User-generated content (UGC) is exactly what it sounds like: content created by real people, not your brand, that features your product or service. That could mean customers, creators, reviewers, or even loyal fans. The key is that it feels genuine, not overly produced.
It shows up in formats like:
- Short-form videos (TikTok, Reels, YouTube Shorts)
- Testimonials and reviews
- Unboxings and tutorials
- Lo-fi product demos
- Lifestyle photography
What makes UGC powerful is how it shows up in feed. It’s not overly produced. It doesn’t scream “ad.” It looks and feels native. Instead of interrupting the scroll, it blends in, and that authenticity builds trust, captures attention, and drives performance.
What Are The Benefits of UGC Marketing
People trust people, not ads. That’s what makes UGC so effective. It doesn’t just improve brand perception. It drives measurable performance across paid social, organic, and even retail channels.
Why brands are investing more in UGC:
It Builds Trust That Drives Action
Consumers don’t want to hear from brands, they want to hear from people. UGC reflects real customer experiences in a way that polished brand ads can’t. That credibility builds confidence and improves conversion rates, especially in lower-funnel placements where trust influences purchase behavior.
It Outperforms Branded Content on Engagement
UGC consistently outperforms branded ads on key engagement metrics including views, completions, shares, saves, and click-through rates. Why? Because it looks and feels native to the platform by blending in with organic content instead of interrupting it.
It’s More Efficient to Produce at Scale
Paid media campaigns need a high volume of creative content. UGC makes that possible. It’s faster and more cost-effective to produce than studio-shot content, making it ideal for testing hooks, formats, and messages without overworking your team or your budget.
It Extends Creative Shelf Life and Reduces Fatigue
Even top-performing ads eventually begin to fatigue. UGC gives you a steady pipeline of ready-to-launch content you can rotate in to keep performance high and CPAs low.
UGC Wins
G-Star RAW | TikTok Brand Launch
G-Star RAW turned to brkfst.io to establish a presence on TikTok. The strategy centered on short-form, trend-driven content that matched the platform’s tone and style. By working with 11 creators to produce over 200 pieces of content, the brand saw a 48% drop in CPM compared to their other paid channels.
Timberland | Motion Access Launch
To support the launch of their Motion Access Low Lace-Up Sneaker, Timberland partnered with brkfst.io to produce 40 unique, creator-led video ads. Results included a 3.7x higher video completion rate and 22% lower CPM.
The Two Main UGC Formats and When to Use Them
UGC isn’t one-size-fits-all. Different formats serve different purposes and knowing when to use each one helps you build a smarter, more effective content strategy.
This is unprompted, unpaid content your customers share on their own.It’s authentic, unsolicited, and extremely valuable for building social proof. Think TikTok reviews, tagged Instagram Stories, or unboxing videos that happen without a brand ask. You can’t control the message or visuals, but you can amplify it when it aligns with your brand.
This is content created by real people, but commissioned by your brand. You brief a creator to produce short-form videos, testimonials, or demos with a specific message or goal in mind. It still feels native and organic, but you can control the narrative, own the rights, and launch it across paid, organic, and retail channels.
How to Start Leveraging UGC
You don’t have to wait for customers to tag you to start using UGC. And you definitely don’t need to spend hours chasing creators in the DMs. Here’s how to seamlessly build UGC into your workflow:
Encourage Organic UGC
Encourage customers to share by using branded hashtags, offering small incentives (like a discount on their next purchase), or launching challenges that make posting fun and easy. The goal is to turn real customer moments into content you can amplify.
Source Creators Through a Platform Like brkfst.io
One of the biggest challenges brands face with UGC is finding and managing creators. UGC platforms, like brkfst.io, connect brands with pre-vetted creators who know how to make content that performs. We handle briefs, rights, moderation, and delivery—so you can focus on results.
Give Creators Clear Direction Without Killing Creativity
The most effective UGC starts with a carefully curated brief. That means giving creators the context they need to stay on-brand: what the product is, which value props to hit, and how the content will be used. The goal is to guide the output, not script every word. When creators understand your goals, they can deliver content that feels real and performs.
Repurpose UGC Across Every Channel
UGC isn’t just for organic social. Use it in paid ads, landing pages, PDPs, email flows — anywhere you need content that builds trust and drives conversion.
Write Smart Briefs and Vet Talent Carefully
A tight brief leads to better content. If you’re new to sourcing creators, explore our Find UGC Creators page to connect with the right talent for your brand.
UGC vs Influencer Marketing
It’s easy to confuse the two. But there is a significant difference between UGC and influencer marketing.
Influencer marketing is about visibility. You’re paying to reach an influencer’s audience through sponsored content on their channels. It’s effective for driving awareness, but less predictable when it comes to conversions.
UGC is made to be used in your channels. You’re commissioning content from creators that looks organic but is built for performance that you fully own and can run across paid, organic, and retail.
More brands are shifting budget from influencer posts to paid UGC because it gives them what influencer marketing doesn’t: licensing and control.
How brkfst.io Helps Brands with UGC
brkfst.io is the UGC platform built for speed, scale, and performance. Here’s how we do it:
A Vetted Creator Network
Creators apply to join brkfst.io, and each one is reviewed for content quality, reliability, and communication.
Streamlined Briefing and Production
We handle everything from creator matching and briefs to revisions, rights, and final delivery. That means less overhead for your team and more content ready to launch.
Creative Built to Perform
Every asset is designed to look native and perform across Meta, TikTok, and other key channels.
Performance You Can Measure
With the right creators, process, and content all in one platform, brkfst.io helps brands scale UGC with real, trackable results.
Why UGC Belongs in Your Growth Strategy
UGC is what today’s consumers trust and what actually drives performance. It helps brands scale creative quickly, affordably, and in a way that feels real. If your strategy is still built around polished brand ads or influencer-only campaigns, you’re missing the kind of content that performs in today’s feed-first, authenticity-driven world.
brkfst.io makes it easy to bring high-performing UGC into your workflow: whether you’re looking to boost conversions, build trust, or refresh creative without starting from scratch, we’re built to help you do it faster. Let’s get started.