Hey all,
Happy Sunday from Westhampton. I just spent the past few days with one of my best friends and her wonderful family. I can confirm: there’s nothing better than family time.
You can no longer talk about content without talking about UGC: “user-generated content.”
UGC is the style of video content all of your soical feeds. It looks native, feels believable, and is consistently one of the top-performing formats inside ad accounts. Depending on the type of UGC, brands can keep it super raw or have more control over the concept, script and final output.
Overall, UGC is hot for companies ranging from startups to huge brands (even Shark saw their massive growth led by UGC, as reported in Kyra State of 2026 Beauty – btw shoutout to Dev Karaca, the Kyra CEO who is a subscriber here!!). This is because:
It’s highly believable (vs. using an influencer w/ tons of followers who is the face of many brands)
UGC creators talk/speak like the average consumer vs. something produced
You can scale the volume of this
The ROI can be insane. For a video that costs a few hundred to a few thousand dollars, you can have a winner drive organic performance or even greater performance when boosted. That's insane. I’ve personally gotten many UGC videos below a $1 CPI (cost per install).
What’s interesting is that most people don’t realize how many different types of UGC there are. So today, I’ll break down the main 4 and explain when/why to use each one.
Let’s begin.
FYI….more UGC newsletters with insider tips:
How to build UGC for B2B (June 28, 2026)
How to stalk your competitors’ UGC (April 5, 2026)
How to crack UGC (Feb 8, 2026)
How to pick creators (Jan 19, 2026)
FYI: How to read this
Find where a format sits left-to-right (who wrote the script) and top-to-bottom (whose account it's posted on), that's the whole map.
Every brand, B2B to B2C, should be running UGC right now. This is where each format typically lands, but we've been pushing them all over the map.
Knowing where a format falls tells you how much creative control you're trading for how much authenticity. What you push out is a taste call, and it's yours to make.
1. Scripted UGC
What is it: The creator performs a brand-supplied script or storyboard, including hook, problem, product intro, and CTA, which are all pre-planned. Tightly controlled and great for B2B brands.
When to use: You already know what converts and want message consistency, a specific claim/offer said verbatim, and to scale a proven winning angle across many creators
Example: A creator reading "I literally can't live without this app — here's why…" then hitting three benefit beats and a discount code; usually shot "ring-light testimonial" or feature-walkthrough style
2. Non-Scripted / Organic UGC
Authentic, unscripted, feed-native content where the creator speaks in their own words, so it’s a recommendation vs. an ad. RevenueCat notes this now often outperforms scripted testimonial UGC and is "table stakes."
When to use: Top-of-funnel and cold audiences where ad fatigue and skepticism are high; when authenticity beats message control (TikTok, Reels)
Example: A selfie-style clip: "okay I wasn't going to post this but I have to tell you about…"; without a polished script
What’s cool: There’s incentive based UGC that a lot of brands are testing into now where you pay out based on ad performance. This requires giving up a lot of creative control (uncomfortable) but can give rly good margins
3. Canvas UGC
A production model where an outside creator scripts, films, edits, and publishes short-form video directly onto a brand-owned ("ambassador") account rather than their own page; usually paid on performance (views/installs) rather than a flat fee. The key difference is the surface the content lives on (in this case, the ambassador account).
When to use: You want an always-on, brand-owned content channel to test many hooks cheaply and tie spend to results. Common for consumer apps and DTC products.
Example: A brand's TikTok styled to look like a normal user, posting dozens of native-feeling videos a month. (Example: A UGC account name is @selenaskincare and she’s posting here exclusively for a skincare brand)
4. Podcast-Style UGC
Content staged to mimic a familiar format; two hosts with mics/headphones, or a solo "authority" hot take, with the product pitch embedded inside a natural-sounding conversation. Borrows credibility from the podcast format.
When to use: When you need borrowed trust/authority or a scroll-stopping "clip"; performs well on YouTube Shorts and Reels
Example: Two "hosts" chatting; one comments the other's skin "looks glowing," the co-host recommends the glow serum they use
5. Street-Interview UGC
A host stops people in public ("man on the street") for quick, candid reactions to a product or question; capturing spontaneous, real-world social proof that feels unscripted even when loosely guided. The credibility comes from seeing real strangers react, not a paid creator.
When to use: Best for DTC brands (beauty, clothes, food/bev, wellness) where a tangible product, a visible reaction, or a taste/try-on moment sells itself. Strong for cold audiences and curiosity-driven hooks on TikTok and Reels. (Whole accounts are built on this format; e.g. street-interview-style pages.)
Shoutout to my friend Heather Saltz the Head of Brand and PR for StreetTalk for being epic!!!
Example: A host on a busy street asks passersby to try a sample or react to a product on camera (example: "have you heard of this brand?" or “what’s your must-have summer essential”) and their suuuper real responses become the ad
Honorable mentions (you’ll see a lot of this content mixed into the above UGC styles; it’s just a style of shooting and script writing)
Problem/solution
Testimonial/review
Unboxing
Before and after
Well, How’d I Do?
Brands think they have to be locked into a certain format of UGC and that’s simply not the case.
UGC hasn’t fully made its way into B2B yet (typically B2B brands are stuck on boosted micro-influencer videos), but we’ve been testing it for 9+ months with Knight Vision B2B brands and it’s ripping.
The key with UGC is volume.
It’s incredibly cheap compared to running a typical influencer campaign (which can cost thousands per post), so you can test a ton of scripts and styles against new products and grow your business.
Making content is hard. Building a content engine that is sustainable, iterative and revenue generating is even harder. We’ve been cooking on a new program for startups that solves this, works in all of the above, and I can’t wait to share more soon!
I hope you have an incredibly productive week ahead.
Julia
