Welcome to Your Content Should Sell, a newsletter that only gives you practicals about how to create content for your brand.

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I have worked with startup brands to billion-dollar brands.

The common issues when it comes to marketing boil down to one thing.

Amount of GOOD content.

I have reviewed hundreds of brands' content libraries, and I see so much money lit in flames for bad content.

No amount of editing and mashups can save this footage.

You would think that by having more money, the problem of having bad content goes away.

The issue with getting good content is not how much money you have but mainly the planning and sourcing.

If you can plan correctly and source talent well, you have a competitive advantage.

I believe Goodo Studios does this exceptionally well, so I want to tell you how we do it.

1. Start with Creative Strategy

Don't let the creators plan the videos.

Most UGC creators just started, which is fine, but most don't have the marketing or brand background you need at a high level.

Even if you get organic creators with a following, most create good content for their audience, not brand advertisements.

Beyond that, you should control the narrative and creative testing with all content.

If you leave it to creators, then you, as a brand, don't understand your brand and what is working for your ads.

You need to centralize those findings and understandings.

What does this mean for you?

You need to plan the videos yourself so that the scripts and shots are actually going to convert viewers into customers.

If you don't plan the videos, a lot of the time, the creator does their own thing, says things that are not exactly correct, or they use the product in an incorrect way.

When someone like Goodo Studios goes to edit this video, we can't use the footage because it doesn't match with the correct visuals or audio.

Now you lost time and money because the creator wasn't briefed well on what to do, so they didn't execute well.

PLANNING is EVERYTHING!

Here is a list of questions you should ask yourself to get started on planning the creative strategy:

1. What is missing in the content today that you want to see in the new content?

2. Is this production connected to a launch of a new product, collection, specific product, or just to shop now?

3. Where will the viewers go after they click? Product page? Landing page?

4. What are the three or four reasons customers buy your product?

5. What examples of photos or videos do you want to emulate?

6. Are there any specific scenes or visual direction that is important for a customer to see?

You should start writing out your briefs for each video from these questions.Here is what we include in our briefs:

• Angle/Goal of video

• Hook (variations if needed)

• Visual concept of video

• Visual aid or example

• Script

• We give each creator info about the brand, like the brand's mission, links to products they will use, reasons for someone to purchase, who is a [insert brand] user, and do's and don'ts for videos.

Communicating creative ideas is VERY hard, so even if you have a brief, you need to go in-depth with the creator about exactly what you are looking for and what you want to avoid.

We do a Loom video on the brief for each creator to walk through the brand and each video they will create.

This allows there to be less room for error.

It helps create boundaries for creators which also helps them to create.

Usually, the creative assets are bad because there was no good planning or communication of what you needed as a brand.

It is worth taking the time to not rush the strategy because you end up with evergreen content that you can use forever versus subpar content that can't be used again.

2. Sourcing talent

Set your budget first.

You know how many videos you need within a certain amount of money.

Trust me, this will help later. (more on that in a sec).

Then to get good talent, you must be willing to do the search.

This is hard, but most brands rush sourcing and then complain about not having good content.

You have to go on Instagram and TikTok and start searching in specific categories to find creators that might be interested in creating content for your brand.

For example, Goodo Studios is working with a men's grooming company to do some ads.

We started looking on TikTok for men's shaving, men's grooming, men's self-care, and a few other categories. A lot of videos were not good, but some were really good, so we saved their profile into a list.

Then we go and reach out to them telling them about the brand, how we like their content, and how they would be a good fit.

We see if they are interested.

If they are, we send over an offer that is based on our budget that was set earlier.

Setting the rate is important so you don't go back and forth over the scope of work and pricing.If they fit the budget, great; if not, move on.

We bring the creators we like to the brand for approval if the creator agrees on a price and scope of work.

I made that sound simple, but it ain't.

You have to be willing to spend hours searching through profiles and reviewing people's work before you even reach out to them.

What makes a good creator:

• Demonstrates good shot variation

• Good lighting and audio

• Comfortable talking on camera

• Interested in your vertical of product

3. Getting the edits right

Even the best creators need edits.

Don't be afraid to ask for what you want if you don't see it.

The creators are serving you.

If you don't feel 100% about the video, speak up.

If there is pushback from a creator about asking for edits, then they are not someone you want to work with because collaboration is key to getting the best content.

Now from a creator perspective, don't give them 20 rounds of edits and micromanage.

The video will not be good at that point; it is a waste of your time and a waste of the creator's time.

A few edits, maybe one or two rounds are reasonable; anything after that should be a red flag for both parties because that means you are not in sync with what needs to be created.

If you find yourself constantly editing for creators and having a bad time with a lot of creative work, take a second to look inwards.You might be the problem.

Are you not briefing well?

Are you not trusting the creators to create?

It takes two to tango in the creation of content.

At the end of the day, planning and sourcing should be 90% of the work, and the edits are just the finishing touches to get the content over the finish line.

I hope this was helpful to see how we do UGC and TikTok creation for brands.

This is our process, steal away.

Or if you don't want to do any of this work, let us know because we love it.

Keep creating!

Matthew Gattozzi

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