Glossary
GlossaryTerms from UGC, social media and design
Many terms around UGC and social media come from English. Here we explain the most important ones in one or two sentences each.
Terms from A to Z
Each term is explained so that the definition makes sense on its own.
| Brand book | A brand book is a manual that defines logo, colours, fonts and rules for a brand’s presence. It makes sure everyone involved uses the brand consistently. |
| Buyout | A buyout settles broad usage rights with a one-time payment. Exactly which rights are included should still be written into the contract. |
| Community management | Community management means looking after the people on your social media channels, mainly by replying to comments and messages. |
| Corporate design | Corporate design is the consistent visual appearance of a company, made up of logo, colours, fonts, imagery and stationery. |
| CPM | CPM stands for cost per mille, the cost of 1,000 impressions of an ad. It is used to compare advertising prices. |
| Creative | A creative is a single ad asset, such as a video, an image or a carousel with copy. |
| Creative fatigue | Creative fatigue is the drop in an ad’s performance once the same audience has seen it too often. New videos or new hooks fix it. |
| CTR | CTR stands for click-through rate, the share of people who click the link after seeing an ad or post. |
| Engagement | Engagement covers all interactions with a post, such as likes, comments, saves and shares. |
| Favicon | A favicon is the small icon of a website that appears in the browser tab, in bookmarks and in search results. |
| Hook | A hook is the opening of a video, the first one to three seconds that decide whether people keep watching. For ads, several hooks of the same video are often tested. |
| Impression | An impression is a single display of a post or ad on a screen, counted every time, even if the same person sees it several times. |
| Künstlersozialabgabe (artists’ social security levy) | The Künstlersozialabgabe is a levy paid to the Künstlersozialkasse on fees paid to self-employed artists and writers; in 2026 it is 4.9 %. According to the KSK, payments to a GmbH or UG are not part of the assessment basis. |
| Model release | A model release is the written consent of a person shown that recordings of them may be used for specific purposes, media and periods (§ 22 KUG). |
| Usage right | A usage right allows a copyrighted work to be used in a specific way, either non-exclusively or exclusively (§ 31 UrhG). The copyright itself stays with the author. |
| Organic use | Organic use means publishing content on your own channels without paid reach, for example as a post, a Reel or on your website. |
| Paid usage | Paid usage is the right to use content in paid ads. It is usually limited in time and paid for separately. |
| Partnership Ads | Partnership Ads are ads on Instagram and Facebook that appear jointly under the name of a creator and the brand. The creator has to approve the partnership. |
| Content calendar | A content calendar sets which content is published when and on which channel. It is used for coordination and approval before publishing. |
| Reel | A Reel is a short portrait video on Instagram or Facebook that is shown in its own Reels section and in the feed. |
| Reach | Reach is the number of individual people who have seen a post or ad at least once. |
| ROAS | ROAS stands for return on ad spend, the revenue in relation to advertising spend. A ROAS of 3 means €3 of revenue for every €1 of ad budget. |
| Raw footage | Raw footage is the unedited recordings from a shoot. It can be used to create your own edits and further variations. |
| Short | A Short is a short portrait video on YouTube that is shown in its own Shorts section. |
| Spark Ads | Spark Ads are ads on TikTok that promote an existing organic post, including a creator’s post with their approval. Likes and comments stay with the post. |
| Story | A Story is a portrait post on Instagram or Facebook that disappears automatically after 24 hours, unless it is saved as a highlight. |
| Testimonial | A testimonial is a first-hand account in which a person recommends a product or service. In UGC it is often spoken by creators or performers. |
| UGC | UGC stands for user generated content, meaning photos and videos in the style of private social media posts. Today the term usually refers to content that companies commission from creators. |
| Unboxing | An unboxing is a video in which a product is unpacked and the first impression is shown. The format is common in e-commerce. |
| Voiceover | A voiceover is a spoken commentary off screen over images, without the speaker being visible. |
| Ad disclosure | Ad disclosure is the clear label, such as “Werbung” or “Anzeige” (advertisement), that a post serves commercial purposes. It is required if the advertising purpose is not obvious from the circumstances (§ 5a (4) UWG). |
| White label | White label means that a provider delivers a service without its own branding and the client passes it on under its own name, for example an agency to its client. |
| Whitelisting | Whitelisting means that a company runs ads under a creator’s profile after the creator has granted access. This requires a separate agreement. |
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FAQ
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between reach and impressions?
Reach counts the individual people who have seen a post. Impressions count every display, even if the same person sees the post several times.
What is the difference between whitelisting and Spark Ads?
With whitelisting, you run ads under a creator’s profile, which is possible on several platforms. Spark Ads are a TikTok format that lets you promote an existing post with the creator’s approval.
What does creative fatigue mean for my ads?
When an audience has seen the same ad too often, its effect drops. New videos or new hooks for existing videos help.
What is the difference between a Reel, a Short and a Story?
Reels are short portrait videos on Instagram and Facebook, Shorts are the counterpart on YouTube. Stories disappear after 24 hours, while Reels and Shorts stay on the profile.
Is a buyout the same as unlimited rights?
Not automatically. A buyout only refers to the one-time payment; which channels, types of use and terms are included must be stated in the contract.
What is a good ROAS?
That depends on margin and business model; there is no figure that applies to everyone. What matters is whether the revenue leaves a profit after ad and product costs.
Glossary
Missing a term?
Write to us at info@fnly-group.com. We add frequently requested terms to the glossary.