--- title: "What is User-Generated Content (UGC)? — Social Media Glossary | Postpone" canonical_url: "https://www.postpone.app/social-media-glossary/user-generated-content" last_updated: "2026-10-08T07:15:37.335Z" meta: description: "User-generated content, or UGC, is the photos, videos, reviews and posts created by your customers or fans rather than by your brand." "og:description": "User-generated content, or UGC, is the photos, videos, reviews and posts created by your customers or fans rather than by your brand." "og:title": "What is User-Generated Content (UGC)? — Social Media Glossary" "twitter:description": "User-generated content, or UGC, is the photos, videos, reviews and posts created by your customers or fans rather than by your brand." "twitter:title": "What is User-Generated Content (UGC)? — Social Media Glossary" --- **Content Strategy** # User-Generated Content (UGC) User-generated content, or UGC, is the photos, videos, reviews and posts created by your customers or fans rather than by your brand. [**Reddit **post scheduler](https://www.postpone.app/platforms/reddit-post-scheduler) [** X **post scheduler](https://www.postpone.app/platforms/twitter-post-scheduler) [** Instagram **scheduler](https://www.postpone.app/platforms/instagram-post-scheduler) [** Facebook **scheduler](https://www.postpone.app/platforms/facebook-post-scheduler) [** LinkedIn **scheduler](https://www.postpone.app/platforms/linkedin-scheduler) [** TikTok **post scheduler](https://www.postpone.app/platforms/tiktok-post-scheduler) [** Threads **scheduler](https://www.postpone.app/platforms/threads-scheduler) [** Pinterest **scheduler](https://www.postpone.app/platforms/pinterest-scheduler) [** YouTube **Shorts scheduler](https://www.postpone.app/platforms/youtube-shorts-scheduler) [** Bluesky **post scheduler](https://www.postpone.app/platforms/bluesky-post-scheduler) [** Tumblr **scheduler](https://www.postpone.app/platforms/tumblr-post-scheduler) [** Mastodon **post scheduler](https://www.postpone.app/platforms/mastodon-post-scheduler) Your customers are already talking about you online. The question is whether you're using that content. User-generated content is anything your audience creates that features or references your brand. Product photos on Instagram, unboxing videos on TikTok, Reddit reviews, tweets praising your customer service. It's authentic, it's free, and it outperforms branded content almost every time. ## Why UGC Outperforms Brand Content The data is consistent across platforms: UGC gets higher engagement, more trust, and better conversion rates than polished brand content. Research has long shown that consumers trust recommendations from other people far more than branded messaging. That trust gap shows up in the metrics. On Instagram, UGC posts tend to significantly outperform brand-created content in engagement. On TikTok, unfiltered product reviews routinely outperform professional ads. The reason is simple — people scroll past anything that looks like marketing. UGC doesn't trigger that reflex. ## How to Get More UGC You don't need a massive audience to generate UGC. Start with these approaches: - **Ask directly.** Post a question or challenge. "Show us how you use product." Simple prompts work. - **Create a branded hashtag.** Make it short and easy to spell. Track it regularly. - **Feature your customers.** When people see you resharing UGC, they're more motivated to create it. - **Make it easy.** Provide templates, stickers, or AR filters people can use with your brand. The brands that get the most UGC aren't the biggest — they're the ones that consistently celebrate their community. ## Using UGC Responsibly Always get permission before reposting someone's content. A quick DM asking "Can we share this on our page? We'll credit you" takes thirty seconds and avoids legal headaches. Credit the original creator visibly in your caption. Don't edit UGC to look overly polished. The whole point is authenticity. A slightly imperfect customer photo performs better than a retouched version because it feels real. Build a system for collecting and organizing UGC so you always have a library of approved content ready to post. Tag submissions by theme, platform, and quality so you can pull the right piece when you need it. **Example** GoPro's entire Instagram strategy runs on UGC. Customers tag their adventure footage with #GoPro, and the brand reposts the best clips. It costs GoPro almost nothing to produce and consistently outperforms their studio-shot content in engagement. ## **Why It Matters** People trust other people more than they trust brands. UGC acts as social proof — when real customers share positive experiences, it's more persuasive than any ad you could run. It also dramatically reduces your content production costs while increasing authenticity. ## **Related Terms** [Brand Advocate](https://www.postpone.app/social-media-glossary/brand-advocate) [Content Curation](https://www.postpone.app/social-media-glossary/content-curation) [Content Repurposing](https://www.postpone.app/social-media-glossary/content-repurposing) [Influencer Marketing](https://www.postpone.app/social-media-glossary/influencer-marketing) [Social Proof](https://www.postpone.app/social-media-glossary/social-proof) [**← Back to Social Media Glossary **](https://www.postpone.app/social-media-glossary)