TL;DR
User-generated content (UGC) is any content created organically by your audience, not your brand, including photos, videos, reviews, and social posts
UGC builds trust because consumers find it 2.4x more authentic than brand-created content
Collect UGC through hashtag searches, tagged posts, mentions, and contributor submissions using Later's Collect features
Always get permission before reposting and credit the original creator in your caption
Measure UGC success through engagement rates, reach, conversions, and sentiment to prove ROI
Table of Contents
- TL;DR
- What is user-generated content?
- Types of user-generated content
- Organic UGC vs. paid UGC
- Benefits of user-generated content
- How to find and collect user-generated content
- User-generated content best practices
- Legal considerations for user-generated content
- How to measure UGC performance
- User-generated content examples
- Start building your UGC strategy
- Frequently asked questions
User-generated content remains one of the most effective ways to build trust and drive purchasing decisions, 80% of consumers say UGC highly impacts what they buy.
The challenge for most social media managers isn't understanding that UGC works; it's building a system to find, collect, and share it consistently without burning hours every week. Teams that get this right turn their customers into their most persuasive marketers, while those without a clear UGC workflow struggle to keep up with content demands.
What is user-generated content?
User-generated content (UGC) is content created organically by a brand's followers or customers, then shared by the brand on its own channels.
The key distinction: no money changes hands. UGC is a genuine recommendation from a real person who chose to create and share content about your brand without being paid to do so. This is what separates UGC from sponsored content or influencer partnerships.
UGC can be as simple as someone tagging your product in an Instagram feed post, reviewing your brand on TikTok, or creating a Reel featuring your service. What makes it valuable is the authenticity; its content created by real people with real opinions, not polished marketing copy.
This authenticity is why UGC builds trust in ways brand-created content can't. When potential customers see real people using and recommending your products, it functions as social proof, the digital equivalent of a word-of-mouth recommendation from a friend.
Types of user-generated content
User-generated content comes in many forms, and understanding each type helps you identify opportunities to collect and share content that resonates with your audience.
Visual content
Photos remain one of the most common forms of UGC. Customers share images of your products on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook, whether it's an outfit featuring your clothing brand, a flat lay of your skincare products, or a snapshot of your food at a restaurant. Visual UGC is highly shareable and gives potential customers a realistic view of your products in everyday settings.
Video content
Video UGC has exploded across TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram Reels. From unboxing videos and product tutorials to honest reviews and "get ready with me" content, video lets customers show your products in action. Short-form video performs particularly well because it captures attention quickly and feels more personal than polished brand content.
Reviews and testimonials
Written reviews on your website, Google, Amazon, or industry-specific platforms provide detailed feedback that helps other customers make purchasing decisions. Testimonials—whether written or video—offer social proof that your product delivers on its promises. These forms of UGC are especially valuable because they directly address the questions and concerns potential buyers have.
Social media posts
Beyond photos and videos, text-based posts on X, LinkedIn, and Facebook contribute to your UGC ecosystem. A customer tweeting about their experience, sharing a LinkedIn post about how your B2B tool helped their team, or posting a Facebook recommendation all count as valuable UGC that you can leverage.
Organic UGC vs. paid UGC
The rise of UGC creators has blurred the line between organic content and paid partnerships. Understanding the difference helps you build a strategy that uses both effectively.
What is organic UGC?
Organic UGC is content created voluntarily by customers who genuinely love your brand. No payment, no partnership agreement, just authentic enthusiasm that leads someone to share their experience. This is traditional UGC in its purest form, and it carries the most credibility because viewers know it's unsponsored.
What is a UGC creator?
A UGC creator is a content creator who specializes in producing content that looks like organic UGC, but is actually paid for by the brand.
"Unlike influencers who need to grow their community before they start working with brands, UGC creators don't need tons of followers, nor are they obligated to show their face. They just have to create content that can be shared on the brand's account," says Later's Social Content Team.
"But it's not technically organic, which is what UGC is. UGC has worked so well because its content is created by real fans of a brand. This trend is just another word for freelance content creation," adds Later's Social Media Manager.
Here at Later, our content marketing team defines UGC creators as freelance content creators who specialize in creating UGC-inspired content for brands, whether it's photos or videos.
Factor | Organic UGC | Paid UGC (UGC Creators) |
|---|---|---|
Cost | Free | Paid per piece or project |
Authenticity | Highest—genuine customer content | Styled to look authentic |
Control | Limited—you work with what customers create | High—you can brief specific requirements |
Volume | Depends on customer engagement | Scalable based on budget |
Best for | Building trust, social proof | Filling content gaps, specific campaigns |
Benefits of user-generated content
UGC isn't just a nice-to-have; it delivers measurable results across your marketing funnel. Here's why it deserves a central role in your content strategy.
Builds authenticity and trust
Consumers are 2.4 times more likely to view user-generated content as authentic compared to content created by a brand. Audiences are increasingly skeptical of polished marketing, and UGC cuts through because it comes from real people with no financial incentive to promote your brand.
Provides social proof
A study found that 80% of respondents said UGC highly impacts their purchasing decisions. When potential customers see others using and enjoying your products, it validates their interest and reduces the perceived risk of buying. UGC functions as the social media equivalent of a word-of-mouth recommendation.
Reduces content creation costs
Creating high-quality content consistently is expensive and time-consuming. UGC supplements your brand content with a steady stream of authentic material you didn't have to produce. While you'll still need brand-created content, UGC helps fill your content calendar without adding to your production budget.
Strengthens community
When you share customer content, you make those customers feel valued and seen. This recognition encourages more UGC creation and deepens loyalty. Over time, you build a community of advocates who actively want to create content for your brand, not because you're paying them, but because they feel connected to what you're building.
How to find and collect user-generated content
Finding high-quality, on-brand UGC can be time-consuming without the right tools. Later's Collect features help you find UGC content in multiple ways, whether it's browsing your Mentions and Tags or leveraging the Search by Hashtag feature.
Start by heading to Later on desktop and tap "Media" on the sidebar. Think of this as a command center for finding content you can incorporate into your content calendar.
Here you'll find features to help search, organize, and schedule UGC, including Tags and Mentions for tracking when customers feature your brand, Search by Hashtag for discovering content beyond direct tags, and Contributors for collecting submissions directly from partners.
Once you find the content you're looking for, it can be added to your media library to repost at a later date. Later will automatically include the original poster's handle in your caption, so you never forget to credit the creator.
NOTE: Always ask for a user's permission before you post their content.
Collect by tags and mentions
The Tags feature gathers Instagram posts where your brand has been tagged directly in the image. Mentions collects posts where users have mentioned your brand in their captions. Both features give you a centralized view of content your audience is already creating about you.
These Collect features are available on Later's Growth and Scale plans. If you're on the Starter plan, you'll need to upgrade to access Tags and Mentions collection.
Search by hashtag
Search by Hashtag lets you find Instagram content using specific hashtags, whether it's your branded hashtag or industry-relevant tags. This is particularly useful for discovering UGC from customers who might not have tagged your account directly but are still creating content related to your brand.
Note that Instagram API limitations affect what Later can retrieve through hashtag search, including posts that use audio from Instagram's library. Legacy-plan users may need to upgrade to access current Collect features.
Contributors
The Contributors feature allows third parties to submit media directly into your Later account. You can invite contributors via a secure login or personalized email, and their submissions appear in a dedicated Contributors panel for your review.
This is especially useful for collecting UGC from brand ambassadors, employees, or customers who want to share content but don't post it publicly. You maintain control over what gets added to your media library while making it easy for others to contribute.
User-generated content best practices
To help you strategically think about UGC, here are six tactics to serve your audience in the best possible way:
Set goals and be strategic
Always credit the original source
Prioritize authenticity
Encourage video-focused UGC
Feature diverse creators
Make it memorable and shareable
Set goals and be strategic
There's no point in sharing UGC just for UGC's sake, you need to be strategic with your UGC delivery.
Start by outlining your purpose, whether it's being inspirational, showcasing how to use a product, sharing IRL reviews, or helping followers make informed purchasing decisions. Once you have a clear idea of your UGC purpose, you can better cement your UGC goals.
Take Knix, for example. The brand collects UGC images and videos from their customers and saves them to an Instagram Stories Highlight called #YouInYourKnix.
This type of UGC showcases their products while celebrating people of all shapes and sizes, aligning with their brand values.
Always credit the original source
Before you share your next piece of UGC, make sure you're ticking all the required boxes.
Start by sending the creator a DM or message to ask if you can reshare their content, this goes a long way in building lasting relationships and a stronger community. According to a study, 72% of users are more than happy to accept a brand's request to repurpose their content, so you'll almost always get the green light.
From there, credit the creator by tagging them and including their handle in your caption. This way, anyone looking at your post can visit the original creator's profile too.
FYI: Later's UGC tools and features automatically add the handle to your caption, so it's easier than ever to give credit where credit is due.
Prioritize authenticity
Social authenticity is a growing trend online, and sharing honest user reviews through UGC will keep your brand ahead of the curve.
Consumers are 2.4 times more likely to view user-generated content as authentic compared to content created by a brand.
With that in mind, it's a good idea to strike a balance between your product shots and UGC. This helps you sell in a less "salesy way" (especially for Millennials and Gen Zers) while encouraging a sense of community.
Encourage video-focused UGC
If a picture can tell a thousand words, a video is worth at least a million—making it a powerful UGC tool. Plus, it doesn't hurt that video content typically performs best, garners the most engagement, and captures a user's attention for longer.
Check out how Bumble shares cheeky dating videos (that match their brand ethos) created by their audience. As a company that's positioned itself as "The Love Company," Bumble's UGC strategy reinforces their mission of creating meaningful connections through authentic, relatable content.
The result? A chatty comments section and engagement galore.
Feature diverse creators
Encouraging a diverse range of voices in your user-generated content makes your brand and products more relatable and accessible to a wider audience.
Fenty Beauty—a brand celebrated for its representation—regularly reposts product tutorials and makeup reviews from their diverse Fenty family.
Not only is this best practice for inclusivity and celebrating diversity online, but it allows Fenty to reach a variety of potential customers.
PSA: Showcasing diversity in UGC cannot be a token gesture. It needs to be embedded in your overall marketing strategy and company ethos.
Make it memorable and shareable
UGC should be entertaining for your followers—and not all UGC has to be product-related either.
In fact, one of the biggest UGC trends is reposting Reels to your Instagram feed.
At Later, we like to share videos that match our bright and playful aesthetic. While Later doesn't have a physical product to sell, we aim to share our community's creations to promote and encourage creativity online, something we're always striving to be.
Legal considerations for user-generated content
Using UGC without proper permission can expose your brand to legal issues. Here's what you need to know to stay compliant.
Always get explicit permission. A simple DM asking "Can we share this on our account?" is a good start, but for commercial use (ads, website content, print materials), consider getting written consent. This protects both you and the creator.
Understand platform terms of service. Each social platform has its own rules about content ownership and sharing. Reposting within the same platform (like sharing an Instagram post to your Instagram Stories) is generally acceptable, but downloading and re-uploading content may violate terms of service.
Know the difference between personal and commercial use. Sharing UGC on your organic social channels is different from using it in paid advertising. If you plan to use customer content in ads, be explicit about that when asking for permission.
Keep records. Save screenshots of permission requests and approvals. If a creator later asks you to remove their content, you should honor that request promptly, but having documentation protects you if questions arise.
Credit properly. Beyond being good practice, proper attribution helps establish that you're sharing someone else's content rather than claiming it as your own. Always tag the creator and include their handle in your caption.
How to measure UGC performance
Collecting and sharing UGC is only valuable if you can prove it's working. Here's how to measure the impact of your UGC strategy.
Engagement metrics. Compare engagement rates (likes, comments, shares, saves) on UGC posts versus brand-created content. Most brands find UGC outperforms polished marketing content—tracking this validates your investment in UGC collection.
Reach and impressions. UGC often gets shared more widely than brand content because it feels more authentic. Monitor whether your UGC posts reach new audiences beyond your existing followers.
Conversions. If you're using UGC in shoppable posts or linking to product pages, track click-through rates and conversions. Later's analytics can help you understand which UGC drives the most traffic and sales.
Sentiment. Pay attention to the comments on your UGC posts. Are people responding positively? Are they tagging friends? Qualitative feedback tells you whether your UGC resonates with your audience.
Volume of submissions. Track how much UGC your audience creates over time. An increase in tagged posts, branded hashtag usage, or contributor submissions indicates growing brand affinity and community engagement.
User-generated content examples
Seeing UGC in action helps illustrate what makes it effective. Here are brands doing it well.
Knix uses UGC to celebrate body diversity while showcasing their products. Their #YouInYourKnix Instagram Stories Highlight features real customers of all shapes and sizes, reinforcing their inclusive brand values while providing authentic social proof.
Bumble shares user-created dating videos that match their playful, relationship-focused brand. By reposting content that captures the humor and vulnerability of modern dating, they build community while staying true to their positioning as "The Love Company."
Fenty Beauty leverages their diverse customer base by regularly sharing makeup tutorials and product reviews from their community. This approach showcases their products on a wide range of skin tones while celebrating the diversity that's central to their brand identity.
Later shares community-created Reels that match our bright, creative aesthetic. Even without a physical product to showcase, we use UGC to celebrate creativity and connect with our audience of social media managers and creators.
Start building your UGC strategy
Whatever your social media goals, you can benefit from including UGC in your content strategy. Whether you plan on sharing UGC to your Instagram feed or integrating product reviews into TikTok posts, sharing UGC is an effective marketing tactic.
With the right UGC strategy, you can boost sales, grow your online community, and build trust far deeper than any paid marketing campaign.
Frequently asked questions
What is user-generated content?
User-generated content is any content created organically by your audience rather than your brand, including photos, videos, reviews, social media posts, and testimonials. No payment is exchanged—it's genuine content from real customers who chose to share their experience with your brand.
What is a user-generated content example?
A user-generated content example is a customer posting an Instagram photo wearing your product and tagging your brand. Other examples include TikTok reviews, YouTube unboxing videos, written testimonials, and posts on X mentioning your company.
What is a UGC creator?
A UGC creator is a freelance content creator who gets paid by brands to produce content that looks authentic and organic but is actually commissioned. Unlike traditional influencers, UGC creators don't need large followings—they specialize in creating relatable content brands can share on their own channels.
Do UGC creators get paid?
Yes, UGC creators get paid by brands to create content that looks authentic and organic but is actually commissioned. This distinguishes them from organic UGC, which comes from unpaid customers who voluntarily share their experiences.
What are the benefits of user-generated content?
The main benefits of user-generated content include increased trust and authenticity, social proof that influences purchasing decisions, reduced content creation costs, and stronger community engagement. Consumers find UGC 2.4x more authentic than brand-created content.
How do I get permission to use UGC?
To get permission to use UGC, send the creator a direct message or email asking if you can reshare their content on your brand's channels. For commercial use like advertising, get written consent. Keep records of all permission requests and approvals.
What platforms are best for UGC?
Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube are the best platforms for UGC because they prioritize visual and video content that showcases products authentically. Each platform offers different formats—Instagram for photos and Reels, TikTok for short-form video, and YouTube for longer reviews and tutorials.
How do I encourage customers to create UGC?
Encourage customers to create UGC by creating branded hashtags, running contests, featuring customer content on your channels, and asking directly after purchase. When customers see you sharing UGC, they're more likely to create content hoping to be featured.
What is the difference between UGC and influencer marketing?
UGC is unpaid content created organically by customers, while influencer marketing involves paid partnerships with creators who have established audiences. UGC carries more authenticity because it's unsolicited, while influencer content offers more control over messaging and reach.
How do I measure UGC success?
Measure UGC success by tracking engagement rates, reach, conversions attributed to UGC posts, and sentiment in comments and shares. Compare performance metrics between UGC and brand-created content to quantify the value of your UGC strategy.
