🔴 The four UGC creator archetypes

Every post on a social media platform is technically “user-generated content.” In the advertising and social industries, though, “UGC” refers to an ad unit — video or image — made by a creator not otherwise affiliated with the brand they’re advertising.

We’ve invited our first guest writer, Arden Yum, to explore the topic.

In this issue:

— Francis Zierer, Editor

P.S. This is the first of four guest articles we’ll be publishing over the next two months. Let us know what you think — would you like to see us host guest writers more frequently?

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By Arden Yum

When I was in middle school, being a YouTuber seemed like a dream job. I followed fashion and beauty gurus, travel vloggers, and self-taught chefs. I was mystified that someone’s occupation could be talking to a camera about something that delighted them; at eleven years old, I started posting videos of myself applying makeup, trying on outfits, and interviewing my younger brother. I amassed 300 subscribers before I gave up. Girls at school made fun of me. Posting content on social media would not be “cool” for another ten years.

Now, I primarily use Instagram and TikTok for posting pictures and videos of my friends. The idea of shifting my content approach to build a following that generates income feels both enticing and impossible.

A few months ago, I stumbled upon a corner of the internet that seemed to provide a miraculous fix to my dilemma; I found accounts dedicated to breaking down and teaching the methods behind “UGC creation.” Apparently, everyone else was catching on too — UGC creators have surged 93% year-over-year as the influencer marketing landscape continues to prioritize authentic content, a valuable currency in our increasingly competitive attention economy.

In the broadest sense, User-Generated Content refers to any content that a user posts to a platform, whether that's a photo, video, review, or blog post. In the marketing and social media industries, however, the term has a more specific meaning: UGC refers to content created by individuals for a brand, specifically designed to be used on the brand's own channel. The key distinction between a traditional sponsored post and UGC is that the brand owns the rights to this content — it becomes one of their creative assets.

On Instagram, the #ugccreator hashtag includes 2.6 million posts. These UGC champions are primarily young women with clean, brand-friendly aesthetics. They opt for neutral-colored clothing, pink manicures, and 10-step skincare routines. It’s hard to distinguish one from another, which is part of the appeal. They’re like chameleons, able to shapeshift to fit different brand identities and product niches.

The comments on these pages are filled with the praise of aspiring UGC-creators: amazing info, this is something I needed to learn, let’s support each other girlies! On @ugc.paulina’s account, dozens of people commented “UGC” to receive her bespoke handbook in their DMs. Some of the educational content is free; the majority is behind a paywall. Thirty days of one-on-one mentoring costs $2,000.

I’m fascinated by this world of UGC coaches because of the relatively easy path toward financial freedom they present on baby-pink platters. The encouraging messaging feels antithetical to the exclusivity of the influencer status. Not everyone can be Alix Earle; there’s a limited number of coveted positions at the peak of the creator economy. Influencers’ primary assets are their community and the parasocial relationships they cultivate with their followers; in the UGC world, anyone can succeed. There’s an underlying belief that if you focus and work hard, the opportunities will come.

The line between a UGC creator and an influencer can be murky. According to one survey of 1000 participants, 86% of consumers trust brands that employ UGC creators, rather than using influencers. Even though both routes are paid partnerships, UGC can feel more like a “real” review, from a real customer. It’s also much cheaper to outsource content creation to freelancers than to pay influencers to promote a product. For the price of one influencer video, a brand could commission hundreds of UGC posts.

Finding your place on that spectrum means balancing the trade-offs between autonomy, profit, pressure, and scalability. And for a growing number of creators, UGC is proving to be the most strategic place to start.

The role generally breaks down into four primary models:

Face-showing UGC creators appear on camera, and their work most closely resembles traditional influencer posts. The women mentioned above fall into this category. The relatable human element can significantly boost conversion. Brands get the benefit of a personality-driven ad without paying premium influencer rates and maintain full control over the final edit and distribution. For this reason, face-showing is typically the highest-paid kind of UGC creator. Creators can also form recurring relationships with brands as customers get to know them.

Faceless UGC creators do not appear on camera. Instead, they focus on product shots, unboxings, voiceovers, and text overlays. Faceless content enables creators to maintain their privacy while creating videos that are brand-friendly and have versatile uses across platforms. While this category is potentially more competitive due to less differentiation, it offers flexibility for both the brand and creator.

These creators use AI tools to script, voiceover, and generate visuals for their videos. By eliminating the time-intensive labor and production costs of writing, filming, and editing, AI-generated sponsored content is incredibly efficient. While there are still ethical and legal gray areas for brands to navigate, AI-powered creators can still position themselves as a cost-effective, high-output solution.

Launching a UGC agency is a powerful way to scale. Agency owners build and manage a team of UGC creators, operating as a full-service production studio for brands. They handle client acquisition, project management, and quality control. It requires strong business and leadership skills, but offers high earning potential because of the ability to serve multiple clients at once.

I wonder how many UGC creators aspire to one day be influencers. By building their own audiences, influencers can leverage their platform to exercise more creative control and to negotiate higher rates based on their reach and engagement. Many creators do both! It’s also common for an influencer to create UGC for brands separate from their own content.

While influencers center their brand around their appearance and personality, UGC creators remain unknown to the end viewer of their content. This disconnect may make UGC creators more vulnerable to replacement by AI, as their content is not contingent on a specific personality or unique creator-fan relationship. As AI continues to evolve, the business models behind sponsored content will adjust to accommodate the changing landscape. New technology will offer both challenges and opportunities for creators across the spectrum—it's all about how you leverage it.