UGC TikTok – 7 Main Benefits Marketers Can’t Ignore

UGC TikTok is reshaping how brands connect with audiences through authentic, creator-made videos. This content builds trust, boosts engagement, and drives higher conversions across campaigns. Discover how this approach helps brands grow faster and scale sustainably!

UGC TikTok: The smart growth engine for modern brands

User-generated content (UGC) on TikTok has become a powerful growth driver for SMEs aiming to stand out in the digital era. For brands new to the platform, understanding what is UGC on TikTok is the first step to leveraging this content format effectively. According to Social Media Today (2023), UGC earns over 421% higher trust than traditional advertising, enabling brands to build authentic and relatable connections with their audiences.

By encouraging users to share real product experiences through creative short-form videos, UGC TikTok helps businesses reduce marketing costs while increasing organic engagement. This approach fosters a loyal community, strengthens credibility, and turns customers into long-term brand advocates.

TikTok continues to enhance its UGC ecosystem with features such as hashtag challenges, Duet, and Stitch, allowing content to spread rapidly. One FMCG campaign in Vietnam demonstrated the impact clearly, achieving 30% engagement growth in two weeks, generating 15,000+ user-created videos, and increasing brand awareness by 50% through digital word-of-mouth.

 

A scalable growth engine built for today’s digital-first brands

Key advantages of UGC TikTok in detail

UGC on TikTok offers distinct advantages that make it a high-impact channel for brand growth. These benefits help brands test faster, scale smarter, and build trust more effectively than traditional content formats.

Fast content testing

UGC TikTok allows brands to experiment quickly with messaging, formats, and positioning in a short timeframe. Performance insights are generated almost instantly, helping teams understand what resonates with audiences. These learnings can then be applied to refine TikTok strategies and improve results across other channels.

Easy content repurposing

Content that performs well on TikTok often translates effectively to other platforms. Short-form UGC videos can be reused across Meta, YouTube Shorts, or Pinterest with minimal adjustments. This flexibility makes UGC TikTok videos highly scalable across multiple social platforms. 

Algorithm-friendly UGC

TikTok’s algorithm prioritizes authentic, organic-looking content, giving user-created videos a natural advantage in distribution. As a result, these campaigns often achieve higher reach and engagement than polished brand ads. This algorithmic boost helps brands connect with broader and more relevant audiences through UGC TikTok.

Low-cost production

UGC videos require minimal equipment and production effort. Most content can be created using a smartphone and basic lighting, significantly reducing turnaround time. This efficiency allows brands to produce more content without increasing budgets. This model is especially effective for TikTok affiliate UGC content, where creators are rewarded based on performance.

Built-in social proof

UGC TikTok provides built-in credibility by showcasing real users or creators sharing genuine experiences. Audiences tend to trust peer recommendations more than branded messages. This immediate social validation helps establish trust from the first interaction.

Audience participation boost

Authentic content encourages viewers to comment, react, and create their own responses. Participation-driven formats help form emotional connections with potential customers. Over time, this interaction strengthens community trust and brand loyalty.

 

Core benefits that make user-created videos highly effective

Best UGC TikTok formats for brands

UGC TikTok comes in many formats, each designed to capture attention and encourage interaction. By leveraging different content styles, brands can connect with audiences in more authentic and engaging ways. Choosing the right UGC format helps create memorable experiences that drive both trust and participation.

Giveaways

Giveaways encourage audiences to create videos in exchange for prizes connected to your brand, making participation feel both fun and rewarding. Thanks to TikTok’s algorithm, original and entertaining entries can spread quickly, helping brands grow visibility, followers, and user participation.

Starting with an original video and encouraging users to recreate it helps challenges gain traction quickly and feel authentic. To be effective, campaigns need clear goals, appealing incentives, and simple participation guidelines. When rewards are meaningful, users are more likely to contribute creatively, helping UGC TikTok campaigns generate strong engagement and genuine interest in the brand.

Challenges

TikTok challenges are a powerful way to showcase how users interact with your product while generating highly shareable content. By inviting users to complete a fun task or join a contest, brands can boost visibility and engagement at the same time.

A successful challenge relies on simplicity and strong creative cues, especially music that fits the theme. 

Duets

A TikTok Duet lets users build on existing videos by adding their own creative spin. The new version appears side by side with the original, allowing audiences to watch both simultaneously and see how the content has been reimagined.

Brands can kickstart duets by collaborating with a niche creator and inviting followers to create their own versions, making it an effective UGC TikTok format. To maximize reach and participation, the account must be public so the content can spread easily to a wider audience.

Hashtags

According to a Statista survey, entertainment content on TikTok attracts the highest hashtag views, reaching around 535 million views. Hashtags help organize content by topic, making it easier for users to discover videos while searching. This discoverability plays a major role in driving visibility for UGC TikTok.

Effective hashtags are short, simple, and easy to remember, which makes them more appealing to users. These elements also help brands generate excitement around new product or service launches. When done well, hashtag campaigns can quickly build momentum and audience participation.

A well-known example is a smartphone launch that partnered with a global music group and introduced a branded dance hashtag. The campaign generated millions of user-created videos and billions of views in a short time. While not every brand has global fame, TikTok’s algorithm allows even smaller brands to achieve strong organic reach.

 

Top content formats brands can use to drive engagement

6 effective strategies for UGC TikTok

Applying the right UGC practices helps brands build authenticity and scale engagement on TikTok. These proven guidelines ensure your content resonates with audiences while supporting long-term growth.

Understand viewer behavior

Knowing who your audience is allows you to create content that feels relevant and engaging. Analyze interests, behaviors, and trending topics within your community. This insight helps shape UGC that naturally fits audience expectations.

Optimize UGC on TikTok formats

UGC TikTok works best when the format aligns with both audience preferences and campaign goals. Test different styles such as tutorials, reviews, or entertainment-driven videos. Consistent experimentation helps identify the formats that perform best.

Use a unique hashtag

A unique branded hashtag helps organize and amplify user-generated content. It also makes it easier for users to discover and participate in your campaign. Over time, this hashtag can become a recognizable asset tied to your brand.

Collaborate with UGC creators

Partnering with creators who align with your values can expand reach and credibility. UGC TikTok combined with micro-influencer collaboration feels more authentic than traditional advertising. This method builds credibility and fosters audience interaction.

Amplify content distribution

High-performing UGC should not stay on TikTok alone. Reuse content across social media, websites, and email campaigns. This maximizes value while keeping messaging consistent.

Repurposing content also extends its lifespan and reach beyond a single platform. It allows brands to reinforce key messages at multiple touchpoints without creating new assets from scratch. Over time, this approach improves efficiency while strengthening overall brand presence.

Connect UGC across channels

Embedding UGC TikTok feeds on websites and in emails showcase real user experiences in real time. This strategy increases interaction and builds social proof beyond social platforms. It also reinforces trust at multiple touchpoints in the customer journey.

 

Six proven strategies to scale authentic video campaigns

3 brands succeeding with UGC on TikTok

The following UGC TikTok examples show how real brands turn user-created content into measurable growth. Here are three brands that successfully leverage UGC on TikTok to boost engagement, build trust, and turn authentic user content into measurable business growth.

Hollywood Hair Bar (HHB)

HHB is an eCommerce hair product brand that actively leverages customer-created videos on TikTok, with UGC making up the majority of its content feed. Many of these clips feature real customers sharing personal experiences and responding directly to audience comments. This approach helps create authentic conversations and encourages curiosity around the products.

One such video gained over 52,000 views, more than 800 likes, and generated meaningful questions from viewers interested in the product. The brand’s hashtag has also accumulated 1.4 million views, showing strong community participation. These results highlight how authentic customer stories can drive engagement through UGC on TikTok.

GoPro

GoPro is a technology company best known for its action cameras and has built a TikTok community of over 2.3 million followers. A large portion of its content comes directly from customers and creators who capture real-world experiences using GoPro products. This approach allows audiences to see practical use cases and product benefits in action.

UGC TikTok is clearly showcased in a standout clip created by base jumper Jeb Crollis, featuring the GoPro Max during an extreme flight sequence. The video attracted more than 23,000 views and over 2,000 likes, demonstrating how authentic creator footage can capture attention and drive engagement.

Adobe

Adobe is a well-known software company that has long been a go-to solution for photo editing, design, and PDF tools. The brand also maintains a strong presence on TikTok, where much of its content is driven by creators, customers, and even employees. This mix of perspectives helps keep the feed authentic and engaging.

UGC on TikTok is clearly demonstrated in a collaboration with creator Jamey Gannon, who produced a promotional video for the AdobeMAX conference. The video highlighted the editing and visual effects capabilities of Premiere Pro and After Effects through a real use case. It reached nearly 143,000 views, showing how creator-led content can effectively showcase product value and drive attention.

 

Real-world brands winning through user-created video content

UGC TikTok campaign: Step-by-step guide

Launching a user-generated content campaign on TikTok is a powerful way to expand brand visibility, spark audience engagement, and encourage active participation. With the right structure and creative direction, UGC campaigns can quickly gain momentum and deliver meaningful results. A well-structured UGC TikTok program gives brands a repeatable framework to launch, manage, and scale creator-led campaigns.

Clarify success metrics

Start by outlining what you want to achieve, whether it’s boosting brand awareness, increasing sales for a specific product, or driving engagement. Clear objectives help shape every decision throughout the campaign. They also make it easier to measure success afterward.

Identify target viewers

Gain a clear understanding of who your TikTok audience is and the type of content they enjoy. Analyze viewing habits, trends, and interactions to align your campaign with audience preferences. This ensures your UGC feels relevant and appealing. These insights also help brands select UGC TikTok creators whose content style matches audience expectations.

Clarify campaign direction

Choose a campaign theme and core message that align with your brand identity for UGC TikTok campaigns. Keep the concept simple, consistent, and easy to communicate. A clear theme helps participants understand what to create and why it matters.

Design a user challenge

Develop a creative challenge or memorable hashtag that users can easily participate in. The challenge should be fun, accessible, and intuitive. Using a dedicated hashtag allows you to track, collect, and showcase all submitted content.

Publish inspiration clips

Create sample videos that demonstrate how users can join the campaign. These reference clips can spark ideas, show creative directions, and reinforce the campaign message. Strong examples lower the barrier to participation. They also demonstrate how to create engaging UGC videos for TikTok in a practical, easy-to-follow way.

Boost campaign visibility

Extend the reach of your campaign by promoting it on other social platforms, your website, and email campaigns. Encourage followers to join the challenge and use the campaign hashtag. Cross-promotion helps accelerate early traction.

Encourage user participation

Motivate users by offering rewards such as free products, exclusive discounts, or special recognition. Incentives encourage higher-quality submissions and greater participation. Make sure the rewards feel valuable and relevant for UGC TikTok.

Highlight top UGC

Actively track submissions and engage with participants throughout the campaign. Share standout user videos on your own channels to increase visibility and appreciation. This acknowledgment motivates users to stay actively engaged.

Review campaign data

Use TikTok analytics to evaluate campaign performance and audience response. Review engagement, reach, and participation metrics to identify what worked well. Apply these insights to refine future UGC campaigns.

 

A step-by-step framework for launching successful video campaigns

Frequently asked questions (FAQs) about UGC TikTok

Below are some frequently asked questions about UGC on TikTok, covering how it works, why it matters, and how brands can use it effectively. These FAQs help clarify common concerns and best practices for getting started:

What does video-based user-generated content mean?

Video-based UGC (user-generated content) is a powerful alternative to traditional advertising. It focuses on videos created by real users rather than brands, making it feel more authentic and relatable. Because of this, UGC videos often outperform many conventional marketing formats in terms of engagement.

User-generated content can take many forms – such as written posts, photos, reviews, and videos – but short-form video content has proven especially effective. Platforms like TikTok have delivered outstanding results for brands that use UGC videos to boost visibility and build brand awareness.

Why is UGC TikTok so effective?

UGC on TikTok blends naturally into users’ feeds and doesn’t feel like traditional advertising. Content such as product reviews, tutorials, and real-life experiences aligns well with how people consume content on TikTok. This results in increased interaction and better conversion outcomes.

Can small businesses use UGC on TikTok?

Yes, UGC TikTok is ideal for small businesses because it is cost-effective and easy to scale. Brands don’t need big influencers to succeed with UGC. Working with everyday creators or customers can deliver authentic content without high marketing costs.

Does UGC on TikTok require influencers?

No, UGC TikTok does not require influencers. Many high-performing UGC videos are made by regular creators who understand TikTok trends and storytelling. Authenticity matters more than follower count when it comes to UGC.

What goals can UGC on TikTok support?

TikTok user-generated content can support multiple marketing goals, including brand awareness, traffic growth, and conversions. Brands often use UGC in Spark Ads, organic posts, and retargeting campaigns. When used strategically, UGC can drive results across the entire marketing funnel.

 

Common questions brands ask about user-generated video content

Conclusion

UGC TikTok helps brands build trust and drive engagement through authentic, creator-made videos. When executed strategically with partners like On Digitals, this approach can scale performance while staying natural and conversion-focused.