Editing and Placements
Reviewing UGC quality before acceptance
Review commissioned UGC against its brief, product claims, technical quality and intended placement before accepting the exact delivered version.
Accept a commissioned UGC asset when the delivered version meets the agreed brief, gives an accurate product impression and suits its intended placement. Review the complete export. Record whether that version is accepted, needs a defined correction or must be held while a material question is resolved.
Compare the delivery with the agreed job
Put the order, creative brief and delivered file side by side. Identify the buyer question, exact product variant, essential shots, agreed files and intended placement. Separate requirements from preferences. A missing shot needed to explain a latch differs from a background colour the reviewer now prefers.
Here, UGC means content commissioned from a creator for a brand. A paid demonstration should not be presented as an independent customer review. If the creator describes personal experience, check that the account reflects what they experienced.
Review the message
Watch the whole cut as a prospective buyer would. Can the viewer identify the item and follow the action that answers the brief? Does the result depend on an accessory, setup step, wait or variant that the edit conceals?
Compare speech, captions, overlays and images with current, verified product information. In Australia, advertising claims should not be false or misleading. Assess the overall message against the verified information.
Ask four questions:
- Identity:Is the filmed model or variant the one being promoted?
- Evidence:Is the required action visible from the relevant setup through the result?
- Meaning:Do speech, captions and cuts leave the same accurate impression?
- Placement:Will the important detail remain understandable where this export is intended to appear?
If an answer is uncertain, identify the moment and the information needed to decide.
The ACCC can require businesses to back up claims made about products or services, including claims in social media advertising. It accepts reports about possible false or misleading claims and may investigate and take compliance or enforcement action.
It does not resolve individual disputes or provide legal advice. Use the brand’s verified product information to settle the editorial question rather than treating a regulator as an approval service.
ACCC Authority on Advertising Claims in Australia
- Regulatory BodyAustralian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC)
- Claim ComplianceBusinesses must be able to back up claims made in advertising, including social media
- Reporting MechanismPublic can report suspected false or misleading claims; ACCC may investigate or enforce action
Check the export
Play every agreed export from start to finish. Listen for masked speech or distracting sound changes. At the intended viewing size, check whether exposure, focus, framing or text hides a necessary detail.
Confirm that files open and that the required action is complete. Use the order and destination requirements for technical specifications; no single sound or lighting threshold suits every commission.
Check captions against speech and meaningful sound. Automatically generated captions need an accuracy review. Inspect the captioned export to make sure text does not cover the action it explains.
For captioned video, check that captions include the speech and any non-speech audio information needed to understand the content, and that the text is synchronised with the audio. This helps make the message available to Deaf viewers and people who cannot hear the audio, as well as viewers who process written information more easily.
Distinguish same-language captions from translated subtitles when reviewing the intended version. The W3C uses “captions” for text in the same language as the spoken audio and “subtitles” for translated spoken audio; subtitles usually convey speech, while captions can also include relevant non-speech audio information.
If a recording uses live captions, review them for accuracy before acceptance: the W3C notes that a posted recording will probably need minor editing. For a pre-recorded asset, check the final captioned export itself, since the text must remain synchronised and understandable alongside the action.
Choose the response
| Finding | Next step |
|---|---|
| An agreed requirement is missing or unusable | Identify the gap against the brief and request a proposed correction under the agreement. |
| A product fact or claim is unverified | Hold the claim or asset until the brand supplies evidence or approves narrower wording. |
| The brand supplied an incorrect or ambiguous instruction | Correct it, then agree on the work and timing needed. |
| The reviewer wants a new concept or shot | Agree on the added scope before work starts. |
| The export meets the agreed purpose | Record acceptance of that exact version; check permission for the proposed use separately. |
The agreement determines how corrections and changes are handled. Editorial acceptance does not settle payment or usage rights.
Close the review on one version
Watch the complete revised export: a corrected line can leave an old caption or conflicting later shot. Record the final filename or version, decision, approver and any condition. Check permission to publish or edit against the agreement before the proposed use.
In this guide
- Checking UGC sound, lighting and product visibilityCheck a delivered UGC video’s speech, light and product action, then describe the exact defect and a feasible correction.
- Separating a brief error from a creator production errorTrace a UGC delivery gap to the brief, production or a later request before agreeing on the remedy, cost and timing.
- Giving revision feedback that does not trigger a full reshootWrite precise UGC revision notes, protect the creator’s meaning and check existing footage before requesting new filming.
![Compare UGC assets across TikTok placements: Record export ID for crop, sound, captions and call to action; Check if TikTok placement includes For You, Profile Feed or Search Feed; Use bounded readout: 'Higher [measure] in [placement] during [dates]'. Comparing the same UGC asset across ad placements](/covers/comparing-the-same-ugc-asset-across-ad-placements-640.webp?v=a31958f1)