Updated · 7 min read
How to make UGC-style ads with AI: no creators, no shipping, no shoot day
UGC-style ads work because they look like a person talking about a thing they bought. Producing them the old way means finding creators, shipping product, waiting two weeks and getting one usable take in five. On 2036 Studios the same ad is a format, two reference images and a prompt. This is the workflow we use, including the parts that go wrong.
Pick the format, not the prompt
Marketing Studio has 32 ad formats and 12 of them are UGC-style: UGC, UGC Virtual Try On, Pro Virtual Try On, Tutorial, Secret Hack, This Saved Me, Sneaker Try-On, Couple Share, Selfie Testimonial, Direct-to-Camera, UGC Addiction and Unboxing Try-On. Each is a three-shot structure with the camera, pacing and dialogue beats already written. You add the product and the presenter. Every format has its own page with a sample ad generated by that exact format.
Prepare the product
Two or three clean shots of the product beat ten messy ones. Front label readable, one angle, one in-hand or in-use. If your product page is public, paste the URL and the studio pulls the name, copy and shots. The first product image is the one every format calls Image 1 and anchors the label, colors and design across all three shots.
Cast the presenter
Pick a ready-made AI creator, or make your own character once and reuse them in every ad so your brand has a consistent face. Characters created from images generated on the platform stay sharp in video. For a real person, upload their photo and it goes through a privacy step before rendering; expect softer detail. The creator is Image 2 in every format.
Generate and judge
A UGC format renders in 9:16 at 8 to 15 seconds depending on the format, with native voice and room sound. Watch for three things: the label is readable in the product shot, the face is the same person across all three shots, and the dialogue lands. If the label blurred, swap in a flatter product photo. If the face drifted, your creator reference needs a cleaner frontal image.
Caption, music, export
Open the render in Cinema Studio, add captions in one of six treatments, lay a music track under it, trim the slack, export. Everything stays in your library. For a 15 or 30-second spot, render two or three formats with the same product and creator and cut them together with a short crossfade.
What it costs
UGC formats run on Seedance 2.0 at 720p by default. An 8-second ad with references is in the 30 to 40 credit range, a 15-second one around 70. On the Basic plan a credit is about 5 cents. Failed renders refund automatically. The exact per-format number is shown before you generate and the full table is on the credits page.
Rules we follow and you should too
- No real celebrities or public figures as presenters. The platform refuses them.
- Disclose AI-generated presenters where your platform or market requires it.
- Keep claims honest. The format writes the delivery; the words about your product are yours.
Questions, answered
Can the AI creator speak my script?+
Yes. Edit the dialogue in the prompt before generating. Quoted lines are spoken; keep each line short so the pacing fits the shot.
Can I make the same ad in several languages?+
Yes. Write the quoted dialogue in the target language and generate again with the same references.
Do you store my product photos?+
References are kept with the render so the result can be reproduced and refunded correctly. You can delete any render and its files from your library.