In today’s world, where people are bombarded with ads everywhere they look, getting someone to truly trust a brand is harder than ever. Glossy commercials, influencers, and even celebrities can feel staged or salesy. That’s where User-Generated Content (UGC) videos come in — they’re raw, real, and incredibly effective. There are two ways to use UGC. One is by letting it do its own thing across social media channels, and another is by maximizing its impact by gathering it and using it in your posts, landing pages, and email campaigns.
To get the most out of UGC, you want to be gathering it and using it yourself. You can do this in several ways: You can jump-start your UGC strategy right now by finding legitimate content creators who are willing to get to know your product and make UGC today. Check out Fiverr’s UGC and UGC Video services categories to find some of the best creators out there. Find the right creator, and you can make a real alliance to get your UGC strategy going fast.
Let’s talk about why UGC videos have become a game-changer for brands of all sizes, and how
1. What Is UGC Video?
UGC, or User-Generated Content, refers to any form of content—text, images, videos, reviews—created by unpaid contributors (typically customers or fans) rather than the brand itself. UGC video specifically includes:
- Product review videos
- Unboxing experiences
- Testimonial
- Tutorials and how-tos
- TikTok/Reels content showing real-life product use
- Before-and-after transformations
These videos are created by real users and shared on platforms like YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, and even directly on brand websites.
2. The Trust Factor: People Trust People, Not Brands
A. Authenticity Beats Advertising
Consumers are overwhelmed with traditional ads. 47% of internet users globally use ad blockers (Statista, 2023), indicating a significant distrust in brand-created content. On the flip side, UGC feels real and unfiltered. A polished commercial may be visually stunning, but it lacks the raw honesty that a shaky phone-recorded review offers. The imperfections of UGC are exactly what make it believable and trustworthy.
Inigo Rivero, Managing Director of House Of Marketers, explains, people trust raw, real experiences from fellow users more than polished marketing pitches, making UGC a powerful tool for building trust and boosting conversions. User-generated content (UGC) often outperforms professional ads because it feels more genuine and relatable. In a skincare brand campaign, a landing page with unedited customer videos achieved a 12.7% conversion rate over 30 days—nearly triple that of the professionally produced page, which had just 4.3%. This led to an additional $4,240 in revenue from the same traffic. The key difference was not the message but the format.
B. Social Proof at Its Best
Humans are wired to follow the crowd — it’s a psychological principle called social proof. When people see others using, enjoying, and recommending a product, they’re more likely to trust the brand. UGC video offers dynamic social proof that builds trust more effectively than static reviews or star ratings. According to Nielsen, 92% of consumers trust recommendations from other people over branded content, even if they don’t personally know the individual in the video.
Luca Dal Zotto, co-founder of Rent a Mac, shared that simply adding a customer video via QR code on a flyer boosted sign-ups by 24% compared to linking to a brand video. He emphasizes that UGC should be used throughout the sales process—not just on social media, but also in emails, landing pages, and product pages. The key is keeping it simple, honest, and unpolished to maintain its authenticity. User-generated video content feels genuine and trustworthy because it showcases real people sharing real experiences. Unlike polished ads, UGC isn’t rehearsed or overly edited, which makes it more relatable and believable.
3. UGC Videos Influence Purchasing Decisions
A. Consumers Want to See the Product in Action
Before spending money, customers want reassurance. They want to know:
- What does the product look like in real life?
- How does it function?
- Does it meet expectations?
UGC videos answer all these questions organically, showing the product from a user’s perspective. A professionally shot ad might show a model using a fitness product in a studio. A UGC video shows a regular person using it in their living room, sweating, adjusting, and reacting — making it relatable and real.
Dmitriy Shelepin, Founder & Head of SEO at Miromind, explains, UGC resonates emotionally with viewers by showing real customers using products in relatable ways. Smart brands place this content at high-impact points in the sales funnel—like email campaigns, product pages, and retargeting ads—to turn interest into conversions. By keeping the process simple and encouraging genuine stories, UGC helps brands increase trust, boost engagement, and drive long-term growth. User-generated video content (UGC) stands out for its authenticity and real-life feel, which builds trust more effectively than polished brand videos.
B. Higher Engagement Rates
UGC videos often receive more engagement than branded content, especially on platforms like TikTok and Instagram Reels. That’s because users trust their peers and are more likely to comment, share, and tag others on relatable content. For example, UGC ads on TikTok have been shown to generate up to 6x higher engagement than traditional brand-created videos (TikTok for Business, 2023).
A campaign he managed for a DTC brand saw a 25%+ boost in conversions after replacing professionally produced ads with UGC. The raw, unpolished visuals captured by customers made the brand feel more human and relatable. He emphasizes that smart brands use UGC throughout the entire sales funnel—unboxing videos to spark interest, authentic reviews to build trust, and everyday usage clips to encourage retention. His key advice: make it easy for customers to share their stories and highlight their unique voices.
4. UGC Video Builds Community, Not Just Customers
A. Two-Way Relationship
When a brand uses UGC, it sends a powerful message: “We see you, we appreciate you, and we’re listening.” This deepens the emotional connection between the brand and its community. Brands like GoPro and Glossier have built massive communities using user content. Instead of dictating the narrative, they let customers shape the brand story.
Robert Grunnah, Owner at Austin House Buyer, explains that UGC simplifies how people understand products—especially tools or platforms that seem complex at first. Seeing a real person use a product in action lowers the learning curve and builds clarity. UGC also acts as a powerful feedback tool, offering brands insights into what truly matters to their users. For companies just starting, he suggests focusing on key friction points in the customer journey and collecting simple, sincere content that highlights one feature or success. Diverse, authentic videos help audiences relate and build trust across different regions and cultures.
B. Turning Customers Into Advocates
When someone posts a UGC video and sees it shared or reposted by a brand, they feel valued — and more likely to continue engaging. This transforms regular customers into brand advocates, who promote without being paid.
5. UGC Video is Cost-Effective and Scalable
A. Saves Budget on Production
Hiring a film crew, renting a studio, and producing an ad can cost tens of thousands of dollars. In contrast, UGC videos are often created for free or at minimal cost, while delivering more ROI. Even paid UGC collaborations with micro-creators tend to be far less expensive than influencer marketing or traditional advertising — yet often yield higher conversion rates.
Hayley Gillman, CEO of BOTI, shares that User-Generated Content (UGC) consistently outperforms traditional ads because people trust real people over brands. In A/B tests using testimonial videos from actual recruiters versus polished brand explainers, the UGC drove 42% higher click-through rates and 29% more demo bookings. She explains that the unfiltered, specific nature of UGC builds deeper trust, especially when used throughout the sales funnel—from social proof ads to landing pages. Her advice for brands starting: keep it simple, ask users to share short, honest clips, and focus on believability over perfection.
B. Infinite Creative Possibilities
With UGC, your brand doesn’t need to stick to a single message or look. You can have dozens or hundreds of variations of your product being showcased in different contexts, to different demographics, in different styles — all generated organically. This creates content diversity that appeals to multiple buyer personas, geographies, and psychographics.
6. Boosts SEO and Increases Web Conversions
A. Time on Site & Bounce Rates
Webpages that feature UGC videos tend to have:
- Higher time-on-site
- Lower bounce rates
- Better conversion rates
That’s because visitors trust the content more and engage with it longer. According to Yotpo, adding UGC to product pages can increase conversions by up to 91%.
B. Better SEO Performance
Search engines favor fresh, relevant, and authentic content. UGC videos often include natural keywords, are highly shareable, and can generate backlinks — all contributing to stronger search engine rankings.
7. Ad Fatigue is Real — UGC Cuts Through the Noise
Consumers are bombarded with hundreds of ads daily. This leads to ad fatigue, where traditional campaigns become background noise. UGC video, however, feels disruptive in a good way — not because it’s louder, but because it’s different. When you’re scrolling Instagram and see a genuine, excited customer talking about how a product changed their life, you pause. You listen. That’s the power of authenticity.
Carter Crowley, Owner of CB Home Solutions, believes UGC videos drive more trust and sales because authenticity always wins. Unlike traditional ads, which feel scripted and overused, UGC features real people sharing real experiences—making it far more relatable and believable. His top advice for brands starting is to simplify the process: meet customers on the platforms they already use, and encourage participation with easy incentives like giveaways or discounts. Making it effortless and rewarding helps turn customers into genuine brand advocates.
8. UGC Videos Thrive on All Platforms
From TikTok and Instagram to YouTube Shorts and even Amazon product listings, UGC videos perform exceptionally well across every major platform.
A. TikTok & Reels: The Epicenter of UGC
Short-form UGC videos are now the heartbeat of TikTok, where raw, honest, and often humorous content goes viral every day. Consumers often search TikTok before Google to find honest product reviews or demos.
B. YouTube: The Home of Long-Form UGC
YouTube is the second-largest search engine, and review-based videos, hauls, and tutorials dominate its content. A 5-minute unboxing from a real user can do more than a \$50,000 ad campaign.
9. UGC Enhances Paid Advertising Performance
Interestingly, UGC videos not only perform well organically — they also boost paid ad performance. Meta and TikTok have both confirmed that ads using real customer videos tend to:
- Convert better
- Cost less per click (CPC)
- Achieve higher ROAS (Return on Ad Spend)
That’s because these ads don’t look like ads — they blend into the platform’s native content, increasing viewer trust and reducing friction.
10. Real Results: Brands Winning With UGC
A. Gymshark
Gymshark’s explosive growth is largely due to UGC. Instead of paying celebrities, they partnered with fitness enthusiasts who shared their progress and workouts using Gymshark gear. The result? A loyal, global community and millions in revenue.
B. Airbnb
Airbnb’s content is nearly all user-generated. Guests post photos, videos, and experiences that Airbnb reposts — making the platform feel peer-driven and trustworthy. That’s why users trust Airbnb more than traditional hotel chains.
C. Glossier
Beauty brand Glossier famously said, “Every woman is an influencer,” and built their empire by turning customer selfies and makeup tutorials into their primary marketing channel.
D. Insurancy
It is a forward-thinking company that embraces authenticity as a core marketing strategy. In a space where traditional insurance advertising often falls flat, Insurancy stands out by leveraging User-Generated Content (UGC) to build trust and relatability with its audience. By placing real customer experiences at the center of its messaging, the brand has seen measurable increases in both engagement and conversions — proving the power of unfiltered, human-centered content in a highly competitive industry.
André Disselkamp, Co-Founder & CEO of Insurancy, highlights that UGC drives more trust and sales because it features real customers sharing genuine experiences, creating authenticity that polished ads lack. UGC has boosted engagement rates by 28% and increased conversions by 79% in their campaigns. By integrating UGC strategically across the customer journey — through retargeting ads, email newsletters, and social media demos — brands can reinforce a consistent, relatable narrative. The unfiltered, spontaneous nature of UGC resonates more deeply with today’s ad-skeptical consumers. His advice to new brands: run contests or offer incentives to gather customer stories, then showcase those stories across platforms to inspire others to join in.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. What types of videos count as UGC?
UGC videos include customer reviews, unboxing clips, tutorial videos, before-and-after transformations, and casual TikTok or Instagram Reels showing real-life product use. The key is that the content is created by actual users, not the brand.
2. How is UGC different from influencer marketing?
While influencers are often paid to create content, UGC is typically organic and unpaid (though some brands do incentivize it). UGC feels more authentic because it lacks the polished, promotional tone of influencer or brand-generated content.
3. Does UGC improve sales performance?
Yes. Studies show UGC can increase conversion rates by up to 79%, improve engagement, and reduce ad costs. Consumers trust peer content more than branded ads, making them more likely to buy
4. How do I encourage customers to create UGC?
Start simple. Ask for honest feedback, run contests, offer small incentives like discounts, and most importantly — make the process easy. Use hashtags, social mentions, and highlight customer content on your website and socials to motivate others.
5. What platforms are best for sharing UGC videos?
UGC works well across all platforms: TikTok and Instagram Reels for short-form, YouTube for in-depth reviews and tutorials, and even Amazon listings or your brand’s website for conversion-driving content.
6. Can UGC help small businesses?
Absolutely. UGC is cost-effective, scalable, and trust-building, making it ideal for small brands with limited budgets. Even a single customer video can become your best-performing ad.
Conclusion:
In a world where polished advertisements are increasingly ignored, User-Generated Content (UGC) video has emerged as a powerful force in marketing. What makes UGC so effective isn’t just the visual content—it’s the emotional connection, the lived experience, and the trust it builds. Consumers today are savvy; they don’t want to be sold to — they want to see real people using products in real ways. UGC offers transparency, relatability, and social proof that polished brand content struggles to replicate. It turns customers into storytellers, and storytelling — when done authentically — sells.
More than just a tactic, UGC is a mindset shift. It requires brands to relinquish control over the narrative and instead empower their customers to speak. This builds communities, not just conversions. It enhances every stage of the marketing funnel — from awareness and engagement to decision-making and loyalty. Whether you’re a startup or a global brand, the value of UGC video lies in its simplicity and believability. The future of trust-based marketing is here, and it’s already being created — one authentic video at a time.