WHAT IS UGC?

What is UGC? 

Let's face it, we're on our phones all the time. No matter your opinion on the digital landscape today, it's the reality of society. It's how we connect, discover, get inspired, kill time, and even shop.

The influence of user-generated content (UGC) on this digital landscape cannot be understated. It has completely changed how we consume content and buy products, and it has altered how brands engage with their followers and customers. UGC is photo and video content created by customers rather than by brands themselves. It's more authentic and tends to feel less like a traditional ad and more like a friend recommending a product.

In this blog, we’ll dive deeper into what user-generated content is, why it is important to integrate user-generated content within a business's marketing strategy, and how I personally utilize UGC and create content to fund my full-time nomad lifestyle!

Where Can You Find User-Generated Content?

Have you been convinced to purchase a product based on brand-specific content created not by the brand, but by a customer? AKA—someone else's genuine review of a brand or product—I know I have!

Or maybe you've seen a video of someone just like you using a product on their adventures, or in their skincare routine, or on a walk with their dog, and you've thought "Oh that's so cool, I need one." Well, you've just encountered user-created content, AKA customer content rather than a brand's own content.

Brands share user-generated content on various social media platforms (such as Instagram and TikTok), as ads on Facebook or other platforms, and other digital environments where users are encouraged to express their opinions, share their experiences, and contribute content. 

Note: Although UGC can also include customer photos, we will be focusing on videos in this blog. Videos are the main form of UGC and how brands and creators alike make the most money!

Importance of UGC in Today's Digital Landscape

User-generated content refers to visual content—videos and images—created by everyday users of products rather than brands. Instead of the cinematic feel created by expensive cameras, these videos have the relatable feel of a TikTok video or FaceTime call. They are shot and edited on a smartphone, sans fancy equipment.

This type of content is highly valued for its authenticity and is often used by businesses on their social media channels to engage their target audience, improve customer trust, and influence buying decisions. 

By showcasing these reviews and use cases, brands can demonstrate to potential buyers that their products relate to that buyer's life, problems, and desires. After all, we want to see REAL people use these products, not the marketing team that works for the brand lol.

Moreover, UGC can drive organic traffic to a brand's website and social pages when a photo or video is posted to their Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, YouTube, etc., as it encourages social proof and increases engagement by social media users. It can help the company encourage users to engage with them and create a vibrant community around their product or brand.

But customer engagement and loyalty through social media marketing aren't the only benefits of UGC. When harnessed in advertising, UGC can provide brands with a serious ROAS (return on ad spend). UGC ads are proven to be more effective and higher-converting than typical commercial-style ads.

The average ROAS for a non-UGC ad is around 2.8%, whereas the brands I've worked with to create UGC ads have seen an average of 4.9% ROAS on those videos! That's a 75% better return on their investment than an ad they would make in-house. That's WILD!

Imagine, a brand pays $1,000 for an ad that performs incredibly well for them. It runs for 6 months with $2,000 in ad spend behind the video every month. If they have a ROAS of 4:1 on that video, that means that over the course of running that ad for 6 months, they profited $35,000. Holy cow!

Brands can use simple analytics tools to track the performance of their UGC campaigns and gain valuable insights on how they perform. Talk about lucrative marketing efforts.

Is it starting to make sense why brands are starting to invest more and more into user-generated content for their social media and ads?! And why people are jumping at the opportunity of a lifetime to become UGC creators?!

Let's dive a little more into what makes user-generated content important.

Understanding User-Generated Content & Its Creators

So, what is UGC?

Well, UGC (User-generated content) has always been there, starting with simple photos on people's Instagram featuring one of their everyday products. Literally any photo you've taken or posted that has a brand in it is UGC (aka probably most photos in your camera roll). It then morphed into affiliate partnerships and brand ambassadors (sometimes also referred to as brand advocates) to help further brand social proof through a more organic marketing strategy.

Today, it has transformed from simply brand advocates into a more complex, creative industry. This evolution reflects the limitless creativity of consumer-generated content and the diverse ways in which they can share users' experiences and thoughts. Instead of low-quality photos and videos from just anyone who uses the product, brands can hire creators who are trained on how to make engaging videos!

Creators do this by receiving the product from the brand to try out, and then crafting a video that showcases the product in use in their life! It can be them talking to the camera giving a review, shots of the product in use with a voiceover of the features, or an integrated-style video that simply shows the product "out in the wild" so to speak.

But here's the thing: UGC creators are NOT influencers! They are just normal, everyday people reviewing products. They don't need to have a large social media following because UGC is not meant to be posted to their accounts—the brands do that part!

User-generated content is absolutely limitless when it comes to how the content is created, how the story is told by the user or consumer, and the ability to engage with people who share the same interests, demographics, and experiences.

Here are some examples of different types of user-generated content styles:

Common UGC Video Styles

Testimonial

Testimonials or reviews are often referred to as "talking head" videos, AKA it's someone talking directly to the camera! These are very low production, and aside from maybe a few different angles and captions, there's not much editing done to them. These are really as authentic as an ad can get!

Check out an example of a testimonial-style video I did for a brand:

Unboxing

This one's pretty self-explanatory. An unboxing UGC video is different angles and shots of someone unboxing a product and showing off its different features and uses. These often have text on screen that highlights the benefits, with some music in the background, or a voiceover of someone explaining the product to the brand's target audience.

Check out an example of an unboxing-style video I did for a brand:

Integration

This style of UGC video is probably one you've seen a lot of lately. It's kind of blown up on social media, as it's a great way for influencers to do brand partnerships for social media posts and share products with their audience in a genuine way.

Integration-style videos highlight a product in a video that otherwise wouldn't be thought of as an ad. Think: someone going on a camping trip and having a branded tent in the video, and they say a sentence or two about why they love and recommend that tent. It's simple yet effective for increasing brand awareness and building customer loyalty!

Check out an example of an integration-style video I did for a brand:

Trend

Trends are user-created videos that play on a current visual or audio trend on a social platform like TikTok or Instagram. These are a great way for a brand to relate to their target audience and potentially go viral!

Check out an example of a trend-style video I did for a brand:

The Power of Product UGC in Marketing

As brands weave UGC campaign strategies into their marketing and content, they are not only bringing more creativity to their brand's narrative but also increasing their engagement, trust, and sales.

The ultimate goal of a content strategy is to create a story, build relationships, foster brand loyalty, and sell products. Here is why user-generated content is so important in today's marketing strategies:

Authenticity and Trustworthiness

User-generated content, being that is created by real users, is viewed as more genuine compared to brand-generated content. As a UGC creator, you are an outside source who is not an employee of the brand, so you are creating content to give real, authentic feedback on the product you are reviewing. 

As a real consumer, you are able to use the products in real-life scenarios rather than a video shoot or pre-set scene that is overly produced.

Enhanced Engagement and Interactivity

It encourages more interaction with potential customers. Seeing others use and enjoy a product can act as social proof, compelling potential buyers to feel more confident in their purchase decisions. It aids brands in connecting with their broader audience on a more genuine level, leveraging real testimonials and experiences to enhance customer trust and influence purchasing decisions.

This can lead to fostering engagement as users interact more with the content by liking, commenting, and sharing.

Amplified Reach and Virality

As UGC content today is primarily focused on social media content, UGC has a higher chance of going viral, expanding its reach exponentially. UGC can expand the reach of a brand as it gets shared across other social channels. This extended reach can attract potential customers and encourage more interaction with the brand’s content.

Trends and integration-style videos are a great example of user-generated posts you probably see everyday on social media. Authentic experiences + trends = high chance of virality!

Cost-Effectiveness and Sustainability

It provides a low-cost method of content creation. Rather than a brand dedicating time and resources to create completely new content from scratch, businesses are able to scale their content needs by asking multiple UGC creators to submit content for them.

This also allows brands to continuously refresh their content by having various UGC creators complete different forms of content for them, whether it is long form, short form, or just photos.

Brands often spend thousands, sometimes tens of thousands, of dollars, filming in-house or hiring an agency or team to create highly produced ads. They can more than halve these costs, and as we saw above, actually get a larger ROI by hiring UGC creators instead.

Why User-Generated Content Matters for Businesses

As marketing efforts focus on bringing user-generated content to the forefront of brands' content strategies, it's important to understand the benefits associated with UGC as opposed to other content forms:

Build Brand Credibility and Trust

UGC helps build trust by showcasing real-life scenarios of real consumers using a brand's products. This content helps consumers visualize what the product would actually be like and how they would benefit from it if they were to purchase it themselves. It enhances the brand's reputation ten-fold!

Drive Conversions and Sales

It is proven that UGC influences purchasing decisions more effectively than traditional advertising. I mean, who would you rather trust: an overproduced and out-of-touch commercial or an iPhone video created by a consumer who has the same interests as you! 

UGC videos on average have a higher ROAS than ads produced in-house. Skilled UGC creators are able to marry their relatability with their knowledge of the industry to create videos that not just feel authentic, but also have elements of a good ad weaved throughout it: a great hook, story, and CTA.

Differentiate from Competitors and Stand Out in a Crowded Market

UGC strategy helps build brand reputation in a saturated market. Creating content to publish on brands' different platforms allows the brand to continue to grow its presence and social proof and stand out from other brands. Which brand would stand out to you more? One that has a feed full of customer reviews and use-cases for their product, or one that has only stock photos and brand photos plastered on their Instagram? I know which one I would follow and enjoy more.

How I Create UGC As A Digital Nomad

BTW...I'm Maddy! I am a UGC creator and coach who started creating UGC to sustain my full-time travel lifestyle. Since I started UGC creation, I have made over six figures with UGC, all while working part-time. And I want to share with others what UGC is and how they can also do the same.

For all my future UGC creators, be sure to check out my blog, 'How to become a UGC creator in 2024' for a detailed how-to!

I seamlessly integrate my passion for adventure with the type of user-generated content I create. As a content creator whose focus is on the outdoor lifestyle, this gives me the perfect backdrop to film content for products and brands that I use on my day-to-day, especially for my travels when living in my van full-time.

It actually is the most perfect set-up I could have asked for—filming user-generated content on my travels, with travel & outdoor-focused products, to fund my travel lifestyle :)

I’m all about partnering with brands that align with my adventurous spirit and create content in various outdoor settings. Brands value this perspective as I’m not only filming in the outdoors but I’m also giving an authentic experience on how I would use their products, showcasing their effectiveness in real-world scenarios.

Not only do I help awesome brands make a sh*t ton of money, but I also make good money doing it! On average, I work 15 hours per week on UGC and make anywhere from $5k-$8k/month. That's a full-time income working part-time! Absolutely WILD!

Travel User-Generated Content for Hotels, Airbnb, and Tourism Boards

Brands and products are not the only ones in need of UGC marketing materials. Travel stays and experiences such as Airbnbs, hotels, tour companies, tourism boards, and restaurants utilize UGC for their social media and ads!

Travel experiences, accommodations, and local tours also benefit immensely from UGC, because let's face it, we'd be more inclined to stay somewhere if we see it from the perspective of someone who actually books a stay rather than stock photos on their site! These destinations and services increasingly rely on user content when building marketing campaigns to attract visitors and build their reputation.

When it comes to planning trips, social media is such a great resource when I'm trying to find the next best place to plan a vacation.

UGC creators like myself are often compensated with free trips, and sometimes even paid, to showcase these experiences, providing a win-win scenario for both parties. I get a free or paid vacation, and they get a few videos for their social media platforms, listings, or ads!

Companies and tourism boards sometimes offer to fly you out, cover all accommodations, and pay YOU to stay with them! 

Anyone can get started with landing UGC deals for stays by building a UGC portfolio with stays you have done in the past. You probably have content from your last few vacations that you could turn into a few video examples! By putting together various videos and photos from past trips, travel experiences and stays that you reach out to are able to see how you perhaps may showcase a stay with them.

If you're looking for a lucrative, fun content creation career, you can review travel stays while fulfilling your dreams of traveling the world! Being a UGC creator for travel stays could be just for you! There have been so many places I would have never gotten the chance to visit if I was not offered a travel UGC opportunity.

Conclusion

User-generated content is more than just a digital trend; it's a fundamental shift in how content is created and consumed. My journey as a UGC content creator not only underscores the importance of this content form but also illustrates its vast potential for brands and creators alike.

As the digital landscape continues to evolve, UGC will undoubtedly play a pivotal role in shaping online communities and shopping, driven by authentic experiences and genuine interactions.

Take Your UGC Skills to the Next Level

If you're looking for a comprehensive program to guide you through your journey to becoming a successful UGC creator, consider joining my UGC Accelerator. In this three-month program, you'll receive in-depth training, personalized feedback, and valuable resources to help you start creating UGC, land paid deals, and maximize your UGC potential. You'll create a compelling portfolio, craft great pitches, set your rates, study industry trends, learn how to discover direct email contacts for brands, and send over 500 pitch emails!

Over 100 other UGC creators have gone through the UGC Accelerator already and secured tens of thousands of dollars worth of brand deals!!

Using The Strategies In This Program…

• Emma landed a $1,200 deal for 1 video in her first month

• Chelsea landed a deal with her favorite hiking pants brand

• Jordan signed multiple 3-month contracts so she doesn't have to worry about pitching while she's traveling this spring

• Ken landed a $550 deal for a product he gets to shoot content with while hiking and skiing

• Katie got over $4,000 worth of free gear for her van build
• Jennefer signed her first 4-figure contract

• And SO many more wins from other students

So, are you ready to join them and start getting paid to create content, travel, and spend more time doing the things you love? Join these other creators, and let's get you your first paid brand deals! Join the UGC Accelerator here.

Contact Me

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