What is The User-Generated Content Platform?
A User Generated Content (UGC) platform is where real people, not brands, share their experiences online.
It's like someone tweeting about loving their new coffee machine or showing off their new cowboy boots on Instagram. That's UGC in action! 🤳
There are many types of user-generated content, from social media posts to product reviews and more.
If you're looking for an in-depth exploration of these types, jump to the blog post "5 Types of User-Generated Content and Expert Best Practices".
Now, you might wonder why we don't just leave these posts on social media or personal blogs.
Well, UGC platforms do something great. They gather all these customer posts – photos, videos, reviews – and arrange them to reflect what the brand is really about.
And the best part? You can use this valuable content on your website, social media, emails, and stores.
In the same spirit of sharing authentic experiences and knowledge, the Popupsmart Community also stands out as a UGC platform.
Here, our members actively share insights and discussions around conversion optimization and digital marketing community topics.
If you're interested in these areas, joining the Popupsmart Community can be a good move.
18 Best UGC Platforms for Authentic Content Marketing
1. Skeepers
Best for Medium Ecommerce Companies Targeting Millennial & Gen Z Consumers
Skeepers provides an all-in-one UGC platform where brands and content creators can thrive together.
It creates authentic and engaging marketing campaigns that resonate with audiences and drive business results.
Top Features of Skeepers:
Enhanced Search Visibility: Through SEO/SEM integrations like Seller Rating Stars and Rich Snippets, Verified Reviews can improve a brand's visibility in search engine results.
Influencer Marketing: Skeepers has a community of over 100,000 nano and micro-influencers.
Ratings and Reviews: This can increase brand credibility and drive a 58% increase in.
Live Shopping: It enhances the shopping experience with real-time customer interaction.
Consumer Videos: Videos created by brand ambassadors can double the add-to-cart rate and more than triple the conversion rate.
Customer Data Enablement: AI-powered personalized marketing can increase sales by 4% and customer loyalty by 4x.
Pros:
- Skeepers helps improve click-through rates by leveraging seller ratings on Google.
- Flexible billing without an annual contract is a feature many users find attractive.
- The continuous development of new features, such as the Smart Data reporting dashboard, is popular.
- The low subscription cost suits direct-to-consumer (D2C) business models.
Cons:
- Some users report that the platform is slow and sometimes difficult to log in.
- The backend management user interface could use improvement, especially for managing multiple domains.
- Development on some e-commerce platforms, such as Salesforce Commerce Cloud (SFCC), is reportedly slow and expensive.
Ease of Use: 9.4
Quality of Support: 9.6
Ease of Setup: 9.3
“The "rebalancing" link works great! That allows our customers, after they placed a review with Verified Review, to be automatically invited to also review us on platforms of our choice such as GMB, Facebook, etc. We've seen a big increase in reviews on Google My Business since using that feature.” -Isabelle V.
2. Bazaarvoice
Best for Multi-Brand Retailers Seeking Comprehensive Review Management
Bazaarvoice is a UGC platform designed to help businesses manage and amplify customer reviews.
From turbo-charging reviews with Review Highlights to syndication across 1,750+ retailers, Bazaarvoice makes your products stand out, improving engagement and conversion rates.
Top Features of Bazaarvoice:
Syndicated Review Network: You can expand your brand's reach by sharing customer reviews with over one billion customers across a network.
Hyper-Targeted Consumer Engagement: You can leverage detailed consumer data to drive your sampling programs, resulting in follow-on purchases and brand advocacy.
Direct Customer Interaction: It has a Q&A platform that builds trust and significantly increases conversions by 98%.
Social Commerce Integration: With Bazaarvoice Galleries, you can see up to a 140% increase in conversions.
Responsive Feedback Management: Offers a powerful feedback system to manage customer emotions and increase brand loyalty.
Pros:
- Hosts reviews for most top internet retailers, providing a broad reach.
- Simplifies the integration of UGC and product reviews on e-commerce sites with low-touch moderation.
- Allows brands to design custom questions for different product categories.
- Offers a dashboard view to present data trends and captures reviewers' demographic profiles.
- Identifies frequent reviewers who could become brand ambassadors or product testers.
Cons:
- The service is considered expensive, with a basic service starting in the five-figure range.
- Some SEO features like the "SEO link" are reported to be overhyped and not delivering on sales discussions.
- Disappointment was expressed regarding integrating star ratings with Google ads, leading to using other services for review collection.
Ease of Use: 8.0
Quality of Support: 8.3
Ease of Setup: 7.4
The syndication Bazaarvoice offers was really useful for us since we sell the same product across multiple brands. This feature allows users feedback to show on different sites even though they only filled it out on one particular site.” -Christopher P.
3. Trend.io
Best for Budget-Conscious Brands Seeking a Wide Range of Creators
Trend.io is a dynamic platform for user-generated content (UGC), connecting brands to a diverse network of over 3,700 vetted creators.
Trend.io facilitates influencer marketing, offering a credit-based system, transparent pricing, and a range of content options to empower brands to create authentic UGC campaigns.
Top Features of Trend.io:
Diverse Creator Network: You can access a dense network of over 3,700 creators, providing a rich variety of UGC.
Customizable Content: From unboxing videos to lifestyle photography, you can tailor the type of content you need to meet specific marketing objectives.
No Creator Haggling: Trend.io works with a set budget for all projects and allows you to enable multiple creators seamlessly.
Full Licensing and Distribution Rights: With this, you can have full licensing and distribution rights to leverage UGC across social media, websites, ads and various marketing channels.
Transparent Credit System: A transparent credit system starts from $500. Trend.io's credit packages offer flexibility.
Pros:
- Users appreciate the platform's ability to connect them with high-quality influencers.
- The credit-based system, which has no contractual obligations, offers transparency and allows businesses to manage their budgets effectively.
- Trend.io facilitates effective communication between brands and influencers and provides powerful tracking features.
- Users can choose from various content options, such as photos and videos, allowing you to diversify your marketing materials.
- The platform allows brands to tailor their campaigns to specific interests and locations.
Cons:
- Some users say they would like more specific categories of influencers on the platform, such as healthy living or fitness.
- Users noted that the application dashboard could be improved to provide more details about influencers.
- While Trend.io simplified the influencer selection process, some users desired more filtering options.
Ease of Use: 9.4
Quality of Support: 9.3
Ease of Setup: 9.6
”I have a brand and I'm looking for influencers to create video content to run as paid ads. After having tried other influencer platforms, which have had low quality influencers and require a monthly fee, I was excited to discover trend.io.” - Verified User in Arts and Crafts
4. Upfluence
Best for Brands Looking to Enhance Their Online Presence and Sales
Upfluence's robust analytics, advanced search filters, and comprehensive community management tools make it an ideal choice for brands looking to enhance their online presence and sales through targeted influencer partnerships.
Top Features of Upfluence:
Extensive Creator Network: You can access to thousands of vetted creators, allowing brands to find the right match based on content, audience, and performance.
Detailed Creator Vetting: Through data-rich profiles, you can easily analyze creators based on engagement rates, audience demographics and more.
Workflow Optimization: You can manage creators at scale with the ability to review submissions, drafts and payments in a single dashboard.
Precise ROI Tracking: You can use customized discount codes and affiliate links, and you can separate sales by influencer and campaign.
Hybrid Compensation Models: You can offer payments and products for maximum engagement and authentic content creation.
Social Listening Tool: With this, you can discover organic brand mentions and potential ambassadors with the ability to analyze their profiles and collect data.
Pros:
- The platform offers robust and accurate influencer search filters, providing rich data.
- Upfluence offers comprehensive analytics and reporting features.
- Upfluence is praised for its campaign management tools.
- The availability of a Google extension is highlighted as a positive feature.
Cons:
- Some users desire better mobile accessibility or a dedicated mobile app.
- Users mention that the platform could provide more extended data for smaller influencers.
- Some users express a desire for more personalized emails to influencers.
Ease of Use: 8.7
Quality of Support: 9.2
Ease of Setup: 8.9
”I love how easy it is to filter influencers based on the qualifications we have determined. It is very useful compared to hunting influencer profiles one by one.” -Verified User in Photography
5. Tint
Best for Ecommerce Brands Who Prioritize Visual Representation and Community Engagement
Tintup (commonly known as TINT) is a user-generated content platform that allows businesses to collect, curate, and display content created by users.
It provides tools to interact with the UGC. Brands can tag products in the posts, making them shoppable, or use the content in more interactive marketing campaigns.
Top Features of Tint
TikTok Integration: TINT stands out by offering seamless integration with TikTok, allowing users to collect and aggregate content from it.
Community-Powered Product Sampling: It enables personalized product sampling, fostering an online brand community and mobilizing consumers for targeted sampling campaigns.
Advanced UGC Collection and Curation: The platform offers robust filters and automated moderation technology to aggregate user-generated content (UGC) from various social channels.
Custom Branding Options: Users can leverage an open API to create pre-built themes, templates, and customized visual experiences.
AI-Powered Content Analysis: TINT combines AI-powered features such as object detection, automatic tagging, and visualization of user attention.
Sweepstakes and Interactive Features: TINT includes engaging features such as sweepstakes, launch countdowns, polls, upvotes, and influencer collaboration.
Pros:
- With features like simple labeling and entry viewing, it's especially helpful for managing user-generated content contests.
- TINT can be used effectively on both mobile and desktop, offering flexibility.
- Its integration with platforms like Hootsuite and the ability to embed UGC on webpages is highly valued.
- Features like contests, landing pages, and the ability to quickly integrate social media displays are appreciated.
Cons:
- Users may find restrictions on following accounts and limits on hashtags or queries per stream limiting.
- Handling large contests on TINT may be challenging due to limitations in efficiently managing and accessing a high volume of posts.
- The manual process of requesting legal rights for user-generated content (UGC) can be time-consuming, especially for larger companies.
Ease of Use: 8.5
Quality of Support: 9.4
Ease of Setup: 9.0
”The ability to stream live updates, posts, photos in sync with our social media is ideal. Visually this company has nailed it for what we're looking for to integrate out social media content to our website.” -Verified User in Marketing and Advertising
6. Tagshop
Best for Online Retailers and E-commerce Brands who Want to Engage in Social Commerce
Tagshop, a versatile platform, caters to the needs of e-commerce businesses, Shopify users, and companies aiming to elevate customer engagement by seamlessly integrating shoppable galleries with social media content.
Top Features of Tagshop:
Shoppable Instagram Feed: Integrates Instagram feed with online stores, featuring shoppable product tags and visual content to boost sales.
Hashtag UGC Integration: Utilizes user-generated content through hashtags to enhance social proof and drive sales, including a "Shop The Look" feature.
Insightful Analytics: Provides detailed performance insights, tracking metrics like clicks, views, and engagement for shoppable galleries.
Smart Content Curation & Product Tagging: Employs advanced machine learning for automated content filtering and intelligent product tagging.
Visual Commerce Platform: Collects and curates visual content from social media tags products for shoppability.
Pros:
- The ability to tag and link products within images facilitates a direct connection between the showcased products and potential buyers
- Tagshop supports email campaigns, enabling businesses to counter cart abandonment effectively using tools like Kalviyo and MailChimp.
- Tagshop introduces innovative features like "Shop on bio" product page galleries, and email campaigns, keeping up with industry trends.
Cons:
- Some users find navigating and understanding the platform's functionality difficult.
- While user-generated reviews are helpful, there might be concerns about verifying the authenticity of the reviews.
- Users express a desire for more theme options for galleries.
Ease of Use: 9.6
Quality of Support: 9.9
Ease of Setup: 9.2
”The platform helped our client showcase their products and engage with their customers efficiently. Using it, we could seamlessly use content from our client’s social media channels and display it on their website. The customer support is also efficient and helped us create the client’s gallery easily.” - Rachel R.
7. billo.app
Best for Small to Midsize E-commerce Businesses Looking to Enhance Advertising Efforts
Billo specializes in crafting top-tier UGC that can be used in advertising campaigns.
This is particularly valuable for businesses that drive clicks, boost conversions, and improve overall Return on Ad Spend (ROAS).
Top Features of billo.app:
Diverse Creator Selection: Billo offers access to over 5,000 creators with various demographics, styles, and interests, including niche categories.
Efficient Content Production for A/B Testing: The platform allows rapid content delivery to facilitate A/B testing.
Direct Communication with Creators: The platform offers a direct chat feature, enabling brands to directly communicate with creators for feedback, suggestions, and edits.
Professional In-House Editing: Billo provides in-house editing services to enhance the quality of UGC, ensuring that the videos have a professional finish.
AI Storyboard Writer: The platform uses AI technology to assist in content creation, saving time and energy in developing UGC and facilitating quicker ad testing.
Pros:
- Multiple users appreciate the platform's ease of use, emphasizing its simplicity in creating briefs.
- Billo stands out for providing a diverse range of UGC options, allowing brands to experiment with different formats.
- Billo's in-house editing services receive positive feedback, ensuring that UGC videos maintain a professional and polished finish.
- Most users liked the integration of AI Storyboard Writer to help with content creation and facilitate faster ad testing.
Cons:
- Users mention that pricing is relatively high.
- Users suggest the need for more diversity in the types of videos created, as some content may appear too similar.
- Some users express the need for additional filtering options during the tagging process.
Rating & Review on Trustpilot: 4.2 🌟
“We are in a niche market, so I was skeptical that we were going to get creators who were qualified to speak to our audience. Within 24 hours, 2/4 who applied were definitely qualified, and the one I chose knocked it out of the park!” - Beth Smith
8. GRIN
Marketing Agencies and Brands Looking to Expand Their Reach through Influencers
GRIN is essentially a UGC platform designed for public relations and influencer marketing.
It aims to turn brands into household names by fostering authentic relationships with content creators and providing comprehensive management tools for influencer marketing campaigns.
Top Features of GRIN:
Spreadsheet-Free System: GRIN provides a spreadsheet-free system to track and present ROI for every creator and campaign.
Efficient Product Seeding: GRIN streamlines the product seeding process with effective shipping features and ecommerce integrations.
Creator Search and Web Extension: The platform includes a powerful search function for finding influencers, complemented by a web extension for organic discovery and adding potential partners directly to GRIN.
Landing Pages and Social Listening: Custom landing pages collect information from interested creators, while social listening tools monitor brand mentions on platforms.
Pros:
- Users appreciate the ability to use contact tags for creator profiles, making it easy to distinguish between different segments.
- Positive feedback about the ease of paying creators and shipping products through the Shopify connection, enhancing fulfillment processes.
- GRIN allows for creating customized campaigns, and introducing the "Activations" feature has been praised for enhancing campaign customization.
Cons:
- Some users express dissatisfaction with updates made to GRIN due to new Meta (formerly Facebook) restrictions.
- Users mention a desire for better tools to set up an ambassador program and seed products or create rewards.
- The platform is criticized for not being mobile-friendly.
Ease of Use: 8.6
Quality of Support: 9.6
Ease of Setup: 8.2
”GRIN is a turnkey platform which allows our company to run our social influencer progam smoothly and efficiently. The platform houses everything needed to run a sucessful program - from managing creators, fufilling product orders, to it's reporting capabilities to track and mesasure the analytics behind the program - GRIN is a win-win.” - Verified User in Apparel & Fashion
9. emplifi
Best for Ecommerce Brands and Retailers that Managing High Volumes of UGC
emplifi serves brands looking to integrate authentic customer voices into their marketing and sales strategies.
The platform focuses on integrating user-generated content (UGC) with e-commerce systems, making it suitable for online shops looking to enrich their website with actual customer photographs, videos, and reviews.
Top Features of emplifi:
Social UGC Integration: emplifi enables brands to turn customer photos and videos posted on social media into engaging and high-converting creative brand content.
Shoppable Community Content: The platform transforms community content into shoppable experiences, integrating smart product tagging and e-commerce integrations.
Content Discovery Across Social Channels: It discovers on-brand Social UGC assets from top social channels.
Customizable UGC Galleries and Displays: emplifi offers fully customizable options for UGC galleries and displays.
Influencer Discovery and Campaign Management: emplifi aids in finding and managing influencers with tools for campaign logs, custom tagging, and content permissions.
Pros:
- emplifi is recognized for its seamless ecommerce integration, making it a good fit for online retail.
- emplifi supports local activations with geo-fencing capabilities
- Users find emplifi easy to set up and use.
- The platform is considered cost-efficient, offering good value for the features and services provided.
Cons:
- Some consumers are dissatisfied with the contract terms, describing them as limiting and overly automated in renewal.
- Some users find the analytics provided are not as intuitive or comprehensive as needed.
- It can be difficult and time-consuming to sort through the vast amount of content that can be scraped from the internet.
Rating & Review on Capterra: 4.3 🌟
10. PowerReviews
Best for E-commerce Businesses Aiming for Enhanced SEO and Online Presence
PowerReviews is particularly beneficial for e-commerce businesses; brands focused on customer trust and engagement.
PowerReviews can boost SEO for product pages, which is a significant advantage for businesses aiming to improve online visibility and attract more organic traffic.
Top Features of PowerReviews:
Significant Conversion Lift with Ratings & Reviews: PowerReviews offers a notable conversion lift, with statistics showing a 108.3% increase in consumer conversions.
Customizable Review Displays with Over 3,000 Options: PowerReviews provides a diverse range of customizable options for review displays.
Extensive UGC Syndication Network: The platform significantly boosts UGC syndication, with brands like Mizuno seeing an 89% increase in outbound syndicated review volumes after transitioning to PowerReviews.
SEO Enhancement for Product Pages: PowerReviews' SEO-friendly design leads to 81% of traffic on product pages with reviews.
Pros:
- Customers have found migrating to PowerReviews to be seamless and well-supported by an effective implementation team.
- The platform is praised for its quick and helpful responses from the customer support team.
- The platform efficiently collects reviews, providing businesses with valuable customer insights and feedback.
Cons:
- Some users find it inconvenient that each seeding program requires a different project manager, preferring a consistent point of contact.
- A few users would like to see more detailed analytics, especially regarding reviews.
- There’s a desire for growth in the retail syndication network to maximize the platform's potential.
Ease of Use: 8.4
Quality of Support: 9.1
Ease of Setup: 8.0
”We recently migrated our review platform to Power Reviews and the transition went really smooth. Our implementation team was great! They did a great job communicating expectations and deliverables, and were very responsive when questions came up.” - Holly V.
11. Insense
Best for Dynamic and Digitally-Focused Brands Looking to Leverage Social Media Platforms
Insense is a comprehensive tool connecting brands with a network of content creators and influencers, primarily across social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok.
The platform is particularly useful for brands looking to enhance their online presence and engage audiences through authentic and creative social media content.
Top Features Insense:
Creator Marketplace: Insense boasts a vast marketplace of over 20,000 creators across regions like the USA, Canada, UK, and Germany.
Comprehensive Creative Briefing Tool: The platform offers an intuitive briefing process allowing brands to specify campaign format, product details, creator requirements, and creative asset needs.
Direct Communication with Creators: Insense facilitates direct communication between brands and creators, streamlining the collaboration process.
Automated Campaign Management and Payments: The platform simplifies campaign management and automates payments to creators.
Creator Licensing and TikTok Spark Ads: Insense provides a unique feature for Creator Licensing, which is particularly beneficial for running whitelisted ads on platforms like Facebook and Instagram.
Pros:
- The platform offers a detailed briefing process, making it simple to specify campaign requirements.
- Suitable for multiple campaign types, including UGC, social media brand awareness, and influencer marketing.
- Even for lower subscription plans, the support team is dedicated and responsive.
- The briefing system is comprehensive, allowing for detailed campaign descriptions.
Cons:
- Some users find the chat experience with creators disorganized and not intuitive.
- Filtering through creators to find high-quality matches can be time-consuming and sometimes frustrating.
- Conducting background checks on creators’ portfolios is manual and can be cumbersome.
Ease of Use: 8.8
Quality of Support: 9.4
Ease of Setup: 9.0
"I have launched two campaigns with Insense, and it gives me access to great creators very quickly and easily. The brief is easy to use and captures all of the right information. The creators who applied are generally a good fit for what I am looking for. I love the insights that Insense offers for the creator profiles."
12. JoinBrands
Agencies and Brands Focused on TikTok Marketing
JoinBrands is essentially a platform designed to bridge the gap between brands and content creators, particularly focusing on user-generated content (UGC) creation and influencer marketing.
It simplifies the process of finding, collaborating with, and managing content creators for various marketing campaigns.
Top Features of JoinBrands:
Agency Solutions: The platform allows agencies to manage and source content for multiple brands and companies from one account.
Creator Marketplace: A vast network of content creators, including 25,000+ US-based creators, is available to brands to create authentic UGC content.
Extra Content: Brands can obtain more content for less cost if creators provide additional content for jobs, making it budget-friendly.
Automatic Campaign: An auto-approval method for creator content saves time for brands.
Scalable Product Launches on TikTok: The platform specializes in TikTok campaigns, connecting brands with TikTok influencers ready to promote products.
Pros:
- Users appreciate the platform for providing a readily available list of jobs.
- The platform is recognized for its reasonable payout timeframe.
- Users appreciate that they retain full licensing and distribution rights to the content they create.
- The platform is praised for its immediate payment process.
Cons:
- Some users find the chat system with creators to be cluttered and not intuitive.
- A few users mentioned that the platform's organization and workflow could be improved for easier navigation.
- The platform may have limited opportunities for new users, with some campaigns requiring certifications or a higher level of creator status.
Rating & Review on Trustpilot: 4.3 🌟
"I have launched two campaigns with Insense, and it gives me access to great creators very quickly and easily. The brief is easy to use and captures all of the right information. The creators who applied are generally a good fit for what I am looking for. I love the insights that Insense offers for the creator profiles."
13. Cohley
Best for Mid-Sized and Enterprise E-commerce Businesses Looking to Maximize Their Ad Performance
Cohley is a digital platform specializing in helping brands generate content, such as short-form videos, photography, and product reviews, by connecting them with diverse creators.
It offers unique features like Creative Briefs for tailored content requests integration with marketing channels for easy content activation.
Top Features of Cohley:
AI-Powered Creative Briefs with Finn: Finn, an AI-powered brief writing assistant, ensures that deliverables, timelines, and budgets are communicated to creatives.
Expert Support for Scaling Content: Cohley provides expert services to help brands increase their content output effectively.
Customer Review Feature: It has a special "Voice of the Shopper" feature that uses real customer reviews.
Works with Major Platforms: Cohley integrates with major marketing and e-commerce platforms like Shopify, BigCommerce, and Instagram.
Pros:
- Cohley is noted for its constant innovation and responsiveness to user feedback.
- Cohley is particularly helpful for products that are challenging to showcase visually.
- The platform facilitates the creation of high-quality content that effectively enhances presence on social media, email, retail sites, and paid social.
Cons:
- Sometimes, problems arise due to content creators not fitting the campaign parameters.
- It has been noted that qualification among creators is highly variable, which can lead to inconsistency in content quality.
Ease of Use: 9.0
Quality of Support: 9.7
Ease of Setup: 9.8
"Cohley allows our company to get a large amount of media and work with many different types of photographers, all in a small time frame. Cohley allows us to get what we need for quick campaigns and to spend more time running our business" -Verified User in Retail
14. Taggbox UGC Suite
Best for SBMs and Large Businesses Looking for Extensive Customization to Showcase UGC Across Multiple Digital Channels.
Taggbox is designed to help brands collect, manage, and effectively use user-generated content.
The platform aims to make it easier for businesses to showcase authentic customer experiences and stories across their marketing channels.
Top Features of Taggbox UGC Suite:
Comprehensive UGC Collection: Taggbox enables the collection of UGC from over 20 platforms.
Repurposing Influencer Content: Taggbox allows for repurposing organic influencer content across different channels.
ROI Calculator: Taggbox includes an ROI calculator to estimate the value and impact of visual content on business and brand metrics.
Smart Tagging and Easy Asset Search: The suite uses AI for smart tagging and easy asset search, streamlining the process of finding and organizing content.
UGC Management and Storage: The platform offers advanced tools for content moderation, rule creation, tagging, and organization.
Pros:
- The platform's rights management tool is highly praised for obtaining permission to use user-generated content efficiently.
- Taggbox integrates well with digital platforms and stores.
- The UGC analytics feature provides valuable insights into campaign performance, helping to optimize marketing strategies.
- Whether for events, email campaigns, or general marketing, Taggbox is versatile enough to enhance different marketing efforts.
Cons:
- Some users experience difficulties connecting with certain social networks, like Instagram.
- Some users express the need for more varied pricing options to cater to businesses of different sizes and budgets.
Ease of Use: 9.8
Quality of Support: 9.8
Ease of Setup: 9.4
"What I like about Taggbox is how easy it makes collecting, curating, and publishing user-generated content from social media and review platforms. I especially love the Rights feature that allows me to get content rights directly from the users." -Akshita S.
15. Dash Hudson
Best for Social Media-Focused Brands and Marketers Who Value Their Customers' Feedback and Emotions
Dash Hudson is a social media management tool that helps businesses enhance their online presence.
It has advanced features like AI analysis, content scheduling, and influencer tracking.
Top Features of Dash Hudson:
Performance Analysis of UGC: With Vision AI, it analyzes how UGC performs on social platforms, helping you understand what types of UGC resonate with your audience.
Performance Anomaly Detection: Alerts you to significant changes, such as spikes in social media mentions or trending TikTok videos.
Social Listening with Visual Insights: Dash Hudson's social listening capabilities are primarily visual; It focus on how your brand is discussed online.
LikeShop to Connect Social Content to Sales: LikeShop allows audiences to migrate from Instagram and TikTok to your site easily.
Multi-Channel Social Media Scheduler: This feature simplifies scheduling and publishing social content by integrating with Vision AI for performance prediction.
Pros:
- The platform is recognized for its simple and intuitive UI/UX.
- Dash Hudson provides in-depth social media performance analysis, including UGC and competitor insights.
- The scheduling features, including auto-publishing and grid planning, are highly appreciated.
Cons:
- Users mention difficulties in editing the placement of dashboards and desire more flexibility in data analysis.
- There's a wish for more detailed reporting capabilities.
Ease of Use: 9.4
Quality of Support: 9.6
Ease of Setup: 9.3
“Dash Hudson is extremely comprehensive in its capabilities. I love being able to schedule, build out reporting, organize our posts, source UGC, and do social listening all within one platform.” - Stephanie W.
16. StoryStream
Best for E-commerce Brands and Retailers Aiming to Create Interactive Shopping Experiences
StoryStream is a visual commerce platform specializing in enhancing online shopping experiences by integrating (UGC), Live Video Shopping and social commerce features.
It serves as a comprehensive tool for brands and retailers to create, manage and distribute original content across various digital channels including social media, blogs and websites.
Top Features of StoryStream:
AI-Powered UGC Management and Rights Management: StoryStream uses advanced AI technology to manage UGC. This includes automatic rights acquisition for legal compliance.
Live Video Shopping Studio: This feature allows brands to create interactive live video shopping experiences seamlessly integrated with the brand's website.
Shoppable Link in Bio (LinkStream): LinkStream transforms the standard 'link in bio' into a dynamic, shoppable social showcase.
Omnichannel UGC Integration: StoryStream can distribute UGC across websites, social media, email marketing, and e-commerce platforms.
Analytics and Personalized Email Marketing Integration: Integrates with leading email service providers to enrich email marketing campaigns with personalized, dynamic UGC content.
Pros:
- The platform makes it easy to curate, tag, and use content across various digital touchpoints.
- Thanks to its automation features, users mention that StoryStream has helped save manual effort in curating UGC content on-site.
- AI is mentioned positively, particularly in surfacing more authentic content and identifying 'real shoppers.'
Cons:
- Some users mention that the content volume can be overwhelming, especially with generic tags.
- Users suggest that StoryStream needs to continuously enhance its product offerings to remain competitive in the UGC market.
- Some users mention that requesting permissions for content could be simplified.
Ease of Use: 8.6
Quality of Support: 9.6
Ease of Setup: 8.4
"StoryStream takes the stress out of updating UGC and media content. A very supportive team and integrates easily onsite. It keeps the experience fresh for our customers. The ability to have high-value CTAs built into the content is also good."- Verified User in Automotive
17. CrowdRiff
Best for Travel-Focused Organizations and DMOs Looking to Showcase Their Destination Through the Eyes of Travelers.
CrowdRiff is a UGC platform designed primarily for destination marketers, travel brands, and organizations looking to leverage authentic visuals from visitors to enhance their marketing efforts.
Its AI-driven tools simplify content discovery and rights management, making it an invaluable asset for enhancing digital marketing strategies with UGC.
Top Features of CrowdRiff:
AI-Powered Search and Auto-Tagging: Utilizes advanced AI to anticipate search needs and automatically tag photos with relevant keywords.
Social Media Integration: Sources UGC directly from Instagram and Facebook.
Website Galleries and Social Publishers: Allows easy creation of dynamic UGC-powered galleries for websites, with built-in calls-to-action and location tagging and the ability to publish content directly to social media platforms.
Auto-Populating Galleries: Automatically updates galleries with new content from designated Instagram Business accounts.
Short-Form Video Embeds: Enhances website visitor engagement with interactive video content that can boost dwell time and encourage interaction.
Pros:
- CrowdRiff's AI helps quickly find engaging UGC that will likely perform well on platforms.
- Users find CrowdRiff user-friendly to set up and navigate.
- CrowdRiff effectively curates high-quality content, and users appreciate the ease of creating galleries for their websites.
- The tool aids in efficiently sourcing and organizing images for social media and website use.
Cons:
- Some users want an integrated feature that allows direct publishing to social platforms to avoid switching between different tools.
- The lack of a mobile app can make access and use on the go less convenient.
- Acquiring high-resolution images can sometimes require additional steps.
Rating & Review on G2: 4.7 🌟
“Crowdriff makes collecting and posting UGC super easy. We love how turn-key the system is and how easy it was for our team to start using it.” - Verified User in Marketing and Advertising
18. Yotpo
Best for Ecommerce Stores Focusing on Leveraging the Power of Customer Testimonials and Social Proof
Yotpo is particularly well-suited for e-commerce businesses looking to integrate UGC into their marketing strategy and establish a link between social media engagement and online sales.
It offers a set of specialized tools that collect customer feedback and turn this content into a powerful driver of e-commerce growth.
Top Features of Yotpo:
Syndication to Facebook & Instagram Shops: Yotpo extends the reach of reviews by syndicating them to Facebook and Instagram shops.
Google Seller Ratings for Ads: Integration with Google allows Yotpo to showcase seller ratings in Google Ads campaigns.
SEO Boost with Rich Snippets: Yotpo helps enhance product visibility in search results through optimized rich snippets.
Community Q&A Section: Unlike basic review sections, Yotpo allows potential buyers to ask questions directly on product pages.
Smart-Review Prompts: Intelligently asks customers to answer specific, customized questions in their reviews, enriching the relevance of the feedback received.
Pros:
- Users appreciate features like SMS, UGC, loyalty programs, and review widgets.
- The synergy between Yotpo's programs (reviews, loyalty, UGC) creates multiple engagement touchpoints.
- The automated email system for collecting reviews is efficient and effective.
- Yotpo reviews are conveniently used in advertisements, social media, and email marketing.
Cons:
- The pricing, especially for add-on features, can be a concern for some users, with mentions of it being expensive.
- There’s a need for more specific segmentation capabilities as compared to other platforms.
- Some users expressed needing an easier way to download pictures or videos submitted in reviews.
Ease of Use: 8.6
Quality of Support: 8.8
Ease of Setup: 8.1
“Yotpo helps us to collect reviews using loyalty rewards. Thanks to it we can obtain honest feedback from our consumers to know their satisfaction with the product and reward them for letting us know in which areas we need to improve.” - Laura P.
19. impact.com
Best for Mobile App Developers Who Want to Increase In-App Sales and Track Post-Install Events
impact.com is a versatile platform designed to manage and optimize various partnerships across the digital marketing ecosystem.
Alongside traditional UGC platforms, Impact.com extends its functionality to managing relationships with influencers, affiliates, B2B SaaS partners, mobile app collaborations, and more.
Top Features of impact.com:
Automated Workflow Management: Simplifies campaign lifecycle management, including workflows, contracts, and payments.
Content Management: Tools for storing, reviewing, sharing, and amplifying influencer-generated content.
Hands-On Collaboration: In-platform collaboration with creators, teams, brands, and agencies.
Vast Network: Access to over 120k vetted and verified global partners.
Customized Search: Enhanced search capabilities to find the right partners based on specific criteria.
Fraud Detection: Advanced algorithms and methodologies to detect and prevent affiliate and influencer fraud.
Pros:
- Many users appreciate the platform's clarity and ease of use.
- Impact.com offers various affiliate programs catering to various niches and industries.
- The platform provides detailed and real-time analytics, which is highly valued by users.
- The platform has been noted for its responsive and helpful customer support team.
Cons:
- Some users have experienced delays and complexities in the account verification process.
- Users have encountered issues with being denied or facing obstacles in getting approval from certain affiliate programs.
- Some users find the platform's settings, such as currency choice and payment thresholds, restrictive and inflexible.
Ease of Use: 8.3
Quality of Support: 8.6
Ease of Setup: 7.9
”I love that I'm able to easily navigate the platform, and see what brands are available for potential partnerships. Link building/creatives are easily accesible and it makes creating content very easy.” - Tiffany N.
What are the Benefits of User-Generated Content Platforms?
We've covered what UGC platforms are and how they influence the brand-customer relationship.
So, let's look at statistics to see why they're such a game-changer for your brand:
Understanding Customers: UGC platforms give you insights into what your customers really think and want.
SEO and Online Visibility: Since 74% of consumers use social media to guide their purchasing decisions, according to Sprout Social, UGC's role in enhancing online visibility and improving SEO is invaluable.
Cost Savings: They help you save money on creating content. Your customers are providing genuine, relatable content for you.
Avoid Unfollows: With 45% of people likely to unfollow brands that over-promote, according to BuzzStream, UGC offers a refreshing alternative to brand-centric content.
Longer Website Visits: Visitors stay longer when your website is filled with user-generated content.
Spotting Trends: UGC platforms helps you quickly identify new trends based on what your customers are talking about or using.
Customer Loyalty: With Stackla's statistics showing that 90% of consumers value the authenticity of the brands, UGC's authentic nature helps build loyalty.
Conclusion: How to Choose the Best UGC Platform?
Selecting the right User-Generated Content (UGC) platform is crucial for your brand's digital strategy. Here's a straightforward approach to help you make an informed decision:
Identify Your Goals: Start by figuring out what you want to achieve with UGC. Is it boosting your social media presence? Enhancing SEO? Or maybe driving sales through authentic customer reviews?
Know Your Audience: Who are your customers? Which platforms do they use? If your target audience is mostly Gen X or baby boomers, a platform popular among millennials may not be the right choice.
Budget Considerations: Be realistic about what you can afford. Some platforms offer amazing features but at a premium price. Consider the ROI and whether the investment aligns with your marketing budget.
Ease of Use: A platform that's tricky to navigate can be a real headache. Look for user-friendly interfaces. A smooth learning curve means you’ll be up and running in no time.
Integration Capabilities: Can the platform play nice with your existing marketing tools? Seamless integration with your website, social media, or CRM systems is a big plus.
Trial Runs: If possible, take advantage of free trials. There’s no better way to know if a platform suits you than by giving it a test drive.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What's the Easiest Way to Collect UGC?
The easiest way to collect User-Generated Content (UGC) typically involves the following steps:
- Encourage Sharing on Social Media: Gently prompt your customers to post about their experiences with your product using a specific hashtag.
- Engage with Contests: Create engaging contests on your social channels. It's a fun way for customers to interact with your brand.
- Simplify Website Submissions: Ensure your website has an easy-to-use section for customers to upload content. The simpler, the better.
- Appreciate Contributions: A simple thank you, or recognition can foster a strong sense of community and encourage more sharing.
- Incentivize Participation: Offer small rewards or exclusive perks for sharing content.
2. User-Generated Content vs. Influencer Marketing – What is the Difference?
User-generated content (UGC) and influencer marketing are solid strategies that serve different purposes in the marketing world.
UGC is the photos, reviews, videos, or posts people make about your products or services daily.
On the other hand, influencer marketing collaborates with influencers with a significant social media following.
Unlike UGC, these influencers create content for your brand, which is a more controlled and strategic approach.
3. How Many Followers Do I Need for UGC?
For User-Generated Content (UGC), the great news is you don't need a specific number of followers.
UGC thrives on authenticity, not just numbers. It's about real people sharing their experiences with your brand.
Whether you have a few hundred followers or thousands, you can encourage your community to create and share content about your products or services.
Every post, review, or photo shared by a genuine user, regardless of their follower count, adds value and credibility to your brand.
Check These Out:
- 17 E-commerce Personalization Examples
- 13 Steps for a Killer DTC Marketing Strategy (+Advantages)
- 12 Best Social Proof Tools That Will Better Your Business
