81% of consumers craving more bite-sized videos from brands (Sprout Social)—a format that consistently delivers the highest ROI (Dash Hudson).
CTA:
Tell Viewers Exactly What to Do Next
Tell Viewers Exactly What to Do Next
Relevance: Match Your Audience
& Platform
& Platform
80% of users scroll past within 2–3 seconds if not immediately hooked (Wistia). Great UGC isn’t about listing features—
it’s about telling a compelling mini-story:
“Slept through three jogs this week? Our app turns workouts into games—getting even the sleepiest folks up and moving!”
Short stories with a strong hook boost video retention by 22% (Facebook IQ). Make viewers curious, and they’ll stick around to see the payoff.
“Slept through three jogs this week? Our app turns workouts into games—getting even the sleepiest folks up and moving!”
Short stories with a strong hook boost video retention by 22% (Facebook IQ). Make viewers curious, and they’ll stick around to see the payoff.
Meta: Attention-grabbing visuals,
interactive elements in Stories.
interactive elements in Stories.
Quick tips:
Stay culturally relevant
Test & optimize continuously
Vertical HD
is essential
is essential
Clear CTA
every time
every time
Emotional
content wins.
content wins.
Hook immediately
At JOY ADS, we create, test, and scale UGC and video creatives proven to drive real results. Let’s make outstanding campaigns together!
Visit our website to check out our top-performing case studies and successful projects.
Schedule your free demo today, and we’ll show you exactly how to leverage UGC for your brand!
Visit our website to check out our top-performing case studies and successful projects.
Schedule your free demo today, and we’ll show you exactly how to leverage UGC for your brand!
Best Practices:
Videos with clear CTAs convert up to 40% better:
At JOY ADS, relevancy boosts conversions by up to 35%.
Cultural and contextual resonance is key:
Cultural and contextual resonance is key:
Yes, Even for UGC
71% of viewers judge videos instantly on production quality (Wistia). In 2025, vertical HD (9:16, 1080x1920) reigns supreme, with uploads of such videos jumping 51% year-over-year.
71% of viewers judge videos instantly on production quality (Wistia). In 2025, vertical HD (9:16, 1080x1920) reigns supreme, with uploads of such videos jumping 51% year-over-year.
Make your audience feel something—your brand will stick.
Proven emotional strategies include:
Videos sparking emotions get shared 45% more often
(Sprout Social).
(Sprout Social).
Touching narratives: Thai Life Insurance’s “Unsung Hero” went viral with 40M+ organic views.
TikTok: Short (15–30 sec), authentic, trend-driven.
Add subtitles: Up to 85% watch Instagram/Facebook videos silently (Sprout Social).
Make users think, “This is exactly for me!”
YouTube Shorts: Teasers, thumbnails, subtitles.
Optimal length: ~15 seconds for maximum CTR (Dash Hudson).
Unity Ads: Dynamic, reward-focused ads.
Instagram Reels: Polished visuals,
15–30 sec, use trends and interaction.
15–30 sec, use trends and interaction.
Create urgency: Boost conversions by 20-25%.
Easy user journey: 58% of TikTok users purchase directly in-app (Sprout Social)
Clear actions: “Download Free”, “Register Now”,
“50% Off Today”.
“50% Off Today”.
Audience 30+? Clear benefits perform best
on YouTube and Facebook.
on YouTube and Facebook.
Regional nuances boost CTR by 40%+
Make users think, “This is exactly for me!”
Make users think, “This is exactly for me!”
Gen Z on TikTok yields 28% higher conversions
(Sprout Social).
(Sprout Social).
Make the first 3 seconds unmissable.
Humor & self-irony: Ryanair dominated TikTok with airplane-face filter videos, racking up 30M+ views.
FOMO & provocation: Scarcity and urgency messages increase virality by 28% (Wyzowl).
Below, we break down the anatomy of a winning UGC video: engaging narratives, emotional hooks, top-tier production quality, content relevance, and crystal-clear CTAs. We’ll share proven strategies from the US, Europe, CIS, and Asia, plus essential platform-specific tips (TikTok, Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts, Meta, Unity Ads).
Ready? Let’s roll!
Storytelling: Captivate from one second.
Storytelling: Captivate from one second.
Quality: Looks Matter
Emotion: Tug at Those Heartstrings
Ready to launch UGC creatives that
actually convert users?
actually convert users?
Quick Takeaways:
Platform-Specific
Regional insights:
Jun 25, 2025
5 min read
AIGIZA
9x16
culture
emotion
Hook
Introduction
At JOY ADS, we’ve analyzed over 1,000 video creatives across markets from San Francisco to Tokyo, pinpointing exactly what grabs attention – and what gets instantly skipped.
In 2025, video isn’t just advertising – it’s the universal language of digital marketing. 92% of global internet users watch videos daily (TheSocialShepherd). Short-form content is especially explosive, with 81% of consumers craving more bite-sized videos from brands (Sprout Social)—a format that consistently delivers the highest ROI (Dash Hudson).
In 2025, video isn’t just advertising – it’s the universal language of digital marketing. 92% of global internet users watch videos daily (TheSocialShepherd). Short-form content is especially explosive, with 81% of consumers craving more bite-sized videos from brands (Sprout Social)—a format that consistently delivers the highest ROI (Dash Hudson).
Regional insights:
Ready? Let’s roll!
Storytelling: Captivate from one second.
Storytelling: Captivate from one second.
Make your audience feel something—your brand will stick.
Proven emotional strategies include:
Quick tips:
Best Practices:
Videos with clear CTAs convert up to 40% better:
CTA: Tell Viewers Exactly
What to Do Next
What to Do Next
Yes, Even for UGC
71% of viewers judge videos instantly on production quality (Wistia). In 2025, vertical HD (9:16, 1080x1920) reigns supreme, with uploads of such videos jumping 51% year-over-year.
71% of viewers judge videos instantly on production quality (Wistia). In 2025, vertical HD (9:16, 1080x1920) reigns supreme, with uploads of such videos jumping 51% year-over-year.
At JOY ADS, we create, test, and scale UGC and video creatives proven to drive real results. Let’s make outstanding campaigns together!
Visit our website to check out our top-performing case studies and successful projects.
Schedule your free demo today, and we’ll show you exactly how to leverage UGC for your brand!
Visit our website to check out our top-performing case studies and successful projects.
Schedule your free demo today, and we’ll show you exactly how to leverage UGC for your brand!
Quality: Looks Matter
80% of users scroll past within 2–3 seconds if not immediately hooked (Wistia). Great UGC isn’t about listing features—
it’s about telling a compelling mini-story:
“Slept through three jogs this week? Our app turns workouts into games—getting even the sleepiest folks up and moving!”
Short stories with a strong hook boost video retention by 22% (Facebook IQ). Make viewers curious, and they’ll stick around to see the payoff.
“Slept through three jogs this week? Our app turns workouts into games—getting even the sleepiest folks up and moving!”
Short stories with a strong hook boost video retention by 22% (Facebook IQ). Make viewers curious, and they’ll stick around to see the payoff.
These are equally important questions that you need to know the answers to before launching.
Set a clear objective and KPIs,
measurable in numbers.
measurable in numbers.
Measure the metrics before the start of the campaign this will help you set an ambitious and at the same time realistic goal.
Don't forget about deadlines and try
to stay within the timeline.
to stay within the timeline.
Now let's analyze the success of influencer marketing using the examples of two most popular objectives and their main KPIs.
Make users think, “This is exactly for me!”
Unity Ads: Dynamic,
reward-focused ads.
reward-focused ads.
Meta: Attention-grabbing visuals,
interactive elements in Stories.
interactive elements in Stories.
TikTok: Short (15–30 sec), authentic,
trend-driven.
trend-driven.
Instagram Reels: Polished visuals,
15–30 sec, use trends and interaction.
15–30 sec, use trends and interaction.
YouTube Shorts: Teasers, thumbnails, subtitles.
Easy user journey: 58% of TikTok users purchase directly in-app (Sprout Social)
Create urgency:
Boost conversions by 20-25%.
Boost conversions by 20-25%.
Clear actions: “Download Free”, “Register Now”, “50% Off Today”.
Regional nuances boost CTR by 40%+
Make users think, “This is exactly for me!”
Make users think, “This is exactly for me!”
Audience 30+? Clear benefits perform best
on YouTube and Facebook.
on YouTube and Facebook.
Gen Z on TikTok yields 28% higher conversions
(Sprout Social).
(Sprout Social).
Optimal length: ~15 seconds for maximum CTR (Dash Hudson).
Make the first 3 seconds unmissable.
Add subtitles: Up to 85% watch Instagram/Facebook videos silently (Sprout Social).
Touching narratives: Thai Life Insurance’s “Unsung Hero” went viral with 40M+ organic views.
Humor & self-irony: Ryanair dominated TikTok with airplane-face filter videos, racking up 30M+ views.
FOMO & provocation: Scarcity and urgency messages increase virality by 28% (Wyzowl).
Below, we break down the anatomy of a winning UGC video: engaging narratives, emotional hooks, top-tier production quality, content relevance, and crystal-clear CTAs. We’ll share proven strategies from the US, Europe, CIS, and Asia, plus essential platform-specific tips (TikTok, Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts, Meta, Unity Ads).
Ready to launch UGC creatives that
actually convert users?
actually convert users?
Quick Takeaways:
AIGIZA
Jun 25, 2025
5 min read
At JOY ADS, relevancy boosts conversions by up to 35%.
Cultural and contextual resonance is key:
Cultural and contextual resonance is key:
Relevance: Match Your
Audience & Platform
Audience & Platform
Videos sparking emotions get shared 45% more often
(Sprout Social).
(Sprout Social).
Emotion: Tug at Those Heartstrings
Platform-Specific
Clear CTA
every time
every time
Stay culturally relevant
Hook immediately
Emotional
content wins.
content wins.
Test & optimize continuously
Vertical HD
is essential
is essential
emotion
culture
9x16
AIGIZA
Sales Manager of JOY ads
Hook
© 2025 Joy Ads, 7 Straits View, Singapore 018936
hi@joy-ads.com
hi@joy-ads.com
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of your current ads
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