User-Generated Content, or UGC, is any image, video, review, or story that was created by a customer or fan and not by the brand itself. Image posts, reviews, or creative clips that real people share.
Why it matters: between 75% and 80% of people believe user-generated content (UGC) more than well-made brand ads. People trust UGC a lot more than they believe traditional marketing because it feels real, human, and connected.
Why user-generated content (UGC) works so well
- When real users talk about real experiences, it makes people feel something.
- Peers are more trustworthy than brands. UGC is like getting a personal reference.
- Cost-effective reach: Users give brands material and visibility on a large scale, and it often spreads on its own.
Ads from creator-led content on sites like TikTok and Instagram are now making more revenue than traditional media in many parts of the world.
Strategies for Using User-Generated Content (UGC) in Ads
1. Make your own hashtag or theme.
Choose a simple phrase that people will remember, like #MyMonsoon or #WayfairAtHome, and tell them to use it when they post. It helps:
- Collect all of the UGC in one spot.
- Create a group
- Encourage healthy competition
Customers saw how furniture looked in real homes when Wayfair posted pictures of customers with the hashtag #WayfairAtHome. This built trust and led to more sales.
2. Organize Votes and Tests
Give them rewards, like “Photo of the Day,” or encourage them to be creative.
- GoPro’s “Challenge” asked users to send in adventure videos to win cash or other gifts.
- People were given the chance to be featured when Starbucks asked them to draw on their famous white cups. In just a few weeks, thousands of people submitted their drawings.
With this plan, imagination is linked to rewards and participation.
3. Organize UGC Galleries
In ads, on shop pages, or in social feeds, show user-generated content.
For example, Monsoon had galleries on its website that showed customers wearing its clothes. These pictures could even be bought. That led to more hits and sales. Using visual content effectively can significantly boost engagement.
4. Integrate User-Generated Content with New Technologies
AR tools from brands like Warby Parker let people virtually try on glasses and share their look with a phrase like #WarbyHomeTryOn. This mixed fun, technology, and user-generated content led to more sales.
5. Make ads with user-generated content
Use UGC in all of your ads; have real people give reviews or demos.
Apple, Glossier, and Spotify have all done this well by showing real user experiences instead of staged ads.
How to Do It Right and What Not to Do
- Be honest.
- Repost only real user content that hasn’t been changed or blocked.
- Ask for permission or set up opt-in flows to get agreement.
- Keep it interactive
- Comment, like, and repost to interact with people.
- UGC should be used in marketing as community material.
- Acknowledge contributors
- Recognize creators openly and feature top fans.
- Make those who contribute feel seen and valued.
- Stay away from copied UGC.
- Watch out for deepfakes and fake posts.
- Make sure ads don’t include unverified content.
- UGC is not the same as influencer material.
- Influencer marketing posts are usually paid for or purposely written, while user-generated content (UGC) is more natural and unscripted.
- Brands can pay people who make UGC directly, but the tone should stay real and not promotional.
Maintaining UGC Relevance Over Time
Simply gathering user-generated content (UGC) is not enough to make it work in the long run; keeping it new and interesting is also required. You should change your UGC approach along with trends, platforms, and customer tastes.
Never keep the same posts up for months.
Change up the featured material. Regularly share new customer stories to keep your brand feeling alive and up-to-date.
Combine different types of information.
To keep things interesting, mix videos, images, short clips, and even voice notes.
Utilize seasonal moments
Encourage material around holidays, festivals, or big events that matter to your audience.
Analyze performance
Keep track of the types of user-generated content that get the most clicks, shares, or sales, and then focus on making more of those types while monitoring for issues like click fraud.
By making sure that user generated content (UGC) is related to what your audience is interested in right now, you can make sure that your efforts stay real, interesting, and useful even if the market changes.
Building Stronger Customer Trust with UGC
The trust that UGC builds is one of the main reasons brands invest money in it. People receive a lot of ads, so it makes sense that they will ignore anything that seems too professional or focused on making a sale. That’s why real, unplanned posts from real customers have such a strong effect; they feel real, honest, and like they represent a real person.
In a short Instagram story, a TikTok review, or even a casual tweet, when a customer talks about their own experience, it resonates on a deeper level. These realities give your brand more respect, which makes people more likely to buy from you. Every genuine post builds a network of social proof for your brand that money alone can’t buy.
For brands looking to go beyond just collecting UGC and actually turn it into measurable growth, tools like ReferralCandy make it easy to combine user-generated content with referral, affiliate, and influencer marketing campaigns, so every authentic customer post can directly drive new sales.
Potential User-generated Content (UGC) Campaigns You Might Start
- Ask people who have used your product to send you video stories or reviews. Share the best in weekly highlights.
- Start a creative challenge, like “show your workspace glow-up” or “travel shot with our gear.” Give people a campaign name to use when they post.
- Before and after images are good for beauty, fitness, or home brands. A strong visual testimonial to help people change.
What You Can Expect
Your efforts will definitely get better when you use user generated content (UGC). The number of clicks on UGC based emails and ads can be up to 14–30% higher than clicks on standard creative. It also builds stronger social proof when people see other people using and enjoying your product; they quickly trust your brand more.
UGC can also save you a lot of funds because you don’t have to pay for expensive video shoots or partnerships with big influencers. It builds community, which makes people want to connect with you again and again and makes them feel like they’re a part of something bigger than just a purchase.
The latest developments regarding the prospects of UGC.
Paid UGC
Brands now hire content makers to make paid UGC that feels like real content. People in Gen Z and Millennials believe it more than fake influencer ads.
AI-generated UGC
You can use tools to make UGC-style material, like short clips, reviews, or testimonials from users that are written by AI. They’re faster and cheaper, but they have to be real.
Employee-Generated Content (EGC)
More companies show off content created by their workers to make the company seem more real and approachable. It works best in situations where confidence and openness are important.
Interactive UGC activations
Brands are using practical prompts (like branded stickers, posters, or pop-up experiences) to get people to share right away, combining digital involvement.
Wrapping It Up
The way you think about UGC is more than a strategy. It means you believe your users and let them tell your story. When done right, user-generated content (UGC) gives a lot of people genuine data, gets them involved, and helps build a community based on real experience.
The future of media is not polished ads, but content created by real people. This is valid whether you’re just starting out or running a big campaign.
