Author: Franz Malten Buemann

When Lauren Gates started creating user-generated content (or UGC) in January 2023, she had no experience filming or editing videos. Until that point, her experience had been primarily in writing – for her blog, CamilleLove, and her copywriting clients. Since then, she’s worked with several brands and charges up to $125 for one video.That’s the story of many UGC creators – they go in with zero experience but armed with a smartphone and a creative eye, they can start charging brands to talk about their products and services for their social media platforms in no time. @sociallyaziz Replying to @ben You’re seeing UGC creators all over your TikTok and you want to get started too 🫣 Here’s my quick breakdown on how you can ACTUALLY start like yesterday ❤️ #ugccreator #ugcjourney #howtobecomeaugccreator #sociallyaziz ♬ original sound – Salha | UGC Creator So if you’ve been wondering what it takes to be a UGC creator and how you can get started, this article is for you. Speaking to people on either side of this unique brand-creator relationship, we put together this guide that’ll answer some of your questions and put you on track to turning content creation into a business.What is UGC?User-generated content, also known as UGC, is any piece of media created by regular people to help a brand sell its product or service. These are traditionally organic content made without any incentive by a brand’s audience. The most popular types of UGC include:testimonialshow-to guidesunboxing videosreviewsDemonstrationsWhat is a UGC creator?A UGC creator is a person who uses a product or service and documents that on video or through images or text for a brand. A paid UGC creator is anyone who receives an incentive for creating those assets, whether financial or through free products and services. This is who we’re talking about and who brands are seeking to create authentic-looking content consistently.There are different reasons a brand might go for a professional UGC creator. One might be to capitalize on the image of an influential person within their niche. However, the most prominent reason is due to changing consumption habits in audiences. People now look out for authentic, lo-fi content that doesn’t look over-produced because that’s what creators they follow are doing – and, thus, what the algorithms on different platforms favor. However, brands may not be able to create that type of content in-house, so they seek UGC creators who can deliver natural-looking content from people to whom their audience can relate. By partnering with UGC creators, brands can offer more value per post to their audience.Difference between content creators and UGC creatorsYou might be thinking, “don’t influencers or content creators already do this?” The difference here is best explained by Jennifer Phan, Co-founder and CEO of Passionfroot, a startup that helps creators find and maintain client relationships. She explains, “One difference is that on one hand as a UGC creator, you can have interests in certain areas, but it doesn’t matter as much because it’s about the brand. Your face may not even show in the content you create. On the other hand, having a sponsor on your own platform means that brand fit is more important because your audience has certain expectations. ”What makes a good UGC creator?Natalie Sportelli, Head of Content at Thingtesting, a platform for reviewing consumer packaged goods, has a lot of thoughts and advice on this topic.“We work with UGC creators for our TikTok and I’ve found that the best creators have enough examples and demos of different styles of videos and photos that make it really easy to see how your brain fits into that grouping,” says Natalie, adding that, “A strong narrative portfolio can go a long way to showing you’re the right fit for a brand.”I don’t think that people think enough about tailoring their pitches like this: Why I would be a really good representative to your brand versus I can do great content. Here’s an example she shared of a great pitch: “I’m a longtime coffee lover and I actually just discovered your brand three months ago. I’ve been using it and I’d love to share my story and create UGC around my genuine experience.”Natalie also highlights previous work with other brands as being very helpful for understanding how a creator works. Professionalism is also high on her list of what makes creators stand out. “Too often, I clicked on a link in our job portal [when reviewing applications] that didn’t work. I always feel really bad because I can’t review their portfolio without their links.”Examples of UGCMore often than not, brands won’t tag the creators who filmed videos for them, so you can’t always tell who made what. Regardless, here are some examples of user-generated content published by brands:LinkedIn works with creator DeAndre Brown to create comedic content around life in the workplace as a Gen-Zer @linkedin if you see these on a job description feel free to move right along #jobtok #careertok ♬ Chopin Nocturne No. 2 Piano Mono – moshimo sound design Skincare brand Kiehl’s also works with creators to publish UGC @kiehls Happy World Sleep Day! A dreamy routine featuring our replenishing Midnight Recovery Concentrate and Cloud Cream😴 #GURWM #NightSkincareRoutine ♬ original sound – Kiehl’s Since 1851 – Kiehl’s Since 1851 Popular tinned fish brand, Fishwife, shares UGC by creators within their niche @eatfishwife a ‘lil spin on the viral joe & the juice tunacado from our friend @healthyeatsbyfi 🐟🥖 !!!! sandwich deets: toasted sourdough, @primalkitchen mayo mixed w/ Fishwife Smoked Tuna, sliced 🥑, tomatoes, microgreens, and @traderjoes everything bagel seasoning 🤌🏼 #joeandthejuice #tunacado #tunacadorecipe #tunacadoathome #fishwife #tinnedfishtok ♬ original sound – best sounds From these examples, it’s clear that UGC achieves three things:Shows off the product in useUses minimal edits for more relatabilityShows “real people” or creators who are known for publishing in a specific nicheNatalie also shared her thoughts about what makes good UGC. “As a consumer, I want to see something that has had a lot of thought put into it – not just raw for the sake of being raw. Then as a person frequently reviewing UGC, I tend to go for the videos with a strong narrative style,” shares Natalie. She also shares that she looks out for the following questions being answered as she looks through content:Does this person sound like an authority?Do they sound confident in what they’re talking about?Do they have the expertise or experience with this product to reasonably convince people that they’ve experienced it and it means something to them?Finally, Natalie adds that “I find that the partnerships that feel the most authentic and natural between UGC creators and brands are ones that like already exist, because the brand is already part of their lives.”What do you need to become a UGC creator?A smartphone.That’s it. Of course, there are other things – skills and tools – you can add on as you gain more experience and work with more clients, but UGC creation has a very low barrier to entry.Once you have your smartphone in hand, you can add on other tools like:Video editing app like CapCut or iMovie for Mac usersProfessional cameraLapel microphoneLightingUGC-specific social media account (optional)In terms of skills, building prowess in the following can allow you to charge more for your services as a creator:Understanding platforms and audiencesSharper editingSales and negotiationBuild a portfolio of workPractice makes perfect, and that applies to UGC creators as well. As you improve your skills and toolkit, you can take on more clients and more income.5 tips for success as a UGC creatorHere are five tips that will help you improve your chances of success as a UGC creator.Pick a niche and stick with itWhen it comes to user-generated content creation, niches are crucial. This is where it’s set apart from creating content for your personal accounts. Natalie says about niches, “The more informed someone is about a particular category makes them like a better creator for other brands in that area.”Natalie acknowledges that it can be risky to pick and stick to one category, “You won’t have the same breadth of clients you could be working with. But ultimately, if that creator already has an association with beauty, then work with a beauty brand, they can bring a lot of credibility to whatever they create.”There are enough companies to go around, so getting hyper-specific about who you create content for will only bring positive returns in the long run.And the decision-makers about who to outsource projects to are also more likely to pick someone with expertise. “The more informed someone is about a particular category makes them a better creator for other brands in that area. So if I don’t usually get pitched UGC, creator decks where it’s like I’m a beauty specialist or a specialist in food and beverage and I feel like that would make a more compelling case to niche down,” says Natalie.How can you pick a niche? Start by researching popular content categories and identifying gaps in the market. Are there brands that could do with a unique perspective on their product? Make a list of them and start pitching.✅Learn more about how to find your niche.Craft a compelling portfolioYour portfolio is a crucial tool to showcase your expertise and attract potential clients. Showcase a diverse range of work and tailor your portfolio to your target audience. Overloading your portfolio with too many samples makes it difficult to navigate.If you don’t have existing content to add to your portfolio, you can try Lauren’s method. She shared with us, “Creating my portfolio was actually easier than I thought it would be. I thought because I didn’t have any experience, it would be the toughest thing to get started on. But I’m also a very creative person. So I just used products around my house to record videos or take photos.”Lauren filmed videos with items she already had and created scripts for voiceovers. In no time, she had a portfolio together. Here’s an example from a UGC creator of the different ways you can film your sample videos to show a breadth of content types. @charlotte.ugc 6 types of videos you should have on your portfolio to show your skills! ✨ #ugc #ugccreator #ugccontentcreator #ugccommunity #ugcportfolio #ugctips #ugc101 #ugccontent #digitalmarketing #ugcvideos #ugccreators #contentcreator #contentcreation #portfoliotips #portfoliougc ♬ original sound – sped up audios 3 Jennifer adds that a portfolio or media kit, as some might call it, also adds credibility to your pitch. When you reach out to a brand, it removes the hurdles you might need to jump through to prove yourself or justify your pricing. She also points out that creators who have success with their Passionfroot media kits show a lot of numbers, typically regarding the reach and engagement of their content.Passionfroot’s Creator Gallery is their own form of sharing UGCNetwork with the brands you want to work withNetworking and outreach are key aspects of being a successful UGC creator. Connect with potential clients on the platforms where they are looking for people like you. This is how Lauren Gates finds clients.When she started creating UGC in January 2023, she had no experience creating videos or pitching to clients. What she did have, was access to a platform called JoinBrands to find brands to work with and pitched them, which allowed her to put actual clients on her portfolio.Here are similar websites you can use to start looking for clients:InflueeTrendTRIBEUGC ShopYoudjiBrands Meet CreatorsThingtestingYou can also make profiles on freelancer platforms like Fiverr or Upwork to expand your client pool.Connecting with brands and other creators through social media and industry events is also a great way to find potential clients. Reach out to that creator on TikTok for advice, or comment on your favorite brand’s latest post about how great their content is to build goodwill.Build an online presenceHaving a strong online presence is optional but can be a great path to attracting clients. An active Instagram or TikTok account wouldn’t be out of place in a portfolio. And if you double down on a niche, it can also help you attract inbound leads from potential clients.It’s more important than you think for brands and creators to have alignment (that’s why our first point is “pick a niche”). As Jennifer Phan says, “If you are a sports or fitness brand reaching out to someone who visibly does something completely different, the content will likely not be the right fit and might end up rejected.”Improve and adapt consistentlyContinuous learning is crucial for career success as a UGC creator. Regularly analyze your performance and seek feedback to improve your skills. However, complacency and resistance to change in a rapidly evolving industry can be a mistake.You can’t expect to gain confidence and clients if you don’t understand exactly what brands. Jennifer advises implementing the following in your process of looking for and working for clients and creators alike:Research: For brands, know where the creator’s strengths lie (their portfolio and social media will tell you this) and for creators, determine whether the brand is the right fit for your passions and interests.Campaign goals: For brands, setting goals for each video, even if it’s just simple ones like “generating awareness” can help provide clearer direction to creators. For creators, understanding what terms like “driving signups” and “driving engagement” mean can go a long way to strengthening your relationship with a brand. It can also help you know the best way to format your content to achieve set goals.Clear deliverables: For both brands and creators, it’s vital you set expectations and attach deliverables to them. This can be stating that you’ll get one TikTok video and Instagram Reel from a creator (brands) or a contract outlining payment terms and usage rights (creators).Jennifer also added that even with all the formality, allowing creators the creative freedom to execute a brief authentically is important for getting the best out of a creator-brand partnership.Determine how you want to approach your work as a UGC creatorPhew! That was a lot of information all at once. However, as the famous quote goes, “Whatever’s worth doing, is worth doing well.” Think critically about what you want as a UGC creator and what you want to help brands achieve. Then, communicate that in your personal branding to connect with the best clients.  To conclude, Natalie shares some important considerations for your future as a UGC creator when building your portfolio and online presence.“You need to ask yourself if you want to work exclusively with one brand or be spread across. If you’re known for working with one brand, and constantly show up on their page, you’ll inevitably become associated with that brand. What we’ve done with Thingtesting is we’ve had one person as our tester at a time, and then that person like becomes just associated with us. Meanwhile, if you create for multiple brands within a niche that may affect how you show up online and for other clients.”Whichever path you choose to pursue, continue honing your skills and improving on your craft. Becoming a UGC creator may not immediately catapult you to thousands of dollars a month, but careful planning and consistent improvement can help you grow and acquire skills that will serve you in any other career path.📬Check out our primer article on understanding user-generated content.

Welcome to Breaking the Blueprint — a blog series that dives into the unique business challenges and opportunities of underrepresented business owners and entrepreneurs. Learn how they’ve grown or scaled their businesses, explored entrepreneurial ventures within their companies, or created side hustles, and how their stories can inspire and inform your own success.
Innovation and creativity are driving the new workforce, and many underrepresented professionals are making career pivots to monetize their talents through entrepreneurship. The U.S. Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship report more than four million minority-owned companies in the United States today.
Despite these numbers, minority business owners still face systemic barriers to accessing capital, resources, and support. These barriers prove why choosing where to start or scale a business is essential.
Read ahead to learn about some of the best cities supporting underrepresented founders in elevating their businesses.

1. Houston, TX
Houston, Texas, is one of the top cities that offers ample economic opportunities for minority entrepreneurs. As one of the most diverse cities in the nation, minorities make up 30.45% of the 5,600 startups in Houston’s metro region, according to JobSage.
Although people of color make up 64% of the area’s population, they still face inequities that continue to take place in the rest of the country. As a result, officials, community members, and organizations offer substantial support for minority entrepreneurs. For example, The Houston Minority Supplier Development Council, Inc, The Greater Houston Black Chamber, the Business Ecosystem Alliance for Minorities & Women, and Great Houston LGBTQ Chamber of Commerce are a few resources business owners can utilize.
2. Atlanta, GA
Atlanta is the prime hub for development and culture in the South. From tech startups to restaurants, minorities own a diverse range of businesses.
As the capital of Georgia, Atlanta is an ideal location to start a business. It offers numerous resources for people of color to access funding and network. On top of that, startup costs are low.
Atlanta is especially a hot spot for Black-owned businesses. Lending Tree reports that Atlanta has the country’s highest rate of Black-owned businesses, proving why it’s known as the “Black Mecca.”
Entrepreneurs can take advantage of programs, initiatives, and organizations like:

University of Georgia’s Office of Minority Business Development
Startup Runway
Ascend Atlanta
Atlanta Black Chambers
Georgia Minority Supplier Development Council
OUT Georgia Business Alliance

3. Charlotte, NC
The “Queen City” made it to the list because studies have crowned it as a place that offers many opportunities for minority entrepreneurs.
Not only are minority-owned and diverse small companies growing in Charlotte, but the cost of living is 4% below the national average. Both serve as benefits for startup companies.
Like Atlanta, Charlotte is a good place for Black entrepreneurs. The city offers many opportunities for business owners to connect and attract customers. Founders can connect through organizations like Charlotte Business INClusion and Black Business Owners of Charlotte.
4. Washington, D.C.
The nation’s capital is a physical representation of why the country is known as a “melting pot.” The city’s rich, diverse culture is home to many minority founders.
D.C. has a total of 4,599 minority startups. They bring in over $2.4 billion in annual sales across industries such as tech, hospitality, and cybersecurity, according to JobSage.
Business owners have access to a plethora of resources for networking and venture capital investments. They can receive support from organizations like:

Latino Economic Development Center
National Association of Asian American Professionals
Greater Washington DC Black Chamber of Commerce
Green Book DC

D.C.’s proximity to other states like New York, Maryland, and Virginia can offer founders access to a broader network to help them grow.
5. San Antonio, TX
Houston isn’t the only location in the Lone Star State where minority entrepreneurs can scale and succeed. San Antonio is a major metropolitan city in Texas that has proven to be a great location for companies. It has a diverse economy of advanced manufacturing, aerospace, and information technology. Still, the most active industry for minority entrepreneurs is retail.
San Antonio raked in over $1 billion in annual sales from minority-owned startups. That platform expects the number to grow as Black and Hispanic people continue to move there.
Organizations like the San Antonio MBDA Business Center, the Business Empowerment Program, and the San Antonio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce are a few organizations that support minority entrepreneurs in the area.
6. Memphis, TN
Memphis is another Southern city known for its rich culture and talent. It has invested a lot of effort in supporting minority business owners’ entrepreneurial endeavors over the years.
Memphis has attracted a lot of founders because of its low cost of living. We Are Memphis reports that the city’s cost of living is roughly 12% below the national average.
The area stands out because of the community’s supportive atmosphere for entrepreneurs. Residents encourage creatives to follow their dreams through support and initiatives from organizations like:

Black Business Association of Memphis
EpiCenter
Greater Memphis Chamber
Choose901
Memphis Moves

7. Fresno, CA
Fresno is a small city with a population of a little over a million. Still, it has generated over $678 million in annual sales from 754 minority-owned startups.
These sales stem from the economic initiatives the city has placed to invest in “inclusive economic development,” The National League of Cities (NLC) reports. In addition, the NLC’s Equitable Economic Mobility Initiative (EEMI) program has helped BIPOC businesses access to grants and receive hands-on assistance.
Other organizations, such as SCORE Central Valley, the Asian Business Institute & Resource Center, and the Central California Hispanic Chamber Of Commerce, provide education, coaching, and other opportunities for entrepreneurs in the area.
Embracing diversity lies at the forefront of economic success. Minority entrepreneurs have some of the most creative business ideas that continue to positively impact our country. These above cities serve as examples of why it’s essential to invest in their businesses.

Our 2023 Marketing Trends Report found that data-driven marketers will win in 2023. It makes sense, but data analysis can be challenging and time-consuming for many businesses.
Enter AI analytics, a time-saving process that brings marketers the answers they need to create data-driven campaigns. In this post, we’ll discuss:

What is AI analytics?
How to Use AI in Data Analytics
Benefits of Using AI Analytics
Business Applications of AI Analytics
Limitations of AI Analytics

As with all machine learning, AI analytics gets more precise and accurate over time, especially when trained to learn industry preferences to contextualize results to individual business needs.
AI analytics is sometimes referred to as augmented analytics, which Gartner defines as “The use of enabling technologies such as machine learning and AI to assist with data preparation, insight generation and insight explanation to augment how people explore and analyze data in analytics and BI platforms.”

How to Use AI in Data Analytics
AI analytics differs from traditional analytics in that it is machine-led. Its scale is more significant, data processing is faster, and algorithms give accurate outputs.
AI analytics can do what humans do, but be mindful of viewing it as a total replacement. If you use AI in data analytics, consider leveraging it to supplement your team’s capabilities and expertise.
For example, an AI analytics tool can process the results of an A/B test and quickly say which version had the highest ROI and conversion rate. A marketer can take this information, identify exactly what impacted the performance of each version, and apply this information to future marketing practices.
 

Benefits of Using AI Analytics
The key differences between human-run data analysis and AI analytics are the three main benefits of using AI analytics: scale, speed, and accuracy:
1. Scale
AI analytics tools can leverage large amounts of data at a time. Its scale also brings a competitive advantage, as machines can seek publicly available data from other sources, run comparative tests, and help you learn more about competitor performance and how you measure up.
2. Speed
Machines don’t require the downtime that humans need, so data processing can happen instantaneously. It can simply be fed a data set and left alone to process, learn from, and bring insights.
3. Accuracy
Machine learning algorithms get better at understanding data while processing data, bringing comprehensive and accurate results.
You can also train algorithms on industry language and standards so results are contextually relevant to your business goals.
Some additional benefits include:

Bias reduction: Algorithms don’t have the confirmation bias or general biases that teams might (unintentionally) have when analyzing data, so results are unbiased.
New insights: Since the scale of data is much larger than human capabilities, AI analytics can shed light on trends and patterns that might otherwise go unnoticed by human researchers’ limited capabilities.

Business Applications of AI Analytics
Machine learning and AI work together to help businesses make data-driven decisions. Marketers can get deep insights into consumer behavior and marketing performance. Potential applications include:

Testing: Run your usual marketing tests and uncover the version(s) most likely to maximize key marketing metrics like ROI and conversions.
Campaign segmentation: AI tools use data to discover consumer preferences so you can create segmented campaigns to maximize the potential for conversions and ROI.
SEO: Machine learning algorithms can understand the search intent behind queries and help you learn more about the type of content to create and identify new keyword opportunities.
eCommerce analytics: Get insight into page conversion rates and discover what might cause shoppers to drop out of the path to purchase.
Identify problem areas: A big benefit of AI data analytics is uncovering new data points you might not find through your processing. You can discover hidden variables affecting performance and adapt your strategies to address them.

AI analytics is also beneficial to other areas of business, including:

Sales forecasting: Teams can use AI analytics to forecast revenue and sales based on historical data.
Customer experience monitoring: Data helps service teams understand customer satisfaction levels and learn how to build customer loyalty and reduce churn.
Internal performance: Business leaders can use AI analytics to understand internal team performance, from win rate to customer satisfaction scores, to understand what’s going right and identify opportunities for improvement.

Limitations of AI Analytics
The most significant limitation of AI analytics is that a computer is not a human. While machines can sort through significantly more data in a shorter time, a human knows a business and its processes better than a computer can.
Be mindful of treating AI tools as a replacement for human understanding. Teams can use insights (and will greatly benefit from the insights) alongside their contextual understanding of business needs before making decisions.
The limitation boils down to this: you can’t replicate human understanding and experience, so it’s essential to consider this when leveraging AI tools.
AI Analytics Gives Businesses A Competitive Advantage
Overall, using AI analytics gives businesses a competitive advantage. Machine learning algorithms produce data-driven insights from which marketers can make data-driven decisions.
Take a look at your current data analysis process to see where it fits in, and reap the benefits.

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