How Long Should a UGC Ad Be? Why We Pick 30 Seconds

Q: Who should write your 30 seconds?

Anyone but the person who owns the business. An app won't tell you your third sentence is dull. Gig sites in general, in our view, run uneven on quality and heavy on back and forth. With us, you say yes or ask for changes, with one round included. Real people write and check every video. The presenter looks and sounds real, but she's made with AI. You can't pick a different one yet, and it's English only for now. You own the ad, and every order comes with your own Ad Factory account for ordering more.

Jade Turner

Published November 9, 20267 min readUpdated November 9, 2026

TikTok has two answers to this question, and they're both in the same PDF. Tip 3 of its creative tips sheet recommends 21 to 34 seconds. The checklist at the back says 9 to 15.

So how long should a UGC ad be? About 30 seconds, when someone's talking to the camera. UGC stands for user-generated content, an ad that looks like a regular person telling you about something.

A talking ad doesn't really run on seconds. It runs on words, and 30 seconds buys you about 70 of them.

Let us spend them. A Yapper Ad is a 30-second talking ad for $97, made by 30 Second Ad Factory, the done-for-you ad team from 30 Second Productions. The presenter is AI, and she doesn't pretend to be your customer. We write to the clock, you read it and change anything, and it's ready in 72 hours after you say yes.

It beats writing it yourself for one plain reason: we aren't in love with your third sentence.

Here's one of ours, a Yapper ad we made to sell our own Song Ads.

This Yapper video was made by Ad Factory

Get a talking ad written to 30 seconds for your business.

A shop owner in an apron talks to a phone camera while a woman films him

The limits are loose and the advice is a mess

We read these pages on November 9, 2026. They change.

Who says	How long it can be	How long they suggest
TikTok's small-business video guide	Up to 60 seconds	21 to 34 seconds
TikTok's creative tips PDF	5 to 60 seconds	21 to 34 in tip 3, 9 to 15 in the checklist
TikTok's ad policy page	5 to 60 seconds	Doesn't say
TikTok's auction in-feed specs	Up to 10 minutes (non-Spark Ads)	Doesn't say
TikTok's reservation in-feed specs	5 to 60 seconds	9 to 15 seconds
Meta's Ads Guide, Feed video	1 second to 241 minutes	Doesn't say
Yapper Ads from 30 Second Ad Factory (our ad, not a platform)	30 seconds	30 seconds, our pick

Auction ads are the kind you bid on, reservation ads are booked ahead, and Spark Ads use a post already on TikTok (our words, not TikTok's).

The policy page says "a maximum of 60 seconds." The auction specs page, same company, says 10 minutes. The guide says 21 to 34 "performs best," then says the strongest ads tell a story "even in 15 seconds or less." Pick a page, get a different answer.

Meta's Feed video spec allows 241 minutes, in case your plumbing story runs four hours. One Meta news post, with no date on it, says "Consider delivering your message in 15 seconds or less." Facebook video ad length and Instagram video length each got their own guide.

Get a talking video ad made for your business for $97 → A real-looking presenter sells for you. We write the words and make the video. You just say yes.

So how long should a UGC ad be?

A talking UGC ad should run about 30 seconds. That's our call, not TikTok's.

The 21 to 34 number has a receipt, even if it's faded. TikTok's PDF footnotes it to a model of ad performance from May to July 2021, so it's more than five years old. The 9 to 15 number has no receipt at all on the pages we read.

An old receipt beats no receipt. But the real reason is how it sounds.

Give a talking ad 35 words and it's an announcement. Give it 140 and it's the neighbor you can't get away from. Give it 70 and it's a friend telling you about something, and that's the whole point of UGC.

TikTok's PDF also says "overall, shorter videos perform better," so going shorter isn't wrong. Try 15 if you've got one simple offer. Try 60 if the thing needs explaining before anyone picks up the phone. Yapper Ads only come in 30 seconds, so those two are on you.

How many words fit in 15, 30 and 60 seconds?

About 35, 70 and 140, give or take. Typecast's script timing guide gives the math: words divided by words per minute. Run that at 125 to 150 words a minute and you get a rule of thumb.

15 seconds, 31 to 38 words. One problem, one fix, one button.
30 seconds, 63 to 75 words. Hook, problem, fix, next step, and room to sound like a person.
60 seconds, 125 to 150 words. All of that, plus proof and how it works.

Typecast says a timed read beats the estimate, so open your phone's stopwatch and read it out loud. If you run over, cut words. Don't talk faster. Nobody trusted a friend who talks like an auctioneer.

TikTok's guide also says to "Hook viewers in the first three seconds." At this pace, that's 6 or 7 words.

One ad, cut three ways

We wrote this one for a made-up garage door company, so it isn't a real ad and has no results behind it. Swap in your name, your town and your true details.

The 15-second cut, 31 words

Your garage door just quit.

And your car's stuck behind it. [Your Name] Garage Doors comes out today and tells you the price before they touch a thing. Tap to book.

The 30-second cut, 66 words

Your garage door just quit.

And your car's stuck behind it. You've pushed the button nine times. Harder, too, like that helps. Don't pull on that door. Those springs are no joke. [Your Name] Garage Doors comes out today, finds what broke, and tells you the price before they touch a thing. So you can get to work tomorrow. Tap the button and book your spot.

The 60-second cut, 127 words

Your garage door just quit.

And your car's stuck behind it. You've pushed the button nine times. Harder, too, like that helps. Now you're late, and you're looking at a door the size of a small whale. Don't pull on it. Those springs are no joke. [Your Name] Garage Doors comes out today. First they find what broke. Then they show you the broken part, in your own driveway. Then they tell you the price before they touch a thing. No surprise bill on the kitchen table next week. They've been fixing doors in [Your Town] for [number] years, and [your star rating] says they show up. So tonight, the car goes in the garage. Tap the button and book your spot before the day fills up.

All three: logo and [Your Town] on screen. Offer: the price before we start. Button: Book now.

The hook never moved, and the button always comes last. The nine button presses didn't make the 15-second cut, and the whale only got in because we had the room.

To settle it in your own town, run your 30-second ad against a shorter phone video, with the same hook and budget. Views don't open garage doors, so count the calls.

Here's another Yapper ad, with our AI presenter in a home studio.

This Yapper video was made by Ad Factory

Watch our Yapper ads → Click any video to watch with sound.

Who should write your 30 seconds?

Anyone but the person who owns the business.

Way to get it	Length	Your work	Cost to make
Your phone	Whatever you can say in one take	Write, film, edit, cut	Your time
Billo, a service with 5,000+ vetted creators	$99 covers 15 seconds, longer costs more	Brief, ship your product, review	From $99 (checked November 3, 2026)
HeyGen, an AI video app	Up to 1 minute on the free plan	You write it and build it	Free with a watermark, or Creator plan $29 a month (checked November 3, 2026)
Yapper Ads from 30 Second Ad Factory	30 seconds	2-minute form and your logo, then approve	$97 one time

An app won't tell you your third sentence is dull. Gig sites in general, in our view, run uneven on quality and heavy on back and forth.

With us, you say yes or ask for changes, with one round included. Real people write and check every video. The presenter looks and sounds real, but she's made with AI. You can't pick a different one yet, and it's English only for now.

You own the ad, and every order comes with your own Ad Factory account for ordering more.

Frequently asked questions

Can I get a Yapper ad in 15 or 60 seconds?

No. Yapper Ads from 30 Second Ad Factory come in one length, 30 seconds.

Is the person in a Yapper ad real?

No. The presenter in a Yapper ad is made with AI. She is not a customer or a paid creator.

Do you run the ad for me?

No. 30 Second Ad Factory makes the ad. You, or whoever handles your ads, puts it live and sets the budget.

The short version

Long enough for a friend to finish a thought. That's about 30 seconds and about 70 words.

You could write it, time it and cut it yourself. You'd also be the one person on earth who thinks the year you were founded has to stay in. For a busy owner, our done-for-you team is the best option: we write to the clock, you approve it, and you never learn an app.

No ad can promise sales or views, ours included. But yours will fit.

Want an ad that talks for you? Get your Yapper ad for $97: your words, your logo, made for you in 72 hours, with a money-back guarantee.

Want an ad that talks for you?

A real-looking presenter talks about your business like a friend telling a friend. We write the words and make the video in 72 hours. You just say yes.

Get My Yapper Ad — $97 →