What Is an UGC Creator? What is the best way to become one? 2024 |

In this article, we'll introduce:

• What is UGC is        
  
• What exactly a UGC creator does and why they work with brands        
  
• Illustrations of UGC creators        
  
• Strategies to become a UGC creator        
  

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What is UGC?

User-generated content (or UGC) is content that is created by the users of an online platform-as opposed to the owners. The biggest companies in the world depend on it (think Meta, TikTok, and YouTube), and they've made user-generated content billion-dollar value.

We often consider UGC as something we do through social media platforms. However, you'll see UGC everywhere on the web. Forums, brands, online communities, blogging websites (e.g. Medium) as well as Google Maps use UGC. When you read reviews about a restaurant on Google or Yelp or Yelp, you're reading UGC.

UGC is beneficial for platforms. In fact, it's vital. Since, if there were any users on the platforms, they fail and become useless. Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter are useless without users. It's been proven this by Clubhouse, a listening app that soared to an estimated $4 billion value in 2021 and crashed back to the ground after users slowed.

What exactly is an UGC Creator?

A UGC creator is a content creator who creates content that is created by users. Okay, that seems straightforward.

However, usually when we talk about the term UGC producer, we're thinking about someone who creates content for brands and is paid by the brand. BUT-and this is important-they don't have to work for the brand. UGC creators are not employees of brands. They're not in-house. Independent creators are rewarded by brands to develop content.

Okay, this can be a bit unclear. Consider UGC creators as UGC creator as akin to the freelance creator of content. The brand might say, "Hey , we need genuine videos of you unboxing an item. Can you create them ?"

and the UGC creator is able to do this... with a fee.

In reality, companies are awestruck by UGC which talks about them. Especially when it's with a genuine, useful manner that allows potential buyers to get to know them.

UGC in comparison to. Influencer

It's possible you're thinking to yourself "Wait it is like influencer marketing."

This is the case! Some people swear that influencer marketing as well as UGC creators differ. And sure, usually influencers build their own audiences which they then charge companies for eyeballs, while UGC creators get paid to create content first.

Usually, influencers are charged by brands for the attention they receive from their fans. In general, UGC creators pay brands for their content creation. This is a simple difference.

Here are a few examples of the ways that the lines between the two become slightly blurred

• A UGC creator may receive a payment by the company for the creation of content. However, they could also earn through affiliate sales.        
  
• Micro-influencers could enjoy a some followers, but they could get paid to produce the content for brands' channels.        
  
• UGC creators sometimes create content for free and for fun, and it moves into a paid relationship with a brand.        
  

As you can see the difference between an influencers and UGC creator isn't always clear-cut.

What makes brands want to work in conjunction with UGC creators?

UGC creators share the one thing that every company wants - authenticity. Here's why companies love UGC creators:

• People listen. Recent research from Sprout Social found that 49 percent of people make their regular purchase due to the celebrities. Each brand requires trust, and UGC content is a great way to build it.    
  
• Users rate UGC with 2.4x more authentic than media content that a company creates internally.    
  
• Reviews matter Consumers trust reviews! 75% report that they trust reviews on the internet. UGC creators may participate in this procedure.    
  
• UGC content has 10 times more impactful than influencer content in influencing people's buying decisions.    
  
• UGC content can resonate more. The way that people perceive a brand is influenced by how they think about brands as well as being tightly linked to the way they act.    
  

UGC Creator Examples

1. Apple

Apple's #shotoniphone hashtag has been an enormous achievement for UGC creators and has prompted tons of spinoff hashtags. Apple regularly issues the challenge with guidelines, such as the macro challenge in 2022, which included judges such as Anand Varma, Apeksha Maker, Peter McKinnon.

2. L'oreal Pro

L'oreal sparks UGC by launching hashtag campaigns such as #LorealPro. Though they don't pay directly UGC creators, those who win get exposure for their business on the channels of L'oreal.

3. Adobe

Adobe is among the top creative software programs in the world and it's no major surprise to see that they have UGC across their channels-all creatives who've used their tools to make incredible things. The majority of them use hashtags such as #createdwithphotoshop.

4. LinkedIn

LinkedIn utilizes an abundance of UGC creators through its social networks, to share such things as product walkthroughs, announcements as well as career motivation. This can mean sharing content by creators, and other times it seems to be officially UGC collaborations.

5. Home Depot

Home Depot often features works by UGC content creators who love home renos.

As an example, check out this heartwarming post from @firstgenhouse, who is renovating a bedroom in her mother-in-law's rental. Home Depot's UGC is an unquestionably masterclass in UGC production, as it blends its brand and amazing stories as well as "how-to" tutorials that people enjoy to read.

5. ConvertKit

ConvertKit is doing some interesting UGC creator work with paid partnerships, showcasing people who use ConvertKit's software to manage their newsletter or email business.

Strategies to become a UGC creator

There's no one way to become an UGC creator. It's a fast-changing field and you'll need to find what works best for your needs. However, as a general principle, here are a few items you can consider prioritizing.

1. Find your content edge

Each UGC creator should discover a voice, an approach to creating content that fits you. This is:

• Finding an CMS for content creation that you understand and know how to use.      
  
• Explore the kind of content you love creating-images, videos, written posts and more.        
  
• The type of things you want to discuss.        
  

Every creator is unique and each audience is different and therefore it is important to lead from the person you're. One of our most loved story is Martinus Evans. He created his account on Instagram at 300poudsandrunning in celebration of his journey towards being an "Slow Af" runner.

Martinus The energy of the man and his story resonated, and he's cultivated a fan base of "back of the trail" racers.

What you require is. Your voice and values as well as some experience in creating material.

2. Develop a portfolio

When you write your content, you could create an portfolio that you can share with companies. This could be a full professional and well-designed collection of articles or even a website. You could also have one post that goes viral and slide into the company's DMs using it.

"Hey I'd like to create a post for THE BRAND which appears like this. Is there a way to create it? happen ?"

How you go about it is your choice, but any brand who is willing to partner with you must at a minimum to be able to prove that you can create great material.

3. Build connections

One of the best ways to become an UGC creator is to build connections. The people who work at each major company are that... individuals. And the more you know the more opportunities you'll discover. Be on their radar! Know who they are and what they're currently working on.

Below are a few tips to build the proper sort of relations with the brands you work with:

• Participate in discussions and comments on posts. This is probably the lowest-lift approach to interact with your brand and it can be valuable. Brands do notice when people interact with them.    
  
• Create content on a regular basis. When people create great material about our company, we usually notice! Then we post it to our corporate Slack: "Hey, look at what nice words this person is saying !"    
  
• Message people directly. Avoid sending spam to individuals. This is a sure method to be blocked. However, a nice message or email directly to someone who is involved in a brand's content creation and marketing program doesn't hurt.    
  
• Participate in conferences. If you're seeking to make important contacts, an event or conference can be a great method to begin building your circle.    
  

In the end, at the final point the way you establish relationships will be up to you. However, brands cannot work with you as being a UGC creator if they don't know who you are.

4. Learn what types of brands are actually looking for

Influencers who are aspiring to be influencers often have difficult time understanding what it is brands actually desire and require. This is the same from UGC creators too.

For a perfect example of this, can you recall the story from 2018 about an hotel that had banned influencers? A blogger contacted the hotel to request a complimentary space to stay for an Dublin stay, and The White Moose Hotel won the online with its humorous remarks.

Then, they announced that the bloggers would be banned from staying there.

It's important for would-be UGC makers and influencers to ask themselves: What is an organization really want from this relationship?

Usually, it's:

• Exposure        
  
• Making it easier for people to comprehend a product        
  
• Reviews that are positive        
  
• Risk of low PR        
  

It's not complicated. However, think about the value that you add to the mix and make sure you know how to give it to an organization. If not, it's unlikely to work.

5. Pitch

This is a glimpse of Mighty's team on any given week. It's busy! We've got a lot of balls in the air, and we might not look to find potential partners for our content.

If you're waiting on the attention of a company, you might wait an extended period of time. What's the reason to make a pitch?

Here are some easy suggestions:

• Pick your brands with care. Don't shotgun pitches to all brands available. Choose a few brands that fit with the content you like to create.    
  
• Learn about them. What are they currently doing? What is the brand's current strategy? UGC pitch must be a part of something they are doing or should be doing.    
  
• Make a value-added pitch. If you are creating a pitch, make it clear what you offer and how you will deliver it as well as the amount you charge. (You could even create your own sample of content a company could expect. )    
  

Conclusion

Hopefully this guide helps to think about the possibilities of UGC content could do for you or for the brand you own. If executed properly, successful UGC collaborations with creators can result in an advantage for all. Be sure to master the content creation craft first. Then, make sure that you are aware of the requirements from each UGC collaboration.