What is User-generated Content?

User-generated content (UGC) helps brands turn consumer engagement into authentic marketing. Rather than being crafted by an agency or in-house creative team, UGC is an organic, unfiltered, word-of-mouth endorsement from a trusted peer. When done right, UGC marketing strategies can attract new customers, expand relationships with existing customers, and increase engagement and awareness of your brand. 

Whether you’re an aspiring creator looking to get into UGC or a brand owner figuring out how to freshen up your marketing strategy, this guide will help you understand how UGC, from customer reviews to photography and videography, can help you create authentic marketing content.

UGC: A brief history

UGC is any content created about brands by everyday people. It offers an authentic perspective on a product, free of marketing dollars, language, influence, or bias. 

Brands began using UGC in the 1990s to learn more about consumers. Around 2005, the term and UGC marketing strategies around it became widely used, thanks to the rise of early social media and social networks. 

Within a year, content created by real people, not brands, was taking center stage. And, in 2013, one of the most trusted data researchers, Nielsen, published a widely shared stat that 84% of consumers trust recommendations from peers over traditional advertising. A 2021 study by Nielsen showed that number at 88%.  

Today, most brands use a mix of user-generated product videos and official brand-authored content. UGC includes customer reviews, social media posts, and photos and videos of people exploring and enjoying products in their everyday lives. 

Benefits of UGC

User-generated content offers advantages for everyone. Brands benefit from word-of-mouth marketing, customers get recommendations from a source they trust, and content creators can build their reputation and audience.

For brands

As mentioned above, UGC helps brands reach customers through people they already trust.
A recent study by Nosto found that 60% of consumers say content from friends or family influences their purchase decisions, while just 23% say content from celebrities and influencers is impactful.

Whether it’s a product review, an Instagram post, or even a spontaneous comment on a blog post, UGC offers an unfiltered endorsement. 

Here are some of the top ways UGC benefits brands. 

• It positions brands as authentic, in touch, and listening to consumers' needs, a key factor in purchasing decisions.

• It demonstrates how a product or experience works.

• It helps brands reach new and wider audiences by engaging the audiences of trusted UGC creators.

• It helps brands engage with—and retain—existing customers by speaking to them authentically.

For customers

UGC helps customers understand a product and its benefits without feeling like they’re being manipulated by staged visuals or advertising language. This allows them to get product reviews and visual content created by a real person showing how a product works.

Here are a few ways that UGC content benefits customers: 

• It builds authenticity. UGC shows customers a real perspective on a product.

• It educates consumers. Like a recommendation from a friend rather than an advertisement, customers trust the evaluation of like-minded consumers. 

• It creates new uses and opportunities. UGC helps users understand how a product or experience works and how they can use it to enrich their lives.

For content creators

If you’re a photographer, videographer, or another type of content creator, UGC content is an opportunity to share your authentic voice and, over time, position yourself as an authority on a product, brand, or experience. And, just as brands may be drawn to your social following, it’s an opportunity to grow your audience by tapping into a brand’s wider community. 

Here are a few ways UGC can work for content creators.

• Build your portfolio and get in front of brands. If you’re an aspiring photographer or videographer, creating UGC content can open doors to work with brands on larger projects.

• Expand your reach. By engaging with a brand’s established community, you can expand your network and grow your followers.

• Get paid. For the right content, many brands pay or supply free products or discounts. You may get an affiliate link to earn commission from sales tied to your content.

While many of these benefits might sound like classic influencer marketing, the key difference is that as a UGC creator, you’re creating informational content, not just a promotional post.

Key types of UGC content

UGC shows up in content types created by everyday people. This includes blog posts, social media posts, photography and video content, and product reviews.

1. Unpaid vs. paid UGC

To better understand which approach is best for your brand, it’s helpful to look at UGC’s many formats in two main categories: paid and unpaid. 

Unpaid UGC

Unpaid UGC is content that users create about a product and share without receiving compensation. This could be anything from a photo to a review. It’s content that shows users engaging with your brand purely because they love it. It’s considered the truest and most organic form of UGC content because it reflects the creator’s authentic interest. 

You can use this content as real-world case studies to build trust with new customers and increase engagement and sales. If you go this route, get permission from the creator before sharing their content and acknowledge them wherever you use it.

Paid UGC

As you might expect, paid UGC is content users create in exchange for a fee, free or discounted products, and other incentives. 

Unlike unpaid UGC, paid UGC can give brands more control over the content they use for their campaigns, often establishing guidelines for creators or even setting a creative brief to ensure the content is on brand, in voice, and aligns with their goals.

2. Client reviews and testimonials

Positive client testimonials and product reviews serve as unsolicited case studies without the fluff of advertising language. Most importantly, they show tried and true value. 

Here are a few benefits of testimonial marketing. 

• Testimonials have no cost and appear more authentic to potential customers. 

• Client reviews show how real people are benefitting from your product or service.

• Testimonials demonstrate your brand’s credibility.

• Client reviews help you understand your product, how to improve it, and how to better market it. 

Build a request for reviews or testimonials into your customer or client workflows. You can automate a request by email or text in follow-up messages after a purchase or service. To maximize responses, make the process quick and easy: Keep requests brief, focus on their experience, and make sure you have their consent to share their feedback publicly.

Squarespace users can collect and display reviews for products in their store or use Squarespace plugins like Judge.me or HelpfulCrowd to create a comprehensive review section for their websites.

Read our guide to collecting client testimonials

3. Video and photography

UGC photography and video show a product, service, or even travel destination from the perspective of customers, fans, or anyone outside the brand. The quality ranges from realistic and less finished to highly polished, and stands apart from professional photography because it’s not commissioned. 

While stylized product photography and videography are important tools to show off your product and service, UGC photos and videos found “in the wild” can come across as more authentic and help you better connect with consumers. 

How to source UGC videos and photos

From social media campaigns and direct outreach to working with a UGC content platform or agency, there are many ways to find UGC content that works for your audience and brand. 

• Create and promote hashtags related to your brand or a specific product. For added visibility or incentive, consider running a contest on social media asking people to use the hashtag. Once you find the content you like, contact the creators to discuss permission or compensation. 

• Search existing hashtags related to your brand. Once you find creators sharing great on-brand content, reach out and start a conversation or comment on a post to build that relationship. You can also consider using these hashtags in your own content to get more eyes on it.

• Engage with your customers on social media. See who’s following you and what kind of content they’re sharing. Contact them directly for a testimonial, or see if they’ve already created content related to your brand that you can amplify. 

• Put out an open call: Make a post on your brand’s social profile asking followers to share content of them engaging with your brand. 

• Work with UGC platforms. With the rise of UGC content marketing, some platforms can now help you source, curate, and manage the process. 

However you source it, make sure you have permission from creators before using content in marketing or advertising campaigns. 

How to find the right UGC photos and videos

When sourcing UGC videos and photography, it’s important that the content feels authentic and showcases your brand, product, or service. Here are a few tips for selecting the right”content. 

• Authenticity is key. The crux of effective UGC is that users trust that it’s real, not produced. Avoid studio photography and videography that feels slick or staged. Content captured in a natural setting, showing a real experience performs best.

• Quality still reigns. While authenticity is most important, you still want to use images that have good lighting and are in focus.

• Brand relevance. Any content should match the personality and values of your brand,  and make your product or service identifiable. Otherwise, your message or product risks getting lost in the shuffle.

4. Blog content 

Another effective type of UGC is blog content: long or short-form stories, reviews, and articles that explore a product in detail. Like other types of UGC, it can offer an authentic perspective to help customers better understand a product or experience more thoroughly than a quick product review or social media post. Blog posts can also expand your audience if influential writers with large followings create them. 

Popular types of blog content that can help your UGC strategy include:

• Deep dives

• Product tutorials 

• Product roundups

• Produktbewertungen

How to source UGC blog content

Like other forms of UGC marketing, finding the right content on blogs is relatively straightforward and follows similar outreach steps. Many industries have product reviewers and roundups, but some have especially active communities, giving you more opportunities for visibility:

• Recipes and food

• Reisen

• Photography and gear

• Technology and AI

• Digitales Marketing

• Gesundheit und Fitness

• Pop culture and entertainment

Here are two tips for finding the right content on blogs: 

1. Do a quick Google search for blogs related to your brand, product, industry, or niche. If you find an existing blog post that mentions you or your product, contact the blogger to get permission to reuse it for marketing. 

2. Request content from relevant bloggers. This falls into a greyer area of paid UGC, but it can be useful to contact bloggers in your industry to introduce them to your brand and see if they’d be willing to create visual content, do a product review, or contribute a case study. Some may be willing to create content in exchange for a free product to test.

Key considerations for brands

Once you’re ready to start sourcing, requesting, and using user-generated content, these guidelines will help you take full advantage without a hitch. 

• Licensing and legal: Always ask for permission before you use any kind of UGC for marketing. It’s a best practice for a great working relationship with customers and creators and will help protect you and your brand from legal complaints. Working with a UGC platform can help.

• Goal-setting: Understand why you’re interested in UGC, and what you hope to accomplish. This will help you establish success metrics and build a UGC marketing strategy you can learn from.

• Brand voice and strategy: Before sourcing UGC, create a well-defined brand voice and strategy. This will help you stay focused and better understand the type of content and creators you need. 

• Clear guidelines and intentions: When reaching out to creators, be clear about what you’re looking for and how they can help. It’ll make them feel valued and ensure that the content you get fits your goals and brand.