Hand over UGC files with a clear delivery list

Build the delivery set from the agreement

Read the agreed deliverables and later confirmed changes. List the number of videos, language, caption variants and technical specifications that actually apply. Separate the final exports from working edits, discarded takes and files for other clients. Raw footage and editable project files belong in the handoff only when they are part of the agreement.

Define ambiguous labels before exporting. “Clean” might mean no burned-in captions, no graphic overlays or a different audio treatment. State exactly what you mean. A clean export is not automatically raw footage, silent or music-free. Likewise, “final” in a filename does not show that the brand approved it.

Use the agreed delivery method and access period. The cover is an illustration of organization; it does not mean you must send a physical drive. Keep the recipient-facing set small enough to understand without making the brand search your entire working archive.

Map each promised export to one filename

Choose a short, consistent naming pattern that distinguishes the project, language, variant and version. For example: project-language-variant-version.mp4. This is a suggested convention, not an industry requirement. Use the file extension produced by the export; renaming an extension does not convert the video.

The following fictional assignment promises a 24-second Arabic desk-lamp demonstration in two exports: one with burned-in Arabic captions and the same edit without those captions. Both retain the agreed audio. Assume both use the agreed MP4 format and 1080 × 1920 dimensions. These are example specifications, not a rule for every UGC job.

Keep this list with the delivery message. Explain that “ar” identifies the language in this naming convention, and “v02” identifies a version, not an approval. If separate subtitle files, thumbnails or other assets were agreed, add their own rows. Do not imply that an optional extra was included simply because it exists in your working folder.

Check the exports, then check the uploaded copies

• Open each exported file and play it from beginning to end with sound. Check the first and last frames as well as the edited middle.
• Match each file to its row: filename, language, duration, caption treatment and agreed format and dimensions.
• Inspect captions for spelling and timing. For the clean variant, confirm that the specified text is absent while the intended audio remains.
• Check that the delivery set contains every promised file and no unrelated working or client material.
• After upload completes, download a copy through the delivery location when downloads are part of the agreement, then open and check that copy too.

Inspect the file’s actual properties rather than treating a filename such as “1080p” as proof of its dimensions. The downloaded-file check helps catch the wrong upload, an incomplete file or the wrong export selection. It is a practical check, not a guarantee of playback in every application.

Keep the exported originals in your own appropriate storage under the arrangement you agreed. Do not assume a sharing service is a permanent archive, and do not promise a download deadline or retention period that you have not confirmed.

Test the intended recipient’s access

If you use Google Drive, its sharing guidance distinguishes Viewer, Commenter and Editor roles. Viewers can download by default, but the owner can control that setting; the download guide also notes that downloading can be disabled for viewers or commenters. Preview access alone therefore does not prove that a delivery can be downloaded.

Share the delivery set with the agreed recipient and the access level they need. Check the parent folder as well: Google documents that folder access is inherited by the files inside it. A dedicated delivery folder can make it easier to keep the intended scope clear. Avoid sharing a broad working folder just to expose two finished exports.

A restricted link is supposed to deny people who have not been granted access. Do not turn it into a public link merely so it works in a signed-out browser. Verify the selected recipient and permissions, use an authorized test account if appropriate, and ask the actual recipient to confirm they can open and download the set. Never ask for their password.

If the recipient cannot access it, check which account they are using and what action fails: opening, previewing or downloading. Work or school account rules may limit external sharing. Resolve the specific issue or agree another delivery route; do not assume that uploading again or widening access fixes the cause. These Google examples are not claims about Stage’s current tools.

Send a delivery note and identify later replacements

Receipt and creative acceptance are separate. “I downloaded the files” confirms a different step from “I approve these versions.” Keep the status in the delivery list accurate and refer creative feedback to the agreed review process.

Suppose the brand later requests a caption spelling correction in the fictional example. You export only the corrected captioned file as lamp-ar-captioned-v03.mp4. The unchanged clean export remains lamp-ar-clean-v02.mp4. Update the current list to show that exact pair and mark the earlier captioned file as superseded; do not silently replace its contents under the old name.

Keep previous records as required by the agreement and your storage arrangements, while making the current delivery set unambiguous. Recheck the replacement export and its access. A well-organized handoff ends with the recipient knowing what was delivered, which version is current and what decision is still needed.