Why this matters?

The challenge for most teams is knowing which ones are working in their specific niche right now and producing enough variations to find out.

data to strengthen point: UGC-enabled websites see 161% higher conversions, and ads featuring UGC generate 5x higher click-through rates.

6 in 10 consumers believe that user-generated content (UGC) represents the most authentic form of marketing content – Billo

UGC influences the purchase choices of 70% of Gen Z and 78% of Millennials

93% of marketers who use UGC in marketing campaigns, say that it performs significantly better than traditional branded content

User-generated content (UGC) works because it provides authentic, trustworthy social proof that resonates more with consumers than traditional advertising, with 85% of consumers finding it more influential. By showcasing real people, raw experiences, and honest reviews, UGC builds brand loyalty and increases conversions

Key Reasons Why UGC Works:
Unmatched Authenticity and Trust: Consumers are skeptical of polished ads. UGC feels raw and honest because it comes from everyday users rather than corporate marketing teams. Studies show 81% of consumers trust UGC more than branded content.
Powerful Social Proof: People trust people. When potential customers see others enjoying a product, it validates their purchasing decision and lowers the risk of buyer's remorse.
High Engagement Rates: Content created by consumers often leads to higher interaction. UGC generates on average 16x higher engagement than brand-posted content, making it effective for building online communities and brand loyalty.
Relatability and Representation: UGC shows products in real-world scenarios, helping potential buyers visualize themselves using the product, which is particularly effective in e-commerce.
Increased Reach and Cost-Effectiveness: Encouraging users to share content (e.g., via branded hashtags) creates viral potential and a steady, cost-effective stream of marketing materials.
Forbes
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Types of UGC That Drive Results:
Customer Reviews/Testimonials: Builds credibility.
Social Media Posts/Videos: Creates relatability (e.g., TikTok, Instagram reels).
Unboxing/Product Tutorials: Demonstrates functionality

Why User-Generated Content Is Winning
Have you ever purchased a pair of sneakers from an Instagram store and posted a picture on your social media account or unboxed a new iPhone on a live stream? Whether or not you know it, both are examples of user-generated content, also known as UGC or consumer-generated content.

What is UGC?
UGC is original content related to a product or service that is created by individuals and not by the brand itself. UGC comes in many forms, including social media updates, reviews, blog posts, videos and podcasts. It can also be shared by customers through unboxing videos, Q&A forums or photos that flaunt their purchases. Brand loyalists are another ripe source of UGC, as they are already passionate about a brand and are established advocates within its community.

PROMOTED

Why is user-generated content important to brands?
Now that we’ve defined UGC, it’s essential to understand why it is important for brands in the digital age. Consumer-created content is influential because it comes from a third party. Hootsuite sums it up well: “UGC gives customers a unique opportunity to participate in a brand’s growth instead of being a spectator. This influences brand loyalty and affinity in a big way because people thrive off being part of something greater than themselves, and creating UGC allows them to be part of a brand’s community.”

UGC is authentic and more experience-driven than brand-pushed content because no fabrication, embellishment or Photoshop is involved. Instead, it acts as the modern form of word-of-mouth advertising, which has always played a significant role in consumer purchasing decisions. But what are the specific benefits of UGC?

1. Social Proof That Influences The Buyer’s Journey

Social proof is the validation prospective buyers need and existing customers provide about a product or service. Put simply, social proof is someone else’s stamp of approval. People trust people, not marketers, and consumers turn to UGC as they would their friends, family or a professional network.

As such, UGC builds consumer confidence. It is an incredibly effective way for a brand to influence its audience and convert them into buyers. When your audience sees people just like them wearing or using a product, it feels more relatable and helps influence them to purchase. A Stackla survey reported, “On average, 60% of consumers say content from a friend or family member influences their purchases decisions.”

2. Unlimited Authentic And Unfiltered Content

Brands embracing UGC signal to others that they are open to two-way conversations that can establish deeper relationships with consumers. Sugar Factory is one such brand and has become known as one of the most Instagrammed restaurants in America because of it. Sugar Factory’s partner Tom Recine explains, “Pretty much every single table will have their camera out because they see something they think is fantastic.” Through their eye-catching, highly Instagrammable approach, this brand is, essentially, giving consumers no-pressure reasons to advertise for them. Traditional advertising can’t compete with UGC—and there are unlimited ways to encourage consumers to generate their own content.

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3. A Humanized Approach

Humans have an innate desire to belong. UGC fosters this sense of belonging by building a community around shared interests that welcomes individual voices. This community can produce buzz straight from the consumer’s mouth and get everyone talking. When consumers hear and see others elated over a product or service, they want to take part in the burgeoning moment of demand. The desire to partake generates diverse and creative content that increases web traffic, user engagement, brand exposure and conversion.

How do brands acquire and use UGC?
Most of the time, UGC can be sourced online by searching hashtags or uncovering content in which your brand is tagged or mentioned. For a more concerted effort, you can invite users to submit content by launching giveaways, contests or campaigns with branded hashtags that encourage participation. On a smaller scale, you can pose questions in the captions of your brand's posts to prompt engagement from followers.

Regardless of the path taken, a brand must always secure permission before reposting or using content from others. This can be done in the form of a direct message or email with the creator verifying that they give your brand permission to repost their content. While UGC is not traditionally formalized, brands must operate from a place of integrity to ensure no lines are crossed when obtaining content created by consumers.

Once the content is secured and best practices are followed, brands can use UGC online or in their stores. Reposting content that consumers are making is a way to humanize your brand and instill trust in your consumers. By seeing UGC on social media, consumers can further relate to the products and services they are purchasing. Many brands choose to display UGC on checkout or product pages to incentivize buyers. It can also be leveraged for email marketing to endorse a product or service through the recommendation of others.

In today’s fiercely competitive online landscape, brands benefit from the sentiments, reviews and attention their customers provide. It’s the proof brands need to know their customers love what they offer and the proof consumers need to become customers of a brand. This value proposition of UGC and its power to drive conversions and increase purchase intention make it a prime choice for marketers.

User-Generated Content: What It Is, Why It Matters, and How to Add It to Your Strategy
Learn all about user-generated content — what it is, why you should use it, and how to leverage it in your marketing channels

While scrolling on my Instagram feed, I saw a post about a gorgeous planter in my friend’s post. Within minutes, I was asking about the brand and placing my own order.

That’s a classic example of how authentic user-generated content (UGC) works. It’s an organic post about a brand and its products on social media platforms — created by real and relatable customers rather than the brand itself.

In this article, I’ll walk you through everything you need to know about user-generated content — including ways to use it in your social media marketing strategy.

Jump to a section:
What is UGC?
Types of user-generated content
Why should you use UGC in your social media strategy?
How to integrate user-generated content into your marketing strategy
7 great examples of user-generated content
What is UGC?
User-generated content is brand-specific content is brand-specific content social media users share on their own accounts. The user content is authentic and untainted by the business’ own input. Brands usually reshare UGC on their own social media channels (with permission!).

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For example, at Buffer, we shared this customer review as an Instagram post — it’s the perfect example of user-generated content.


At its core, user-generated content is the digital version of word-of-mouth marketing. However, UGC isn’t as straightforward.

For starters, UGC isn’t as out of your control as word-of-mouth marketing. It’s not reliant on organic content alone to do the work. As a brand, you can integrate UGC into your broader digital marketing strategy to attract new customers.

You can even hire UGC creators to create authentic and relatable content for you when you’re new in business and don’t have many customers or customer feedback. Let’s cover the two types of user-generated content in the next section.

Types of user-generated content
There are two main types of user-generated content: organic and paid.

Organic user-generated content is consumer-generated content, aka your existing customers create it at no cost. Buyers share social media posts about your brand freely, without asking. This can be photos, reviews, or videos of your customers using your products.
Paid user-generated content is when you incentivize UGC creators to create content for you with the authenticity of a customer — meaning no false praises or sales pitches. Jenna Libman is a great example of one such creator.
The core difference between organic UGC and paid UGC is the incentive. Organic UGC is unpaid because customers post voluntarily. UGC creators charge for their skills. So, isn’t paid UGC the same as influencer-generated content? Not quite.

Influencers typically have a larger (and more niche) audience than UGC creators. When you practice influencer marketing, your aim is to reach a new segment of your future audience (the creator’s followers). You pay influencers for their influence — they have developed an online community that trusts them. You seek to borrow that trust by partnering with them.
UGC creators don’t need to have a large or niche audience. You pay them for their content creation skills. As a brand, you’ll want to post content they create on your own social media accounts.
While these are the two main types of user-generated content, you can also divide UGC based on content type. The brand Lili Origin often uses all these types — I’ll share their examples to help you understand how your company can use various types of valuable user generated content across your marketing channels.

Customer testimonials
Customer testimonials are a powerful form of user-generated content. They aren’t just original, they also signal social proof. You can gather these testimonials from review sites, DMs, email, or any other channel your buyers use to share their feedback.

With explicit permission, you can convert testimonials to visual content by taking a screenshot of online reviews and posting them on social media platforms — like Lili Origin did in their Instagram Stories.

You can also embed these customer feedback snippets across your product pages.

Two Instagram Story screenshots showing DMs with positive customer feedback about products, used as user generated content to showcase real customer reviews and testimonials on Instagram.
Customer photos
Photos are a type of UGC when a customer uses your product and snaps a picture with it. You can reshare these customer photos as social media posts across multiple platforms and also add them to product pages (so potential customers can see how your product looks on an actual customer).

A pro tip: Add some context to the photo and use the UGC to increase brand awareness.

Lili Origin often reshares its customers’ Instagram Stories, where buyers flaunt the brand’s products. They also add a link to the product in the picture so their followers can find it easily (instead of scouring their website).

Instagram Stories featuring user generated content where customers showcase their earrings — one wearing dainty pearl drops and another showing hanging flower earrings — tagged to the jewelry brand.
Customer video content
Video UGC is a video related to your product — whether that’s a detailed review, walkthrough, or a haul. Lili Origin shared a creator’s haul of multiple products on their website on their own account.


Blog posts or comments
Blog posts about your product or buyer comments are similar to reviews. You can screenshot mentions across the web (whether that’s in a blog post, Reddit, or in an online community) and share them as UGC content on social media platforms.

Make sure to get permission to reshare reviews, especially when you’re screenshotting content from a private community.

All of the above UGC types can be organic or paid — it depends on how your UGC strategy fits into your overall marketing campaigns.

Before we discuss how you can integrate user-generated content into your brand’s social media strategy, let’s address why UGC content is excellent in the first place.

Why should you use UGC in your social media strategy?
Running UGC campaigns sounds like a lot of effort: tracking all user-generated content, interacting with your audience, resharing it with added context, etc. Why do all that when you can just create branded content or partner with influencers? Here are five reasons that show the value of user-generated content:

1. User-generated content is more authentic
Authenticity has become somewhat of a buzzword online. But the fact is, consumers are more marketing-aware than ever before. They will often tune out of your traditional ads — whether that’s high-resolution branded content or paid partnerships.

In this marketing fog, user-generated posts shine because of their authenticity. They don’t appear salesy. Why else would 85% of consumers say they rely on user-generated content before making a purchase?

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Note: Don’t strip your user-generated content of its authenticity when resharing it. Keep it real and relatable by relying on creators and customers who are true brand loyalists.
2. User-generated content builds your social proof
User-generated content is a trust builder because it comes from your existing customers. It’s powerful when someone buys your product and likes it enough to share it on social media.

It’s not just me who believes it: Massive’s research has found 81% of consumers find user-generated content more trustworthy than professionally created branded content or content from influencers.

When people see someone like them using your products and speaking positively about it — the very core of user-generated content — positive brand sentiment soars.

3. User-generated content boosts brand loyalty
Tint’s latest report found 77% of consumers wish their favorite brands had a community.

And user-generated content is like a mini community-building exercise. It increases customer engagement by providing a space for your buyers to interact and share the content they create.

This further strengthens your connection and lays the foundation of a strong social media community.

When you use user-generated content to deepen relationships and drive community engagement, you also lay the seeds for generating more user-generated content and driving sales.

82% of customers are more likely to purchase new products varieties because they engage with it through the brand’s community
91% of consumers are more likely to leave a review because they belong to a community
Talk about a win-win.

4. User-generated content can spark content ideas
You can not only share user-generated content to fill your content calendar (with relevant content!) and meet the ideal posts’ frequency across social media channels, but also use the customer content as a treasure trove of ideas and product feedback.

Do buyers often share a use case you don’t speak to in your content marketing efforts? Are reviews frequently highlighting a feature that should be more prominent in your landing page copy? All these are audience insights you can use from an impeccable source: true brand loyalists.

5. User-generated content is cost-effective
If you’re relying on your brand ambassadors or current buyers for creating UGC, you don’t (usually) have to pay them anything to post about your brand.

And even if you have to share some incentives (like an exclusive discount code or a free product), they're a small price compared to traditional advertising costs.

Now that you’re convinced of the value of user-generated content, the next section will help you formulate a strategy to collect, organize, and use it.

How to integrate user-generated content into your marketing strategy
When you’re looking to layer a UGC marketing into your social media strategy, you need systems for three things:

Encouraging your target audience to share UGC
Collecting and organizing UGC within your marketing systems
Using user-generated content created by customers and creators effectively
Let’s cover each one by one.

How to encourage customers to create user-generated content
It'd be so easy if customers automatically shared relevant content about your brand. But that’s not how it works — your target audience needs some encouragement and incentives to create UGC for you. Here are a few ideas:

Guide customers to create user-generated content
Your customers might not think about posting about your brand unless you plant the idea in their heads.

Nudge customers to share how they use your product in your order delivery or marketing emails — be as specific as possible and share exactly what kind of content you expect.

You can also encourage users on social media to create and submit their contributions if they use your product.

The iconic #ShareACoke campaign, for example, asked customers to share their personalized Coca-Cola cans and bottles.

Reward customers for creating user-generated content
Guiding your customers on how to create UGC for your brand is helpful. But giving them a little treat for it is going the extra mile.

Incentivizing customers will not only boost the quantity of user-generated content you receive, but also increase brand loyalty.

You can run giveaways or challenges to encourage customers to participate and share user-generated content on social media.

Domino’s old #PieceofthePieContest is a classic example of how to run challenges to open the floodgates for user-generated content — but you don’t have to offer a $10,000 cash prize.


You can offer exclusive access to new product lines, free merch, discounts, or anything your customers would appreciate.

Encourage team members to create user-generated content
Who knows your product better than the people who helped create it? Ask your team members to post authentic content about your product using their own social channels.

As with your customers, be clear about your expectations and reward teammates for taking the time to create user-generated content.

The best part about team-driven UGC is that your team members are your best brand advocates — they know the ins and outs of your company, what you stand for, and your brand voice.


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Learn more about we’re doing this at Buffer: How We’re Empowering the Entire Buffer Team to Become Creators
How to collect and organize user-generated content
It’s easy to keep your UGC library organized when you’re getting only a handful of pieces of content. But what happens when (hopefully!) your UGC library grows — with content from customers, brand ambassadors, teammates, and creators?

The good news: It’s an excellent problem to have. The better news: you can easily solve it by setting up smooth systems to track, organize, and sort user-generated content.

Ask everyone to submit UGC posts using a form
Set up a form to collect user-generated content using tools like Airtable, Notion, or Typeform for your team members, creators, and brand ambassadors.

You can even ask customers to fill out a form if you’re running a contest. This will allow you to collect all user-generated content in one place rather than having it scattered across social channels.

What about customers freely sharing UGC? You don’t want to make them go through the clunky process of filling out a form. Encourage them to use a branded hashtag instead so you can easily collect all user-generated content.

You can take this a step further by using social listening tools to spot content about your brand in the wild.

Set up an integration to store the saved UGC posts in your marketing tools
Integrations can be a lifesaver when it comes to saving time and reducing manual work. If you use Buffer for social media management, you can automatically ensure all the posts submitted via the form appear in your Create space (as post ideas) or drafts.

Illustration of an Instagram post by a ceramics brand tagged as a “Product Drop,” showing a fall-themed caption about vases with tags like Seasonal and Shop — representing organized social media content tagging.
Seek permission as soon as you tag UGC
As soon as you mark a UGC post, send a quick DM, comment, or email to ask the creator if you can reuse their content, and be sure to credit them. Keep the written “yes” on file.

Do you need to ask for permission even for a public post? Yes, every post you see online — public or private — belongs to the original creator. Using someone’s social posts without permission can not only have legal consequences, but also tarnish your brand reputation.

And it isn’t as tedious as it sounds: Using Zapier, you could set up an integration between Buffer, Google Forms (or your form tool of choice), and Gmail (or your preferred email tool).

Screenshot showing an automation setup connecting Buffer and Google Forms, where a new form response triggers the creation of an idea in Buffer — illustrating workflow automation and integration.
As soon as you receive a new form response, the integration will automatically create a new idea in your Create space in Buffer.

Here’s how the sequence might look:

A customer submits a UGC post via a form.
Their submission is automatically added to your Create space as an idea.
You tag the idea as "user-generated content."
A draft is automatically created in Gmail to ask permission to use the UGC post on your own social media accounts.
How to use UGC in your marketing strategy
You’ve encouraged your target audience to share brand-centric content. You’ve even set up the systems to organize it. What next?

Use UGC across different marketing channels
UGC is great for social integration, but it isn’t limited to that.

You can use UGC in multiple places within your marketing strategy — such as product pages, company newsletters, content marketing, and even ads.

Add context to your UGC
Instead of simply resharing UGC, add more context to it for future buyers.

This could mean mentioning the product links your customer is reviewing, or explaining “see how ABC customer uses this product” on your landing pages.

Measure the impact of UGC
If you’re running dedicated user-generated campaigns (like branded hashtags, contests, giveaways), measure their performance over influencer marketing and branded content.

If they get better results (more engagement, higher click-through rates), it’s a positive sign to double down on them. If they’re performing below average, you can dissect why — maybe you’re sharing them at the wrong time or need to add more context.

Now you’ve learned how to create your own UGC strategy. But before you dive into the practical aspect, look at how other brands like yours run user-generated campaigns successfully.

7 great examples of user-generated content
All types of businesses use UGC to generate buzz about their products and create more authentic content. Here are seven of our favorite examples:

1. Alpenglow
This example comes from our own team! Our staff engineer at Buffer, Andy Yates, worked on an app called Alpenglow (among many others).

The app allows users to check sunrise and sunset forecasts for the perfect light quality for shooting photos, and in 2021, it went viral on TikTok thanks to a user’s video showing how the app works.

@bea_carpio_
Espero no ser la unica mega friki de los atardecer así que pls no me ignoreis #sunset #atardecer #españa #spain #lentejas

♬ Into Your Arms (feat. Ava Max) - Witt Lowry
Andy also kindly allowed us to share some statistics on UGC effectiveness through a graph showing significant spikes around the time the user first published the video in July 2021.

Dark-themed analytics dashboard showing website traffic metrics — 1.8M unique visitors, 5.6M total pageviews, 48% bounce rate, and 45s visit duration — with a traffic spike in July followed by gradual decline.
The app also saw an increase in monthly recurring revenue (MRR) when the video went viral in July. The graph below shows that revenue rose sharply to just over $1,200 sometime in that month, up from $200 earlier that year.

Line graph showing steady revenue growth from March to August 2021, with earnings rising from around $200 to over $1,200 — indicating a sharp increase in mid-July before plateauing slightly.
Since then, over 2,000 user-created videos have been posted on the Alpenglow TikTok hashtag — pretty incredible reach for organic UGC.

Alpenglow was a side project for Andy, but that one user’s video helped the app grow significantly.

2. Capable Method
Capable Method is an online fitness studio founded by creator Adriana Blanc. On her Instagram account, Blanc often shares client transformations and stories as social proof of how her program improves her customers' health.


This post alone had over 100+ likes (and a lovely comment from the client herself!). Blanc also frequently shares her clients’ messages on her Instagram Stories.

Instagram Story featuring user generated content — a testimonial from a community member praising a fitness creator’s compassionate approach to exercise, shared alongside a sign-up countdown and call-to-action button.
If you’re a founder with a personal brand, share UGC on your own account, too. This will increase their impact and spread the message wider.

3. Casely
Casely is a company that sells phone accessories and covers. They run UGC campaigns that share authentic customer reviews across their YouTube channel.


It’s worth noting that these review series often get more views on their YouTube channel compared to other types of content. Another example of how audience engagement is higher with authentic UGC.

4. GoodRx
GoodRx is a healthcare company that sells medications via its app and website. They asked their customers to share why they love GoodRx and compiled the video to share on their YouTube channel.


This video got over 50,000 views, and the company also remained authentic by disclosing that they compensated the customers for their appearance.

GoodRx has an impeccable UGC strategy where they also create in-depth case studies on specific customers for their marketing content — showing their impact in the best possible way.


5. Dove
Dove has always been big on customer stories — which makes for A+ user-generated content. Take their “Dove hair stories” social media series:


The series not only educates Dove's audience about their product and its benefits, but is also sentimental and relatable to many customers. Each video in this series has at least 10,000 views, with the highest count going over 100,000. 🤯

If your brand is planning a user-generated campaign, take a page from Dove’s book and keep it aligned with your brand identity and values — it’ll make the posts much more you, in the best way possible.

6. Fix My Curls
Fix My Curls is a curly hair care brand selling all kinds of products for people with curly hair. They frequently use their Instagram feed to reshare posts from their customers.


Fix My Curls always adds its own cheeky Instagram caption to the post and credits the original creator/customer. This allows them to add more details about their products without compromising the originality of the UGC.

7. Aavia
Aavia is a period tracker app with a strong Instagram presence. The company regularly shares Instagram carousels from its community of customers who love the app.


Social proof is an integral part of the company’s Instagram strategy — as evidenced by its frequent sharing of customer reviews. I love that they also often resurface these posts by sharing them on their Instagram Stories.

Instagram Story featuring user generated content — a testimonial post from an Aavia app user describing how the app helps track moods and hormonal phases, reshared with a “Join the community” call-to-action button.
Let your customers do the talking
Once you get the UGC flywheel running, it’s like a shortcut for creating relevant, original content at minimal cost. The important thing is not just having products people would want to rave about, but also offering value to entice your customers to speak up.

And once that happens, you’re all set! Use Buffer to set up not just strong UGC systems, but also a thorough social media management workflow. From scheduling posts, saving UGC, responding to customers, to analyzing posts — we’ve got it all under one roof. Start with a free plan today.

Why user-generated content marketing is so effective

hen it comes to user-generated content marketing, we’ve already covered the “what” in a separate article. And we’ve extensively covered the “how” as have many others. But no-one ever asks the “why” behind user-generated content marketing.

Why does it perform so much better than other content, and deliver such a high ROI for brands and retailers? Let’s find out.

Chapters:

The psychology behind user-generated content marketing
Marketing psychology: Why people share user-generated content
Why user-generated content marketing works
How brands are using user-generated content in their marketing
Turn customers into advocates with user-generated content marketing
When it comes to user-generated content marketing, we could spend hours on the “how.” Say how 53% of shoppers say it makes them more confident in their purchase decisions than professional photography, and another 40% say it makes them more likely to buy from an ad, according to our global survey.

The majority (86%) of marketing leaders employ user-generated content and use it to engage with potential customers, according to Semrush. That’s because it taps into marketing psychology and therefore delivers on what consumers want.

user-generated content marketing
How user-generated content marketing drives measurable results. Source: Finding your ideal UGC provider
85% of consumers find user-generated content to be more authentic and more influential than content made by brands. And it’s five times more likely to convert compared with brand-created content.

But why is this the case? Why does user-generated content marketing work so well for brands?

The psychology behind user-generated content marketing
While we know that user-generated content marketing increases customer loyalty, engagement, and sales, what’s less understood is the “why” behind it. Why is UGC so effective? And what motivates consumers to create it and share it?

You probably can’t think of Tito’s Vodka without also thinking of man’s best friend. Because Tito’s is the “vodka for dog people.”

After the launch of its branded dog bandanas and chew toys, Tito’s invited customers to share pics of their doggos and puppers alongside homemade cocktails as part of its user-generated content marketing campaign. And it was a brilliant marketing psychology move.

The canine-centric campaign effectively tapped into people’s emotional connection with their pets and exploited psychological principles like shared identity. But the real component behind the brand’s success is its expert use of user-generated content.

user-generated content marketing
Understanding the psychology behind UGC will not only help your brand employ this type of content more successfully, just like Tito’s. It’ll also provide key insights into your audience and help you inspire customers to create UGC and share it more often.

Marketing psychology: Why people share user-generated content
Here’s five key reasons why people share content online to help your brand tap into marketing psychology and make the most of its user-generated content.

The takeaway: Create content that’ll make your audience’s lives — as well as their followers’ lives — better in some way, and watch the retweets and shares pile up.

To reflect their identity. We support the brands that reflect who we are or who we want to be, and social media users create user-generated content about brands they identify with, support, or aspire to be like. So, it’s no surprise that 68% of people say they share content to build an “idealized online persona.l
To make and maintain a community. If you’ve texted a product page to a co-worker, shared a recipe with a family member, created a TikTok, forwarded a newsletter, or tagged a friend in an Instagram post, you’ve made a connection. 78% of people say they share content to stay in touch, and user-generated content marketing is simply another way we get in touch — both with the brands we love and their other supporters
To feel engaged. Sharing with others brings us joy, so we can’t help but do it. As the New York Times Customer Insight Group puts it, “Consumers enjoy content more when they share it, and that they enjoy content more when it is shared with them”
To Improve others’ lives. UGC works because it’s authentic. We genuinely want to tell our communities about a moisturizer that revolutionized our skincare routine or new shoes that make running a breeze. A massive 94% of people share content because they believe it will enhance the lives of their audience
To show support. 84% of people say they share content to support causes they believe in. And today, customers have especially high expectations for brands and show support with their dollars — and their social shares — when a brand does something right
Why user-generated content marketing works
The core of user-generated content marketing’s success is the fact that it utilizes elements of marketing psychology and enables brands to build authentic connections with customers, instead of merely sell to them.

Let’s take a look at the psychology behind why user-generated content marketing works so well for brands.

It taps into social proof
Social proof is the idea that when we’re trying to make a decision, we tend to take into account the decisions that those around us have made.

When we’re uncertain, we assume that other people know more than we do. If you’re interested in purchasing a mountain bike, but you don’t know much about bikes, you may read blogs, comb through user reviews, ask a trusted friend for a recommendation. Or look at which bikes your favorite influencers endorse.

In other words, you rely on the opinions of others to aid in your decision. Specifically, fellow shoppers. 89% of shoppers for example consult ratings and reviews before making a purchase.

That’s because UGC is especially effective at influencing purchasing decisions, which is why apparel brand Isabella Oliver and Baukjen features photos of real customers wearing its products both on social media and on an onsite gallery. Here, consumers can find inspiration and easily shop the looks created by others.


And research shows that people view social content with more shares as being more credible and trustworthy, so UGC is even more powerful when a post amasses a lot of engagement.

The power of social proof is also evident when you look at marketing that effectively instills FOMO in its followers. When we see people we relate to or want to emulate enjoying or benefiting from a product (through a photo, video, testimonial, etc.), we want to be part of it.

“People are more likely to change their mind or behaviors when the result will make them feel better about themselves, and oftentimes that means being part of a larger group,” says Chris Graves, founder of the Ogilvy Center for Behavioral Science.

And that group may simply be the wealth of happy customers visible on your brand’s website and social media.

It fulfills our need for attention
Our desire for attention is actually a basic human need — one that’s often ignored, according to clinical psychologist Dr. Robert J. Maurer.

Our desire to flaunt is instinctive, and nothing exemplifies this more than the popularity of the selfie on social media. We’ve all experienced the need to show our followers that we’re experiencing something awesome, which is why people are twice as likely to share something if they want a friend to see it. Gaining recognition is one of the main reasons we use social media.

Take advantage of this by tapping into the consumer need for attention and shining the spotlight on them by sharing user-generated content.

user-generated content marketing
Source: Soko Glam
Having our creations shared by a brand we love — such as in the example from Soko Glam above — is also validating. And validation is a powerful motivator.

When a brand shares a customer’s content, it increases the customer’s affinity for the brand, as well as the likelihood that the customer will create and share more content in the future. In other words, sharing UGC incentivizes consumers to create more UGC.

It’s reciprocal
It’s human nature to want to return a favor. It’s known as reciprocity, and it’s a powerful marketing tool.

We can easily see reciprocity in action when we feel inclined to give a present to someone who’s gifted something to us. And this happens with brands all the time. For example, a brand may offer consumers a free product or trial before suggesting they make a purchase. And, more often than not, we feel obligated to make one.

This phenomenon is especially common in the travel industry. A survey found that the biggest motivator for a person to write a travel review was a, “need to reciprocate great experiences provided by travel and tourism companies.”


Source: Wild Slumber
We can see this play out on social media as well. For example, it’s not uncommon for giveaway winners to share photos of their prizes as a way of saying thanks.

In the post above, the micro-influencer who won Wild Slumber’s recent giveaway shared this adorable picture of her child modeling the new pajamas. Now, not only is the brand’s product potentially reaching thousands of prospective new customers, but it’s also another great photo to use in its user-generated content marketing efforts.

It provides a sense of ownership
It’s in our nature to place a greater value on items we own. This is a cognitive bias known as the endowment effect.

Customers already attribute a higher value to a product simply because they own it. So brands that share UGC reinforce this sense of ownership post-purchase, making customers even more satisfied with their buy.

user-generated content marketing
Source: Peloton
Take a look at this example from Peloton above. Its high-end bikes aren’t the most affordable piece of exercise equipment, but the brand helps its customers feel good about their purchases by sharing UGC. So it’s only natural that the consumers who see their own content on the brand’s social profile will feel more connected to the brand — and even better about their purchase.

It’s positive
Brands share user-generated content that evokes positive emotions and makes them look good. This increases the likelihood that users will respond positively to the content and share it — studies show that positive content inherently gets more shares.

What’s behind this? Emotional contagion, the marketing psychology phenomenon of having one person’s emotions trigger similar emotions in others as a way of building connectedness.

Emotional content, as in the example from Glossier below, activates the automatic nervous system, which increases the likelihood that we’ll share the content that’s stimulated us.


Source: Glossier
We can also see this emotional contagion play out with the popularity of emojis. The same parts of the brain that are activated during face-to-face conversations are also activated upon viewing an emoji, according to the Journal of Social Neuroscience.

Emotional contagion also explains why scientists at the University of Cambridge found that, “individuals who use emoticons often (and positive emoticons in particular) tend to be popular or influential.”

It’s authentic
You’ll notice that the above examples all have one thing in common — they’re authentic. To today’s shoppers, authenticity is everything. The authenticity movement is well underway but still continues to rise for both brands and consumers.

90% of consumers say authenticity is important when deciding which brands they like and support and 61% of marketers said authenticity is what makes content marketing most effective, according to Sackla research.

That’s because consumer mindset has shifted. Consumers are now more influenced by other consumers. We’re in a consumer-to-consumer marketplace, so shoppers aren’t seeking out heavily filtered, orchestrated content. They want real photos of real products from real people — that’s where user-generated content marketing comes in.

How brands are using user-generated content in their marketing
One way to create relevant, engaging marketing campaigns is by incorporating user-generated content. Brands and retailers are finally starting to catch up to the content and channel biases that exist in their marketing organizations, by shifting the balance in favour of user-generated content.


Source: Everything to know about the content supply chain
We know that consumers perceive branded content to be less genuine and trustworthy. So brands are finally turning the tide.

Ask consumers for photos and videos of themselves using your products in fun, creative ways and incorporate that content into your email, social media, and other campaigns. Not only are you producing an engaging campaign that will help you authentically connect with shoppers, you’re also strengthening your relationship with the brand advocates who submit their photos and videos.

Below are a few uplifting examples of campaigns that brands are running right now using customer photos or videos.

David’s Bridal — #DBLoveStories
David’s Bridal has begun to gather photos from these at-home weddings and post them on their Instagram, using the hashtag #DBLoveStories. They also publish a blog post that goes in depth about each couple and their story.


user-generated content marketing
DSW — #MyDSWAtHome
Shpe brand DSW asks their customers to take a picture in their space with their favorite shoes and post it on Instagram using #MyDSWAtHome for a chance to have their photo featured on DSW’s Instagram page and earn a prize.

user-generated content marketing
Portland Leather Goods
Written user-generated content is just as effective. Portland Leather Goods takes customer testimonials in the form of ratings and reviews and puts them into social media ads.


The brand allows customers to do the talking for them, which we know is how you increase sales.

In a time when shoppers want to see content from other shoppers, and consumers are especially sensitive to brand missteps, using user-generated content in your marketing campaigns is a smart and authentic way to connect with your audience.

Turn customers into advocates with user-generated content marketing
Let’s look back at Tito’s one last time. It’s now the “vodka for dog people” because the brand was able to successfully form a connection with its customers by tapping into their love for their canine companions and sharing their dog-centric content.

This humanizes the brand, which is important, according to 48% of marketing professionals. And studies show that user-created photos, videos, reviews, and other content are perceived as more trustworthy and relatable by consumers, which is why they drive sales.

So instead of focusing your efforts solely on creating brand content, look to what your customers are posting and empower them to market your brand for you. After all, your brand is what your customers say it is.