UGC Tips & Resources

Audio Tips

Voice clarity, pacing, trending sounds, and mix levels.

Clean, clear dialogue is non-negotiable - Mumbled or distant-sounding audio kills retention fast, even if the visual is great.
An external mic makes a bigger quality jump than almost any other single gear upgrade for UGC creators. Built-in phone mics pick up too much room echo and wind.
Record in a room with soft surfaces (rugs, curtains, couches) - Hard-walled rooms create an echo that reads as amateur in a bad way, not an authentic way.

Energy and pacing matter as much as content - Flat, monotone delivery is one of the fastest ways to lose viewers in the first 3 seconds.
Natural pauses are good (read as authentic), but avoid long dead air, especially in the hook.
Talk like you're telling a friend something, not reading a script - Over-enunciated "ad voice" tends to underperform genuine UGC.

Native/trending audio is a real ranking factor on TikTok - The platform's search and recommendation system scans audio choice as a relevance signal, not just visuals and captions.
But trending sound isn't automatic - It needs to actually fit the pacing and mood of the video, not just be popular. Mismatched trending audio reads as tryhard.
If voice is the main content (Talking Head UGC), keep music low in the mix or drop it entirely under dialogue - Competing audio hurts watch time because people can't process both.
Avoid copyrighted commercial music unless you have rights - Both platforms will mute or restrict distribution on flagged tracks.

Voice should sit well above background music/ambient noise - If creators are eyeballing it, a rough rule is voice at a level where background elements are noticeable but not competing.
Watch out for sudden volume jumps between clips (common with multi-take UGC) - Normalize levels across cuts so it doesn't sound jarring.

Captions/subtitles should still be on regardless of audio quality - A large share of viewers watch muted, so audio can't be the only channel carrying the message.