If you’re looking for UGC (or user-generated content), you might think you have two options: wait for your fans to post, or pay an influencer enormous fees.
Good news! There’s a third option: UGC creators.
In this article, we’ll cover everything you need to know about UGC creators, including:
- What a UGC creator is
- How they’re different from influencers
- Examples of real-life UGC creators
- How to find them for your brand
- How to decide whether or not to use UGC creators or influencers for a campaign
Let’s get started!
What is a UGC creator?
Originally, UGC creators were users of a particular brand that organically shared content (photos, videos, or reviews) of that specific brand. No one asked them to do it, they just loved that brand and did it organically.
This still happens today. However, fans can be unpredictable, so this idea has evolved into an industry in and of itself. Nowadays, we have UGC content creators who are paid specifically to create content for brands.
But that’s influencer marketing, right? Wrong!
Influencers have a community they’ve built and advertise to. UGC creators do not.
If someone’s a UGC content creator, that means they are simply paid to create content for brands they love. That’s right: they still love the brands they work with (just like the original UGC creators). They don’t work with *any brand.*
This is a key point because enthusiasm is infectious. UGC creators are perceived as more authentic because they aren’t paid crazy fees to put brands in a great light, they have more freedom, and they work with brands only if they love them. It’s a subtle difference, but it impacts how people perceive their content.
We’ve outlined more differences between influencers and UGC creators below.
Key differences between UGC content creators and influencers
If you’re looking for a UGC creator, it’s helpful to know what they are– and also what makes them different from influencers. Let’s discuss.
Content creators
Content creators…
- Generally only work with brands they truly love. (After all, why waste time and money promoting products they wouldn’t even use?)
- Don’t have a following or community built around them. Most of the time, they have regular social media accounts, just like you or me.
- Are way more affordable than influencers.
- Tend to give off a more authentic and organic vibe– which means that customers perceive them as trustworthy.
If you’re looking for an Instagram or TikTok UGC creator to go viral, this ⬆️ is the kind of person you’re looking for. Now, let’s contrast that with influencers:
Influencers
Influencers…
- May work with different brands from different industries or niches. This varies and depends on the individual creator and their circumstances.
- Have a community and/or a certain number of followers to monetize.
- Tend to be 5x more expensive than UGC creators when you consider licensing fees.
- Are generally perceived as less authentic. This didn’t used to be the case, but there’s been a recent shift in consumer behavior that shows consumers trust them less.
The main difference between influencers and UGC creators is community.
When you find an influencer and hire them, you’re paying extra to be introduced to their audience. On the other hand, a UGC content creator is paid to make great content you can use on social media.
3 examples of content creators from our platform
Now that we’ve talked about what UGC creators are, we thought it’d be helpful to give you some examples. As you can see below, these are regular people (just like us!), who happen to be super good at creating videos.
We can’t show you their social media accounts, because they’re either private or they don’t have them. If they were influencers, we’d be able to show you their social media channels because those would be publicly available.
Instead, we’ll share their introduction videos on our UGC creator platform.
Creator example #1
Creator example #2
Creator example #3
How can brands find UGC creators?
There are a couple of different ways you can find UGC creators to hire– which is good, because you can’t just go around messaging random regular people and asking them if they want to promote your brand, can you?
Here are your options:
Dedicated UGC platforms
Platforms like Clip help brands find and work with UGC creators. Because the platform is dedicated entirely to UGC, it makes the process of checking out UGC creator portfolios, communicating, and receiving files SO MUCH EASIER.
UGC platforms are quite different from influencer marketing platforms (databases), so just make sure you know what you want before you go shopping.
Freelancer sites like Fiverr or Upwork
Okay, some brands claim to have success finding UGC creators on freelancer platforms. However, they are not dedicated to UGC, so you’ll encounter the following problems:
- Where is the creator going to upload the content?
- Am I okay with getting it through the tiny chatbox on their website?
Yeah… Probably not. Plus, it’s not like you get UGC content 10x cheaper or that the quality is going to be better. It’s often the opposite. Stick with dedicated platforms– you’ll be glad you did.
Should brands choose UGC content creators instead of influencers?
Well, glad you asked! This is a great question. The answer depends on your goals.
If you’re looking to generate more awareness and reach new audiences on social media, then you should opt for influencers. But, more importantly, you should opt for affordable influencers.
This is because influencers do one job better than anyone else: showcasing your brand and its products to their dedicated audience, which sparks engagement, traffic, and potential sales.
However, if you’re simply looking for UGC to use in your ads or organic social media, we recommend picking UGC creators. They’re more affordable and the process of working with them is shorter– which means there’s less operational pressure on you.
Your move
In this article, we’ve been on quite the journey! We’ve talked about UGC creators– what they are and how they’re different from influencers, and we’ve even seen some examples of real-life content creators. We also talked about where you can find UGC creators, and whether or not they’re the right choice for your brand.
So, now that almost every question you’ve ever had about UGC creators vs. influencers has been answered (we hope!), there’s only one left:
Which will you choose? A UGC creator, or an influencer?
Let us know your choice in the comments. And, if you’re interested in getting best-in-class UGC for an affordable price, try Clip today.
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