9:16 vertical video
The full-screen phone format, 1080 x 1920 pixels, used by TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts.
A/B test
Running two or more versions of an ad that differ in one element, such as the hook, to see which performs better.
B-roll
Supporting footage that plays over or between the main shot, such as close-ups of the product in use.
Cliffhanger
An ending that leaves a question open so the viewer wants the next video. It is the core device of microdramas.
Comment reply video
A video that answers a viewer's comment, usually shown on screen as a sticker. It feels native because it responds to real curiosity.
CPM
Cost per mille: the price of 1,000 ad impressions.
Creative fatigue
The drop in ad performance when the same audience has seen a creative too many times. New hooks and variations fix it.
Creator posting
When a creator publishes a brand's content on their own account as part of a paid deal.
Hook
The first one to three seconds of a short-form video, made to stop the scroll. Learn more.
Hook rate
The share of people who keep watching past the first seconds, often measured as 3-second video views divided by impressions. Also called thumb-stop ratio.
Microdrama
A short vertical drama series with episodes of about one to two minutes, each ending on a cliffhanger. Learn more.
Paid usage
Permission to run a creator's video as a paid ad, agreed for specific platforms and a set period.
Partnership ads
Meta's ad format that runs a brand's ad with the creator's handle and content. How partnership ads work.
Product seeding
Sending product to creators so they can use it and film it.
ROAS
Return on ad spend: the revenue an ad brings in divided by what it cost.
Safe zone
The part of a vertical video that the app's buttons and captions do not cover. Keep text and faces inside it. Learn more.
Shot list
The list of exact shots a creator must film, so one shoot can be edited into several versions.
Spark Ads
TikTok's ad format that boosts an organic post, often from a creator's account, and keeps its likes and comments. How to get a Spark Ads code.
Talking head
A video where the creator speaks straight to camera.
UGC
User-generated content: content made by real people rather than by the brand. In ads, it usually means creator-made videos in the style of a normal post.
UGC ad
A short video made by a creator in the style of a normal social post, then run as a paid ad.
UGC creator
A person paid to make UGC-style videos for brands, often without posting them on their own account.
UGC maxxing
Also written UGCmaxxing. Getting the most out of user-generated content, by volume (many clips across many creators) or by testing (several hooks per concept, more than one creator, cuts for every feed, and more reach for the winners). Learn more.
Usage period
How long a brand may use a creator's content, such as 3, 6, or 12 months. UGC usage rights explained.
Variation
A new version of an ad that changes one element, such as the hook, the caption, or the cut.
Whitelisting
When a creator lets a brand run ads through the creator's account or handle. On TikTok this works through Spark Ads, and on Meta through partnership ads.
