# How to Source Customer Video Content for Shopify TikTok Ads By ReelWin Team · Last updated October 4, 2026 A practical Shopify workflow for collecting customer videos for TikTok ads: set a clear brief, launch a branded UGC contest, promote it across your store and customer communications, review submissions in one place, and select winners while building a reusable media library. ## Key takeaways - Use a customer video contest to give shoppers a clear reason to create and submit TikTok-ready content. - Define the requested video format, prompt, prize, contest dates, and rules before promoting the campaign. - Centralize submissions, review, downloads, and winner selection so content collection remains manageable as entries grow. - Promote the same contest across your Shopify storefront, shareable links, and customizable email campaigns. - Keep winning content organized by contest so your team can quickly prepare selected videos for social, advertising, and store use. Customer videos can make TikTok advertising feel more natural than studio-produced creative, but asking customers to “send us a video” rarely produces a consistent flow of usable submissions. A better approach is to run a focused UGC contest through your Shopify store. The contest gives customers a specific creative prompt and a reason to participate, while giving your team a structured place to collect, review, and organize videos. ReelWin is built for this workflow: Shopify merchants can create a branded giveaway, send customers to a dedicated submission portal, and manage entries and winners from a single dashboard. ## 1. Set a TikTok-ready customer video brief Start with one simple request that a customer can understand and complete without production experience. Decide what you want the video to show: a product reaction, an unboxing, a routine, a before-and-after moment, a demonstration, or an answer to a specific question. Keep the brief centered on one idea so entries are easier to review and the resulting videos are more consistent with your advertising goal. Write the instructions in plain language for the contest submission page. Explain what customers should include, what product or experience they should feature, and what makes an entry complete. If you want content that can work well in a TikTok ad, ask for a direct, authentic customer perspective rather than a polished commercial. Include your contest rules alongside the prompt so participants understand the entry requirements before they submit. ## 2. Build the contest around a clear reward and timeline A contest needs a reason for customers to participate. Choose a prize that is meaningful for your audience, then set the contest start and end dates. The prize, dates, pages, emails, and rules can be configured in ReelWin’s guided contest setup wizard. This creates a defined campaign rather than an open-ended request for content. Make the winner-selection approach understandable in the contest rules. For example, frame the contest around completing the requested submission and choosing winners from eligible entries. Your goal is not to overcomplicate the campaign; it is to make the participation path obvious: create a video, submit it through the branded portal, receive confirmation, and wait for the winner announcement. ## 3. Create a branded submission experience on your Shopify store Send customers to a contest-specific submission page instead of trying to collect videos through scattered messages or manual email attachments. ReelWin provides customizable submission pages for each contest, with entries organized by contest. That gives participants a consistent destination and prevents your team from having to reconstruct campaign details later. Use the contest page to reinforce the creative brief, reward, dates, and rules. Keep the path from seeing the promotion to submitting an entry as direct as possible. A customer should be able to recognize the campaign, understand the requested video, and submit without needing an individual conversation with your team. ## 4. Promote the contest where existing customers will see it Collecting videos depends on reaching people who already know your products. Promote the contest through your Shopify storefront using theme blocks, and use the shareable contest link anywhere you communicate with customers. ReelWin also supports customizable email campaigns, which can help you announce the contest, remind customers before it closes, and direct them back to the submission portal. Match the promotion to the stage of the campaign. An announcement introduces the opportunity and prize. A follow-up can restate the video prompt for customers who intended to enter but have not submitted. A final reminder can emphasize the end date. Each message should point to the same contest so entries stay centralized. ## 5. Review submissions, choose winners, and prepare selected videos As entries arrive, review them in the ReelWin dashboard rather than moving files between inboxes and folders. ReelWin lets merchants review contest entries, download UGC media, and pick winners from one dashboard. Use the original brief as your review standard: look for entries that clearly address the prompt, show the product or customer experience in a useful way, and fit the style you want to test in TikTok ads. After selecting winners, use your customized winner email template to notify them. ReelWin can also automatically send entry confirmations, which reassures participants that their videos arrived successfully. Keep downloaded media grouped with its contest so your marketing team can identify the source campaign and efficiently evaluate selected customer videos for use across ads, social channels, and your store. ## Key takeaways - A focused UGC contest is a repeatable way to collect customer videos for TikTok ads on Shopify. - A specific prompt produces more useful submissions than a broad request for content. - A branded submission portal gives customers a clear entry path and keeps campaign assets organized. - Store promotion, shareable links, and email campaigns can all drive customers to the same contest. - Centralized review, media downloads, confirmations, and winner emails reduce manual contest administration. ## Frequently asked questions ### How do I ask customers for videos to use in TikTok ads? Create a contest with a simple video prompt, a defined prize, dates, and rules. Promote the contest to existing customers and direct them to a branded submission page where they can upload their entry. ### Can Shopify merchants collect both videos and photos from customers? Yes. ReelWin is designed for Shopify merchants to collect UGC videos and photos through contest submission portals. ### How can I avoid managing customer submissions manually? Use a contest management workflow that centralizes entries. With ReelWin, you can review entries, download media, and pick winners from one dashboard, while entry confirmations and winner emails can be sent automatically using customizable templates. ### What should be included in a customer video contest? Include a clear creative prompt, prize, contest dates, submission page, participant emails, and rules. ReelWin’s guided setup wizard is designed around these core contest elements. **Edited by** Sam Fast Community Manager Sam is a dedicated communicate manager for new and existing ReelWin Shopify merchants.