Get ready for a UGC smackdown! Wait, no, that’s UFC. But believe it or not, user-generated content (UGC) and the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) have more in common than you might think. When it comes to UGC, “there are (almost) no rules.” And as far as social media content goes, it’s “as real as it gets.” (Those are UFC slogans, in case you’re not regularly tuning into Fight Night.)
The point is, UGC can help you fight for your campaign goals and win. To be crowned the campaign champion, you need the right stats and strategy in your corner. That’s why we’ve compiled all the UGC stats you need to know to “be first” and come out on top.
We’ll detail all the latest UGC stats with the insights to back them up. Plus, the benefits and challenges of UGC and some kick-butt campaign examples. Shall we enter the ring?
What is UGC?
Ding! Ding! Ding!
In the first corner, coming in at a market size of $4.45B as of 2024 is UGC! And in the social media ring, we’re not expecting user-generated content to cut weight anytime soon. In fact, the latest research expects the market to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of nearly 27 percent over the next eight years. That means the UGC market is projected to hit $18.6B by 2031. And tons of brands, and buyers, want in on the action.
So, what exactly is it? UGC, or user-generated content, is pretty much exactly what it sounds like. It’s content created by individual social media users rather than by brands, influencers, or media agencies. Basically it’s everyday, normal people making content. UGC is produced voluntarily by users who want to share their experiences, opinions, or creativity online.
UGC runs the gamut including images, videos, text posts, reviews, audio, and more. When a customer snaps a photo of their meal and tags the restaurant on Instagram? That’s UGC. When someone leaves a glowing review on Google Maps? That’s UGC too. You’ve probably even created some yourself! Anything individual, unaffiliated users post can be classified as UGC.
It’s authentic, relatable, and most importantly, it resonates with audiences.
Experts predict that 33 percent of all online content will be user-generated by 2033.
UGC’s Become a Bona Fide Style
UGC isn’t just about who’s creating the content—it’s about how it feels. Which leads me to the next thing – content stylized to look like UGC. By definition, UGC is content created organically by users—think an unfiltered review, a candid photo, or a genuine shoutout from someone who isn’t getting paid to post. But here’s the kicker: UGC has evolved into more than just a type of content. It’s become a style—a vibe, if you will—and brands are leveraging that vibe.
Back in the Fashion Nova heyday, the brand exploded onto the scene with a website plastered with shopper-generated photos. Every product page featured real customers modeling their looks, which made the brand feel accessible, relatable, and incredibly cool. Plus, it removed the “but how will that look on me?” resistance that can cause shoppers to delay buying or even abandon a cart. Organic UGC nudged shoppers toward purchases. And today, the UGC aesthetic still converts.
Even the big players are leaning into this stylized “UGC look.” Brands like Nordstrom and Zenni Optical are creating influencer-generated content (IGC) and in-house creative that mimics UGC’s unpolished charm. Why? Because UGC outperforms polished campaigns when it comes to both paid ads and audience sentiment.
And it’s not just fashion. Remember the Roku thumbnail for Avengers: Infinity War we talked about in the post on interest graph content? It looked like fan content even though it’s definitively one of the biggest-grossing movies of all time. Intentional or not, that raw, unpolished style made it feel like our content—like we were in on the story. The same logic applies to influencer-generated posts that are “styled” to look like something your best friend could’ve made.
Here’s why this works: Gen Z, the largest consumer generation today, doesn’t just consume content—they create it. According to the 2024 YouTube Culture and Trends Report, 65 percent of Gen Z respondents consider themselves “creators”. For them, creating and sharing videos, stories, and posts isn’t just a hobby—it’s a cultural norm. They view themselves as active participants in the digital space, not passive spectators.
This generational shift is why UGC and influencer campaigns are such a powerful combination. UGC taps into the grassroots authenticity consumers crave, while influencer content elevates it, packaging the raw vibe into aspirational, professional-grade, captivating storytelling. Together, they create a marketing strategy that resonates deeply with a generation that sees themselves as creators, collaborators, and trendsetters.
UGC-style content works because it blends the best of both worlds: the authenticity of grassroots creativity with the strategic edge of professional campaigns. It’s not just for scrappy startups anymore—it’s Disney, it’s Nordstrom, it’s everywhere. And honestly, we’re here for it.
We have a creator space and everything.
Why UGC Is So Impactful for Your Brand
We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again. One of the main reasons influencer marketing is so gosh darn effective for brands is that word-of-mouth advertising is doubly as effective as traditional paid ads. Influencers establish trust with their followings, then they’re able to speak directly to them to market products they stand by.
You know who is even more trustworthy than your favorite influencer? Your best friend. Or your sister. Or that girl you went to high school with who had the best style. Buyers are much more likely to trust people they know. In fact, 92 percent of shoppers look to family and friends for purchase recommendations more than any other source. That’s why UGC is so effective. It’s not coming from a big brand or a famous influencer. It’s coming from neighbors, friends, and family members. Real people buyers already trust.
Most of us are already looking to our peers when thinking about a purchase. More than half (56 percent) of shoppers find out about products and services through friends or acquaintances. And 84 percent of consumers trust the recommendations of their peers over all other forms of advertising. For younger consumers, experience trumps even authority. Adobe pegged expertise and experience as the qualifier for young consumers who preferred TikTok to Google for search. Authority’s great, but nothing beats a firsthand account.
So, while we’re big advocates for using influencer marketing strategies in your social media campaigns, it could be a good idea to further your efforts with some UGC strategies as well.
In the land of social media marketing, authenticity is key. Nine in ten buyers highly value authenticity in advertising. And authenticity comes more easily from real people (users or influencers) than brands. Actually, shoppers are 240 percent more likely to say UGC is authentic compared to traditional brand-created content.
How Effective is User-Generated Content?
Very effective. UGC has an impact on 79 percent of buyers’ purchase decisions. And engagement increases by 50 percent on campaigns that include user-generated content.
Leveraging UGC is a winning strategy. Brands that use UGC in their campaigns and on their websites see 29 percent more web conversions than those that go without. And UGC is impactful on the path to purchase as well. Campaigns that include UGC in their online purchase paths see 10 percent more conversions on average.
According to Social Media Today, UGC is 8.7 times more impactful than influencer content and 6.6 times more powerful than traditional branded content. And it’s cost-effective. UGC ads cost half as much and produce 4 times the click-through rate of traditional ads.
The bottom line is: social media campaigns perform an average 25 percent better when they include user-generated content. So if you’re not sold on UGC just yet, don’t knock it until you try it.
Benefits of Leveraging UGC in Campaigns
We’ve already started to cover the benefits of UGC. It’s authentic, cost-effective, boosts engagement, and drives conversions. Let’s dig a little deeper.
AUTHENTICITY
UGC feels personal, relatable, and trustworthy because it’s made by real people and it’s not (usually) funded by ad dollars. Ads that use UGC get 73 percent more positive comments than traditional ads on social media. Consumers like to see themselves reflected in their feeds. Often authenticity is more effective than aspiration. And 60 percent of buyers say UGC is the most authentic marketing content.
INFLUENCE
Seven in ten consumers consult UGC posts, including reviews and ratings, before making purchase decisions. And of those, four in ten will consume at least four pieces of UGC content before purchasing. Shoppers aren’t just stumbling upon UGC. They’re seeking it out. In fact, 93 percent of consumers say UGC is helpful when making purchase decisions.
ENGAGEMENT
UGC creates social proof. Just look at the engagement stats. Social media campaigns and blogs that feature UGC increase engagement by 50 percent. Instagram posts specifically see 70 percent more engagement with UGC. And studies show that mixing branded professional content with UGC increases engagement by 28 percent, so you don’t have to go all user-generated to reap the benefits.
COST-EFFECTIVE SCALABILITY
When UGC is paired with ads it lowers the cost-per-click by 50 percent. And that’s with higher engagement — win-win! UGC also saves brands the upfront costs of content creation such as in-house production or hiring influencers. A whopping 85 percent of marketers agree that UGC is more cost-effective than traditional and influencer marketing.
Plus, UGC campaigns can be widespread and far-reaching. Because any user can create their own content around the brand, UGC is easy to scale for a low cost. This makes UGC great for brand awareness and product launch campaigns.
Challenges with Wrangling UGC
Of course, there are also some concerns with user-generated content. Relying on individuals to make quality content that can be repurposed on brand channels can be tough. Brands lack control over creative direction, and this can lead to moderation issues. Plus, it’s difficult to track metrics for UGC.
QUALITY AND CREATIVE CONTROL
UGC creators aren’t influencers. It generally isn’t their job to create compelling content that aligns with a creative brief or even a brand’s image, reputation, and values. Because of this, the quality of UGC varies widely, and it can be difficult for brands to find high-quality user-generated content that fits the brand vision.
Unfortunately, quality control doesn’t always mean dealing with pixelated images or text riddled with grammatical errors. Because brands have no say in the content these users create, UGC can sometimes spread misinformation and offensive material. Obviously this doesn’t reflect well on the affiliated brand. Unregulated UGC can even lead to legal and copyright issues.
If you’re running a UGC campaign or inviting fans of your brand to create their own content, it can be helpful to provide guidance. Just know, users don’t have to follow it. It’s a good idea to have a plan for how to handle the campaign if things go amiss.
ANALYTICS TRACKING DIFFICULTIES
We’re big data people here at The Shelf, so perhaps the toughest part about UGC is that it’s hard to track. It’s difficult to calculate ROI for UGC campaigns. Once you’ve purchased or repurposed UGC to use on your brand platforms, you can use your analytics tracking to see how it’s performing. But before then it can be difficult to report exactly how effective UGC campaigns are because you’ll only have access to public metrics like comments and like count.
Brand Successes with UGC & Influencer Marketing
Now that you’ve got the latest UGC stats, it’s time to see them in action. Here are two examples of brands winning in the UGC ring. These campaigns are so good the competition nearly has to tap out.
UNIQLO #LIFEWEAR
Uniqlo launched their #LifeWear campaign at the beginning of 2024. It was a wide-sweeping campaign with global reach featuring branded, influencer-generated, and user-generated content.
Source: @uniqlo on Instagram
The brand invited users to explore the #LifeWear hashtag, peruse the international Uniqlo Instagram accounts, and contribute their own fit pics to the campaign. This resulted in international Uniqlo #LifeWear posts from the brand itself, influencers, and users.
Source: Influencer @missy_elz on Instagram
Shoppers got to see store-curated images, influencer-styled outfits, and everyday buyers like them showing off their Uniqlo digs all over the world. The campaign hashtag #LifeWear boasts more than 500K posts. Talk about reach!
Source: User @hiyodorimaru on Instagram
And users are still contributing to the campaign! This UGC was posted just last week. This proves well-curated UGC campaigns can be far-reaching through both space and time.
Use UGC to Champion Your Next Influencer Marketing Campaign
We hope these UGC stats inspire you to come out swinging in your upcoming social media campaigns. Whether you’re betting on brand awareness campaigns, training up for product testimonials, or going hard on sales, leveraging UGC can give you a fighting chance to crush your campaign goals and wow your stakeholders.
As you know, here at The Shelf we’re big fans of influencer marketing and holistic social media campaigns. Our experts can coach you through the best strategies for incorporating UGC into your marketing strategy. Or we can put our years of training to use to help you build campaigns from the ground up. Schedule a strategy call with our full-service agency today, and we’ll get started. Whether you’re leveraging the latest UGC stats or other strategies, we can help you build champion-worthy campaigns.
