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UGC advertising: what it is, when it works, and when it does not fit
A UGC ad borrows the look of user content: shot on a phone, spoken, unstaged. When it suits your business, and when it does not.
Published on · Joh · 6 min read
UGC stands for "user generated content", content created by users. In advertising, the term names a format that borrows its look: a person talking to camera, filmed on a phone, with no polished set and none of the background music of a TV spot.
The content is most often made by a paid creator, sometimes by a real customer who agrees to appear.
Why people make it
The bet is that a video that looks like what people already watch in their feed gets scrolled past less quickly than one that looks like an ad. It often opens on a person speaking directly to the viewer, in their own words.
Where it works well
- Products you can show in hand: cosmetics, accessories, food. The person uses it, says what they think, you see the result.
- Services where a customer talks about their experience, in their own words.
- Testing several angles cheaply: a creator films ten hooks, you keep the ones that hold attention. It ties in with what we know about ads wearing out.
Where it does not fit
A consumer committing several thousand euros wants to see something concrete: a finished job, a site, the face of the person who will come to their home. A stranger saying "I love my kitchen" does not reassure them, a kitchen fitted, before and after, does.
On the kitchen case published on this site, the formats tested were before and afters filmed at customers' homes, the fitter explaining the trade, and a financing offer. None was a creator testimonial. The full case.
The rules to follow
- Written permission from anyone who appears or speaks, stating that the video is used in advertising and for how long.
- A contract with the creator: what is delivered, the revisions allowed, the period of use.
- No fake testimonial. Presenting an actor as a real customer misleads the viewer, and can put you at legal risk. AI-generated content must not pass itself off as a real person's opinion. AI video or real filming, how to choose.
How to decide
Ask yourself what reassures your customer before buying: seeing the product in use, or seeing the finished work and the person who does it. The first calls for UGC, the second calls for filming at your place.
Further reading: Structuring a short video ad and How much a video ad costs on Meta.
Unsure about the format of your videos? . We look at your product and your customer, and choose what is most likely to reassure them.