Understanding Your UGC Options

As I’ve discussed in a handful of other blogs, engaging and authentic user-generated content is invaluable for brands looking to enhance their online presence and connect with their audience. Increasingly, it’s a major part of most campaign strategies. 

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The first step is understanding whether you should work with an affiliate, an influencer, or a UGC content creator. 

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Affiliates, influencers, and UGC creators each play unique roles in digital marketing. Affiliates earn commissions by generating sales or leads through specific links, focusing on direct transactions. Influencers are chosen for their significant online followings and audience niche. Typically, they’re compensated with a flat fee to use their influence to enhance brand visibility and engagement, regardless of direct sales outcomes. 

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On the other hand, UGC creators share their genuine experiences with products, contributing to a brand’s authenticity and peer-driven trust. 

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One of the most important aspects of UGC ads is authenticity. Finding the right creators can be tricky, as it comes down to understanding how to get a UGC creator to create content that is both authentic and aligned with your brand.

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Choosing the right UGC creators and understanding the right way to brief content can significantly affect how your brand is perceived and how effectively your marketing goals are met. Whether you manage the process in-house, hire a UGC agency, or search an online creator platform, each approach offers advantages and potential drawbacks. 

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After spending a lot of time searching for creators to work with our wide range of clients, I’ve put together an in-depth guide to help you navigate your options.
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Managing UGC Creators In-House

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Pros:

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• Direct Control and Oversight: Having UGC creators in-house allows you to oversee your creative process directly. This ensures that the content they create aligns perfectly with your brand’s message and campaign goals, as well as your personal creative preferences, providing consistency across all materials. To do this, you’ll need a strong UGC brief template to ensure that your content is in line with your vision and goals.
• Relationships: In-house teams can develop strong, ongoing relationships with individual creators, allowing them to foster a deep understanding of your brand. This often results in content that feels more integrated and authentic.
• Cost Management: By avoiding external agency fees and commissions to platforms, managing UGC creators for your ads in-house can be a budget-friendly option, especially for brands that require continuous content production.

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Cons:

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• It Takes a Lot of Time and Effort: This approach requires significant internal resources, including staff time for creative strategy, briefing, contracts, creator management, briefing, and more. You’ll need a dedicated team to handle recruitment, training, and ongoing management of UGC tasks.
• Limited Reach and Diversity: In-house teams might lack the extensive network that agencies or platforms possess, potentially limiting the diversity and reach of your content creators. When you’re looking for creative diversity in your portfolio, it can be tough to balance working with so many different creators.
• Performance Risk: One of the benefits of hiring an external partner is the increased likelihood that their experience will bring positive results faster. While an internal team will know the brand, there’s a potential for a longer learning curve to find creators and UGC creative styles that brings positive results. 
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Using a UGC Platform

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Pros:

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• A Wide Range of Creators: Platforms like Upwork or Fiverr provide access to thousands of creators globally. This allows you to find creators with the precise skill set or niche expertise you need for a certain ad or campaign.
• Streamlined Processes: UGC platforms are designed to facilitate easy interactions between brands and creators. Features like built-in messaging, project management tools, and payment processing make the entire workflow simple.
• Cost-Effectiveness: Platforms often offer competitive pricing due to the sheer number of available creators. This can be particularly advantageous for brands looking to produce content at scale without committing to high agency fees.

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Cons:

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• Potential Quality Issues: The truth is that the quality of content can vary widely on platforms. In my experience, it’s important to invest time in carefully reviewing portfolios and reading reviews to ensure creators meet your standards. 
• Lack of Control: Having such a streamlined, automated process can mean that your ideas or messaging gets lost in translation, resulting in a UGC ad you’re not entirely happy with. 
• Transactional Relationships: Interactions on these platforms can be more transactional and less personal than the ones you might develop in-house or with an agency. Often, this will result in content that lacks depth or fails to resonate with your brand’s core values.
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The Benefits of Hiring a UGC Agency

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Agencies like Brighter Click that specialize in user-generated content have a deep understanding of various social media platforms and the types of content that perform best on each. In-house, our creative strategist, copywriter, designer, and media buyer all work together to ensure the UGC ad process is executed and optimized to meet client goals. 

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My team’s extensive knowledge allows them to strategically match brands with creators who resonate with their unique target audience and specialize in the type of content that maximizes engagement and conversions. 

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Our experience navigating the nuances of different industries means we can anticipate trends and adapt strategies accordingly. As we develop strong, long-running partnerships with creators, it becomes increasingly easy to collaborate with them and create authentic, exciting content that truly connects. 

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When campaigns need to be scaled quickly, a UGC agency like Brighter Click can be an invaluable partner. We manage the logistics of numerous campaigns simultaneously, ensuring that each piece of content is produced on time and meets the high-quality standards we set for our clients. Our ability to handle the end-to-end management of campaigns—from initial creator outreach to final content approval and distribution—frees up your internal resources to focus on other important business initiatives.

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Our team has a rigorous process for vetting creators, ensuring that only those who produce high-quality content and have proven reliability are brought on board. Our process includes detailed reviews of the creator's past work, audience engagement metrics, and overall reliability, including adherence to deadlines and responsiveness to feedback. 

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Plus, working with an agency is often the most affordable option when considering ROI. 
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Should You Hire a UGC Ad Agency?

Deciding on the best approach to hiring UGC ad creators depends on your brand’s specific needs, available resources, and strategic objectives. Managing creators in-house offers maximum control and brand alignment, agencies provide professional expertise and high-quality content, and platforms offer unparalleled variety and scalability. 

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By weighing the pros and cons of each option, you can choose a path that best suits your brand, ensuring that your UGC strategy effectively supports your marketing efforts and enhances your connection with your audience.

Want More Strategies for Success?

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