Savannah Sanchez's production specs for TikTok-first ads that also run on Reels/Meta — iPhone vertical in bright natural light, a standard shot list (doorstep delivery → unboxing → in use → selfie testimonial), 20–30 s (never >40 s), one main point per ad, text in the top-middle safe zone, TikTok-native outline/bubble fonts, CapCut, the inspire/entertain/educate rule, detailed shot lists over "creative freedom", a Mon–Fri weekly sprint and long creator relationships.

Producing TikTok-native UGC ads

TL;DR

Design for TikTok first, then repurpose. TikTok-style ads work on Reels, Meta, Pinterest and Snap, while polished Facebook ads moved to TikTok “never” work.¹
Shoot on an iPhone, vertical, in bright natural light (big window or outdoors). Lighting is the most underrated factor and a creator-vetting criterion.²
20–30 s sweet spot, never over 40 s. One main point, a couple of value props and a CTA. Split the rest into other concepts.³⁴
Assume sound off: captions in the top-middle safe zone, in TikTok-native fonts, not brand fonts.⁵⁶
Give creators detailed scripts and shot lists. They are not strategists, and sending product and hoping is the worst approach.⁷⁸

Details

Standard shot list (works for almost any product). Package arriving at the door → picking it up and bringing it inside → unboxing → product in use (wearing, applying, tasting) → selfie-style testimonial on the main value props, with supplied script lines.⁹ Use transitions (snap to change outfit, cover the lens, zoom between colours), especially for apparel try-ons.¹⁰

Talent. Pick people who talk authentically and show emotion. Actors are often best for testimonial-style ads. The voiceover should sound like a friend: cheery and conversational, not monotone or commercial. TikTok users call out inauthenticity in comments.¹¹¹²

Hook. Do something odd in the first 3 s, e.g. a ring flying up into the hand with the reverse effect.¹³

Kit. Tripod or gooseneck holder for flat lays, unboxing and recipes, and a ring light only if natural light is poor.¹⁴

Editing.¹⁵¹⁶¹⁷

Editors use After Effects / Premiere Pro. CapCut (ByteDance), on phone or desktop, does captions, VO, transitions, reverse and masking. Many top client ads were cut in CapCut.
Keep the face, product and text in the top-middle safe zone away from TikTok’s buttons, caption and Shop Now overlays. Send editors a safe-zone template.
Captions should be legible, on screen long enough to read, and support the creative. Styles: outline text, bubble-block text that hugs each line (not one big white box), and mixing the two to emphasise words. Import TikTok’s native font files into CapCut.

Three golden rules. Every ad must inspire (an urge to act), entertain (a reason to watch) or educate (hacks, “things I wish I knew sooner”).¹⁸

Process (The Social Savannah). 40 creators and 10 editors serve ~50 clients. They film Mon–Tue, edit Wed–Thu and deliver Friday, with 2–6 ads per client per week. All of it runs in a project-management tool.¹⁹²⁰ Train a stable roster with weekly feedback instead of one-off transactional influencer DMs. Repeat creators learn the brand and stay motivated.²¹

Other don’ts. Don’t skip weekly iterations of your best performers, and don’t use copyrighted music (use commercial libraries).²²²³

Research habit. Spend 30 minutes a day (on a timer) scrolling TikTok, hashtags, the TikTok Top Ads library and the Meta Ad Library. Note why each video stopped you and how to adapt it without copying.²⁴

Disagreements / caveats

Script control: Savannah calls herself “on the micromanaging side” (2022). Dara Denney and later Savannah sessions favour letting trusted creators ad-lib (Briefing UGC creators — how much script, what to include, modular deliverables).⁸
Length: these 20–30 s / max 40 s rules are for TikTok and Meta feeds. On AppLovin she recommends 45–60 s (AppLovin ad creative for e-commerce — longer stories, back-loaded CTAs, end cards and volume), and Barry Hott is a “big long ad guy” whose unicorn ran 2:15 (Ad storytelling and the "so what?" test — what founders and Barry Hott say makes ads scale).
Partly dated (2022 course, early-2024 talk). Reels’ 30 s cap and TikTok font specifics have changed since.

Producing TikTok-native UGC ads — filming, editing, captions and weekly production

Producing TikTok-native UGC ads

TL;DR

Details

Disagreements / caveats

See also

Producing TikTok-native UGC ads — filming, editing, captions and weekly production

Producing TikTok-native UGC ads

TL;DR

Details

Disagreements / caveats

See also

Footnotes