In 2025, UGC is the internet\u2019s version of word-of-mouth marketing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
People trust content from real people more than they trust ads. That’s why UGC can build trust, drive conversions with your content<\/a>, and scale your brand story in ways traditional marketing just can’t.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In this guide, we’ll show you how to build a successful user-generated content strategy for your brand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Harnessing user-generated content as a marketing strategy delivers several benefits for your brand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n They include conversion rate improvements, authentic engagement, and higher community trust.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Let\u2019s take a closer look.<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to a 2022 analysis<\/a> of 1,200 ecommerce sites using UGC in marketing efforts, the average conversion rate was 3.2%, higher than the industry baseline of about 2%. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Plus, when these users engaged with UGC by clicking, scrolling, or expanding the content, they were twice as likely to make a purchase. This resulted in a 102.4% lift in conversion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pro tip:<\/strong> You can take this benefit even further with shoppable UGC<\/strong>, which contains direct links to the products it features. Shoppable videos<\/a><\/strong>, ads<\/a>, and images tap into user trust and help drive conversions<\/strong> for your brand. <\/p>\n\n\n\n User-generated content may feature your products, but it\u2019s a form of peer-to-peer communication. <\/p>\n\n\n\n As noted in the California Management Review<\/em><\/a>, \u201cpeople tend to trust peer recommendations,\u201d and \u201cUGC enhances the credibility and effectiveness of campaigns by making them feel more personal and genuine.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Using UGC as a form of content marketing encourages real conversations about your products, helping build both brand awareness and trust. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Word of mouth is the most trusted form of advertising, according to Nielsen\u2019s 2021 Trust in Advertising Study. The study found that 88% of respondents<\/a> trust recommendations from people they know more than any other form of advertising. <\/p>\n\n\n\n User-generated content works the same way. When real customers share photos, reviews, or videos about your brand, it feels more honest and relatable. That kind of content:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ready to put UGC to work for your brand?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Let\u2019s get started!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Creating a successful UGC strategy involves more than reposting a few customer photos or reviews when the mood strikes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For your UGC marketing campaign to succeed in driving conversions, engagement, and community, you need a plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here\u2019s how to build your UGC program from the ground up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Every good plan starts with clear goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ask yourself this: What business outcomes do you want your UGC campaign to deliver?<\/p>\n\n\n\n The right answer will depend on your brand’s priorities and stage. But generally, businesses want one or more of these outcomes from a UGC strategy:<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you’re anything like us, you probably want to achieve all <\/em>these goals. And with a strong UGC strategy, you will!<\/p>\n\n\n\n But focus on just 1-2 main goals first. This helps keep your strategy from getting too overwhelming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Look at your brand values and stage and align your goals accordingly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here’s a quick template to help you get started:<\/p>\n\n\n\n User-generated content appears on all sorts of social media platforms, from Instagram to YouTube. Not every platform is a perfect match for every brand, though. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Here’s a quick guide to some of the most popular UGC-friendly platforms and the types of content that shine on them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Instagram<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n TikTok<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n YouTube<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Your Website<\/strong> (product detail and landing pages)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Choose 1\u20132 priority platforms to start with. Before you make your final pick, though, ask yourself two key questions:<\/p>\n\n\n\n If your target audience is already posting content\u2014and maybe even pictures of themselves using your products!\u2014on Instagram, you should be there too. If they seem more invested in TikTok, it\u2019s time to create a TikTok brand profile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Even though it would be amazing if customers always <\/em>created epic UGC on a schedule, it’s not quite that easy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It takes a little bit of elbow grease, but finding and motivating UGC contributors is also totally doable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Keep these three points in mind: you must make it easy, rewarding, and worthwhile for your customers to participate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The first step is to find willing participants. Look for your happiest, most satisfied customers. These are the people who are already tagging you, leaving customer reviews, or posting photos and video content featuring your products, unprompted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Grab public-facing contact information (like Instagram handles) from your:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pro tip: <\/strong>Tools like Foursixty (that’s us!) can find and round up<\/a> all the best UGC your brand is already tagged in to make this step a whole lot easier. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Next, it’s time to get these customers excited about sharing quality content. Customers are more likely to share UGC if they see a clear reason to do it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This doesn’t mean you have to offer money, or even incentives. Try:<\/p>\n\n\n\n People love to be seen. When you show that you value and celebrate their content, they\u2019re far more likely to share, again and again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Not all user-generated content is on-brand, high-quality, or even safe to use. That\u2019s why moderation is an essential step of a user-generated content strategy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The goal here is to highlight the best content and make sure you have permission to use it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Start by setting crystal-clear content guidelines for your team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Focus on sourcing UGC with:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then, use moderation tools to review and manage submissions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n At Foursixty, we have a tool that lets you request the rights to use UGC for marketing purposes with just one click.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This helps you stay legally compliant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here’s why UGC rights management matters. Even if a customer tags your brand or uses your hashtag on Instagram posts, that doesn\u2019t automatically give you legal permission to republish their content. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This is especially true if you plan on making money with UGC<\/strong> through ads, emails, or product pages. <\/p>\n\n\n\n When you make sure to secure the rights to the content, you can have peace of mind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you’re managing submissions manually, make sure you meticulously document all the permissions you receive. You’ll also need to create a system for flagging inappropriate or off-brand content.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Once you\u2019ve curated and secured the best content, it\u2019s time to put it to work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is the fun part! <\/p>\n\n\n\n Create a calendar to share user-generated content across your most important touchpoints. These include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Finally, make sure you thank and tag users when you feature their content. They’ll appreciate the recognition and be more likely to keep contributing UGC in the future. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Your user-generated content strategy shouldn’t stop at the posting and sharing stage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There’s one more step to think of, and that’s making sure your strategy is doing what you want it to do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Remember the goals you outlined in Step 1?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Once you begin putting your UGC into action, go back to those goals and track key metrics accordingly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here’s what we mean:<\/p>\n\n\n\n The bottom line? Look at what\u2019s working and do more of it. If something isn\u2019t <\/em>working, tweak and adjust until it is. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This step is where the benefits of user-generated content really shine. The more you pay attention to optimization and improvement, the more relevant your UGC can be for your potential customers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n At Foursixty, we\u2019re passionate about helping brands turn UGC into a customer engagement and conversion tool. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In these case studies, find out how we helped companies turn authentic content into a powerful driver of trust, community, and\u2014you guessed it\u2014sales.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Challenge:<\/strong> Pura Vida Bracelets wanted to harness the power of their vibrant community. To do this, they wanted to weave authentic UGC into their ecommerce experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Solution:<\/strong> Using Foursixty, Pura Vida curated and displayed UGC throughout their website, including:\u200b<\/p>\n\n\n\n This strategic placement of UGC gave\u2014and continues to give\u2014customers the opportunity to see the products in real life as they browse, shop, and make purchasing decisions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Results:<\/strong> Pura Vida’s integration of Foursixty led to significant improvements, including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Read the full Pura Vida case study here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Challenge:<\/strong> MICHI, an innovative activewear brand, wanted to use UGC to show off their products in real-life situations. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The Solution:<\/strong> In just half a day, the team at Foursixty helped MICHI showcase UGC in three places: <\/p>\n\n\n\n The Results: <\/strong>With an increase in highly interactive content on their site, MICHI has enjoyed these benefits of a UGC strategy:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Looking to turn UGC into actual revenue?<\/p>\n\n\n\n At Foursixty, we’ve helped brands like Pura Vida Bracelets, MICHI, Kylie Cosmetics, SKIMS, and hundreds more implement UGC strategies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n From sourcing tagged content and securing rights to creating shoppable galleries and tracking analytics, Foursixty offers the full toolkit your team needs for a winning UGC strategy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Want to see how Foursixty can help you put your UGC strategy to work? Start your free trial today.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n A good example of user-generated content (UGC) is when real customers post social media content showing how they use your new products. This can include things like social media posts, unboxing videos, reviews, or styling tips. The key? Your brand gets tagged in this content.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Brands like MICHI and Pura Vida use UGC in shoppable ads<\/strong> and across social networks to increase engagement and conversions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With the help of shoppable content platforms<\/strong>, they also add shoppable content<\/a> to their websites<\/strong>. This turns something as simple as a real customer post into clickable, conversion-driving asset.<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe Benefits of Implementing a UGC Strategy<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Conversion Rate Improvements<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Authentic Engagement<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Community Trust <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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How to Build Your UGC Strategy, Step by Step<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
1. Identify Your Goals<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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2. Select Channels and Formats<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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3. Find and Motivate UGC Contributors<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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4. Moderate the Content<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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5. Publish and Promote Your UGC<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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6. Measure Performance<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Examples of Great UGC Strategies<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Pura Vida: Transforming UGC into a Revenue Engine<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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MICHI: Showcasing Innovative Sportswear with Shoppable UGC<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Real UGC, Real Conversions, Powered by Foursixty<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
FAQs<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
What is a good example of UGC?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n