Exploring UGC Creators: 10 Successful Strategies to Get Started

What Is A UGC Creator?

UGC creators are people who generate authentic-looking content for brands on various social media platforms. In exchange for their efforts, UGC creators receive incentives, such as financial compensation or complimentary products and services. 

Unlike professionals tied to established media outlets or organizations, UGC creators rely on their ingenuity, talents, and knowledge to produce captivating and relatable content that connects on a core level with their audience.

User-generated content (UGC) helps brands to promote their products or services. Testimonials, instructional guides, unboxing videos, reviews, and demonstrations are some popular forms of UGC. 

What Is the Difference Between Traditional Influencers and UGC Creators?

An important thing to know is that UGC creators and influencers play different roles in the marketing industry. 

While influencers are often paid to promote products on their own social media channels and have a wider audience reach, UGC creators provide content directly to brands for their channels. 

Additionally, UGC content is often more authentic and less polished, reflecting the genuine experiences and perspectives of real consumers.

Here are the main differentiating factors that separate influencers from UGC creators:

• Origin of Content Creation: Traditional influencers often begin by crafting a personal brand around their niche or lifestyle, whereas UGC creators typically start by sharing personal experiences without the initial intent to influence.
• Content Authenticity: While influencers, due to brand partnerships, might face questions about the authenticity of their branded content, UGC creators, on the other hand, are seen as more genuine since their content arises organically from firsthand experiences.
• Monetization: Influencers employ a structured approach to monetization using sponsored content and affiliate marketing; in contrast, UGC creators often begin unsponsored and monetize as they gain organic traction.
• Audience Relationship: Influencers build relationships based on aspiration, with followers idolizing their lifestyle or expertise, while UGC creators foster trust and relatability, rooted in genuine feedback and shared experiences.
• Brand Engagement: Traditional influencers enter structured, contractual engagements with brands, whereas UGC creators might begin with organic brand interactions that can later evolve into formal partnerships.
• Content Control: Influencers curate content with a focus on brand alignment and aesthetics, whereas UGC creators offer a more spontaneous array of posts driven by real-time experiences.

Why Do Brands Hire UGC Creators?

Although the concept of UGC creators is relatively new, traditional user-generated content (UGC) has been around for some time and has become an effective tool for social media strategies. 

Given that increasing brand awareness and driving sales are valuable outcomes for businesses, it is not surprising that brands are willing to compensate UGC creators. 

Here are the main reasons why brands choose to work with UGC creators:

1. User-generated content feels authentic
2. UGC is an updated basic marketing strategy
3. It helps brands expand their target audience
4. It’s cheaper than influencer campaigns
5. UGC content drives sales

A. User-Generated Content Feels Authentic

UGC is seen as 2.4 times more genuine than brand-created content by consumers, and for a good reason:  it possesses an inherent authenticity that brands often find challenging to reproduce. This stems from UGC creators’ unparalleled capability to promote products or services organically, all while focusing on what the brand’s target audience values most.

Here is an example of UGC content from @L’Oréal’s TikTok account:

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Had you not known that UGC was a thing, you could have easily assumed that this is an ordinary beauty routine that you can replicate at home with L’Oréal products. 

B. UGC Is an Updated Basic Marketing Strategy

For the longest time, brands have harnessed and monetized the power of customer testimonials, case studies, and reviews. We’ve all seen ads with everyday people sharing their honest opinions about a brand’s newest product.

In this day and age, user-generated content is the latest version of this strategy. UGC provides businesses with genuine-looking content that acts as social proof, which is a powerful way to drive sales.

C. It Helps Brands Expand Their Target Audience

Businesses can use UGC to create authentic connections with demographics that would be difficult to reach through conventional marketing approaches. This is because content created organically demonstrates a brand’s significance and inherent worth within particular communities.

When potential customers see authentic content created by their peers, it builds trust, as they perceive it as unbiased and reliable.

D. It’s Cheaper Than Influencer Campaigns

When working with influencers, brands must compensate them for both creating content and promoting it on their channels. The amount brands need to pay varies depending on the influencer’s reach and level of engagement, and can be in the millions for well-known celebrities. 

On the other hand, UGC only requires payment for the content itself. This type of content is often just as good, if not better, than content created by influencers. On top of that, UGC gives brands complete control over how the content is shared and strategically positioned.

E. UGC Content Drives Sales

Numerous companies invest in UGC for their social media advertisements due to its impact on consumer purchasing choices. UGC serves as social proof that showcases individuals using a particular product, which can ultimately boost sales. 

Additionally, UGC isn’t overtly promotional, which can make it more effective than traditional campaigns. 

10 Successful Strategies to Get Started as a UGC Creator

Let’s take a look at some of the most effective strategies to become a UGC creator:

1. Do your research
2. Invest in equipment and build your set-up
3. Identify the brands you want to work with
4. Practice creating UGC content
5. Build your UGC portfolio
6. Offer value when reaching out to brands
7. Use platforms to find brand deals
8. Build an online presence
9. Improve and adapt consistently
10. Know your worth

1. Do Your Research

Focusing on a specific niche is mandatory when creating user-generated content, as being highly knowledgeable about a particular topic makes you the right fit for the brands you want to work with.

While sticking to one category may limit the number of potential clients, working within a specific niche can bring credibility and expertise to the content you create.

To determine your niche, research popular content categories and identify gaps in the market. Look for brands that could benefit from a unique perspective on their product or industry. 

It’s important to choose a narrower topic that you excel in, yet is not overly saturated with competition. Here are some potential areas of interest that you can explore:

• Fitness & Wellness: While this industry is quite broad, consider delving into specific fitness areas like low-impact workouts or daily exercise routines. 
• Growth & Career: If you excel in helping others excel in their careers, boost productivity, structure their days, and prioritize tasks, this is the area where you can shine. 
• Cooking: If cooking a good meal is your superpower, focus on a specific niche within the culinary world, such as vegan cooking or creating diet-friendly meals. 
• Books: Although it may seem unusual, there is a niche community for book lovers. Find groups where people chat about different books, authors, or genres and use that knowledge to draw inspiration for your content.
• Beauty & Skincare: If you’re knowledgeable about using different products or treatments or have experience with addressing different skin issues, this niche might be it. 
• Fashion: The possibilities are endless in this niche, and if you have great taste in clothes or a unique style, you could put together daily outfits to discuss seasonal fashion trends as a form of UGC content.

Check out this collaboration between @iam_natasha and @alphaskincare:

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At a first glance, it looks like an ordinary review from a satisfied customer, which is exactly what @alphaskincare was hoping to achieve through this partnership.

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In reality, @iam_natasha partnered up with a brand that has a similar target audience and that aligns with her passions and expertise. Through her UGC, she provides descriptive, visually appealing step-by-step tutorials that showcase various products in action.

2. Invest in Equipment and Build Your Setup

UGC can be captured in various settings — outdoors (provided there isn’t an overwhelming amount of background noise) or in the cozy confines of your own home. Countless UGC creators choose the latter since they can fine-tune their filming arrangements to perfection.

Gear-wise, there are several pieces of equipment you may want to consider as a UGC creator:

1. A good camera
2. Lighting
3. A reliable microphone
4. Various backdrops
5. Additional props for video content
6. A social media management platform

A. A Good Camera

Invest in a professional-grade camera or a good smartphone, since many of them have exceptional features and can outperform basic digital equipment.

B. Lighting

A ring light is more than enough for basic UGC creation, but if you want to become a pro, it can be beneficial to research more advanced lighting equipment.

C. A Reliable Microphone

Poor audio can ruin your UGC content, so if your phone’s recording feature doesn’t cut it, consider investing in a separate microphone or lavaliere.

D. Various Backdrops

If the background in your clips is cluttered or distracting, it’s best to conceal it. You don’t always have to go for a plain, blank sheet as your backdrop. Instead, you can explore your creativity and use different fabrics or materials.

E. Additional Props for Video Content

Props can help you tailor the content to your audience and also contribute to making a cohesive impression on your following.

F. A Social Media Management Platform

UGC creators often produce content for various social media platforms at the same time, and managing that much content at once without the right tools in place can create chaos. This is why you need to find an all-in-one social media management tool that will streamline your efforts to become a successful UGC creator.

Create, schedule, and manage your social media content with SocialBee

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Here’s how a social media management platform like SocialBee can help UGC creators:

• Centralized Management: With multiple social media platforms in use, it becomes challenging to manage them individually. A social media management tool allows creators to manage multiple accounts from a single dashboard, streamlining the posting and engagement process.
• Scheduling: Planning ahead is key in the world of content creation. SocialBee helps creators to schedule their posts in advance, ensuring regularity and consistency in content distribution, and freeing up time for content creation.
• Analytics: Understanding one’s audience is paramount for any UGC creator. These tools offer insights into post engagement, audience demographics, best posting times, and more. These metrics help UGC creators to tailor their content in a way that better serves their audience.
• Engagement: Engaging with the audience is as important as the content itself. A social media management tool helps to track and manage comments, mentions, and messages, which enables creators to engage more effectively and promptly.
• Content Repository: SocialBee offers the ability to store content, making it easier to plan and visualize a content calendar.
• Collaboration: For UGC creators who work in teams or collaborate with others, some management tools offer features for team collaboration, making the content creation and posting process more seamless.
• Cross-Posting: SocialBee allows for simultaneous posting across various platforms, ensuring that content reaches all segments of an audience.
• Efficiency and Productivity: Streamlining various aspects of social media management saves creators a significant amount of time, allowing them to focus on content creation and other meaningful tasks.
• Canva Integration: With just a single click, you can kick-start your graphic designing process. Seamlessly import them into SocialBee’s content editor and assign them to your social media feeds.
• AI Content Generator: Overcome any creative block by choosing and customizing one of our 1000+ social media prompts, and use it to generate social media posts.