Comprehensive data compiled from extensive research on user-generated content performance across video and image formats for creator marketing teams

Key Takeaways

• Video UGC dramatically outperforms branded content: YouTube UGC videos receive 10x more views than brand-produced content, while TikTok UGC is 22% more effective, making video the dominant format for brands leveraging social listening to capture community content.
• UGC drives measurable conversion gains: Product pages featuring UGC see conversion increases of 161%, with revenue per visitor climbing 154%, proving why automated content capture matters for e-commerce teams.
• Trust and authenticity favor user content: 92% of consumers trust UGC more than traditional advertising, with user content perceived as 2.4x more authentic than brand-created assets, making systematic UGC collection essential.
• Short-form vertical video leads engagement: Videos under one minute average 50% engagement rates, while vertical formats achieve 90% higher watch-completion rates, validating the priority on capturing Reels, TikToks, and Shorts.
• Ad performance improves significantly with UGC: Ads featuring user-generated content achieve 4x higher click-through rates and 50% lower cost-per-click, demonstrating direct paid media ROI from proper UGC management.
• The market is growing rapidly: The UGC platform market will expand from $12.63 billion in 2026 to $43.92 billion by 2031 at 28.32% CAGR, signaling continued investment in creator marketing infrastructure.
• Cost efficiency makes UGC strategic: Brands save up to 70% on content creation costs using UGC, with leading implementations delivering 400% ROI, making automated capture and rights management operationally critical.

UGC Market Size and Investment Trajectory

1. The global UGC content market reached $7.6 billion in 2025

The user-generated content market is valued at approximately $7.6 billion in 2025, representing a 69% increase from $4.5 billion in 2024. This rapid expansion reflects brands prioritizing authentic community content over traditional production methods. For teams managing creator programs, this growth means more content to track, organize, and leverage—making automated UGC capture increasingly valuable. Source: Marketing LTB UGC Statistics

2. UGC platform market will reach $43.92 billion by 2031

The UGC platform market is projected to grow from $12.63 billion in 2026 to $43.92 billion by 2031, representing a 28.32% compound annual growth rate. This trajectory indicates sustained enterprise investment in infrastructure that captures, manages, and activates user-generated content at scale. Brands without systematic approaches to content capture risk falling behind as competitors build comprehensive UGC libraries. Source: Mordor Intelligence

3. Influencer marketing platform market to reach $70.86 billion by 2032

The global influencer marketing platform market size was valued at $20.24 billion in 2024 and is projected to grow to $70.86 billion by 2032. This growth reflects the increasing integration of creator partnerships into mainstream marketing strategies and the infrastructure required to manage these relationships at scale. Source: Fortune Business Insights

4. 87% of brands now use UGC in their marketing strategies

Nearly nine in ten brands incorporate user-generated content into their marketing mix. This widespread adoption creates competitive pressure for brands still relying solely on produced content. The challenge shifts from whether to use UGC to how efficiently teams can capture, organize, and activate the content their communities create. Source: Marketing LTB UGC Statistics

5. 67% of retailers plan to increase UGC investment

Two-thirds of retailers intend to expand their UGC budgets, signaling continued prioritization of authentic customer content over traditional advertising approaches. This investment trend aligns with documented performance improvements across engagement, conversion, and trust metrics. Source: Marketing LTB UGC Statistics

Video vs. Image Engagement Performance

6. YouTube UGC videos receive 10x more views than branded content

User-generated videos on YouTube achieve ten times the viewership of brand-produced content. This massive organic reach advantage demonstrates why video UGC deserves priority in capture and activation strategies. Brands manually tracking content miss the majority of this high-performing material—automated detection ensures nothing slips through. Source: Marketing LTB UGC Statistics

7. Instagram posts with UGC garner 70% more engagement

Instagram content featuring user-generated material generates approximately 70% higher engagement than traditional brand posts. This substantial lift applies across feed posts, Reels, and Stories, making comprehensive Instagram capture essential for teams measuring campaign performance. Source: Marketing LTB UGC Statistics

8. TikTok UGC is 22% more effective than brand content

TikTok's user-generated content is expected to be roughly 22% more effective than brand-produced material in 2025. This effectiveness gap reinforces why brands need systematic approaches to capturing TikTok content—particularly since Stories and posts can disappear before manual monitoring catches them. Source: Marketing LTB UGC Statistics

9. UGC posts generate 6.9x more engagement than brand content

Across platforms, UGC posts achieve 6.9 times more engagement than brand-generated content. This multiplier effect compounds over time as brands build libraries of high-performing community content. Teams using creator search can identify which creators consistently produce top-performing content for future activations. Source: Archive UGC Research

10. Videos under one minute average 50% engagement rates

Short-form videos averaging under 60 seconds achieve approximately 50% engagement rates, substantially outperforming static image formats. This performance differential validates prioritizing short-form video capture from TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts. Source: HubSpot Marketing Statistics

11. Vertical videos achieve 90% higher watch-completion rates

Vertical-format videos (Reels, Shorts, Stories) have 90% higher watch-completion rates compared to horizontal formats. This completion advantage directly impacts algorithmic distribution and subsequent engagement, making vertical video the priority format for UGC programs. Source: Marketing LTB UGC Statistics

Conversion and Revenue Impact

12. UGC increases e-commerce conversions by 161%

Featuring user-generated content on product pages increases conversions by 161% compared to pages without UGC. This substantial lift makes UGC collection directly attributable to revenue outcomes—not just engagement metrics. Brands using shoppable UGC feeds turn community content into on-site conversion drivers. Source: Influee UGC Statistics

13. Brands with UGC see 29% more web conversions

Organizations leveraging user-generated content experience approximately 29% higher web conversion rates than those without UGC programs. This improvement spans landing pages, product detail pages, and checkout flows where social proof influences purchase decisions. Source: Marketing LTB UGC Statistics

14. UGC can increase revenue per visitor by 154%

Featuring user-generated content increases revenue per visitor by up to 154%. This revenue impact makes UGC a direct contributor to bottom-line results, justifying investment in capture, organization, and activation infrastructure. Source: Marketing LTB UGC Statistics

15. 40% of shoppers won't purchase without UGC on product pages

Four in ten shoppers will not complete purchases on product pages lacking user-generated content. This behavioral pattern transforms UGC from a nice-to-have to a conversion requirement, particularly for e-commerce brands where product pages drive purchase decisions. Source: Marketing LTB UGC Statistics

Trust, Authenticity, and Purchase Decisions

16. 92% of consumers trust UGC more than traditional advertising

Nearly all consumers place greater trust in user-generated content than traditional brand advertising. This trust differential explains why UGC consistently outperforms produced content across engagement and conversion metrics. Capturing authentic community content requires detecting posts as they happen—before Stories expire or content gets buried in feeds. Source: Firework Short-Form Video Statistics

17. UGC is 2.4x more likely to be perceived as authentic

User-generated content is perceived as 2.4 times more authentic than brand-created content. This authenticity advantage compounds across touchpoints—social feeds, product pages, email campaigns, and paid advertising all benefit from incorporating genuine community content. Source: Influee UGC Statistics

18. 79% of consumers say UGC impacts purchasing decisions

Nearly eight in ten consumers report that user-generated content significantly influences their purchase decisions. This influence makes systematic UGC capture a revenue driver, not just a marketing activity. Teams using competitor insights can benchmark their UGC volume against category leaders. Source: Influee UGC Statistics

19. 80% of Gen Z views UGC video ads as essential purchase research

Gen Z consumers overwhelmingly consider UGC video ads an essential information source before purchasing decisions. This generational preference signals continued growth in UGC importance as younger consumers gain purchasing power. Source: Influee UGC Statistics

Advertising Performance with UGC

20. Ads featuring UGC achieve 4x higher click-through rates

Advertisements incorporating user-generated content achieve four times higher click-through rates than ads without UGC. This performance multiplier applies across Meta, TikTok, and programmatic placements, making UGC ads substantially more efficient. Source: Archive UGC Research

21. UGC ads see 50% reduction in cost-per-click

Ads featuring user-generated content experience approximately 50% lower cost-per-click compared to traditional ad creative. This efficiency improvement directly impacts paid media ROI, making UGC content valuable not just for organic but for paid strategies requiring usage rights and whitelisting. Source: Marketing LTB UGC Statistics

22. UGC in email marketing increases click-through rates by 78%

Including user-generated content in email campaigns boosts click-through rates by 78%. This substantial improvement spans welcome sequences, promotional campaigns, and retention emails, making UGC a cross-channel performance lever. Source: Marketing LTB UGC Statistics

Cost Efficiency and ROI

23. Brands save up to 70% on content creation costs using UGC

Organizations leveraging user-generated content reduce content creation costs by as much as 70%. This efficiency gain frees budget for creator programs, paid amplification, and other growth investments while maintaining content volume. Source: Growth Spurt UGC Statistics

24. UGC delivers 400% ROI for leading implementations

Top-performing UGC programs deliver 400% return on investment—$4 returned for every $1 invested. This ROI reflects combined improvements in content efficiency, engagement performance, conversion rates, and paid media effectiveness. Teams using automated campaign reporting can measure these returns with precision. Source: Growth Spurt UGC Statistics

Frequently Asked Questions

Which performs better for engagement: UGC video or images?

Video UGC consistently outperforms images across platforms. YouTube UGC videos receive 10x more views than branded content, while short-form videos under one minute achieve 50% engagement rates. Vertical video formats see 90% higher watch-completion rates than horizontal content. For most brands, prioritizing video capture—particularly from TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts—delivers stronger results than focusing primarily on static images.

How much does UGC actually impact conversions and revenue?

UGC has documented, substantial conversion impact. Product pages featuring user-generated content see 161% higher conversion rates, with revenue per visitor increasing up to 154%. Notably, 40% of shoppers won't purchase at all if product pages lack UGC. These figures make UGC capture directly attributable to bottom-line revenue outcomes.

What's the ROI difference between UGC and traditional brand content?

UGC delivers measurable efficiency and performance advantages. Brands save up to 70% on content creation costs, while UGC ads achieve 4x higher click-through rates and 50% lower cost-per-click. Leading UGC implementations report 400% ROI. The combination of lower production costs and higher performance creates substantial return improvements compared to traditional brand content approaches.

How do I ensure I'm capturing all relevant UGC for my brand?

Manual monitoring misses the majority of relevant content—Stories expire, posts get buried, and tagged content across multiple platforms overwhelms spreadsheet tracking. Archive tracks 400% more content than competing platforms. The key is connecting your brand accounts and setting up detection for tags, mentions, and relevant hashtags so content flows into a single visual inbox.

Why does UGC outperform brand content so consistently?

Trust drives the performance gap. 92% of consumers trust UGC more than traditional advertising, and user content is perceived as 2.4x more authentic than brand-created material. This authenticity translates to higher engagement (6.9x on average), better conversion rates, and stronger ad performance. When consumers see real customers using products, they trust the message more than polished brand creative.