User-Generated Content (UGC) refers to any content collaboration related to a brand, created by contributors, customers, or fans who are not official representatives of the business. It could be as a basic testimonial or blog comment, in the form of a social media update, a picture with a review, a video, a podcast, or a number of any other types of posts mentioning and/or endorsing the brand’s product.

It helps to create a trustworthy relationship between the brand and the consumer, making their experience with the product the center of attention. UGC transforms storytelling and turns most loyal customers into passionate brand promoters.

UGC isn’t always content that directly endorses a product, nor is it an excuse to steal users’ content and intellectual property. The users that generate content align their values to the brands they have purchased from and associate themselves with.

Resharing other people’s content is a tricky business. Even if the post mentions the brand, that doesn’t grant access to it.

Content creators don’t need to have a huge following, and can easily take photos and videos with their smartphones. They often create content as a hobby or to direct traffic to their websites. Also, they are typically more genuine and enthusiastic when creating content for products or services, and are experts at creating naturally-looking and engaging content that people love to watch and share.

Content creation involves creating and uploading various forms of content, such as articles, audio, blog posts, email, images/photos, news, social media content, and videos. You don’t need to be a pro or have the experience to build up a reputation as a great content creator!