Short answer: with UGC, creators make videos that your brand publishes and runs as ads. With influencer marketing, creators publish on their own channels for their own audience. UGC is mainly a performance tool; influencer marketing is mainly a reach and trust tool. Many brands use both.
What is UGC?
UGC (user-generated content) is content made by real people instead of brands: testimonials, demos, unboxings and reviews filmed on a phone. In marketing, brands hire creators to produce it and use it in their ads, website and social channels. The creator's follower count doesn't matter much; what matters is how well they communicate on camera. More in what is UGC.
What is influencer marketing?
Influencer marketing is a collaboration in which a creator publishes content about a brand on their own profile. You are paying for access to an audience that already trusts that person, so audience fit and engagement are the key criteria.
UGC vs influencer marketing: the key differences
| UGC | Influencer marketing | |
|---|---|---|
| Who publishes | Your brand | The creator, on their own channels |
| Main goal | Conversions and ad performance | Reach, awareness and trust |
| Does follower count matter? | Not really | Yes, along with audience fit |
| Where it runs | Paid ads, website, product pages, your social | The creator's feed, stories and videos |
| Testing | Easy: many hooks and versions | Limited: each post goes out once |
| What you measure | CTR, CPA, ROAS, conversions | Reach, engagement, traffic, mentions |
When to choose UGC
- You run paid campaigns on Meta, TikTok or YouTube and need more creatives.
- Your ads are losing performance because of creative fatigue.
- You want to test several angles quickly and scale the winner.
- You need content for product pages, emails or your own social channels.
See how our UGC service works.
When to choose influencer marketing
- You are launching a brand or product and need people to know it exists.
- Your product depends on trust and recommendations, such as beauty, food, travel or wellness.
- You want to enter a new community or niche through voices it already follows.
- You have physical locations and want local visibility. For that, InfluHack brings local influencers to your venue and you only pay for verified posts.
Micro-influencers are growing as an option for this: in the Influencer Marketing Hub Benchmark Report 2026, more than half of respondents said they plan to increase or start working with micro and nano influencers. See our influencer marketing service.
Can you combine UGC and influencer marketing?
Yes, and it is often the most efficient setup. Influencers create awareness and social proof; their best content, with the right usage rights, can then be turned into ads. At the same time, UGC creators produce the volume of variations you need to test in paid media. The key is agreeing usage rights before the content is made.
Frequently asked questions
Is UGC the same as influencer marketing?
No. In UGC the brand publishes the content, usually as ads. In influencer marketing the creator publishes it on their own profile for their audience.
Which is cheaper, UGC or influencers?
UGC is usually cheaper per piece because you don't pay for the creator's audience. Influencer fees grow with audience size and engagement. Learn more in how much UGC costs.
Which one converts better?
For direct conversions in paid media, UGC is usually easier to optimize because you can test many versions. Influencer marketing tends to work better for awareness and long-term trust.