User-generated content (UGC) is any content — photos, videos, reviews, or posts — created by real customers or community members rather than by a brand itself.
From social media posts to reviews on rating sites, the UGC in marketing strategy has become one of the most trusted means of advertising today. Brands gain credibility, boost engagement, and create a true chain of influence in the buyer’s journey.
UGC increases product page conversions by 161%, influences 79% of purchases, has a 4x higher CTR, increases engagement by 28%, and is perceived as 2.4x more authentic. — Influee
What is UGC? Types of User-Generated Content
The User Generated Content definition is related to a specific brand. It is, therefore, a type of spontaneous advertising. In digital media, this type of content is prevalent on social networks, product pages, communities and forums, as well as in emails and review sites.
Several types of user generated content can be found on different platforms.
| Photos / Videos | Tutorials, unboxing, usage, and durability tests. |
| Reviews / Ratings | Reviews on services like TripAdvisor, Google, and Amazon. |
| Social Media Posts | Engagement with hashtags, challenges, and trends. |
| Influencer Creators | It may or may not be sponsored by the brand, but in either case, it generates identification among consumers. |
Numerous strategies are outlined in the user-generated content definition, but these are undoubtedly the main ones!
UGC video content typically falls into three categories:
- Organic reviews and testimonials — unprompted videos posted to YouTube, TikTok, or Instagram Reels, where a customer shares their honest opinion. These carry the most perceived authenticity.
- Prompted or incentivized content — videos created in response to a brand campaign, a hashtag challenge, or a submission program. Brands retain more control over format and quality while keeping the authentic tone.
- Creator-style UGC — produced by individuals who shoot in a lo-fi, personal style specifically for brand use. This content is commissioned but filmed to look organic, making it well-suited for paid social placements where polished ads underperform.
Real-world Examples of User-Generated Content
As soon as brands realized the value of User-Generated Content advertising, they intensified their efforts to incentivize users like never before. Whether through rewards, engagement dynamics, or sponsorship, the success stories are countless!
Successful UGC content examples include:
- Coca-Cola: engagement campaigns with hashtags on social media.
- GoPro: users create videos of their adventures, and the brand reposts the best ones.
- Doritos: financial incentive for whoever creates the most creative online advertisement.
Note that the intention of these companies, in adopting a strategy that’s similar to the user-generated content examples, is precisely to highlight the brand’s presence in people’s lives. Not in a rigid or imposing way, but casually and authentically, where a sincere opinion is evoked.
Benefits of Using UGC in Your Marketing Strategy
In addition to the lower cost of campaigns with this type of content, there are several other benefits of user generated content. Among them, the most valuable currently are:
- Conversion: drives add-to-cart and purchase decisions.
- Engagement: people react more to real-life situations.
- Credibility of UGC: consumers trust the opinions of their friends and favorite influencers more than they trust advertisements.
- Scalability: your thousands or millions of users can be a rich source of real testimonials about your product.
- Loyalty: fans begin to feel part of the brand experience.
UGC for brands has become an indispensable practice for online interaction because it is now the content that proves that they deserve users’ trust. By showcasing real stories and situations, engagement with the brand increases, consequently boosting conversion rates and loyalty.
Therefore, regardless of the medium used, user-generated video content and other formats are increasingly relevant strategies today.
UGC vs. Influencer Content: What's the Difference?
These two terms are often conflated, but they describe fundamentally different content creation models.
- User-generated content originates from a customer’s genuine experience with a product. It may be created without any brand involvement at all, or in response to an open campaign. The creator is a consumer first.
- Influencer content is produced by individuals whose primary role is content creation. Even when an influencer is a genuine fan of a product, there is typically a commercial relationship — a fee, gifting, or affiliate arrangement — and the content is produced to a professional standard.
The distinction matters for strategy. UGC is most effective at the trust and conversion stages of the funnel because it mirrors a peer recommendation. Influencer content is stronger at awareness and reach, particularly when the influencer’s audience aligns with your target market.
“Corporate training videos are short films produced for internal use within an organization. The goal is to educate employees on new skills, company policies, compliance, safety procedures and more. Videos provide an engaging and effective way to train a distributed workforce.”
