Short-form concepts
UGC: definition and examples
What is UGC?
UGC, or user-generated content, is content created by real customers and fans, including videos, photos, reviews, and social posts, that features or references a brand without being paid for by that brand. Because it comes from actual users, it tends to carry more credibility than produced advertising.
When you'd use it
- 1When a brand needs social proof and produced creative is perceived as overly polished.
- 2When ad creative is fatiguing and you need fresh, varied footage without a shoot.
- 3When launching a product and customer reaction clips carry more credibility than brand-produced content.
- 4When a campaign targets an audience that responds to peer recommendation over advertising.
- 5When repurposing content and real customer footage fits the platform format better than studio material.
Example
A skincare brand finds that a customer's 34-second TikTok, filmed in a bathroom under fluorescent light, has 2.3 million organic views and a 9% saves rate. They reach out, license the video, and run it as a Spark Ad with no editing. The ad outperforms their studio-produced creative by 4x on click-through rate, likely because the native format matches what viewers expect to see in the feed.
Use cases
- 1Cutting a customer unboxing clip into a 15-second ad without a production crew.
- 2Assembling a compilation of real customer reviews into a single short-form testimonial video.
- 3Sourcing authentic reaction footage from customers and editing it into a campaign asset.
FAQ
What is the difference between UGC and a testimonial video?
A testimonial video is usually commissioned and edited by the brand, with the creator or customer delivering specific talking points on camera. UGC originates from the user and is shared on their own channel, unprompted. In practice the line blurs when brands brief UGC-style creators, but the core distinction is who controls the script and where the content first lives.
Make on-brand short-form video from the footage you already have.