Guide · Running UGC as ads

How to get permission to use customer UGC, with request templates

Published 2026-11-13

A customer posts a great video of your product. Can you put it on your website, repost it, or run it as an ad? Usually not without asking. The customer owns what they filmed, the platform’s license doesn’t pass to you, and the sound on the video may not be cleared for business use. This guide explains what permission you need for each use, and gives you copy-paste requests for comments, DMs and email.

Why a public post isn’t yours to use

Three separate rights sit on a customer’s video:

1. The video itself. The person who filmed it usually owns the copyright. The U.S. Copyright Office explains that copyright exists from the moment a work is created and fixed.
2. The platform license. Instagram’s Terms of Use say Instagram doesn’t claim ownership of your content. Users grant a license to Instagram so it can run its service. That license is to the platform, not to brands that see the post.
3. The people and the sound in it. Faces and voices in an ad can need the person’s consent under state right of publicity laws, and the music has its own owners.

Tagging your brand or using your hashtag shows the customer is happy to be seen. It doesn’t, on its own, hand you the right to reuse the video wherever you like.

What permission each use needs

Risk means how much can go wrong if the permission is unclear. General information, not legal advice. For paid campaigns, have your own lawyer check the release.

Request templates

1. Public comment (for a repost)

Love this! Could we share it on @[yourbrand] with credit to you? If that’s OK, just reply #Yes[Brand]. Thank you!

Keep the reply as your record. A screenshot with the date is enough for a simple repost.

2. DM (for your website or emails)

Hi [name], this is [your name] from [brand]. We loved your video of [product] from [date].

Could we use it on our website and in our emails, with credit to @[handle]? We’d use it as you posted it, maybe trimmed for length. We won’t change what you say.

If you’re happy with that, a quick “yes, you can use it” here is all we need. You can say no, and you can ask us to remove it later.

3. Email (for paid ads)

Subject: Using your [product] video in our ads

Hi [name],

Thank you for your video of [product], posted on [platform] on [date] ([link]).

We’d like to use it in paid ads. Here’s exactly what we’re asking:
- Where: ads on [Meta / TikTok / YouTube], and on our website
- How long: [6 / 12] months from [start date]
- Edits: trimming, captions, adding our logo and replacing the music. We won’t change your words or what you show.
- Credit: [your handle in the caption / no credit in ads]
- Payment: [amount or product, or “no payment”]

You keep ownership of your video. If you agree, please reply “I agree” to this email, or sign the short release attached. If anyone else appears in the video, we’ll need their OK too.

[Your name], [brand]

For ads, a signed release is safer than a reply. Our UGC contract template covers the same terms (usage period, platforms and edits) for creators you hire.

Before you run a customer video as an ad

1. Get permission that names ads. A yes to a repost isn’t a yes to paid ads.
2. Replace the music if needed. TikTok’s Commercial Music Library page (last updated July 2025) says businesses can’t use the general music library commercially, and should use the Commercial Music Library for video ads, branded content and organic posts. Meta’s music guidelines say its library music is for personal, non-commercial use, and point businesses to the Sound Collection.
3. Check everyone in the frame. Friends, family and especially children need their own consent, or should be cropped out.
4. Edit for length, not meaning. The FTC’s Endorsement Guides say an endorsement may not be presented out of context or reworded to distort the person’s opinion or experience.
5. Check the claims. Once you feature a review, it counts as your endorsement, and advertisers can be liable for misleading statements in endorsements. A customer saying a supplement “cured” something is a claim you’d be making. See our supplement and skincare guides for claim rules.
6. Decide how it will run. You can upload the file to your own ad account, or run it from the customer’s post as a Spark Ad or partnership ad, which needs their approval in the app. Our whitelisting guide explains how.

When the customer got something from you

If you gave the customer a free product, a discount or an entry into a giveaway for posting, their post is connected to you. The FTC’s Endorsement Guides give the example of a free product from a marketing program making a review an endorsement. Its FAQ adds that if customers were told in advance their comments might be used in ads, you should disclose that in the ads.

In practice:

• Tell people in the giveaway rules that entries may be used in your marketing.
• Ask entrants to use a hashtag that says what it is, like #[Brand]Contest. The FTC says a hashtag with “contest” or “sweepstakes” in it should be enough. A plain brand hashtag isn’t.
• When you reuse the post, keep or add a note such as “Received a free sample from [brand].”

Common mistakes

• Treating a tag as a license. A brand tag says “I like this,” not “you can run this as an ad for a year.”
• Asking for “permission to use it” with no details. Name the uses, platforms and time period, so nobody is surprised later.
• Keeping the trending sound. A sound that’s fine on a personal post may not be cleared for a business post or an ad.
• Cutting a review into a stronger claim. Editing “helped a bit” into “helped” changes the person’s experience.
• Losing the record. Save the request, the reply and the original post link together.

Customer UGC vs hiring a creator

Customer videos are real experiences, which is why they work. But you can’t plan them, and getting ad rights one person at a time is slow. If you need a steady supply of ad-ready videos, hiring a UGC creator lets you agree the rights before filming. Our usage rights guide shows what 30 Fiverr gigs include, and the UGC vs influencer guide compares the options.

Common questions

Can I repost customer content without permission?

Sharing with the platform’s own share or repost feature keeps the post linked to its owner, which is different from downloading it and uploading it as your own. For anything else, especially your website and ads, ask first. The customer owns their content, and the platform’s license isn’t yours.

Is crediting the creator enough?

No. Credit is good practice, but it isn’t permission. You need the owner’s yes for the use you have in mind.

Does a hashtag reply count as permission?

Many brands ask customers to reply with a hashtag such as #Yes[Brand] to approve a repost, and keep the reply as a record. For paid ads, get clearer written terms that name ads, platforms and time period.

Can I use a customer video with a trending TikTok sound in an ad?

Usually not with that sound. TikTok says businesses can’t use the general music library commercially. Replace it with a track from the Commercial Music Library or music you’ve licensed.

Want videos with the rights agreed up front? Browse our creator shortlist or read the hiring guide.