It’s our annual storytelling subscriptions, but UGC — guided by professional storytellers.
Imagine you could snap your fingers and have a bunch student-generated videos like this:
Here’s the stuff we assume you already know:
UGC = User-Generated Content
UGC video is intentionally lo-fi so it feels more authentic and doesn’t scream “commercial”
Prospective students trust other students more than they trust the MarCom/enrollment department, which makes this format generate trust more readily.
But scaling it comes with some problems
Capacity
It can be like pulling teeth to find the content creators who are not only willing to participate, but have something interesting to say.
Once you find them, you still have to coordinate them and manage quality through to completion. And that’s before you’ve distributed anything.
Quality
Not all students are content creators, so if you want to ensure quality, you have to limit your story options to existing content creators who can shoot and edit
Even if you manage to get a non-content creator to shoot good footage, the magic really happens in the edit, and editors who can tell a great story are notoriously hard to find even on a professional level
Giving a student full autonomy who doesn’t understand the priorities of MarCom/enrollment risks getting generic content back
There’s a big gap between letting students loose with iPhones, and a video crew on-site with intimidating cameras and lights controlling every shot and sound bite.
Enter “Directed UGC” by Unveild.
It’s UGC, but overseen by professional storytellers who partner with students to achieve compelling content, without you having to babysit every detail.
how it works.
We help you find the stories to tell with our plug-and-play casting system
We interview the student in depth remotely. We do lots of digging to pull out the best stuff. You can be present for the interview, or not. It’s up to you
We give the subject a shot list to film on their phone, and instructions on how to capture footage in the way we need them to for the video
They send us the footage, and our editors will take it from there. The same editors that edit all our cinematic work
You give us feedback just like any other video project, and when it’s done, you launch it
The Hidden Benefit to This Approach - Your Time.
When you remove on-site filming from the equation, you remove the largest chunk of logistical back-and-forth.
You spend less time getting video content in a format that signals more trust to prospective students.
What You Get:
There are 10 of these packages in an annual subscription featuring 10 different student/alumni:
1x full-length story (2-4 minutes)
1x 30-second cutdown
1x 15-second cutdown
5x FAQ-focused topical videos
All videos delivered horizontally and vertically
How To Use These:
The full-length version will typically live on a program landing page as well as Youtube. This is your main flagship asset in the package that will do the heavy lifting
30-second and 15-second cutdowns are designed for paid ads, email campaigns, and social media
The topical videos are additional content. Think of these like messaging wild cards. They can be used to talk about things like niche aspects of the program, internship opportunities, belonging, affordability — you name it, we’ll design an interview question to capture it. These are perfect for delivering to admissions counselors to help answer questions, embedding in email nurture sequences, or populating Youtube playlists so they show up as answers in AI search results
Here’s how that plays out in our traditional on-site format. Imagine this set of videos, but UGC.
How is this different from CampusReel?
CampusReel’s business model relies on a self-service approach to UGC. Content creators can apply to participate, and when chosen are given a list of prompts and let loose. The focus is more on campus tours than stories of transformation or program overviews.
For schools that want students to have more professional guidance in the storytelling process, and whose needs are more aimed at marketing various programs, our Directed UGC model might be a better fit.