Whereas scrolling on my Instagram feed, I noticed a put up a few beautiful planter in my pal’s put up. I instantly inquired concerning the model and ordered a few pots for myself.
That’s a traditional instance of how user-generated content material (UGC) works. It’s an genuine put up a few model and its merchandise on social media channels — created by actual and relatable clients as an alternative of the model or influencers.
On this article, I’ll share the A-Z on user-generated content material and the way your model can use it to enhance your social media advertising and marketing efforts — with some examples to encourage you!
What’s user-generated content material (UGC)?
Person-generated content material (UGC) is brand-specific content material created by clients. Manufacturers normally reshare this buyer content material on their very own social media channels (with permission!). For instance, at Buffer, we shared this buyer evaluate as an Instagram put up — it’s the proper instance of user-generated content material.
When you actually give it some thought, user-generated content material is a digital time period for word-of-mouth advertising and marketing. Nonetheless, UGC isn’t as simple.
For starters, UGC isn’t as out of your management as word-of-mouth advertising and marketing. It’s not reliant on natural content material alone to do the work. As a model, you possibly can bake user-generated content material (UGC) into your advertising and marketing technique to draw potential clients.
You may even rent UGC creators to create genuine and relatable content material for you if you’re new in enterprise and don’t have many purchasers or buyer suggestions. Let’s cowl these two sorts of user-generated content material (UGC) within the subsequent part.
Kinds of user-generated content material (UGC)
There are two major sorts of user-generated content material: natural and paid.
Natural user-generated content material is consumer-generated content material, aka your current clients create it for gratis. Social media customers share posts about your model freely, with out asking. This may be buyer images, on-line opinions, or movies of your clients utilizing your merchandise.Paid user-generated content material is if you incentivize UGC creators to create content material for you with the authenticity of a buyer — that means no false praises or gross sales pitches. For instance, Jenna Libman is a UGC creator who creates movies for varied manufacturers.
Cirkul needed 2 core UGC movies — however as an alternative of simply delivering 2, we examined 3 distinctive hooks for every one to maximise efficiency ⚡️ That’s 6 whole movies for the model to check and study from.
This sort of inventive variation helps manufacturers determine what truly will get clicks,… pic.twitter.com/Jx99nMxXYK
— Jenna | UGC Creator & Inventive Strategist (@jennamediaco) Might 5, 2025
The core distinction between natural UGC and paid UGC is the motivation. However isn’t paid UGC the identical as influencer-generated content material?
You’d be forgiven for pondering that — however not fairly.
Influencers sometimes have a bigger (and extra area of interest) viewers than UGC creators. Whenever you observe influencer advertising and marketing, your intention is to succeed in a brand new section of your target market (the creator’s followers). You pay influencers for his or her affect — they’ve developed an internet group that trusts them. You search to borrow that belief by partnering with them.UGC creators don’t have to have a big or area of interest viewers. You pay them for his or her content material creation expertise. As a model, you’ll wish to put up content material created by them by yourself social media channels.
Whereas these are the 2 major sorts of user-generated content material, it’s also possible to divide UGC primarily based on content material kind. The model Lili Origin typically makes use of all these varieties — I’ll share their examples that can assist you perceive how your organization can layer varied sorts of UGC content material in your advertising and marketing campaigns.
Buyer testimonials
Buyer testimonials are a strong type of user-generated content material. They aren’t simply unique, additionally they sign social proof.
With buyer permission, you possibly can convert testimonials to visible content material by taking a screenshot of on-line opinions and posting them on social platforms — like Lili Origin did of their Instagram Tales.
You can too embed these buyer suggestions snippets throughout your product pages.
Buyer images
Photographs are a kind of UGC when a buyer makes use of your product and snaps an image with it. You may reshare these UGC pictures as social media posts throughout a number of platforms and likewise add them on product pages (so potential clients can see how your product seems to be on an precise buyer).
A professional tip: add some context to the picture and use the UGC content material to extend model consciousness.
Lili Origin typically reshares its clients’ Instagram Tales flaunting the model’s merchandise — and so they additionally add a hyperlink to the product within the image so their target market can discover it simply (as an alternative of scouring their web site).
Video UGC
Video UGC content material is video associated to your product — whether or not that’s an in depth evaluate, walkthrough, or a haul. Lili Origin shared a creator’s haul of a number of merchandise on their web site in their very own account.
Weblog posts about your product or feedback from customers are just like opinions. You may screenshot mentions throughout the online (whether or not that’s in a weblog put up, Reddit, or in an internet group) and share them as UGC content material on social media platforms.
Make sure you get permission to reshare opinions, particularly if you’re screenshotting content material from a non-public group. Be particular about the place you propose to reshare their remark
The entire above sorts of UGC content material could be natural and paid — it is determined by how your UGC technique suits into your total advertising and marketing campaigns. Earlier than I discuss how one can combine user-generated content material into your advertising and marketing campaigns, let’s tackle why UGC content material is superb within the first place.
Working UGC campaigns feels like quite a lot of effort: monitor all user-generated content material, work together together with your viewers, reshare it with added context, and so forth. Why do all that when you possibly can simply create branded content material or associate with influencers? Listed below are 5 causes that present the worth of user-generated content material:
1. Person-generated content material is extra genuine
Authenticity has develop into considerably of a buzzword on-line. However the truth is, shoppers are extra marketing-aware than ever earlier than. They may typically tune out of your conventional advertisements — whether or not that’s high-resolution branded content material or paid sponsorships.
On this advertising and marketing fog, user-generated posts shine due to their authenticity. They don’t seem salesy. Why else would 85% of shoppers say they depend on user-generated content material earlier than making a purchase order?
💡
Be aware: Don’t strip your user-generated content material of its authenticity when resharing user-generated content material (UGC). Hold it actual and relatable by counting on creators and clients who’re true model loyalists.
2. Person-generated content material builds your social proof
Person-generated content material is a belief builder as a result of it comes out of your current clients. It’s highly effective when somebody buys your product and likes it sufficient to create social media posts about it — it ideas the buying choices of your potential clients in your favor.
It’s not simply me who believes it: Large’s analysis has discovered 81% of shoppers discover user-generated content material extra reliable than professionally created branded content material or content material from influencers.
When individuals see somebody like them utilizing your merchandise and talking in its favor — the very core of user-generated content material — your social proof and optimistic model sentiment soars.
3. Person-generated content material boosts model loyalty
Tint’s newest report discovered 77% of shoppers want their favourite manufacturers had a group.
And user-generated content material is sort of a mini community-building train: It will increase buyer engagement since you work together together with your patrons and share their user-generated posts.
This additional strengthens your connection and lays the inspiration of a powerful social media group.
The very best half? Whenever you use user-generated content material to deepen your relationships for group engagement, you additionally lay seeds for gaining extra user-generated content material (UGC) and gross sales.
82% of shoppers usually tend to buy new merchandise varieties as a result of they interact with it by way of the model’s community91% of shoppers usually tend to depart a evaluate as a result of they belong to a group
Speak about a win-win.
4. Person-generated content material is a supply of content material concepts
There’s no higher strategy to acquire extra content material concepts than by listening to your clients. And buyer content material within the type of UGC is like purchaser analysis — with extra advantages.
You can’t solely share user-generated content material to fill your content material calendar (with related content material!) and meet the best posts’ frequency throughout social media channels, but additionally use the shopper content material as a treasure trove of concepts and product suggestions.
Do patrons typically share a use case you don’t converse to in your content material advertising and marketing efforts? Are opinions regularly highlighting a function that needs to be extra outstanding in your touchdown web page copy? All these are viewers insights you should utilize from an impeccable supply: true model loyalists.
5. Person-generated content material is cost-effective
When you’re relying in your model ambassadors or present patrons for creating UGC, you don’t (normally) need to pay them something to put up about your model.
And even when it’s a must to share some incentives (like an unique low cost code, free product, and so forth.), it’s little in comparison with conventional promoting prices.
That is an A+ profit — no matter whether or not you’re a small enterprise or an enterprise firm — since you get extra genuine content material at much less value. What’s to not like (learn: love)?
Now that you just’re satisfied of the worth of user-generated content material, the subsequent part will make it easier to formulate a UGC technique to gather, manage, and use it.
How one can combine user-generated content material into your advertising and marketing technique
Whenever you’re trying to layer a UGC technique into your social media technique, you want techniques for 3 issues:
1. Encouraging your target market to share UGC
2. Gathering and organizing user-generated content material inside your advertising and marketing techniques
3. Utilizing user-generated content material successfully
Let’s cowl every one after the other.
How one can encourage your target market to share user-generated content material?
It’d be really easy if clients might simply come to you with related content material at your digital doorstep. However that’s not the way it works — your target market wants some encouragement and incentives to share user-generated content material with you. Listed below are a number of concepts:
Actively information clients to create consumer content material
Your clients may not take into consideration posting about your model until you plant the thought of their heads.
Nudge clients to share how they use your product in your order supply or advertising and marketing emails — be as particular as attainable and share precisely what sort of content material you count on.
You can too information your target market on social media to create and submit consumer contributions whereas utilizing your product.
The long-lasting #ShareACoke marketing campaign, for instance, asks clients to share their personalised Coca-Cola cans and bottles.
Reward clients for creating user-generated content material
Guiding your clients on the way to create UGC to your model is useful. However giving them a bit of deal with for it’s going the additional mile.
Incentivizing clients won’t solely enhance the amount of user-generated content material you obtain, but additionally improve model loyalty.
You may run giveaways or challenges to encourage clients to take part and share user-generated content material on social media.
Domino’s outdated #PieceofthePieContest is a traditional instance of the way to run challenges to open the floodgates for user-generated content material — however you don’t have to supply a $10,000 money prize.
You may provide unique entry to new product strains, free merch, reductions, or something your target market would admire.
Encourage your workforce members to create user-generated content material
Who is aware of your product higher than the individuals who helped create it? Ask your workforce members to put up genuine content material about your product utilizing their very own social channels.
Like together with your clients, be clear in your expectations and reward teammates for taking out the time to create user-generated content material.
The very best half about team-driven UGC is that your workforce members are your finest model advocates — they know the ins and outs of your organization and what you stand for.
At Buffer, for instance, our teammates typically share snippets of how they use the product of their workflow.
How one can accumulate and manage user-generated content material
It’s straightforward to maintain your UGC library organized if you’re getting solely a handful of items of content material. However what occurs when (hopefully!) your UGC library grows — with content material from clients, model ambassadors, teammates, and creators?
The excellent news: It’s a wonderful downside to have. The higher information: you possibly can simply clear up it by organising clean techniques to trace, manage, and kind user-generated content material (UGC).
Ask everybody to submit UGC posts utilizing a type
Arrange a type to gather user-generated content material utilizing instruments like Airtable, Notion, or Typeform to your workforce members, creators, and model ambassadors.
You may even ask clients to fill out a type in case you’re working a contest. This can permit you to accumulate all user-generated content material in a single place moderately than having it scattered throughout social channels.
What about clients freely sharing UGC? You don’t wish to make them undergo the clunky strategy of filling out a type, too. Ask them to make use of a branded hashtag so you possibly can accumulate all user-generated content material simply.
You may take this a step additional by utilizing social listening instruments to identify content material about your model within the wild.
Arrange an integration to retailer the saved UGC posts in your advertising and marketing instruments
Integrations could be a lifesaver relating to saving time and decreasing handbook work. For instance, in case you use Buffer for social media administration, you possibly can routinely guarantee all of the posts submitted by way of the shape present up in your Create house (as put up concepts) or drafts.
You may then use tags to identify UGC posts simply in your Buffer account.
When you will have all of your UGC content material routinely collected inside your advertising and marketing instrument, it’s simpler to kind and use!
Search permission as quickly as you tag UGC
As quickly as you mark a UGC put up, attain out to the unique creator and ask if you should utilize their content material in your social channels (and credit score them!).
Utilizing somebody’s social posts with out permission can’t solely have authorized penalties, but additionally tarnish your model fame.
And it isn’t as tedious because it sounds: Utilizing Zapier, you might arrange an integration between Buffer, Google Kinds (or your type instrument of alternative), and Gmail (or your most popular e-mail instrument).
As quickly as you obtain a brand new type response, the mixing will routinely create a brand new thought in your Create house in Buffer.
Right here’s how the sequence may look:
A buyer submits a UGC put up by way of a type.Their submission is routinely added to your Create house as an thought.You tag the thought as “user-generated content material.”A draft is routinely created in Gmail to ask permission to make use of the UGC put up by yourself social media accounts.
How one can use UGC in your advertising and marketing technique?
You’ve inspired your target market to share brand-centric content material. You’ve even arrange the techniques to arrange it. What subsequent?
Use UGC throughout your advertising and marketing content material
UGC is nice for social integration, however they aren’t restricted to it.
You should utilize UGC content material in a number of locations inside your advertising and marketing technique — equivalent to product pages, firm newsletters, content material advertising and marketing, and even advertisements.
Add context to your UGC posts
As a substitute of merely resharing content material created by your clients, add extra context to it for future patrons.
This may very well be mentioning the product hyperlinks your buyer is flaunting or explaining “see how ABC buyer makes use of this product” in your touchdown pages.
Measure the impression of UGC content material
When you’re working devoted UGC campaigns (like branded hashtags, contests, giveaways), measure their efficiency over influencer advertising and marketing and branded content material.
In the event that they get higher outcomes (extra engagement, increased click-through charges), it’s a optimistic signal to double down on them. In the event that they’re performing beneath common, you possibly can dissect why — perhaps you’re sharing them on the flawed time or want so as to add extra context.
Now you’ve realized the theoretical facet of the way to combine UGC into your advertising and marketing technique. However earlier than you dive into the sensible facet, have a look at how different manufacturers like yours run UGC campaigns efficiently.
7 nice examples of user-generated content material
All sorts of companies use UGC to generate buzz about their merchandise and create extra genuine content material. Listed below are seven of our favourite examples:
1. Alpenglow
This instance is from inside the home! Our workers engineer at Buffer, Andy Yates, labored on an app (amongst many others) known as Alpenglow.
The app permits customers to verify dawn and sundown forecasts for the proper mild high quality for capturing images, and in 2021, it went viral on TikTok because of a consumer’s video exhibiting how the app works.
@bea_carpio_
Espero no ser la unica mega friki de los atardecer así que pls no me ignoreis #sundown #atardecer #españa #spain #lentejas
♬ Into Your Arms (feat. Ava Max) – Witt Lowry
Andy additionally kindly allowed us to share some statistics concerning the effectiveness of the UGC by way of a graph that reveals important spikes round when the consumer first revealed the video in July of 2021.
The app additionally elevated month-to-month recurring income (MRR) when the video went viral in July. The graph beneath reveals that income rose sharply to only over $1,200 someday in that month, up from $200 earlier that 12 months.
Since then, over 2,000 user-created movies have been posted on the Alpenglow TikTok hashtag. 🤯
Alpenglow was a facet mission for Andy, however that one consumer’s video helped the app develop considerably. So if your corporation is your major mission, UGC has the potential to ship much more worth to your model.
2. Succesful methodology
Succesful Methodology is an internet health studio based by creator Adriana Blanc. In her enterprise’ Instagram account, Blanc typically shares consumer transformations and tales as social proof of how her program adjustments the well being of her clients.
This put up alone had over 100+ likes (and a beautiful remark from the consumer herself!). Blanc additionally regularly shares messages from her purchasers on her Instagram Tales.
When you’re a founder with a private model, share UGC by yourself account, too. This can improve their impression and unfold the message wider.
3. Casely
Casely is an organization that sells cellphone equipment and covers. They’ve UGC campaigns sharing genuine buyer opinions throughout their YouTube channel.
It’s value noting that these evaluate collection typically get extra views on their YouTube channel in comparison with different sorts of content material. One other instance of how social media customers work together extra positively with genuine UGC posts.
4. GoodRx
GoodRx is a healthcare firm that sells medicines by way of its app and web site. They requested their clients to share why they love GoodRx and compiled the video to share on their YouTube channel.
This video obtained over 50,000 views, and the corporate additionally remained genuine by disclosing that they compensated the purchasers for his or her look.
GoodRx has an impeccable UGC technique the place additionally they create in-depth case research on particular clients for his or her advertising and marketing content material — exhibiting their impression in the very best means.
5. Dove
Dove has at all times been huge on buyer tales — which makes for A+ UGC content material. Take their “Dove hair tales” social media collection:
The collection shouldn’t be solely academic about their product and its advantages, but it surely’s additionally sentimental and relatable for a lot of clients. Every video on this collection has at the very least 10,000 views — with the very best depend going over 100,000. 🤯
In case your model is planning a UGC marketing campaign, take a web page from Dove’s ebook and preserve it aligned to your model identification and values — it’ll make the posts far more you, in one of the best ways attainable.
6. Repair My Curls
Repair My Curls is a curly hair care model promoting every kind of merchandise for individuals with curly hair. They regularly use their Instagram feed to reshare posts from their clients.
Repair My Curls at all times provides its personal cheeky Instagram caption to the put up and credit the unique creator/buyer. This permits them so as to add extra particulars about their merchandise with out eradicating the UGC posts’ originality.
7. Aavia
Aavia is a interval tracker app with a powerful Instagram presence. The corporate repeatedly shares Instagram carousels from their group of shoppers who love the app. (embed put up)
Social proof is an integral a part of the corporate’s Instagram technique — as is obvious by their frequent sharing of buyer opinions. I really like that additionally they typically resurface these posts by sharing them on their Instagram Tales.
Let your clients do the speaking
When you get the UGC flywheel working, it’s like a shortcut for creating related, unique content material at minimal value. The essential factor isn’t just having merchandise individuals would wish to rave about, but additionally providing worth to entice your clients to talk up.
And as soon as that occurs, you’re golden! Use Buffer to arrange not simply sturdy UGC techniques, but additionally a radical social media administration workflow. From scheduling posts, saving UGC, responding to clients, to analyzing posts — we’ve obtained all of it below one roof. Begin with a free plan right this moment.
