I'm Iza, a UGC creator who’s had the opportunity to work with over 400 brands, and I’m also the Community Manager at Twirl. I’m excited to share what I’ve learned along the way to help other creators grow, improve their craft, and thrive in their own journey.
If you’ve applied to a UGC brief recently, you’ve probably seen the same words again and again: natural, authentic, relatable, creator-led. But what does that actually mean when a brand is choosing between creators?
This month, we’re looking at what we’re seeing behind the scenes at Twirl — from the way briefs are written and creators selected, to the small profile details that can determine whether you’re right for a campaign.
Because sometimes getting selected isn’t about completely reinventing your content. It’s about making it much easier for a brand to see why you fit.
If we had to pick one word that appears again and again in UGC briefs, it would probably be natural: natural delivery, natural product integration, natural reactions, natural CTAs....
Usually, what brands are trying to avoid is content that feels like you’re performing an advert: reciting every product benefit, using phrases you’d never normally say or forcing a reaction because the script calls for one.
At Twirl, when a brief includes lots of talking points, we actively remind creators that they don't need to squeeze everything in. Prioritising the 2–3 points that fit your story will almost always feel more believable than working through a feature list.
A good question to ask is:
If I were genuinely telling a friend about this product, what would I actually tell them?
Try the natural test:
Natural doesn't mean unplanned. Usually, the best natural UGC has plenty of structure behind it, you just can't feel that structure when you watch it. If scripting is something you struggle with, our guide to scripting UGC from hook to CTA goes much deeper into this.
Here’s something worth knowing about creator selection on Twirl: your application comment and your profile are reviewed before a brand makes its selection. So fit with the target customer, relevant experience and the quality of your work can all play a part.
So an application like: “I’d love to work with this brand! I think I’d be a great fit and can create engaging content for you.” doesn't tell us much. It could have been written by anyone.
Instead, answer:
1. Why does this product or brief make sense for you personally?
2. What can you bring creatively that makes you a strong person to execute it?
For example:
“I’m already very into running and currently training for my next half marathon, so this would fit naturally into my routine. I create fast-paced fitness and lifestyle content, and I think I could make this feel more like a genuine training update than an ad.”
That's enough, two or three specific sentences will usually tell a brand much more than a paragraph of generic enthusiasm, and if you’re new to Twirl, you can also read more about how to join Twirl as a UGC creator.
“Update your profile” sounds like boring creator advice, but this one genuinely matters because creator matching can get really specific. A campaign might need someone in a certain city, a creator with a dog, a parent, someone who can film with their partner, a particular language, a specific hobby or experience in a niche.... Those things don't make you a better creator, they can make you the right creator for that brief.
Think of your profile less like a mini CV and more like casting information. Speak Spanish? Add it. Have a dog that can appear in content? Add it. Love couple content? Run marathons? Have curly hair? Live somewhere with a great filming setup?
Those little details can be the exact reason you're right for a campaign.
Your portfolio matters too. If you haven't refreshed yours recently, our UGC portfolio glow-up guide is a good place to start.
Brands often need content to work across different placements and aspect ratios. It comes up often enough on Twirl that we have a standard reminder for creators: you don't necessarily need to film twice, you need to film with the crop in mind.
When filming:
And while the setup is already there, get the extra pickup or alternate hook. One of the filming principles we used at our recent UGC Bootcamp was simple: film for the edit. That extra 30 seconds of footage now might save you from recreating the whole setup later.
For more on shooting intentionally rather than simply getting a “nice” shot, have a look at our UGC photography guide for creators.
This came up throughout our recent Twirl UGC Bootcamp... In our post-event survey, every creator who responded selected Finding Your Creator Edge as one of the most valuable parts of the day, and your creator edge doesn't need to be crazy editing or a super-specific niche.
It could be:
At the Bootcamp, multiple creators worked with the same brands, but the goal wasn't to create identical videos. The brief stays fixed,but it is the creative route changes, that's your edge!
If you want to keep building those skills, we've also pulled our guides, templates and practical creator education together in the Twirl Creator Resource Hub.
This month, we challenge you to give yourself 15 minutes and do these five things:
If a brand only watched those three, would you be happy with the impression they got?
Remove anything that could describe basically any creator. Add your actual strengths, niches and useful context.
Location, languages, pets, kids, piartner, interests, niches, relevant experience... Make sure the information that could qualify you for a brief is actually there.
Choose a product you already use and explain one specific reason you like it. No giant feature list. Just make one believable point well.
Keep the structure: Why me + why this brief + what I'd bring to it, then personalise those answers every time.
Brands aren't looking for one universal version of the perfect UGC creator, becuase different briefs need different people, perspectives and skills. So make three things easy to understand:
Who are you?
What are you particularly good at?
Why does that make you right for this brief?
Make those answers obvious, and you're already making the brand's decision a whole lot easier.
Twirl is your go-to partner for UGC. Whether you're a brand, agency or a UGC creator, we bring together 8000+ talented creators to produce authentic, scroll-stopping content for ads, websites, emails, and social channels.
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