What is UGC (user-generated content)?

What counts as UGC?

Any content created by a person outside the brand: a customer's unboxing, a review video, a photo tagged to a product. Brands may share it, with permission, or commission creators to make videos in the same natural style.

• Organic UGC: customers post on their own
• Commissioned UGC: creators are paid to make it
• Reviews, testimonials, tutorials and unboxings

Why do brands want it?

It tends to look less like an advertisement, shows the product in real use, and gives brands a steady supply of different faces and angles to test. Results are not assured, so treat it as a format to test rather than a trick.

How does editing fit in?

UGC is often shot on a phone. The edit adds captions, a clear hook and sound. A to-camera UGC clip is exactly the kind of footage a skill like Bold can style, which is why many creators add a quick edit pass before delivery.