A UGC ad script template for app demos

The five-beat script you can fill in

Use this as an editing brief, not a formula for a guaranteed result. The timings are a first draft for a short vertical video. If the action needs more time to remain legible, extend it and remove another beat instead of speeding through the proof.

Fill the blanks with something your app actually shows: When [specific starting state], I can [one visible action] and end with [observable result]. Your opening line should create a question that the action answers. Your closing instruction should take viewers to that same task.

Example one: find a saved item

Imagine a saved-items app with a real search function. Populate a demo account with sample entries before recording. The point is not to show that search exists; it is to let a viewer follow a particular lost item all the way to the right result.

Use a curious or mildly surprised reaction, then caption it with “Where did I save that?” Cut to the saved list. Type the exact phrase you remember, show the matching result and open it. End on the item itself with “Try searching your saved items.” If the app only searches titles, do not imply it understands any phrase from the item's contents.

Example two: clean a messy CSV

For a data-cleaning SaaS, the useful proof is a before-and-after state that a viewer can inspect. Prepare a sample CSV with visible duplicate rows. Record the import, the real cleanup action and the resulting row count or reviewed output. Do not cut out a required confirmation step simply to make the tool seem automatic.

Use a puzzled reaction and the line “Why is this list twice as long?” Show the duplicate rows. Run the actual deduplication workflow. Pause on the reviewed output, then close with “See how the cleanup works.” Avoid a time-saved claim unless you have a measured, relevant comparison.

Example three: reschedule a workout

For a fitness app, film a real schedule change using sample data. The result must be visible in the calendar; a generic happy face or a tap on a button does not prove the workout moved. Choose a modest expression that suits a small, practical improvement.

Open with “Plans changed?” over a reaction. Show the workout in its original slot, move it using the app's actual control, and hold on the new slot. Close with “Move your next workout” only if the destination lets people do that. This is a proposed edit, not a user's story or an advertising result.

Give the editor a brief, not just a caption

Send the editor the starting screen, the exact action, the finished state, the chosen reaction filename and the closing destination. Note anything that must remain readable. Keep a continuous reference recording even if the final cut uses close-ups; it helps everyone check that a required step was not hidden.

Before exporting, play the sequence without sound at phone size. Ask whether the question receives an answer, whether the viewer can see the result and whether the face has accidentally become a testimonial. If the answer depends on narration alone, make the screen action clearer.

• Can the demonstrated feature actually perform the action in the script?
• Does the result stay on screen long enough to inspect?
• Does a caption imply that the filmed person used or endorsed the product?
• Are any time, money or outcome claims supported by evidence?
• Does the closing instruction lead to the feature just shown?

Questions & answers