Scrolling through Instagram or TikTok, you’ve likely seen everyday people showcasing their favorite brands in videos and photos. These aren’t highly-produced commercials—they’re authentic, user-generated content (UGC) that resonates far more than traditional ads. With 90% of consumers trusting UGC more than traditional ads, it’s clear that UGC is incredibly powerful. Brands everywhere know they need it, but the challenge remains: how do you find the right creators to produce this content?
Let’s walk through the common methods to find UGC creators, the challenges they present, and why working with a one-stop shop might save you a lot of time and effort.
Steps to Finding UGC Creators (and the Challenges Along the Way)
1. Leverage Social Media
The most obvious way to find UGC creators is through social media platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. You can search relevant hashtags (think #YourBrandName, #Unboxing, or #ProductReview) to see who’s already engaging with your brand or your industry. Engage with these users by liking their content, leaving comments, or even sending direct messages.
While this method is organic and gives you a sense of creators’ authenticity, it’s also incredibly time-consuming. Sifting through hundreds of posts, vetting potential creators, and ensuring their content aligns with your brand’s values takes patience and manpower.
Challenge: Manually searching for creators on social media is free, but it’s not efficient. It’s like searching for a needle in a haystack and can quickly drain your team’s resources.
2. Look for Existing Customers
Your current customers are often the best source for UGC creators. After all, they’re already familiar with your products and, if satisfied, more likely to share positive experiences. You can encourage these loyal customers to create UGC by offering incentives like discounts, product giveaways, or social media shoutouts. Some brands even create programs where their top customers are featured regularly on their platforms.
However, relying solely on customers can be hit or miss. The quality of content will vary, and there’s no guarantee you’ll get the amount or style of UGC you’re aiming for.
Challenge: Not all customers are content creators, and even when they are, quality control becomes a significant issue. Encouraging participation is only half the battle.
3. Monitor Hashtag Campaigns
Running a branded hashtag campaign can be an effective way to gather UGC. You create a unique hashtag (e.g., #YourBrandInAction or #UnboxWithUs) and encourage your audience to use it when posting about your product. This is a great way to build a sense of community while also collecting organic UGC.
The downside is that you’re at the mercy of what your customers decide to post. You could get an influx of content for a short period, but the quality and consistency can vary dramatically. Plus, your hashtag can get lost in the shuffle if it’s not promoted properly.
Challenge: While hashtag campaigns are effective for generating awareness, they often lack the consistency and reliability brands need for ongoing marketing efforts.
4. Use UGC Platforms and Marketplaces
If you’re short on time or resources, there are specialized platforms like Tagbox, Insense, and Trend.io designed to connect brands with UGC creators. These platforms allow you to filter creators by engagement rates, audience demographics, and content style. While they do streamline the search process, they often come with platform fees, and managing multiple creators across different campaigns can still be overwhelming.
Challenge: These platforms make finding creators easier, but you’re still responsible for managing the relationships, content delivery, and ensuring the final product aligns with your brand’s messaging.
5. Collaborate with Micro-Influencers
Micro-influencers—those with smaller, more engaged followings—are a great middle ground between regular consumers and professional influencers. They provide the authenticity of UGC but with the added bonus of a more refined content style. They also tend to be more cost-effective than macro-influencers.
However, working with multiple micro-influencers can still require a lot of hands-on management. Juggling contracts, content deadlines, and ensuring their audience aligns with your target demographic can add complexity to your UGC strategy.
Challenge: Micro-influencers can be a valuable resource, but managing multiple creators at once still requires time and coordination that smaller brands might struggle with.
The One-Stop Solution: Why an Agency Might Be the Better Route
The process of finding, vetting, and managing UGC creators can become a full-time job, especially if you’re looking for consistency and high-quality content. That’s where a one-stop shop like Growth Spurt can make all the difference. Instead of piecing together a patchwork of creators, hashtag campaigns, and social media outreach, Growth Spurt handles everything in-house.
Here’s why it works better:
- Efficiency: You only ship your product once. Our in-house team of actors and creators can film multiple UGC videos in a variety of styles, saving you from sending products all over the country.
- Consistency: Since we handle everything—from filming to editing—you’re guaranteed consistent quality across all your videos.
- Scalability: Whether you need 5 videos or 50, Growth Spurt can scale to meet your needs without sacrificing quality or creativity.
When you work with a one-stop shop like Growth Spurt, you avoid the time-consuming process of managing multiple creators. You also get the peace of mind that comes from knowing every step of the process is being handled by professionals who understand your brand’s needs.
Wrapping It Up: The Right UGC Strategy
While there are several ways to find UGC creators—whether through social media, hashtag campaigns, or specialized platforms—the process can be labor-intensive and inconsistent. Choosing the right creators takes time, and managing them requires resources that many brands simply don’t have.
That’s why opting for a full-service agency like Growth Spurt can save you the headache. With everything done in-house, from actor selection to final editing, you can trust that your UGC will not only align with your brand but also help you achieve your marketing goals.
Ready to elevate your UGC game? Check out What to Look for in a UGC Agency or learn more about Why Your Brand Needs a Professional UGC Video Creator.