User-generated content brings products to life in a far more personalized way than traditional ads. Increasingly, your customer’s experience with products comes through their smartphone screen. By hiring professional UGC creators and using UGC templates, you can maximize the value of customer-created content and harness the power of authentically representing the user experience.
But “authentic” is the operative word—and it’s where others can fall short if they’re not intentional about hiring the best content creator for their brand.
Follow these essential tips to maximize your UGC by hiring the perfect pro to create content your audience can’t resist.
Why are UGC templates successful?
Brands are embracing user-generated content (UGC) worldwide, but only some use it effectively. While anyone can use popular UGC ad templates, professional content creators have the experience and creativity to make your content stand out—driving engagement and conversion rates.
The pioneering “user” in UGC
Before UGC rose in popularity with marketing teams, users posted and shared organically created content. The posts were based on real-life experiences with a product or service and geared towards their followers—and potential customers.
Embracing the opportunity to build a community around their products and services, companies seized the opportunity to engage directly with their customers.
Brands repost reviews, feedback, and other user-generated content on their social channels to positively influence engagement metrics. According to one survey, 77% of respondents are more likely to purchase products from brands that use UGC.
UGC in ad campaigns
To traditional marketers, UGC ads seem counterintuitive. The brand takes a back seat, the production value is intentionally low, and they’re giving up some creative control.
A professional creator understands the fundamental advantage of user-generated content. UGC minimizes consumers’ distrust of conventional advertising by engaging directly with brands’ customer base from the consumer point-of-view.
And most importantly, content creators know how to do it authentically—with eye-catching content that subtly communicates your call to action before your audience realizes they’re watching an ad.
UGC creators vs. influencers
Although influencers create content, there are significant differences between UGC creators and influencers. Know the difference so you can hire the right content creator to represent your brand.
Influencers
Brands engage influencers as product ambassadors for access to their follower base and clout as microcelebrities. It is tempting to reach out to influencers because of their large followings, but it’s important to note that their audience may not be relevant to yours. Misaligned or unrelated content could be interpreted by their audience as outright advertising, which isn’t the intention of well-made UGC, or you could end up paying for an audience that is not likely to convert.
Content creators
Brands hire UGC creators for their creativity, ability to capture the brand’s voice, and connection with a target audience. They don’t need a large following since they do not typically share UGC content on their social channels. Social platforms like TikTok and Instagram Reels have popularized UGC templates for both ads and organic posts alike. With content creators, brands can leverage those UGC templates to create ads that feel more native to the social feed.
Content niches
At their core, UGC creators and influencers are content creators experienced in crafting a message that resonates with an audience within niches. Partnering with creators who can speak directly to your audience, whose audience matches your ideal customer, and who represents that ideal customer maximizes your brand’s messaging.
Brands are no longer limited to marketing strategies that rely on public figures and celebrities with large audiences. As a result, content creators give brands a voice that is relatable and accessible.
Consider your audience
The more your creator fits the persona of your target audience, the more successful your campaigns will be. They will be able to capture your customers’ attention, keep them interested, and motivate them to buy more effectively if they can identify with your audience—their lifestyles, preferences, challenges, and spending habits.
Hiring and working with freelance UGC creators
It’s not one size fits all. Choosing a professional who understands your brand can make or break your UGC marketing strategy, but you may not know where to start, what to look for in a creator, or how to tell if your UGC templates are effective.
How do you find and hire a content creator tailored to your brand and target audience? And how do you keep your project on track once you hire one?
TikTok Creator Marketplace
TikTok is the mothership for UGC creator content. There is an endless supply of talented creators ready to take on your project—and TikTok made it easier than ever.
Discover hundreds of professional content creators on the TikTok Creator Marketplace by applying filters based on the type of creator you need, your brand’s goals, your target audience, and other relevant requirements.
Tip: Searching #UGCcreator tags on TikTok and Instagram is a great way to surf professional UGC creators’ content to see if they’re the right fit for you.
Fiverr & Upwork
Popular freelancing platforms, like Fiverr and Upwork, allow businesses to browse through the catalog of talented UGC creators or post an ad for their campaigns. Creators have their rates and reviews in their profiles, helping you stay on budget while searching for your perfect creator.
Connect with a creator
Investing in a content creator to convert your product or services into credible endorsements and content that feels native to the platform requires some prep work.
It’s important to communicate your brand’s goals. Define your marketing goals and sales strategies ahead of time. Your perfect content creator can apply your UGC templates to make the biggest impact.
If you think you’ve found the right creator, talk to them about your campaign. They need to know:
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- About your company: your target audience and UGC goals
- Campaign name + details
- Campaign budget
- Their point of contact
Impactful UGC templates
Professionally made UGC blends advertisements with organic user content, but it’s only effective if customers believe in its authenticity. Viewers won’t stick around if they feel tricked into watching a sales pitch. The pros know how and when to use different UGC templates depending on your goals, your audience, and your product. And by passing off these ads as native social media content, popular UGC templates are integrating creator-produced UGC into ads that convert.
Common freelance UGC creator challenges:
Delayed response times
Independent contractors might not have availability to respond to your inquiry immediately or have room on their schedule to spearhead your campaign due to other client commitments. When seeking out creators, ask for their availability right away and make sure to factor in production times (see below).
Surprise fees
You never want to be caught with surprise fees or upcharges. Start by confirming the fee structure against their freelancer profiles before moving forward to avoid inaccurate rate estimations.
Production delays
Make sure you factor in the time it will take to ship the product and have it arrive in the creator’s hands. You should also consider the time it will take to film the content, deliver the footage, and then edit time on your end and apply your UGC templates.
Getting ghosted by creators
Let’s face it, getting ghosted by creators, or slow response time from creators, is not as unusual as you’d hope. It can take a lot of research and reaching out to find a reliable content creator who is professional and responsive. Try to factor in the time it will take upfront to find the right match and get the responses you need to confirm it.
Let them work their magic
Remember, making heavily scripted notes can hinder your creator’s creative process. Add these points to your UGC brief to set your campaign up for success.
- UGC brief
- Required shot list
- Product approach: selling points and important details to mention
- Brand do’s and don’ts
- What the creator should not to say (e.g. any legal limitations, competitors, etc)
- Ask the creator not to add copy to the videos—makes the footage more versatile and avoids future image cropping issues
- High-level creative concepts
- Trending sounds
- UGC template preferences, like “How to” videos, etc.
- Layout ideas
- Authenticity is essential—audiences won’t appreciate blatant advertising. Keep the content organic and natural. The best UGC campaigns are natural and unpolished, so avoid overdirecting.
You’ll get more ad material for your money if you don’t expect—or ask— for a completely finished ad from your UGC creator. Instead, direct your creator to record a few different hooks and show a few different sets. You can edit the raw material yourself and end up with more than one ad from the same material.
Finally, if you like the content creator’s work, hire them again!
Consider the done-for-you UGC route
Alternatively, you can leave the entire process to the pros at Primer. By offloading the UGC creator-hiring process to a marketing company that excels in social advertising, you’ll save yourself the time, staffing, and hassle of tracking down and project managing a freelancer.
Primer-led prep work
Primer builds your ideal customer persona for you, eliminating the guesswork from identifying your target audience.
Simplify the search
With Primer, your brand is connected to the perfect content creators based on your audience profile through their extensive network of highly qualified, trusted specialists. Primer allows you to rank a list of 5-10 verified creators that match your brand.
Primer-led ad creation
Using the content creator’s video footage, Primer creates multiple iterations of your ad across a variety of platforms. Building multiple ads allows you to test them against each other and discover a winner among them.
Simplify your UGC creator search
Whether you DIY or let Primer handle the heavy lifting, you’re on your way to maximizing your UGC content and sharing content your audience will love.
