With UGC you buy the video. With an influencer you buy their audience.
The difference fits in one sentence. A UGC creator makes the video for your brand to use on your channels and in your ads. An influencer posts on their own profile, for the people who follow them. In the first case you pay for the content. In the second you mainly pay for the reach and the trust they have built.
Both can work very well. The mistake is hiring one while thinking you are buying the other.
Side by side
Where the video appears
- UGC: on the brand's accounts and in its ads. The creator may not post it at all.
- Influencer: on their profile, in their stories, feed or channel.
What you are paying for
- UGC: script, filming, editing and the right to use the video.
- Influencer: access to their audience and their recommendation.
What matters when choosing
- UGC: the quality of the video, how the person communicates, the fit with your customer.
- Influencer: the size, location and real engagement of the audience.
Followers
- UGC: they don't count. A creator with few followers can make videos that sell a lot.
- Influencer: they are the heart of the business.
Control of the message
- UGC: high. You approve the script before filming and can ask for revisions.
- Influencer: lower. They know their audience and the tone has to be theirs.
Lifespan
- UGC: the video lasts as long as the usage rights do. You can run it as an ad for months.
- Influencer: the post peaks in views in the first few days and then drops.
How to measure
- UGC: by the results of the ad or page where you use it: clicks, cost per result, conversions.
- Influencer: reach, views, clicks on a link or a discount code.
When UGC makes more sense
- You run, or will run, paid ads and need creatives that don't look like ads.
- You want to test several messages and openings to see what converts.
- You need videos for your website, product page or app store listing.
- You have a product that needs to be demonstrated: an app, software, a course, a service.
- You want to control what is said, with approval of the script and the claims.
When an influencer makes more sense
- Your goal is awareness with a specific audience they already have.
- You are launching something and want lots of people to hear about it in the same week.
- Their personal recommendation carries weight: the audience trusts what they use.
- You want content on their profiles, with the authority they have already built.
Why not both?
Many brands combine them. They hire influencers to build awareness and UGC creators to produce the ads that turn that attention into sales. It is also common to ask an influencer for the right to use their video in ads. In that case you are mixing the two models, and that has to be written into the usage rights.
Another option that brings together the best of both is partnership ads: the video appears under the creator's name, but the brand decides who sees it and how much to spend.
A note on transparency
When a creator or influencer posts content paid for by a brand on their own profile, in most countries advertising rules require it to be clearly identified as advertising, and the platforms have their own tools for this, such as the "paid partnership" label. When the UGC video runs on the brand's channels, as the brand's own ad, the identification comes from the ad format itself.
Questions to help you decide
- Will the video run in ads or stay on someone else's profile?
- Do you need new reach, or better creatives for the reach you already pay for?
- Do you want to approve the script word for word?
- How long do you want to use the video for?
- Does your product need to be shown working?
If most of the answers point to ads, demonstration and control, what you are looking for is UGC. See how to hire a UGC creator or take a look at my work. I make videos in English and Portuguese for apps, software, courses and services, I have worked with more than 45 brands, and with creators from my community I can deliver in other markets and languages too.
