My non-public social media is full of 4 main problems: family, friends, foods, and UGC. And as I sort this, I concentrate the former pronouncing, “Uh, what’s UGC?”

For over a decade, I’ve been growing social media content material subject material for producers, most often in business for complimentary products, ranging from skincare and makeup to extremely spiced snacks and even water pitchers. This is an example of UGC or user-generated content material, which can be a particularly valuable method for corporations of all kinds.

Don’t believe me? Inside the 2025 State of Advertising and marketing, user-generated content material subject material was once named one of the crucial necessary top 3 areas marketers plan on increasing their investment this year. Let’s dive into why and the best way you’ll use it to your benefit.

Table of Contents

• What does UGC imply?
• Advantages of UGC
• UGC Technique
• Examples of UGC

What does UGC indicate?

Client-generated content material subject material (UGC) is content material subject material to start with created by the use of consumers a couple of particular brand or product that is then used for promoting purposes.

This content material subject material can take any form (image, video, review, testimonial, and plenty of others.) and appear on more than a few platforms, even though social media is the most common this present day. It’s most often not something producers pay for, alternatively with the rise of content material subject material creators and influencers and the showed effectiveness of UGC, this isn’t all the time the case anymore.

Kinds of UGC in Promoting and advertising and marketing

Social Media

My guess is social media is the type of UGC you’re most conversant in, even if you didn’t identify it that establish.

It’s the cultured product image on your Instagram feed, the TikTok a couple of new consuming position, the cooking video reviewing a kitchen apparatus, the YouTube educational on a brand spanking new design app, and the night time time routine Reel on your Uncover tab.

It can be a video (like my consuming position highlight underneath), image (like my put up for Eddy’s ice cream above), or even comments on a brand’s content material subject material.

Many consumers speak about products on social media simply because they need to, alternatively producers can encourage it by the use of asking their audiences to use particular hashtags or tag their brand, like Ulta Just right appears.

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This present day, a lot of producers will also collaborate with creators or influencers for “sponsored” or “proficient” user-generated content material subject material. I’ve created a lot of TikTok and Instagram posts for most of these campaigns.

Product Reviews

In keeping with a learn about by means of BrightLocal, spherical 98% of customers be informed critiques prior to creating a purchase order order.

I indicate, take into accounts your Amazon purchasing groceries. Must you’re the rest like me, you all the time check those critiques previous to together with to cart. And let’s not forget internet pages like G2 (spotted underneath), Yelp, Trustpilot, and TripAdvisor, merely to name a few. Reviews are an highly regarded and strong type of UGC.

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Like social media UGC, many shoppers put up product critiques unprompted because of they need to spread the word about their revel in (superb or unhealthy), alternatively producers can also solicit them by the use of offering incentives/compensation to fresh customers or other members of their target market.

I’ve moreover achieved the ones campaigns, writing product critiques on retail web pages like Sephora and Ulta and a couple of third-party product-discovery apps in business for complimentary products.

While product critiques can be great social evidence, there’s no ensure that they’ll make sure. In my revel in, producers ask you to “give your truthful review,” and, individually, I don’t snatch once more, alternatively not everyone does.

Shopper agree with inside the authenticity of critiques is normally a number one concern in UGC campaigns like the ones.

Testimonials

Testimonials, like product critiques, are a type of UGC where precise other folks percentage their revel in at the side of your product or service. The variation that is {{that a}} testimonial is all the time a recommendation.

Testimonials are also most often came upon on a brand’s private web page (like on HubSpot’s underneath), not 1/3 occasions’ like most critiques. Some firms percentage or distribute testimonials in emails or social media as part of their product sales efforts, too.

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Benefits of UGC

So why is UGC in promoting smartly well worth the hype? 3 huge reasons spring to mind.

Free or Low Price

One of the most the most important direct and fascinating good thing about UGC is that producers don’t want to do so much art work. This present day, everyone and any person is growing content material subject material and is most often prepared to do it free of charge or so much not up to it will worth producers to do it themselves.

Excellent content material subject material advent is labor-intensive, so getting any person else to do it with little to no raise or budget is a large win.

Assemble Awareness

When precise other folks put up about you on their social media or third-party web pages, it’ll smartly disclose new audiences to your brand or offering. In several words, it builds emblem consciousness.

In all probability a couple of of your target audience overlook about brand content material subject material or under no circumstances check their uncover feeds. Within the tournament that they see a chum or a writer they accept as true with posting a couple of product on their own platforms, it must get their attention somehow content material subject material revealed at once from a brand under no circumstances would.

Assemble Believe

Along side being low effort, UGC is powerful social proof, or evidence from fellow consumers, that what you are saying or show about your product is proper.

It’s no secret that a lot of other folks don’t accept as true with marketers and advertisers. They think we’ll say the rest to make a sale, so it speaks volumes when precise consumers vouch for the claims.

Why is content material subject material moderation important for user-generated campaigns?

Even with its huge benefits, UGC isn’t simple or with out its issues.

When content material subject material is being created externally about your brand or offering, you don’t have regulate over the messaging or what the entire product turns out like. This can lead to issues like damaging remark, wrong details about your product, and even merely inauthentic content material subject material — all of which is in a position to paint a nasty symbol of you to customers.

Content material subject material moderation can lend a hand navigate and scale back the ones issues, alternatively let’s unpack them somewhat bit further.

Damaging Remark

Whilst you create content material subject material for your brand internally, you received’t bash it, correct? You’ll put your easiest foot forward and highlight its easiest qualities.

With UGC, in particular if created organically, without collaboration at the side of your team of workers, there’s no ensure that this may most likely happen. Precise persons are free to talk about any shortcomings, problems, or issues they’ve at the side of your product or service. And, honestly, that’s partially what your target market likes about it. It’s unfiltered and candid.

Actually, you want to believe everyone will love and have the best revel in with you, but if they don’t, now not the rest stops other folks from at the side of that in their films, posts, critiques, and plenty of others.

Mistaken knowledge

With its unfiltered nature moreover comes the risk that creators would possibly send inaccurate knowledge.

No one is conscious about your product or business upper than you. When any person creates UGC, they speak about from their perspective and would possibly quite smartly percentage something that’s now not true. I’m not pronouncing this is achieved maliciously, alternatively there’s a very good probability they only didn’t know.

For example, if any person discussed the HubSpot can’t mix with PandaDoc. A quick have a look at our integration library will let you know that’s not true, but if any person posts a video without doing so much research, they’ll misspeak.

Authenticity

Now, this issue is unique to sponsored UGC. As I mentioned, with herbal user-generated content material subject material, you’ll’t regulate what other folks say or do, alternatively whilst you sponsor or solicit the content material subject material, it’s imaginable you’ll resolve tips about what you want to be discussed.

This is great for you as a brand alternatively censors the content material subject material and makes it somewhat bit a lot much less faithful and distinctive. If a piece is sponsored, how can your target market know understand that that the opinion shared is proper? Fashionable consumers are becoming further conscious about this, which is in a position to undoubtedly impact how so much they accept as true with your brand.

UGC Methodology

Simple how you can Get UGC for Your Logo

Listed here are some tried and true pointers you’ll use to collect user-generated content material subject material for your brand.

1. Create a hashtag.

Rising and promoting a “branded” hashtag is in all probability one of the vital widely known strategy to encourage other folks to create UGC for your brand.

Plus, it’s easy and establishes a satisfying, central place where you and consumers can see all of the content material subject material. Folks can search your hashtag and see what others like them have professional or shared and as well as get their content material subject material came upon.

It creates some way of community and gathers content material subject material to spread word of your brand. REI’s #OptOutside is a brilliant example of this:

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The outdoor retailer highlights UGC the use of its hashtag on its web page and social media.

2. Add an incentive.

Yet again, many people put up UGC without being asked, alternatively should you occur to’re not getting as much as you favor, sweeten the deal with an incentive.

It’s essential offer a discount or freebie for posting a review. Or in all probability you’ll give other folks the danger to get reposted on your social media, like GoPro or iPhone.

Give your target market a reasons why as a substitute of “it might be nice” to put up UGC, they normally’ll be much more in all probability to do so.

3. Link it to a contest or giveaway.

Another good and exciting strategy to market it UGC is linking it to a contest or giveaway.

We already know incentives art work, alternatively somewhat than continuously giving something small away, you’ll moreover believe web webhosting a giveaway or contest for a large, expensive prize, where consumers create content material subject material to enter.

National Geographic did this for a few years with its #WanderlustContest on Instagram. Inside the advertising and marketing marketing campaign, their target market submitted unique pictures the use of the hashtag and have been entered to win a National Geographic Image Expedition to Yosemite National Park.

4. Automate “the ask.”

Because of AI and automation, asking your audiences to put up content material subject material is understated.

After other folks make a purchase order order on your web page, for example, you’ll send them an e mail asking them to put up UGC or include the ideas in their order confirmation. While you’ve were given a physically product, come along with your hashtag and “ask” on the packing slip, like I do with my D2C brand.

You’ll have the ability to moreover use tools like ManyChat to send consumers automated direct messages or social media responses at the side of your request.

5. Get your team of workers involved.

While not “consumers” or consumers in step with se, members of your team of workers can be a couple of of your most productive content material subject material creators and brand advocates. If truth be told, this can be extremely valuable on the subject of hiring and attracting skill.

“Zappi employees are our brand’s largest champions,” shares Roshni Patel, Director of Social Media at Zappi, calling investing in employee advocacy a no-brainer.

“We’re launching an advocacy instrument to make sharing content material subject material easy and fun — complete with ready-to-use visuals, contests to energy engagement or spread brand awareness, and celebrating wins along one of the simplest ways.”

“I’m moreover desirous about teaching and empowering our employees to build their non-public producers while sharing their distinctive reviews. Our serve as is to foster a practice where employees in reality really feel confident the use of their voices to percentage their distinctive reviews on social media.”

Employee advocacy is something we use at HubSpot, the use of our hashtag #hubspotlife and @hubspotlife deal with on Instagram.

6. Collaborate with similar influencers.

69% of shoppers accept as true with knowledge from influencers and their family and friends over producers. That means teaming up with related influencers or creators to your space to supply UGC can do wonders for your reach and brand awareness.

Then again yet again, don’t choose any out of date influencer. Ensure that they’re similar to your offering and can speak about authentically to its worth.

As we mentioned, consumers can be skeptical about sponsored or collaborative content material subject material. They can’t ensure that if the praise shared is unique, alternatively running with the most efficient influencers who’re trusted voices to your business can lend a hand battle this.

Be told further about your alternatives for influencer advertising.

Skilled tip: Lean into space of pastime influencers. In keeping with the State of Advertising and marketing 2025, smaller influencers may also be providing producers further accept as true with with their lovers, get entry to to tight-knit communities, and additional affordability.

If truth be told, as regards to 45% of marketers reported seeing one of the vital just right fortune with micro-influencers, an important of any group, followed by the use of macro and nano-influencers. Mega-influencers (those with over a million) were given right here in ultimate.

7. Uncover platforms as a substitute of social media.

Not all consumers are full of life or even at ease the use of social media. Understanding this, give them alternatives. Ask for content material subject material for your web page like testimonials or critiques on third-party web pages. Social media might be the flashiest type of user-generated content material subject material, alternatively that doesn’t indicate the others don’t have worth.

8. Offer something uniquely share-worthy.

Above the remaining, one of the best ways to encourage UGC is to provide your consumers something specific they want to percentage and speak about. Think consuming position plating that’s like art work or one-of-a-kind customized content material subject material like Spotify Wrapped.

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When consumers have a memorable revel in or learn/see something crowd pleasing, they need to tell other folks about it. If your brand can create those, the UGC will come naturally.

Examples of UGC

Now that some savvy techniques to generate particular person content material subject material, listed below are some examples of producers already doing it well. Check out a lot more proper right here: 10 Consumer-Generated Content material Campaigns That In reality Labored [+Expert Insights]

1. Liquid Loss of life: #MurderYourThirst

Liquid Dying must be one of the crucial necessary coolest water producers out there, and it’s not for the reason that product is unique — I indicate, it’s water, finally.

The emblem supplies its consumers that particular, shareworthy revel in and custom they need to percentage and, in turn, has banked on great UGC.

The company encourages its fan base to percentage content material subject material the use of #MurderYourThirst and #DeathToPlastic (since the product is to be had in recyclable aluminum cans) on Instagram and without end reshares some to its feed.

It’s simple, alternatively environment friendly.

2. Dunkin: Charlie D’Melio Collaboration

In 2021, Dunkin Donuts collaborated with Charli D’amelio to increase app downloads and popularity among younger consumers.

D’amelio is a popular Gen Z influencer who’s frequently spotted consuming Dunkin’s iced coffee in her films (aka growing UGC content material subject material without even being asked).

Paying attention to this, the consuming position teamed up with D’amelio, launching a drink named after her that her 143 million TikTok lovers have been prepared to try. The app’s download larger by means of 57% when Dunkin Donuts introduced the drink and inspired loads of additional UGC posts on social media.

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3. Particular: Product Reviews

Particular does a really perfect task generating and showcasing product critiques on its retail web page. Every product has intensive critiques complete with a numerical ranking, photos, along with details on fit, top of the range, and comfort.

How do they provide the ones critiques? Particular emails consumers after their purchases, asking them to percentage their concepts on the web page. It moreover incentivizes reviewing for its “Insider” members, offering reward problems and cash as a thank you.

Turn your target market into advocates.

Client-generated content material subject material isn‘t just a building—it’s an excellent method that builds accept as true with, amplifies brand awareness, and drives engagement at a fraction of the cost of standard promoting. Whether or not or now not via social media posts, product critiques, or testimonials, UGC we could in precise consumers to become your most distinctive brand advocates.

As UGC continues to shape promoting strategies in 2025 and previous, one thing is obvious: one of the vital influential voices to your brand story aren’t necessarily your personal — they’re your consumers.

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