In 2026, user-generated content is no longer a niche format or trend. It’s the standard way that creators work with brands. UGC can be paid, and it’s much faster to create than it used to be.
Creators are hired to produce short videos, images, and voiceover-led clips that brands can use across ads, websites, and social media. Instead of filming everything from scratch, creators can move from an idea to visuals, video, and voice much more quickly using AI, which makes UGC easier to produce, easier to adjust, and easier to deliver quickly.
What is user-generated content?
User-generated content, or UGC, is content that creators make for brands to use in ads, on websites, and across social media.
What’s changed is how UGC gets made. Creators can now turn ideas into images, turn those images into short videos, and add voiceover without filming everything from scratch. Instead of filming every version, you can generate visuals from text, animate stills into video, and build voice-led clips in minutes.
This makes UGC much easier to produce. Creators can test hooks, swap visuals, adjust pacing, and deliver multiple versions quickly, without reshoots or complex setups.
UGC vs. social influencing. What’s the difference?
Influencers create content for their own audience. UGC creators create content for brands to use.
UGC goes on brand channels, in ads, and on product pages, and could be shared exclusively by the brand, or also on the curator’s channels, depending on the terms of the project. Because of that, UGC doesn’t usually depend on follower count or personal reach.
What makes UGC different today is how easily it can be created. Creators use templates to lock in structure and messaging, then use AI to fill in the pieces, like images, video, and voice. The template keeps everything consistent, while AI makes it quicker to create more variations.
Influencer content is linked to a creator’s voice and audience. UGC is designed to be flexible, repeatable, and easy for brands to reuse across formats.
8 reasons you should start creating UGC
- UGC is steady, paid work. Brands need a regular flow of content for ads, product pages, and social media, not one-off posts.
- UGC is much faster to create than it used to be. Creators can use AI to generate images, turn them into video, and add voiceover without planning or filming a full shoot.
- It needs fewer resources to create. There’s less setup than with previous types of UGC, fewer reshoots, and no need for expensive gear or long production days.
- UGC is built for variation. Brands usually ask for multiple versions of the same idea, and creators can adjust visuals, pacing, or hooks by picking up where they left off (even straight from their Artlist account, where they can see all of their past creations, edit them, regenerate them, favorite them, and more).
- UGC projects often lead to repeat work, because brands need fresh versions and new formats on a regular schedule, all of which can easily be created with AI
- UGC doesn’t necessarily depend on growing a following, which makes it easier to focus on the work itself.
- UGC can be faceless. Hands-only shots, voice-led clips, or simple visuals are common and widely accepted.
- AI makes coming up with new and varied ideas easy. Creators can generate multiple versions of the same idea, test different hooks, and deliver more options without redoing the entire project.
Examples of effective UGC
Here are some of the most common types of UGC created by different types of content creators.
- Product demos and how-to videos that clearly show how something works in under 30 seconds, especially for TikTok, Reels, and Shorts.
- Short testimonials, usually voice-led, that explain a real problem and how the product helps.
- Hands-only or POV clips that focus on the product, not the creator.
- Simple image-based videos where still visuals are turned into short motion clips.
- Voiceover-led videos built from visuals instead of on-camera speaking.
Tips for creating effective user-generated content
Effective UGC follows an easily repeatable flow. Start with a clear hook that makes someone stop scrolling. This can be a visual moment, a line of voiceover, or a quick change on screen. AI tools make this step easier because you can try different openings without re-filming everything.
Next, show a clear problem the product is meant to solve. To find out what users want to know, you could browse the comments section.
Then, show the product in use. Focus on the one or two things that matter the most, and keep it simple.
Finally, include a call to action. Tell the audience how to purchase, download, or find the products and services. Build a sense of urgency by inviting the audience to swipe or click. Limited-time offers and discount codes work great as calls to action, so see if the brand offers those. Let your audience know these offers are unique to you and that you want them to save time and money by taking advantage of them.
Wrap up
UGC today is all about speed, flexibility, and clear ideas. With AI tools that let you create images, turn them into video, and add voice quickly, creators can create useful UGC without long timelines or lots of setup and accessories.
This makes it easier to deliver several versions, edit content fast, and keep up with the pace brands need. Instead of spending time doing the same work repeatedly, creators can focus on what matters most, making almost instant content that’s clear and useful.
Artlist brings these tools together in one place, so creators can generate images, turn them into video, add voice and music, and build UGC quickly without juggling separate tools.You can try out Artlist’s AI tools to help you create UGC easily, or check out Artlist’s ambassador program, to team up for creator paid promotions.
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