UGC Creators: The Secret to Seeing Your Brand Grow

Here’s the thing, brand marketing isn’t exactly a walk in the park right now.

Algorithms are changing faster than the British weather, attention spans are shorter than a TikTok video, and consumers can spot a generic ad from a mile away.

So, how do you actually connect with your audience? That’s where UGC comes in.

This piece dives into what user-generated content is all about, who’s behind it, and why your brand might just want to get on board.

What Is a UGC Creator?

Alright, let’s start with the basics:

UGC stands for User-Generated Content, which, in a brand context, means content that looks and feels like it came from a real customer.

The key difference? UGC creators aren’t necessarily promoting your product on their social profiles. Instead, they’re creating branded content for you to use across your marketing channels.

Think of them as the love child of a talented videographer and a trusted customer.

They produce raw-but-relatable videos, aesthetic product shots, testimonials that don’t sound scripted, and day-in-the-life clips that feel way more “mate recommending something in the group chat” than “corporate campaign.”

Wait, So They’re Not Influencers?

Nope. And that’s what sets them apart.

Influencers are hired to speak to their audience. UGC content creators are hired to create content that you can use to speak to yours.

They don’t rely on follower counts or engagement rates. They rely on storytelling skills, creative chops, and a knack for making things feel natural.

They’re not the stars. Your brand is.

Why Should Brands Care About UGC Creators?

You’ve got your internal team, some slick campaigns brewing, and maybe even a few influencer partnerships in the pipeline, so why not throw UGC creators into the mix?

“UGC creators give brands a reusable bank of content for their socials and marketing. They’re easier to brief, since they don’t need to post on their channels,” says Immy Conoley, Senior Customer Success Executive at The Influence Room.

Here’s the scoop:

1. Authenticity Wins (Every. Single. Time.)

The truth is that we all crave authenticity.

Your audience is more likely to trust a relatable person sharing a genuine opinion than a polished ad with fancy lighting and a massive production budget.

UGC creators bring that raw, unfiltered vibe. It feels human. It feels trustworthy. And most importantly, it feels believable.

2. It Performs

This isn’t just a passing trend.

UGC consistently outshines traditional branded content when it comes to engagement, click-through rates, and conversions.

Why? It doesn’t come off as an ad. That scroll-stopping authenticity drives real results. That’s the magic.

As Immy mentioned, “UGC creators that have clear backgrounds, have nailed the product focus with nice lighting, and provide different shots with different angles. Content is more about the product than it is the influencer.”

3. Budget-Friendly, Big Impact

Influencer campaigns and studio shoots can quickly eat up your marketing budget.

But what about UGC creators? They deliver high-impact content at a fraction of the cost. Typically, UGC is associated with micro-influencers.

Many even work on a per-deliverable or package basis, making it easier for brands (especially startups or challengers) to scale without breaking the bank.

How Brands Can Leverage UGC Creators

Here’s how brands can make the most of UGC creators. UGC content creators aren’t just for TikTok. They’re a whole goldmine of assets for your entire marketing ecosystem.

Types of Content They Can Create:

Product demos & unboxings
Perfect for showing off features without sounding like a sales pitch.
Testimonials & reviews
Social proof that doesn’t feel like it was written by a copywriter.
Day-in-the-life or routine content
People want to see how your product fits into real life, and this does just that.
Aesthetic lifestyle content
Still want it to look great on the grid? UGC creators can give you those Instagram-ready visuals with a genuine feel.

Where You Can Use It:

Paid ads (Meta, TikTok, YouTube Shorts)
UGC outperforms traditional creatives in most paid ad tests.
Organic social content
Fills the content calendar without feeling repetitive or overly polished.
Email marketing
Incorporating short videos or quotes from UGC creators can bring authenticity to your communications.
Website & product pages
Including trustworthy testimonials or real-life product demonstrations can significantly boost your conversion rates.
In-store digital displays
Never overlook the impact of content driven by peers in physical retail environments.

Where to Find UGC Creators (Without Overcomplicating It)

Finding creators doesn’t have to be a grind. Here’s where to look, and how to know who’s worth your time.

Creator Platforms (like The Influence Room)
Want creators that understand your niche and brand vibe? These platforms are built to connect you with the right fit for any campaign.
Freelancer Marketplaces
Sites like Fiverr and Upwork are full of UGC creators ready to go. Browse their work, test a few out, and see who clicks.
Creator Communities
TikTok comments, X threads, and Facebook groups are full of creators showing off their stuff. It’s a great way to spot up-and-comers.
Agencies That Do It All
If you’d rather hand it over, UGC-focused agencies take care of the whole thing — from finding talent to final edits.
Start Small, Then Scale
Kick off with a short brief. Give creators room to be creative. If it lands, great — now you know who to invest in.

UGC in Action: Real Brand Wins

Let’s bring it to life with some homegrown heroes who nailed UGC with The Influence Room.

Barry M: Show Us Your Party Look!

Barry M turned up the volume on their seasonal glam with a UGC campaign that practically screamed sparkle.

Teaming up with just eleven UGC creators, they invited people to show off their boldest party looks using Barry M products.

Glitter, gloss, and glam galore.

The result? 74,000 impressions, 65,000 reach, and a wave of vibrant content that felt fun, authentic, and shareable. When your community is buzzing, your brand truly shines.

Holland & Barrett: A Cosy Autumn Night In

Holland & Barrett Went Full Cosy for Autumn.

Instead of pushing products, they teamed up with UGC creators to capture that warm, wind-down feeling — think herbal teas, candles, and all things self-care.

The content beautifully captured those snug moments we all long for. The results were impressive: 1.7 million impressions, 895,000 views, and a reach of 1.4 million.

This demonstrates that authentic, lifestyle-driven content resonates much more than a polished product shot ever could.

La Redoute: Valentine’s Day Ready

Let’s dive into what La Redoute has to say about Valentine’s Day. Instead of the usual staged bouquets and tired clichés, they’ve opted for a refreshingly authentic approach that really stands out.

By teaming up with UGC content creators, they provided outfit inspiration, dreamy home decor ideas, and relaxed gift suggestions.

The campaign was effortlessly chic and relatable. The results? 1.1 million impressions, 928,000 reach, and 684,000 views.

It seems audiences are drawn to content that feels both aspirational and attainable.

The UGC market is constantly evolving, with the roles of its creators expanding. Immy noted:

“In my current experience, brands are becoming less focused on reach and more focused on user-generated assets, as they come at a much lower cost than hiring a photographer.

There’s a growing need for brands to secure rights across content posted with campaigns, as they want to reuse everything as much as possible.”

Getting Started With UGC Creators

Ready to start working with UGC Creators? Here are the steps to get started:

Step 1: Set Goals

Decide if you are looking for engagement in a community, conversions, or increasing brand awareness. Have an idea of what success looks like through the eyes of your brand and what you want to achieve.

Step 2: Write a Comprehensive Brief

It is important to keep things simple but be specific enough. Include a clear tone of voice to communicate how the brand talks, their key message, and what to or not to include, as well as usage rights.

Step 3: Get the Usage Rights

Make sure you talk to the UGC creator about where their content is being used and how you intend to use it.

Step 4: Get a Roster of Creators

If the UGC creators delivered content you liked, keep them in rotation. Creating a long-term bond will help create content that is much more aligned to your brands and their goals.

Step 5: Measure Performance

Stop guessing!! Test, track the ad metrics, and your engagement data. And then see if those are working and producing the best results.

FAQs

What does the UGC stand for?
UGC stands for user-generated content. This is any kind of content - like text, images, videos, or reviews - that’s created and shared by regular users, not the brand itself.

What is a UGC creator?
A UGC creator is someone who makes content like videos, pictures, or social posts that look and feel like real, everyday content. It’s made to feel authentic and relatable, and brands usually use it in their own marketing.

What is an example of UGC content?
User-generated content can take many forms, including:

Customer reviews on products or services
Photos or videos shared by users featuring a brand or product
Unboxing videos created by real customers
Social media posts that tag or mention a brand
Testimonials shared on websites or review platforms
Blog posts written by users about their experience with a product

These types of content are created by real users and help build trust and authenticity for brands.

How do I get UGC content?
To get UGC, you can:

Ask your followers to share photos or videos using a specific hashtag
Run a fun contest or giveaway to get people posting
Team up with influencers or creators who can help spread the word

Just make it easy and fun for people to share their own content about your brand!

What is UGC for TikTok?
On TikTok, UGC (user-generated content) is content like videos, pics, reviews, or testimonials made by everyday people, not brands, sharing their real experiences with a product or brand.

Final Thoughts

User-generated content creators aren’t just a flickering trend; they represent the future of authentic, engaging brand storytelling.

They enable your brand to stand out amidst the chaos, forge genuine connections with audiences, and appear in feeds in a way that doesn’t come off as just another advertisement. And in today’s content-heavy world, that’s priceless.

So, if you’re ready to create content that people actually want to watch, it might just be time to give UGC creators a seat at the table.

Ready to tap into UGC?

Elevate your brand and book a demo with The Influence Room today and discover how real creators can transform your content strategy.

How Brands Can Use Social Proof in Marketing

Why Social Proof is the Secret Weapon for Every Brand

The online population causes people to believe in actual users as much as they trust businesses.

Social proof is a crucial marketing component due to its function as the psychological bias by which people make choices based on what other people do (herd mentality).

Social proof in marketing provides brands with credibility in the form of user-generated content and word-of-mouth that boosts conversion rates in the market.

The new online marketplace needs social proof to succeed today. This change turns random doubt into confident customers who stop surfing and become dedicated loyal buyers.

But how do you strategically leverage social proof in marketing to maximise impact?

In this article, we’ll explore:

The psychology behind social proof in marketing and why it works.
The different types of social proof examples (and which ones drive the most conversions).
Actionable strategies to seamlessly integrate social proof theory into your marketing.

Let’s dive in.

What is Social Proof in Marketing?

Essentially, social proof in marketing is that humans watch what other people do in order to guide their decisions - especially where they are unsure.

Psychologist Robert Cialdini, author of Effect: The Psychology of Persuasion, discusses social proof theory and social proof psychology and the reason why we believe in a restaurant that has a massive queue or buy a product that has thousands of positive reviews.

Examples of social proof in marketing can be a powerful tool to create credibility and drive consumer behaviour.
From powerful testimonials to user-borne content, brands use social proof to establish trust, remove friction at purchase, and induce conversions.

The Psychology Behind Social Proof

Why is social proof psychology so powerful? That is because it appeals to deeply ingrained human behaviours, such as:

FOMO (Fear of Missing Out): Seeing others engage with a brand triggers a psychological urge to join in before missing out on something valuable or an experience.
Herd Mentality: People follow the crowd, assuming that if a group of others is making a decision, it should be correct.
Trust & Credibility: Consumers naturally doubt marketing messages, but they rely on the recommendations of peers, affected and real customers.

In the digital world of today, where attention spans are short and competition is fierce, leveraging social proof in consumer psychology can provide the difference between a potential customer clicking away or joining.

Why Social Proof Matters for Brands

In an era where clients are bombarded with advertising messages, trust is the ultimate currency - and social proof is one of the fastest ways to gain it.

When prospects know that others trust and recommend your brand, it creates a ripple effect that:

1. Builds Credibility and Trust

Humans trust humans, not corporations.

Whether it's customer reviews, influencer endorsements, or user-generated content, seeing real people endorse a product reduces uncertainty and enhances confidence in a purchase decision.

2. Enhances Brand Reputation and Authority

A strong brand isn’t just about awareness—it’s about authority.
When industry experts and impressive and happy customers constantly advocate your brand, it presents you as a leader in your location and as a force for future authentic brand partnerships.

3. Boosts Conversions and Sales

Social proof is not perception - it converts into bottom-line sales.

Why? When consumers see evidence that another product is being loved, they're more inclined to take action and join in.

The correct strategy can transform passive browsers into active customers and activate customers among faithful defenders.

How to Successfully Use Social Proof as a Brand

Including social proof in marketing in an effective manner requires more than aggregating admissibility or featuring customer endorsements.

It is about using actual, relevant and strategic social proof examples that connect with your target audiences.

These are a few methods that brands can effectively leverage social proof to create trust and conversion:

1. Leverage Customer Reviews and Testimonials

Customer reviews represent a robust form of social proof because they are word-of-mouth endorsements that come from your customers and reflect their genuine experiences. To unlock the greatest potential of this type of social evidence:

Showcase Positive Reviews: Highlight your website, product pages and shining reviews on social media to create reliability.
Respond to Negative Reviews: Always reply to negative comments with a positive, well-thought-out and creative response, showing that your brand has given importance to the customer's comment and is keen to improve it.
Use Real Customer Names and Photos: Using real customer names, photos, and even videos on the fan makes them more credible.

2. Collaborate with Influencers and Leaders

Collaboration with the concerned or compassionate leaders in your industry can turn out to be a game-saver for your social proof procedure.

The sole catch here is to find out the influencers that represent your brand beliefs and attract your target users. While making use of influencers:

Choose the Right Influencers: Choose influencers whose followers resemble your target buyers and who truly relate to your product or service.
Encourage Authentic Content: Allow influencers to create authentic material that shows your product in a way that makes their audience feel naturally connected to it.
Track and Showcase Results: If an influencer’s endorsement drives traffic or conversions, use this data to showcase the effectiveness of your partnership in future campaigns.

3. Highlight User-Generated Content

User-generated content (UGC) is one of the most authentic and relatable forms of social proof, make sure you are making the most of collaborating with micro-influencers.
Encourage your customers to share images, videos, or reviews of how they've been with your brand. It helps make your product human and promotes a feeling of belongingness. This is the way to benefit from UGC:

Create a Branded Hashtag: Encourage customers to use a unique hashtag when posting about your brand so that you can easily collaborate and display their content.
Feature UGC on Your Website and Social Channels: Showcase UGC across your digital platforms to make your customers feel valued and inspire others to follow suit.
Run Contests and Campaigns: Engage consumers with UGC campaigns or competitions, offering encouragement for them to share material relevant to your brand.

4. Use Case Studies and Success Stories

Case studies and success stories allow you to present your product or service in action, demonstrating the results in the real world.
This form of social proof in B2B settings is particularly powerful, but it can be equally effective in B2C marketing.

To make the most of case studies:

Focus on Specific Results: Demonstrate how your product or service solved a problem or produced an actual benefit for the customer.
Incorporate Data and Metrics: Define the extent of success as an average effect, such as an increase in sales, reduction in time consumed, or an enhancement in the satisfaction of the customer.
Make It Relatable: Keep your case studies connected with your potential clients by including customers or circumstances they can associate with.

5. Show Social Media Engagement

A brand's fans or the likes can be an understated source of social proof. If you have a solid social following, let it do the job for you:

Showcasing Engagement Metrics: If you have reached landmarks - such as reaching a milestone number of fans, having engagement, or being awarded - showcase them on your site or your marketing campaigns.
Share Positive Social Mentions: Track and share your brand on social media, particularly when the affected, industry experts, or happy customers are praising you.
Encourage Social Sharing: Include easily used social sharing buttons on your website and encourage users to share their content.

6. Use Trust Seals and Certifications

Trust seals, certification, and industry awards can grant significant rights to your brand and ensure customers that they are safer while making a purchase.

To use trust seals effectively:

Display Prominently: Place associated trust seals or certifications next to product descriptions, checkout pages, or wherever customers may hesitate regarding security or quality.
Use Verified Platforms: Trust seals from renowned platforms like Google, Amazon, or third-party certification agencies show customers that your brand is trustworthy.

7. Create a Sense of Urgency with Social Proof

FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) can be a powerful motivator when combined with social proof in marketing. To implement this strategy:

Display Real-Time Activity: Demonstrate how many users are viewing a product right now or how many products have been sold in the last few days in order to create a sense of urgency.
Leverage Limited-Time Offers: Emphasise how well-liked the product or proposal is and offer limited-time availability to press customers to act quickly.

By implementing these social proof strategies in your marketing campaign in a strategic manner, your brand can establish trust, deepen customer relationships, and increase conversions.

The key is to make your social evidence sound real and relevant and align with your brand's goals and values.

With the proper approach, social proof in marketing can be the make-or-break element of your marketing campaign.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

While social proof in marketing can be a potent tool for building trust, it must be strategically applied.

Most brands, however, make general mistakes that not only bring down the power of social proof but also could backfire and damage their image.

One of the greatest pitfalls is using dishonest or exaggerated social proof.

Forged testimonials, inflated follower counts, or misrepresentative endorsements. These instil mistrust and potential lawsuits.

The second mistake is ignoring bad reviews or failing to respond to customer grievances. In the marketplace of today's consumer-oriented society, your response to criticism might be as important as your response to praise.

Finally, loading your marketing with social proof that is not pertinent to your group will water it down and make your message insignificant and phoney.

FAQs

What is the meaning of Social Proof?
Social proof is when people look at what others are doing to help them decide what to do, especially when they’re unsure. It’s basically the idea that if a lot of people are doing something, it must be the right thing to do.

What is social proof in influencer marketing?
In influencer marketing, social proof is when influencers and their followers make a product or service look legit. When people see influencers using and recommending something, they’re more likely to trust it and want to buy it too.

Why is social proof important in marketing?
Social proof in marketing is a big deal because it makes people feel like they’re making a safe choice. If they see others loving a product, they’re more likely to trust it and buy it too - it’s the whole "everyone else is doing it, so it must be good" effect.

What is social proof in consumer behaviour?
In consumer behaviour, social proof is when people follow the crowd. If they see a bunch of others buying or recommending something, they take it as a sign that it’s a good choice and go along with it.

What is social proof theory in digital marketing?
Social proof theory in digital marketing is all about using the fact that people trust what others are doing. Things like reviews, testimonials, and influencer endorsements help build trust and make people more likely to buy.

How do you build social proof?
To build social proof, you want to show off positive feedback—things like customer reviews, testimonials, case studies, and awards. The more you can show that others love what you’re offering, the more trust and credibility you build.

Looking Forwards

Social proof in marketing is a crucial element in shaping consumer decisions and building a sustainable brand with trust as a key element. When used correctly, it can help increase your reliability, increase customer's busyness and run conversions.

Now is the time for your brand to start integrating the social proof theory with consideration and strategy into its marketing efforts.

Whether it's using authentic reviews, collaborating with influencers, or showcasing real customer experiences, the key is that your social proof resonates with your audience and your brand values.

Ready to take your social proof strategy to the next level and elevate your brand?

Discover how The Influence Room can help your brand build real trust and boost conversions. Book a demo with us now!