What is User-Generated Content (UGC) ? Backlinks & more.

User-generated content (UGC) is any type of content (text, video, images, reviews, etc.) created by users rather than brands. Got some cool new clothes that you’re ready to show off to everyone? You’re probably going to take a photo and post it on your social media profiles. Maybe you just bought a cool new product and want to post an unboxing video on your YouTube channel.

Whether you realize it or not, both of these examples are examples of user-generated content (UGC).In this guide, you will learn how UGC content can benefit your brand and how you can use it effectively in your marketing strategy, and a few more things:

What is User Generated Content (UGC)?

User-generated content (UGC), or consumer-generated content, is brand-specific content created by individuals rather than brands, often in response to users’ experiences with a product or service. Unlike branded content, user-generated content showcases real opinions, emotions, and experiences that other consumers can trust and relate to. Including UGC in your digital marketing strategy shows that people trust your brand enough to talk about it organically. In fact, 97% of business-to-business (B2B) customers cited testimonials and peer recommendations, both types of UGC, as the most trusted type of content (Demand Gen Report ).Now that we know what UGC content is, let’s learn about the responsible people who create such content. When consumers share about a brand on social media, they can influence their followers’ purchasing decisions. According to 

According to Adweek , 85 percent of users say UGC is more effective than content created directly by brands. User-generated content (also known as UGC or consumer-generated content) is original, brand-specific content created by social media users and posted on social media or other channels. UGC comes in many forms, including images, videos, product reviews, testimonials, and even podcasts.

The Value of User Generated Content

The real value of user-generated content lies in its originality, and the statistics bear this out. Two reports in particular highlight the importance of user-generated content for forward-thinking brands.

• “93% of marketers agree that consumers trust customer-generated content more than brand-generated content. People trust people,” Tintup’s 2021 State of UGC report states.
• A report by Nosto stated that “79% of people say UGC greatly influences their purchasing decisions” and “Consumers think UGC is 9.8 times more effective than influencer content when making purchasing decisions.”

Marketers and consumers alike agree that peer influencers are more effective than any other marketing method. Incorporate the authenticity of user-generated content into your marketing strategy to build a trusted relationship with your audience and consumer community. It’s worth noting that user-generated content and sponsored posts are very different things. Sponsorships imply that an action has been taken, and they usually need to be clearly disclosed. You may have seen Instagram posts with a hashtag at the top that says the creator is a partner or simply ‘Paid partnership.’

These are usually sponsored, either monetarily or by brands sending them products to showcase on their platform. However, the lines between influencer-generated content and paid user-generated content are blurry. The main differentiating factors are often audience size and where posts are published. The wave of content creators focusing solely on creating content for branded social platforms also illustrates the value and evolution of user-generated content. Aptly called ‘UGC creators’, these individuals charge fees to showcase a brand’s products without needing the large following of an influencer.

Who Creates User-Generated Content?

UGC content is created by people who have actually used the product or service and therefore have first-hand experience to share with others. This could be:

• Social media followers
• Brand advocates
• Customers
• Influencers or bloggers

What About UGC Creators? UGC creators produce content that mimics the style of traditional UGC, with an unscripted, almost amateurish production quality. Compared to influencer partnerships, UGC creators have more control over whether or not they post content to their channels. However, some UGC deals may have additional terms that require them to post content. Additionally, UGC creators are becoming a profession in their own right, and many companies and brands are looking for talented content creators to collaborate with. A quick search on freelancing platforms like Fiverr or Upwork will show you UGC creators who are available for hire. A professional UGC creator offers packages that include shooting, editing and script writing services: The emergence of this new generation of content creators has divided user-generated content into two categories: 

Organic UGC and Paid UGC .

What is Organic and Paid User Generated Content?

The promotion of paid user-generated content creates a dilemma for consumers: How do you differentiate between original consumer-generated content and sponsored UGC? Let’s break it down.

Organic UGC

Organic user-generated content is created voluntarily, without any monetary incentives or brand involvement. This type of content is unscripted, making it more authentic and trustworthy in the eyes of consumers. Ongoing relationships with loyal customers and brand advocates often result in the creation of organic user-generated content. These individuals have a genuine connection to the brand and are passionate about sharing their experiences with others. But that doesn’t mean first-time users can’t create organic UGC.

New customers who are inspired by their experiences can also create organic user-generated content, which is often seen with content creators on platforms like TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram. Let’s say a consumer buys a new lip product from brand X after seeing an Instagram ad. They try it out and love it so much that they share a photo on their Instagram feed, tagging brand X and raving about its quality. This would be an example of organic UGC. This type of content can be a powerful tool for building brand awareness and establishing trust with potential customers.

Paid UGC

On the other hand, paid user-generated content involves some form of compensation or incentive to encourage people to create content about a particular product or service. Again, you can hire professional UGC creators from platforms like Upwork and Fiverr to produce content for you. However, for brands with a solid following, creators will typically reach out to the brand themselves. In either case, the content is usually pre-approved by the brand before it’s published.

Paid UGC can be a useful tool for brands looking to increase their reach and create high-quality content. However, since creators are paid to promote the brand’s products or services, it may not always appear authentic or trustworthy. To summarize:

Types of User Generated Content

UGC comes in many forms and can be shared on a variety of platforms. The most common types of UGC include:

1. Comments and References

Online reviews count as a type of UGC. Positive ratings and reviews can be shared on your website and social media as social proof. Brands can even turn testimonials into small graphics that they can share on their social media accounts.

2. Photos

Photos, of course, are one of the most common types of UGC. This usually looks like an image of a customer using your product or sharing the results they got from it. Using a hashtag to help collect these makes it easier to find and re-share them on your own platforms.

3. Videos

Social media and YouTube videos can also be great forms of UGC. In fact, many YouTubers will share “product shares” of products they’ve recently purchased, showcasing several brands in a single video. Showcase what they’re saying about your product by sharing this video or clip that mentions your brand.

4. Social media content

Sometimes, even a simple positive mention of your brand can be a great piece of content to reshare. Repost if you’re on X (Twitter) or screenshot it and share it graphically on a platform like Instagram.

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5. Blog posts

Bloggers may also mention your brand or product in one of their blog posts. This can be a stand-alone review or a brief mention in a larger post. Consider sharing their quotes on social media or on your website to spread the word.

6. Live Broadcasts and Podcast Highlights

Podcasters and live streamers will sometimes talk about a brand or product they love. If the podcast has a significant following, this can drive traffic to your website or social media profiles. You can also ask for permission to reshare podcast excerpts or livestream them on your social media platforms to show users that industry experts or loved ones support your brand. You’ll often see podcast and livestream clips shared and reposted by fans on TikTok. This type of UGC provides instant credibility and ongoing visibility for your brand.

7. Forum Discussions

Online forums like Reddit allow people to ask questions and share their experiences with a brand. Brands can use these discussions to gather feedback, address concerns, and respond to negative and positive comments.

In this Reddit post about a project management tool called Monday.com , the original poster (OP) shared the pros and cons of using the tool and asked for opinions from other users. The topic quickly turned into a debate among Monday.com users .This was and still is an opportunity for the brand to address the concerns or issues mentioned and showcase their strong customer support. The brand can also share this discussion on social media platforms to highlight their customers’ positive experiences.

8. Competition Entries

A UGC contest encourages users to create social media content about a brand for a chance to win a prize. Brands often use hashtags and tag their social media pages to make it easy to track entries. To promote its new car, the JUKE, ahead of its launch, Nissan took advantage of the platform’s trend-driven nature by running a branded hashtag challenge on TikTok, inviting users to create original car ad voiceovers for a chance to appear in a JUKE commercial on TV. The campaign successfully generated anticipation for the launch of the vehicle, attracting around 34,000 video entries and millions of viewers. The high level of engagement and eager anticipation for the JUKE TV commercials to showcase the winning entries created a buzz around Nissan’s launch.

9. Comments

The reviews section is a goldmine of consumer opinions and discussions about your brand or product. Brands can encourage customers to leave reviews by responding to their comments, asking for feedback, or asking questions. Glassdoor’s Facebook post includes interview tips from its Interview Tips Bowl series, which is published on social media.

10. Backlinks

User-generated content backlinks from reviews, forums, and social media strengthen SEO by building natural link authority and domain trust. These organic links from engaged users improve search rankings while driving referral traffic and establishing credibility. UGC backlinks create sustainable link-building through authentic user advocacy, making them valuable for both SEO and content marketing strategies.

Why is user-generated content important?

UGC is used at all stages of the buyer’s journey to drive engagement and increase conversions. This customer-centric content can be used on social media and other channels like email, landing pages, or checkout pages.

Originality

Today, brands have to fight to be seen online and competition for audience attention is fierce. Buyers are more selective about the brands they interact with and purchase from. But no type of content is more authentic than UGC from your customers. 

86% of consumers are more likely to trust a brand that shares UGC, compared to 12% who are more likely to purchase a product promoted by an influencer. Don’t try to fake your user-generated posts or marketing campaigns. Audiences will quickly spot fake sentiment, which can damage your brand reputation. Instead, make sure your UGC always comes from one of three groups: your customers, your brand loyalists, or your employees. You can think of UGC as today’s word-of-mouth advertising; most people trust recommendations rather than direct ads.

Brand loyalty

People enjoy being a part of something bigger than themselves, and creating UGC allows them to become part of a brand’s community, which is crucial for increasing brand loyalty and affinity. UGC also sparks conversations between the brand and the consumer, and this level of brand engagement helps build and grow an engaged community. Sharing content aimed at the target audience also contributes to the development and deepening of target audience/business relationships, thus increasing brand loyalty.

Social proof

Remember when Fyre Festival was marketed as “an immersive music festival over two transformative weekends ,” but the event was actually just rain-soaked tents in a field with no electricity or food? This is why people don’t trust marketers or advertisers. In fact, only 32% of Americans have a “moderate amount” or “a great deal” of trust in the media, a record low since 2016.Brands need to work harder than ever to establish themselves as trustworthy. And social proof is one way to do that. Social proof is a psychological phenomenon that makes people want to do things that others like. UGC is a perfect example of this. When potential customers see that existing customers are happy with your product, they are psychologically more likely to try it themselves.

Content curation

UGC doesn’t have to be limited to social media marketing. UGC content can be used on other channels as well. For example, try adding UGC images to a cart abandonment email to encourage the potential buyer to make a purchase. You can also add user-generated content to key landing pages to help increase conversion rates. Calvin Klein even designed a landing page just for user-generated content .By showing real examples of how customers style their Calvins, shoppers can see how other consumers approve of the brand and how the products look on real people, rather than overly-coiffed models.

Cost effectiveness

The average cost of hiring an influencer can run into the millions of dollars. But what about the average cost of asking your customers to share posts about them enjoying your product? Almost nothing. UGC is a cost-effective way to scale your business and diversify your content, and you don’t need to invest in expensive ad agencies or flashy campaigns. UGC allows you to connect with the most important people in your business: your audience. Most of them will be thrilled to be on your channel. For smaller brands or startups, it is cheaper and easier to manage than investing in larger-scale brand awareness campaigns.

Increase Engagement and Conversions

UGC increases engagement and conversions throughout the customer journey. When real people share their positive experiences, it sparks an emotional response in potential customers, which can inspire them to take action.Here is a sample framework of how user-generated content helps with the five stages of the conversion journey:

Best UGC Tactics: 6 Tips for Cost-Effective Marketing

User-generated content is different from other types of content marketing because you have less control over the end result.However, you can still use the following tactics to drive your content and maximize your revenue.

1. Prioritize Relevant Content Channels

Identify the platforms where your ideal customers are most active. Then, you can encourage people to share UGC where it’s most likely to spark valuable engagement. To do this, consider your target audience and social media engagement metrics like follower count, clicks, comments, and shares. For example, if you work in a creative industry that targets people who enjoy visual content, Instagram and TikTok are ideal places to promote UGC.

As a B2B company, you’ll probably find that LinkedIn works better — especially if you have more followers there than anywhere else. Also consider industry-specific forums, blogs, and review sites. Platforms like Quora and Reddit can spark product-based conversations and help you build communities. Like this post about 

2. Set Goals for Your UGC Campaign

Set clear, measurable goals for your UGC campaign. These goals will guide your strategy (i.e. the types of content you promote) and help you measure results.

Examples of UGC goals include:

• Increase brand awareness
• Creating a highly engaged community
• Increase engagement among existing followers
• Drive more traffic to your website

Let’s say your goal is to increase brand awareness for your small business. You can aim to share 10 user-submitted stories about your product on social media channels. Then, track clicks and likes to measure effectiveness. If you want to increase website traffic, you can encourage users to share their views on your existing blog posts or visual content. And track the number of first-time visitors to your website to see if the tactic is working. When determining UGC targets, keep your broader marketing goals in mind. Ultimately, the tactic you choose should contribute to what you want to achieve with your content and social media strategies.

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3. Let Users Be Creative (and Keep the Barrier to Entry Low)

Don’t put too many restrictions or guidelines on UGC posts, or you’ll irritate users and limit engagement. The more creative freedom you offer, the more excitement you generate, and this helps you get original content from a variety of perspectives and experiences. For example, OnePlus’ #ShotOnOnePlus campaign encourages users to share their themed smartphone photos  on community forums . Creators from all over the world can participate regardless of their skill level, giving the brand a wide range of content to showcase the versatility of its product. Allowing free creativity in this way allows you to tap into your customers’ desire for self-expression. It’s important not to put limits on UGC, especially for companies targeting teens and young adults.

According to a report prepared by OCAD  University , 73% of Generation Z (born between the late 1990s and early 2010s) believe they need more self-expression to live a happy and healthy life. Additionally, a study by the New York Times found that 68% of social media users share content to give people a better idea of ​​who they are and what they care about. Therefore, enabling self-expression through UGC campaigns is a great way to increase online engagement.

4. Connect UGC Campaigns to Your Brand Story

Promote content relevant to your brand, product or industry:

• This idea will increase the likelihood of interacting more with your target customers, which will increase their chances of participating in the campaign.
• Your UGC will remain consistent with your other content campaigns so website visitors and social media followers get a consistent experience with your brand

For example, if your brand advocates for environmental sustainability, you can encourage users to submit stories or images about their eco-friendly practices or experiences.

Patagonia lets customers share stories of how their items were repaired through its Worn Wear service.

These experiences align perfectly with Patagonia’s stance on sustainability. In addition to spreading the word about the repair service (an added value for potential new customers), they allow followers to interact with like-minded people and feel part of a community.

5. Get Permission 

If someone posts content about your brand without prompting, ask for permission before reposting it on your social media accounts, website, or other marketing materials.

This will help you:

• Build trustworthy relationships with your followers
• Avoid copyright complaints
• Get the opportunity to invite more contributions

When asking, be honest about how you plan to use the content (for example, in an online ad or on a product page) so the user knows what to expect. If you are sure that their content will bring you profit, offer the creator a commission. You can add consent to the terms of participation in organized user-generated content initiatives such as giveaways. Then you don’t have to contact each person individually. When you ask your followers to share content using your branded hashtag or social media handle, their participation will be enough to get permission 

6. Measure and Improve Your UGC Strategy

By regularly analyzing the performance of your UGC campaigns, you will learn:

• Types of UGC (User Generated Content) your customers and followers love to contribute
• Best user-generated content to drive engagement (e.g. likes, comments, and shares)

Understanding these points will help you create campaigns that resonate with your audience (i.e., get a lot of engagement) and help you promote the types of content that work for your broader marketing efforts. For example, if you’re running a photo contest that’s generating a lot of interest in your brand, consider the most popular themes. You can create spin-off campaigns to keep the momentum going. If the submitted images are too low quality to use on your website, you can improve the entry conditions to filter out low-resolution images. You can also use the analytics features of your social media platforms for engagement metrics like likes, follows, shares, and comments. Share analytical insights with your marketing team to ensure the entire team benefits from the lessons learned.

How to make the most of user-generated content?

When thinking about how to use UGC in your marketing strategy, it’s important to define it as modern-day word-of-mouth marketing. People ultimately trust other people more than celebrities or brands themselves, so your content should come from 

real users.In this context, one thing to keep in mind before starting this section: Do not try to fake your user-generated content or campaign. Audiences can tell if it is fake, and this can seriously damage your brand reputation.Learn how to get the most out of user-generated content:

1: Encourage customers to actively share

According to Tintup, 50% of consumers want brands to guide them in creating content. Here are some ways to encourage customers:

• Start a trend, challenge, or contest: ELF Cosmetics worked with iLLWayno to create a song called ‘Eyes. Lips. Face,’ which has gained popularity on TikTok and reportedly spawned over five million user-generated videos. You may not be able to create a whole new song, but adding gamification through a contest or challenge is a great way to get your audience involved. 
• Create a hashtag and periodically remind customers of its existence: Urban Outfitters shares customer-generated content through the #UOCommunity hashtag, which is particularly popular on Instagram. The brand also creates content with its users and shares it on its dedicated community blog .

Instead of waiting for your customers to show off your products on social platforms, tell them exactly what kind of content you’re looking for and watch their creativity blossom.

2: Reward customers for sharing

The opportunity to be featured on a brand’s social media is a great incentive on its own, but a rewards system can accelerate engagement in UGC creation. Some brands don’t need to do much to acquire users – for example, Aritzia receives a lot of user-generated content thanks to its status as a brand for a certain archetype . For other brands, it may take more effort to get a user to share on social media. How: incentives, i.e. implementing a reward system to encourage more users to share.

There are many ways to reward customers; from 50% off codes to free concert tickets. Think about sustainable tactics that will work for your audience, your brand, and your budget. Fenty Beauty, for example, held a giveaway for its Fenty Parfum fragrance line and encouraged participants to create a video using a TikTok audio to win the product.

3: Get your entire staff involved in the fun

User-generated content (UGC) can go beyond just showing your product or service in use or highlighting a great review. If your goal is to be more authentic to your audience, don’t be afraid to get your employees involved in creating UGC.

After all, no one knows your product better than the people who work with it directly every day. Weber Shandwick argued that “33% of employees share messages, pictures or videos about their employers without any encouragement from their company, and that number increases to 50% with direct company encouragement . ”There are different ways to get employees to organically create content featuring your brand and products, including content about their work day or behind-the-scenes looks at what goes into the product creation process.

4: Take user-generated content beyond social sharing.

Instead of simply retweeting or reposting customer content, take it a step further by asking for permission to reuse people’s content in your marketing campaigns. Here are some ways to reuse UGC:

• Ads : Whether you’re creating ads on social media, search engines, or another format, use customer content to make your ads more authentic and relatable. You don’t always need an image or video; sometimes, a customer tweeting about your brand will suffice.
• Your website : Take your customer photos beyond social media by adding them to your website in a gallery format. Also, consider using customer content in product photos as a way to show what the product looks like when used by a “real” person.
• Email campaigns : Emails you share can provide another opportunity to highlight user-generated content and engage with your subscribers. Kai Collective periodically sends out an email showcasing customers’ UGC.

User-generated content doesn’t stop at images, videos, and tweets — product reviews and testimonials also count as UGC. Look for ways to implement these alternative formats as UGC. For example, Big Barker Dog Beds includes reviews from different platforms directly on its website.

5: Take the most critical steps to work with UGC (User Generated Content)

User-generated content can be valuable for your brand to engage with your audience, but you could be alienating your audience if you don’t follow some key steps.

• Make sure to ask for permission before using your customers’ content. Even if they’ve shared it on their own platform, they may not be open to sharing it on yours. Before sharing content created by a user, reach out to them in the comments, direct messages, or via email; this will provide a record of your approval in case any issues arise in the future.
• As a follow-up to asking for permission, always credit the original content. This shows that you respect them and that if they approve of you using their work, they will extend the same courtesy to others.
• Think of diversity as opportunity. Beyond simply sharing content from your users, you should also make sure that the content you reshare includes and highlights people from all walks of life.

Finally, user-generated content is a great form of social listening. Not only can you understand how customers view and use your products, but you can also track what the social trends are among your target audience and how you can keep up with them.

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5 great examples of user-generated content

Brands, regardless of size, use user-generated content to raise awareness, increase conversions and social engagement, expand their reach, and grow their business cost-effectively. Let’s take a look at some examples of brands that are using UGC well.

GoPro

Video equipment company GoPro uses UGC to sustain its YouTube channel, and three of its top videos were originally shot by its customers. As of March 2024, those three videos have been viewed more than 400 million times combined. Not bad for content that GoPro did nothing to produce. Ultimately, UGC has become so important to the company that they now host their own awards ceremony and daily photo contests to encourage their consumers to be creative 

CeraVe

After skincare influencer Hyram started talking about the CeraVe brand on social media, the products started selling out. This was before the brand and influencer had a business relationship — the creator was simply sharing their experience with the brand as a consumer. Even Google Trends confirms the influencer’s influence on the brand. After this video, Cerave Google Trends searches increased dramatically. While we can’t directly attribute the creator’s videos to this increase in searches for the brand, Hyram began sharing content about his preference for CeraVe in 2020 when searches began to increase.

According to WWD , CeraVe’s earned media value is up 128% from the previous year, with more than 2,300 influencers talking about CeraVe products. Marc Toulemonde, president of L’Oreal’s North American Active Cosmetics division, told CNN that the social media impact “definitely drives sales.”

 Vans’ “Customs”

Vans allows shoppers to design custom shoes and share their unique designs online. This allows people to be co-creators of their own products. The result is a stronger emotional bond between the brand and the buyer, resulting in organic word-of-mouth marketing and greater brand awareness. Users can showcase their creativity and individuality by sharing designs on social media, all while organically promoting the Vans brand. It’s a win-win situation. This type of product personalization is a popular strategy among fashion retailers, and for good reason. Other brands that use this type of user-generated content include Nike and Dr. Martens .

Slack’s “Customer Stories”

Slack offers Customer Stories to highlight how different teams and industries are benefiting from its collaboration software .These real use cases and testimonials prove the benefits of Slack and instill confidence by helping website visitors make purchasing decisions faster. Many companies publish case studies, but Slack is clearly ahead when it comes to including reviews, images, and video content from relevant businesses.

For example, in an article about financial services brand Stripe’s use of its “Shared Channels” feature , Slack adds extra weight to the story by including an organic tweet from the company’s CEO, Stewart Butterfield. The tweet (highlighted in the article snippet below) reads: “Indeed. Once we move to shared channels, I know a deal is on the way. We’re iterating fast, building trust, and getting all the right people involved. Excited for the future ? combining UGC with other marketing content (e.g. an original tweet from the Stripe CEO within a larger case study) can add authenticity to any promotional website content, making it less likely that readers will dismiss the content as biased.

OnePlus (#ShotOnOnePlus)

Tech company, OnePlus is asking its customers to share images and videos they take with OnePlus products on Instagram with the hashtag #ShotOnOnePlus. Through this campaign, the brand is collecting a wealth of original content that organically showcases the photography capabilities of its smartphone. 

User-generated content includes photos of people, plants, and landscapes, which are common among those interested in purchasing and using a smartphone camera. Organizing and promoting the #ShotOnOnePlus hashtag on Instagram provides the brand with the following benefits:

• A large library of high-quality UGC for social media platforms and website
• More visibility on one of the target audience’s most preferred social channels
• A loyal community of engaged creators who keep their forums and social media accounts buzzing with activity
• A way to demonstrate your product’s capabilities more convincingly than you could on your own

What started as a social media marketing campaign has become a key part of OnePlus’ broader content strategy, and includes UGC content in community and blog posts, as well as captions and other text. Here’s an example of how OnePlus is using existing UGC to get more contributions from its community :And here’s another example of using UGC in blog content: All this extra coverage gives extra momentum to the company’s UGC campaign, ensuring users continue to engage and support OnePlus’ marketing efforts. 

Incorporate UGC into Your Marketing Strategy

Now that you know how to do UGC, you can create a strategy for your brand. Real, consumer-generated content saves you money on marketing production costs and creates stronger, more profitable connections with your target audience. UGC always works best as part of a larger multi-channel marketing strategy. Learn how to create one from scratch with our Complete Marketing Strategy Guide and track great results with