How to Work with UGC Creators

Working with user-generated content creators is one of the most effective ways to build an authentic brand that people trust, but getting started can feel like a complete unknown. This guide will walk you through the entire process, step-by-step, from defining your goals and finding the right people to managing your campaign and repurposing all that great content for maximum impact.

What is UGC and Why Does It Work So Well?

User-generated content is exactly what it sounds like: authentic content created by real people, not by brands. It can be anything from a TikTok video review and an unboxing Reel to a photo of someone using your product in their everyday life. Think of it as word-of-mouth marketing for the digital age. To learn more about how to create your own UGC, read our guide on how to create UGC content.

Its power comes from one simple truth: people trust people more than they trust brands. A polished ad feels like a sales pitch, but a video from a creator you follow feels like a genuine recommendation from a friend. This "social proof" is incredibly persuasive. When potential customers see others loving your product, it lowers their hesitation and builds immediate credibility in a way that traditional ads just can't match.

On top of that, UGC often outperforms highly produced content because it feels native to the platform. It blends in with the rest of a user’s feed, making it more likely to be watched, engaged with, and remembered.

Step 1: Define Your Goals and Campaign Brief

Before you even think about reaching out to creators, you need to know what you want to achieve. A clear goal will guide every decision you make, from the type of creator you look for to how you measure success. Trying to find the “right” partner without a goal is like starting a road trip without a destination.

Set Clear Objectives

What is the primary purpose of this campaign? Most goals fall into one of these categories: To learn more about crafting your campaign objectives, check out our guide on how to set social media goals.

• Brand Awareness: Your main goal is getting your name out there. You want to reach a wide, relevant audience and get people familiar with your brand or product. Success here is measured by reach, impressions, and video views.
• Driving Sales: You want people to make a purchase. This is a direct-response goal where you'll track success through clicks, conversions, and revenue generated from creator discount codes or affiliate links.
• Building a Content Library: Maybe your own social feeds are looking a little stale. A UGC campaign can be a cost-effective way to get a ton of authentic, relatable videos and photos you can repurpose on your website, in ads, and across your social channels.
• Community Building: You want to generate conversations and foster loyalty around your brand. Here, you'll focus on engagement metrics like comments, shares, and saves.

It's okay to have more than one goal, but decide on a primary one to keep the campaign focused.

Build Your Creative Brief

A good creative brief is a balancing act. You need to give creators enough direction so they represent your brand correctly, but not so much that you suffocate their creativity. Their unique voice is what you’re paying for, after all.

Your brief should include:

• The Big Idea: A sentence or two explaining the campaign's core message. What's the one thing you want the viewer to take away?
• Key Talking Points: 2-3 essential features or benefits of the product you want them to mention. Avoid scripting them out, just give them the key information to work with.
• The Call-to-Action (CTA): What should the audience do after watching? "Use my code to get 15% off," "Click the link in my bio," or "Shop the collection now" are common examples. Be specific.
• Content Specs: Which platform (TikTok, Instagram Reels)? What format (vertical video)? A recommended length (e.g., 15-30 seconds)?
• Do's and Don'ts: This is for brand safety. For example: "DO show the product's texture," but "DON'T show competitor products or use profanity." Keep this list short and sweet.
• Timeline: Key dates for when drafts are due, when feedback is due, and the target publishing date.

Step 2: Finding the Right UGC Creators

The success of your campaign hinges on finding the right people to partner with. This has very little to do with massive follower counts and everything to do with alignment, authenticity, and engagement. For a comprehensive guide on this topic, check out our article on how to find UGC creators.

How to Find Them

You have a few solid options for discovery:

• Manual Social Search: This method is free and highly effective.
  • Hashtags: Search for hashtags a potential customer would use (#acneproneskin, #smallapartmentdecor) or that are related to your brand (#yourbrandname).
  • Tagged Content: Your "tagged in" folder on Instagram is a goldmine. People are already posting about you and just need a little nudge to create official content.
  • Competitor's Mentions: See who is tagging your competitors. It shows they're already active in your niche.
  • Check your Comment Section: Your most engaged followers often make fantastic partners because their loyalty is already established.
• UGC Marketplaces: Platforms like Billo, Insense, and Trend.io are specifically designed to connect brands with creators looking for UGC gigs. This can speed up the search dramatically and often simplifies usage rights and payments. The trade-off is that it can feel a bit more transactional, and some platforms take a cut.

What to Look For in a Creator’s Profile

As you review potential partners, pay attention to these qualities:

• Values and Vibe Alignment: Does their overall style and tone match your brand? If you're a clean beauty brand, a creator who promotes heavily filtered, artificial looks probably isn't the right fit.
• Engagement Rate Over Follower Count: A creator with 5,000 followers and hundreds of genuine comments on each video is far more valuable than one with 100,000 followers and only a handful of generic "Great post!" comments. Look for real conversations happening.
• Video and Audio Quality: It doesn't need to be professional-grade, but the content should be clear, well-lit, and easy to hear. Shaky, dark videos with muffled audio won't perform well, no matter how authentic they are.

Step 3: Outreach and Negotiation

Once you’ve shortlisted your creators, it's time to reach out. Keep your message personal, professional, and straight to the point.

Writing Your Outreach Message

Send a direct message (DM) on the platform or an email if they list one in their bio. A cold, generic copy-paste message will likely be ignored. Show them you've actually looked at their content.

Here’s a simple template you can adapt:

Subject: Fun UGC Collab Idea: [Your Brand] x [Creator's Handle]
Hi [Creator's Name],
My name is [Your Name] from [Your Brand]. I'm a huge fan of your content - I really loved your recent video on [Mention a specific post, like "how to stage a small coffee table"]. Your tips were so helpful!
We're looking for authentic creators to showcase our new [Product Name]. Based on your aesthetic, we thought you'd be a perfect fit to create a short video with us.
We can offer [Mention compensation, e.g., $XXX + free product] in exchange for one 30-second TikTok video.
Would you be open to hearing more? We'd love to send over the brief.
Best,
[Your Name]


Talking About Compensation

Compensation can range from gifted products to thousands of dollars. Generally, it falls into three buckets:

• Gifting: Offering free products in exchange for content. This works best for creators who are just starting out or for products with a very high perceived value. Always be clear about the expectations (e.g., "in exchange for one Reel").
• Flat Fee: The most common method. The fee depends on the creator's experience, their engagement, and the scope of work. A creator with under 10k followers might charge $150-$500 for a video, while larger creators' rates can climb steeply.
• Affiliate/Commission: You give the creator a unique discount code or link and pay them a percentage of the sales they drive. This is often combined with a lower flat fee to give them a guaranteed payment plus an incentive for performance.

Protect Yourself: Always Get it in Writing

A simple contract or agreement is non-negotiable. It protects both you and the creator by setting clear expectations. It doesn't need to be 20 pages of legalese. Just a simple document that covers:

• Deliverables: Exactly what they agree to create (e.g., "One (1) 15-30 second vertical video formatted for Instagram Reels").
• Timeline: All the key dates.
• Compensation: The payment amount and when it will be delivered.
• Usage Rights: This is probably the most important part. Specify where you can use their content (your organic social channels, paid ads, website, emails) and for how long (e.g., "one year for paid ads," "in perpetuity for organic social"). Without clear usage rights, you could be limited to only reposting their initial video.

Step 4: Nurture the Relationship and Repurpose Your Content

Your job isn't done once the contract is signed. Now it's time to collaborate and make the most of your new content.

Manage the Creative Process without Micromanaging

Communicate clearly and respectfully through a designated channel like email. Trust the creator you hired. Give them the freedom to create in their style - that's why you chose them. Your feedback on drafts should connect back to the original brief. Focus on factual errors, brand misrepresentations, or CTA omissions rather than nitpicking creative choices.

Amplify and Repurpose Everything

The creator’s post is just the beginning. The real ROI of a UGC campaign comes from how you use the content yourself.

• Reshare It Everywhere: The moment it goes live, reshare it to your Instagram Stories. Post the video file natively to your brand's TikTok and Reels feed. If you're looking to maximize your reach, consider learning how to repurpose TikTok videos for Instagram.
• Turn It Into Paid Ads: Run their video as a Meta Ad. Authentic, user-style content almost always outperforms glossy studio ads.
• Add It to Your Website: Feature the content on your homepage or product pages to provide instant social proof for shoppers.
• Use It In Email Marketing: Drop creator videos into your newsletters to demonstrate product benefits in a relatable way.

Step 5: Measure Your Success

To figure out if your campaign was a winner, refer back to the goals you set in Step 1. Understanding the overall return on investment is crucial for future campaigns, so consider reviewing our guide on how to measure influencer marketing ROI.

• For Awareness: Track the creator's reach, impressions, and views on their post.
• For Sales: Monitor clicks on their unique URL and analyze how many times their discount code was redeemed.
• For Engagement: Look at likes, comments, shares, and saves. What was the sentiment in the comments section?
• For Content Library: Did you get a valuable collection of assets you can now use for months to come? Count the number of high-quality photos and videos you received.

Keep a simple spreadsheet to track your creator partnerships. Note their fee, deliverables, key metrics, and any notes on the experience. This will become an invaluable record for spotting trends and identifying your most effective partners over time.

Final Thoughts

Partnering with UGC creators doesn't have to be complicated. When broken down into clear steps, it’s a repeatable process for generating authentic content that builds trust, engages your audience, and drives growth. By setting clear goals, finding the right creators for your brand, communicating openly, and getting your agreements in writing, you can turn real customers into your most powerful marketing channel.

Once you’ve collected all this great content, the next challenge is weaving it into your own social media schedule consistently. We built Postbase to handle exactly that, offering a visual calendar to plan where your new UGC will live weeks or months in advance. Our platform is also designed for short-form video first, so managing and scheduling Reels and TikToks - the heart of most UGC campaigns - is unbelievably simple. This lets me map out my content strategy without juggling spreadsheets, so I can focus on building creator relationships instead of fighting with clunky software. With Postbase, I just drag, drop, and know my best content will get in front of my audience.