7 successful UGC ad types for TikTok: Use interviews on the street to capture attention and drive conversions

When crafting TikTok ad creative, it’s important to consider organic content trends that are native to the platform. Take a walk through a local park on a nice day, and chances are you’ll see video content creators capitalizing on one of the hottest TikTok trends. 

Equipped with little more than their tiny microphones, and Shein sourced outfits, TikTok creators take to the streets of major metropolitan areas to interview random strangers. These (sometimes) unscripted moments can go viral if you find a person with the right spark.

That’s why here at Creative AdBundance, we’ve adapted this type of totally trending content into Meta and TikTok ad creative. 

What is a UGC video ad?

Before we get into the weeds on the best TikTok ad strategy and TikTok advertising, let’s make sure we’re on the same page. A UGC (user generated content) style ad is one that looks like a regular, everyday person created and posted the video. 

No one’s excited to watch paid ads on TikTok during their morning commute, or when they are trying to learn the newest viral dance. If they spot an ad, they’re likely to swipe right past it. Glazing over at the sight of advertisements is fairly normal, so the trick for how to advertise on TikTok is dressing up the ad as content they’d normally consume. This approach gets more eyes and ears on your products/services, leading to more conversions.

How do you start the interview?

Starting with the right question is the key to these types of social media ads. They can’t start like an ad, i.e., just asking about a product/service. That’s a major red flag, and an easy way to lose the audience from the jump.

The question needs to tee up a problem your product/solution solves. By keeping it conversational, but relatable, it gives the audience a chance to hear their own reality reflected back at them. The question needs to apply to any potential customer, so be sure you understand what your audience needs. 

Who should be interviewed?

When crafting this style of UGC TikTok ads, it’s important to remember who your interviewee should be. For the organic versions of these videos, these are truly strangers off the street. We need a Jane Doe, or a Tim Everyman to create an accessible place for the audience to come in.

Typically, because the interviewee is the one experiencing the problem, they’re the one who needs education. Usually, they’re set up to get educated by the interviewer on this amazing product/service that could solve their issue with ease. This allows the interviewer to come across as an expert. 

This isn’t a hard and fast rule, however. Sometimes we want our interviewee to come across as an expert. This works especially well in the beauty space. For example, instead of a salesy interview question, your interviewer can compliment a person on the street and ask them about their secret. This brings up the product/service even more organically, and helps hide the fact that you’re selling something.

How do you make it feel organic?

It’s easy to lose the sense of realism at the end of one of these videos. As common as a call to action (CTA) is, they can seriously take someone out of the scene. This presents 2 issues. 1) How do you clearly promote your brand without telling the audience what to do, and 2) How do you make that seem like part of a real conversation? 

The secret is in natural curiosity. Whichever party, the interviewer or interviewee, receives the information also needs to ask follow up questions. 

Not only does this allow for clear instructions with a question like “where do I find this?”, but it also allows you to bring in additional value props throughout. This feels like a real conversation, because it follows the flow of a real one. Imagine telling a friend a story, and they don’t ask any questions. It doesn’t make for a good conversation. The same thing goes for these ads. 

Does this drive conversions? 

Our data says yes. Historically, we’ve seen this format of ad crush for a number of our clients in industries like FinTech, consumer goods, consumer services, AI and more. 

It all ladders up to our central focus of creating ads on TikTok that look like real content. When people watch and engage with an ad as if it’s native, they retain the information. When they retain the information, they are more likely to click through to your company’s website and convert. 

Here at Creative AdBundance, we are obsessed with making data driven creative assets. Our in-house production team makes dozens of Interview on the Street style ads across a wide-variety of industries. We know how to script, cast, create sets, film, and edit the perfect interview style UGC ad. 

If you're interested in advertising on TikTok, Meta, or CTV then drop us a line at creativeadbundance.com/chat.

We’re ready and waiting to create an interview ad for your brand, and drive conversions across TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.