August 9th, 2024
Katja Orel
What are UGC Ads? Examples and Best Practices in 2024
UGC ads are revolutionizing how brands connect with their audiences. Because ads with UGC get 5 times more clickthrough rates.
UGC ads, in combination with authentic, relatable content, and powerful hooks build trust, drive conversions, and boost engagement in ways traditional ads can't.
Discover what are UGC ads, the top reasons why you need them in your marketing strategy, tips on how to create effective ugc ads, and the best examples with top tips.
Boost your brand’s credibility and ROI with this powerful marketing tool.
What are UGC Ads?
User-generated content (UGC) ads refer to advertisements that incorporate content created by UGC creators rather than brands. They strategically use real experiences and testimonials to promote products or services. These ads are seen as more genuine and reliable, often resulting in increased sales and engagement.
Why Use UGC in Facebook, Instagram & TikTok Ads?
Since UGC videos work so well as scroll-stopping content, more brands are adding them to their advertising campaigns on Facebook and Instagram. Let’s have a look at the advantages of Integrating UGC into ads and the real UGC ads meaning for your business.
1. Authentic, raw content
Consumers nowadays can recognize overly polished and scripted ads. In fact, many don’t even stop the scroll to watch them. Unlike these ads, UGC provides a raw, unfiltered look at how products fit into everyday life, making the ads more attractive, relatable, and effective.
Think of UGC in ads as word-of-mouth marketing: real people sharing real, honest experiences with your brand. Because it’s more relatable, people feel like they’re getting advice from friends and peers. After all, according to studies, 71% of users prefer personalized ads.
2. Audience trust
Now that we’ve established that people trust other people more than they trust brands, you should know that user-generated content influences the buying decisions of 93% of users. They trust it more and find it reliable as well as relatable, which helps to increase trust.
3. Increase ROI and conversions
UGC generates both trust and authenticity. Adding it to your ads also provides social proof - since it showcases that users vouch for your brand.
On top of that, these types of ads usually yield higher ROI (returns on investment) and better conversion rates. When potential customers see real people using and endorsing a product, they are more likely to make a purchase.
4. Increased engagement
UGC-style ads tend to generate higher engagement rates. People are more likely to like, comment on, and share content that they feel connected to or that resonates with their personal experiences.
5. Credibility
Sure, faceless social media channels and stock images may work for some, but when it comes to building a powerful marketing strategy, consider this:
Would you prefer to click on a generic stock image or prefer to watch a video from another user talking about their personal brand experience?
Seeing real customers vouch for a product enhances its credibility. UGC ads leverage social proof, which is a powerful psychological trigger that has a massive impact on buying decisions.
What makes a high-quality UGC ad?
While there’s not one UGC-ads template that would fit all products and services, there are a few top tips on how to create effective UGC ads:
- Experienced, skilled UGC creator from your target country
- A clear, detailed creator brief
- A killer UGC script that resonates with your target audience, with a relatable story (one that evokes emotions and increases engagement and sales)
- A compelling video hook in the first few seconds (to draw the viewer's attention and keep them engaged)
- High video quality (High-quality videos get more shares, so make sure your video is entertaining and authentic)
- Clear quality audio (Clear audio is extremely important; there should be no background noise in the video and the creator's voice should be clear)
- Honest, authentic content
- Natural, good lighting (to improve the video quality)
- Subtle but clear product placement (without being too salesy)
Keep these in mind while watching the videos below.
5 Best UGC Video Ads Examples
Here are some great UGC ad examples your brand can set up within minutes.
Different Ads Formats
You can add UGC to two ads types:
UGC in display ads
UGC photos can be used in static or carousel display ads, featuring images and text reviews from UGC creators. These ads can effectively grab attention and increase trust, though they’re not as effective as the video ads.
UGC video ads
Video content is incredibly engaging, and when done right, UGC video ads can skyrocket your brand. Use these videos to set up advertising campaigns for UGC Facebook ads (Black Friday UGC Ads), UGC ads Instagram, and even TikTok:
Discover more niche video examples from influee.
How to get UGC ads for your campaigns?
You probably heard that you should source UGC from your customers. While this could be great for some engagement and activity on your social media channels, it’s by no means relevant to your marketing strategy.
There are two ways to source quality UGC ads for your campaigns.
Work with a UGC agency
UGC ads agency specializes in sourcing and creating user-generated content for brands. They can manage the entire process, from identifying suitable creators to producing and editing content that aligns with your advertising goals.
Work with a UGC marketplace for video ads
On the other hand, UGC platforms connect brands directly with UGC creators who produce content specifically for marketing purposes - UGC ads.
These platforms have an unfair advantage. By cutting out the middlemen, they streamline the ad creation process, making it:
- More affordable (you’re not paying for extra people searching for content creators - the creators apply to your projects directly)
- Quick communication and delivery times (you communicate with creators directly)
- Complete control over the content process (you submit the brief, approve deliveries, or request reviews)
- More bespoke content at scale (one creator delivers more content in a single go, giving you the option to scale your content strategy quickly)
- All content rights belong to you
With additional tools, like Magic Script generator (a UGC ads AI script writer) and a UGC Video Editor you can create winning ads for your campaigns with no editing skills and find winning UGC ad creatives much faster.
FAQ
What does UGC mean?
UGC stands for User-Generated Content, which refers to any form of content—videos, photos, reviews, and blog posts—created by consumers rather than the brand itself.
What is an example of UGC?
Discover more video examples of different niches (products and services)- everything from kids' toys to cosmetics and tech gadgets.
What is the UGC strategy?
A UGC strategy is a marketing strategy where brands use UGC content to achieve their business objectives.
What about legal considerations and UGC in advertising?
If you’re using content from UGC creators through the Influee platform, all content rights belong to you. If you source content from your users, you have to get legal consent to avoid and lawsuits.
Disclaimer: The ads in this blog are sourced from Meta Ads Library and are intended for inspiration and showcasing best practices.