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Hey hey 👋 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 flops if you botch the basics.

It’s like cooking — you can splurge on Wagyu, but if you forget salt, it’s game over. Same with ads: you can hire the best creator, shoot the slickest footage, but miss one tiny thing (like subtitles or a clear CTA)… and poof 💨 your ad disappears into scroll oblivion.

So this week, I made something I’ve been using myself:
a no-BS pre-launch checklist to run through before I hit publish.
Because honestly? Nothing hurts more than realizing an ad flopped over something you could’ve 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, guide people like a human.

Try:

• “Grab yours before it runs out”

• “Join others already trying this”

• “Here’s what I used — thought it might help you too”

Ask yourself:

• Did I clearly tell people what to do?

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

• Did I test one version with a soft CTA and one more direct?

🕵️‍♀️ 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 made this checklist into a one-page PDF you can keep on your desktop — I use it like a quick pit stop before publishing.

If you want it (I’m skipping the download link this time because I want to make sure Gmail actually delivers this one 😅).

👉 [I made this checklist for you]

🧩 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…
Half of ad success isn’t even about the creative — it’s about knowing what’s actually working.

I’ve been geeking out over Guru 2025, a webinar that breaks down how top marketers are actually tracking performance and scaling smarter — not just chasing trends.

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If tracking or reading your data feels like chaos right now, this one might be worth catching.

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👀 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.

I’d love to hear your take — how do you feel about UGC ads right now?
Your reply might even inspire a section in next week’s issue ✨