B-roll
B-roll is supplementary footage layered under a voiceover or talking head — product shots, hands using the product, lifestyle clips. In UGC it keeps the eyes busy and reinforces the script, which protects retention. The trick is matching visuals to what is being said.
Strong UGC indirectly matches visuals to the script rather than literally illustrating every word. When the eye and ear reinforce each other, viewers stay focused on both — and the product stays in frame.
Sources & further reading
External sources are independent third parties cited for reference; links open in a new tab.
Mara has spent a decade building UGC and paid-social programs for DTC and app brands — shipping thousands of short-form creatives and obsessing over hook rates. She writes about what's actually working in AI-assisted content.