Glossary/Unboxing
What is unboxing?
Short answer
Unboxing is a video of a parcel being opened: what arrived, how it is packed and what first impression it makes. It is one of the simplest formats to produce and at the same time the closest to the experience of a viewer who could soon collect exactly the same box from their own order.
What exactly is an unboxing?
A re-enactment of a moment the buyer has not lived through yet. The viewer watches someone else’s hands and someone else’s parcel, but compares it with their own idea of the purchase — which is why the packaging, the completeness of the set and whether the thing looks like the shop photos all count here.
What should an unboxing include?
Four elements, without which an unboxing is simply a film about a cardboard box:
A shot of the parcel before it is opened — the state it arrived in is part of the impression.
The full contents of the set, including extras and the manual.
The first impression said out loud, before the creator has time to think it over.
A short look at the product in use, so the video does not end at taking it out of the box.
Why do brands still order unboxings?
Because unboxing lands at the very end of the buying decision — it is watched by someone who already has the product in their basket and is looking for one last confirmation. On top of that it is cheap and quick to produce, and the material works both on the creator’s profile and on the product page in the shop.
Where to order it or find tasks
Related terms
Words that come up in the same conversations. Each has its own definition in the glossary.
- Product seeding
- Sending a product to creators without ordering any particular publication. The brand counts on some of them showing the thing themselves, but has no guarantee and no deadline for it. Read more
- Product review
- Material in which the creator judges a product after using it — flaws included, if they see any. An honest review builds trust; staged praise spends it. Read more
- UGC
- User generated content — material that looks like it was filmed by an ordinary user, not by an agency. The brand orders it from a creator and uses it on its own channels and in paid advertising. Read more
- UGC creator
- A creator who films material for a brand but does not publish it on their own channel. What counts is the quality and the credibility of the footage, not the follower count. Read more
Frequently asked questions
Does an unboxing need a big reach?
No. It is often ordered as material for the brand to use itself, so what counts is the quality of the recording, not the size of the account.
How long should a good unboxing be?
From a dozen or so seconds in vertical format to a few minutes in a longer video. The shorter one works better as an ad, the longer one as material for people who have decided.
Is unboxing the same as a review?
No. Unboxing shows the first impression, a review the verdict after use. They are sometimes combined, but priced differently, because the work involved differs.
