👋 Hey there, welcome back to POV: Ads + UGCs Unlocked!
Last week, we jammed on ad angles — how picking the right lens (problem/solution, before/after, testimonial) can turn “just another video” into something that actually sells.

But here’s the tea: even the spiciest angle will flop if you botch the basics.
Think of it like cooking — you can buy the fanciest Wagyu, but if you forget salt, it’s game over. Same with ads: you can hire the best creator, film the slickest footage, but miss one tiny thing (like subtitles or a CTA)… and poof 💨 your ad vanishes into scroll oblivion.

So this week, I made you a no-BS launch checklist. Run through this before you hit publish — because nothing hurts more than wasting spend on an ad that could’ve been fixed in 5 minutes.

Let’s get into it 🎬🚀

✅ The Pre-Launch UGC Ad Checklist

1️⃣ Hook Audit

If your opening line doesn’t stop you mid-scroll, it won’t stop anyone else.

• Did you grab attention in the first 3 seconds?

• Are you calling out a pain point, teasing the solution, or showing the “after” up front?

• Would you stop scrolling if this came up on your feed?

👉 Pro tip: Ask a friend to scroll TikTok/IG and see if they pause naturally. No pause? Back to the drawing board.

🕵️‍♀️ Insider Note: “If your hook takes longer than a TikTok attention span (aka 2.5 seconds), it’s already dead.”

2️⃣ Story/Body Check

Does your ad feel like a story instead of a sales pitch? People connect with moments, not marketing jargon.

• Is the message clear (problem → solution)?

• Does it sound like a real person talking, not a brand committee?

• Did you sneak in proof (testimonial, demo, stat, social proof)?

🕵️‍♀️ Insider Note: “If it reads like an ad, people will treat it like one — and scroll.”

3️⃣ CTA Review

Skip the bossy “BUY NOW.”
Instead, try: “Grab yours before it runs out” or “Join 1,000 others already using this.” Clear but natural.

• Do you actually tell people what to do? (shop, sign up, download)

• Is the CTA casual enough for UGC but strong enough to drive action?

• Did you test one version with direct CTA and another with a softer invite?

🕵️‍♀️ Insider Note: “No CTA? Congrats, you just made a free awareness campaign.”

4️⃣ Format + Tech Stuff

Sometimes, we are very focused on the open rate, how to make the email looks engaging and etc. But, we forgot to check on the format and the tech stuff. So, here is the list of it:

• Subtitles on? (70% of people scroll with sound off 🙃)

• Is it the right size? (9:16 for TikTok/Reels/Shorts — no YouTube widescreen disasters)

• First frame = attention-grabbing?

🕵️‍♀️ Insider Note: “Your first frame is your headline. Make it thumb-stopping, not thumb-skipping.”

5️⃣ Final Gut Check

Before we upload any content, we need to do some “vibe check 💅” of the content. Here somethings that need to be considered before you uploading any of your content:

• Would you send this to a friend without cringing?

• Does it feel native to the platform? (TikTok messy ≠ LinkedIn polished)

• If someone only watches 10 seconds, do they still get the point?

🕵️‍♀️ Insider Note: “If it feels like an ad in your gut, it probably is — and that’s not a good thing.”

✨ Save yourself the scroll.

I turned this checklist into a one-page PDF you can download, print, or keep on your desktop. That way, before you hit “publish,” you can run through it in 20 seconds flat.

👉 [Grab your free UGC Ad Checklist here]

🧩 Why This Matters

Most UGC ads don’t flop because the creator “wasn’t good” or because the product “isn’t sexy enough.” They flop because the basics weren’t locked in.

👉 Ads that hook early, feel human, and ask for the click will always outperform the ones that rely on “hope marketing.” (You know, hoping the viewer magically knows what to do next.)

The best part? You don’t need a 10-person team or a Hollywood budget to fix these things. Just this checklist, a few minutes of editing, and a quick gut check.

P.S. Quick share…
Okay, confession time: half of ad success isn’t even the creative — it’s the tracking. You could have the perfect video, but if you’re blind to performance, you’re basically playing darts in the dark.

That’s why I’m lowkey obsessed with KOJO. It’s a platform that helps brands + creators actually track UGC ad performance in one place. No more messy spreadsheets, no more “wait, where did that lead come from?” It makes scaling 10x less painful (and maybe saves you from that 2am reporting meltdown).

✨ If you’re serious about UGC ads this year, KOJO should be on your radar.

Find your next winning ad creative in seconds with AI

Most platforms push you to make thousands of ads. Kojo helps you make better ones. We turn your social data into proven ideas, predict which will perform, and send them to real human creators in seconds. Less waste, more certainty, and ads that actually work.

Book a Demo

👀 Next Week

We’re zooming out. Forget hooks, CTAs, or editing tricks for a second — next week I’m breaking down the state of UGC in 2025:

• What brands are really paying for (and what they’re done wasting budget on)

• Why creators who treat UGC like a side hustle might get left behind

• And the subtle shift happening where “UGC” is starting to overlap with full-blown ad agencies 👀

If you’ve been wondering where this whole UGC wave is heading (and whether you’re riding it or about to get wiped out), you’ll want to open that one.

Reply to this email and share me what did you think about UGC ads nowadays.😉😉