5 UGC Examples the Internet Fell For

1. Polished authenticity with Pair Eyewear

“[Consumers] often tune out of your traditional ads…in this marketing fog,” Rochi Zalani writes for the digital marketing site Buffer. “User-generated posts shine because of their authenticity.” 

Salha Aziz (@sociallyaziz), a UGC creator and guide for rookie creators, has authenticity in spades. Note how her start-to-finish process creating a UGC video for long-term partner Pair Eyewear walks the line between effortless content creation and a casual, authentic tone. 

Aziz keeps things natural yet polished by:

• Doing her lashes, hair, and makeup in front of the camera while wearing casual, comfy clothing. 
• Using a tripod for extra light, but shooting in her car for a relaxed and unrehearsed feel. 
• Memorising lines, allowing her to stay focused and talk to the camera without darting her eyes left and right to read from a teleprompter app. 
• Effortlessly using the products as though she’s showing them off to a friend.
• Slicing together quick cuts and aesthetic B-roll clips in a way most casual Instagram users could replicate. 

She’s demoing the product and even giving prices, all without seeming salesy or inauthentic. “I want to ensure it comes off as natural as possible,” Aziz says. “Because don’t forget: It’s user-generated content y’all.” 

2. Engaging storytelling with SushiDog

“A lacklustre storyline is one of the biggest mistakes that you can make in your UGC videos,” says a UGC pro for Create Your Influence. “Think about the video that really grabs your attention. They’re dynamic, they take you on a journey, and they keep you hooked from start to finish.”

Creator Veronica Rivero’s SushiDog video shows UGC storytelling done right. She:

• Starts with a relatable feeling (“nothing hits harder than finally giving into a craving you’ve had all morning”) and ends with a positive resolution (“Craving satisfied. Lunch: absolutely delicious.”). 
• Relates the content to her personal life working from home. 
• Edits together many short clips to take viewers on a journey from going to SushiDog to seeing her meal getting made to trying and rating her selection. 
• Shares her typical order and something new she’s trying for the first time. 
• Uses a voiceover with captions to take us through everything happening throughout the journey.
• Adds personality with reactions to her food. 

3. Creative yet simple with GoPro

It makes sense that it was an on-the-go camera that led the way with UGC. The content flooded the internet after the GoPro Hero7 was released in 2018, revolutionising the brand’s whole approach to marketing. 

“We were essentially finding people posting amazing content on social media platforms like YouTube,” senior creative director Abe Kislevitz told Campaign. “It became very clear that we didn’t really have to do the marketing for ourselves.”

Users now generate roughly 6,000 videos online daily, including some absolutely spectacular footage from extreme sports and stunning locations. But let’s focus on this simple Instagram pic of a cute cocker spaniel looking down at a GoPro that’s been placed in a small hole on the beach.

No large following or extreme locations required, but it’s a creative and eye-catching example of what you can capture with a GoPro. Originally posted in September 2024 with the #GoPro hashtag, GoPro repurposed it over a year later as its photo of the day, with additional tags (#DogsofInstagram, #Cute, #Dogs) to gain more impressions on Instagram. 

4. Hitting the right niche with Minecraft 

“Focusing on a specific niche is a great practice when creating user-generated content,” according to SocialBee. “Working within a specific niche can bring credibility and expertise to the content you create.” 

This photo and caption from Silentwhisperer on X offers a case in point. A “full-time Minecraft creator” with 15,500 followers on X and 706,000 subscribers on YouTube, their post about Minecraft’s new Copper Golem feature was able to hit all the right eyeballs.

• It uses casual yet enthusiastic language (“OMG THE COPPER GOLEM IS SOOOOOO GOOD!!”). 
• It clearly outlines the feature (“HE SORTS OUT EVERYTHING.… Boats go in the boat chest, carts with carts, tools with tools”). 
• It finishes emphatically with an issue familiar to Minecrafters (“ENCHANTED BOOKS GO INTO THE RIGHT CHEST!”). 

This completely organic post speaks effortlessly to Minecraft’s userbase, garnering free exposure to the tune of over 276,000 views, 60 comments, 543 reposts, 13,000 likes, and 1,000 bookmarks at the time of writing. 

5. Real-world demos with Gordon’s Pink Gin

Steve the Barman’s nearly 42,000 YouTube subscribers offer reach and credibility within the cocktail-loving community, so Gordon’s Gin must have been thrilled when he published 5 Easy Pink Gin Cocktail Recipes | How to Drink Gordons Pink Gin. 

Some of the best user-generated content shows real customers using a product in real-life situations. “People trust people,” John Paul Hernandez writes for Sprout Social. “When they see others – real users, not actors – enjoying your product, it’s as good as a recommendation from someone they know.”

Steve isn’t salesy since he doesn’t talk about how great Gordon’s Pink Gin is – even mentioning a comparable product that works just as well – but his content still puts it front and centre while demonstrating its versatility and how much he enjoys these tipples. 

Handy tips are sprinkled throughout, captions are added for all ingredients, and a casual yet informed air is maintained. He speaks to cocktail enthusiasts without alienating newcomers, inviting all to try these Gordon’s Pink Gin recipes for themselves.