User-generated content (UGC)
User-generated content is posts, photos, videos, and reviews made by customers rather than the brand, the authentic, low-cost proof that sways most purchases.
What is UGC?
User-generated content is anything published by your audience: photos of your product on Instagram, an unboxing video on TikTok, a review on YouTube, a screenshot of your app in someone's tweet. The brand didn't make it; a real user did.
Why brands chase it
- Trust: 86% of consumers say UGC influences their buying decisions more than brand-made content
- Volume: a brand alone can produce maybe 5 to 10 posts a week; an active community produces hundreds
- Authenticity: UGC looks like real life because it is real life: phone-shot, casual, in-context
- Cost: the content is free (within reason, see below)
How to source it ethically
- Ask permission before reposting. Most networks technically require it
- Credit the creator prominently in the caption
- Pay or gift for content you'll use commercially. There's a difference between resharing a candid mention and building a campaign around someone's photo
- Build a hashtag your community can use to tag posts they're happy for you to share
UGC fits naturally in a posting calendar. Alternate brand-made posts with curated UGC to keep the feed varied without burning out your in-house creative team.
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