If you’ve spent any time in a growth meeting recently, you’ve likely heard the debate: do we hire a big name to front the campaign, or do we lean into the raw, shaky-cam footage from our actual customers? As an operations manager at Kurve, I’ve overseen hundreds of shifts in digital marketing strategy. I’ve seen brands spend a fortune on a polished influencer only for the campaign to tank, and I’ve seen £50 worth of user-generated content send an app’s conversion rate through the roof.
The choice between ugc vs influencer marketing isn't just about budget. It is about what your brand stands for and, more importantly, who your audience trusts. In the current climate especially here in the UK where consumers are notoriously sceptical of overly polished ads getting this balance right is the difference between scaling and stalling.
Table of Contents
- The Core Difference: UGC vs Influencer
- Why UGC Gives Your Brand Authenticity
- The Power of Influencer Marketing and Reach
- Content Strategy: When to Use Which?
- Cost vs ROI: The Operational Perspective
- How to Integrate Both into Your Growth Plan
- Frequently Asked Questions
The Core Difference: UGC vs Influencer
To get started, we need to clear up some terminology. I often see these two terms used interchangeably in briefs, but from a delivery standpoint, they are completely different animals.
UGC is content created by your actual customers or people who genuinely use your product. It’s "User-Generated Content" in its purest form. When a customer in Manchester film’s their unboxing and posts it to social media, that is ugc. It’s raw, it’s often unedited, and it’s inherently trustworthy because the person isn't being paid to read a script.
On the other hand, influencer marketing involves a formal partnership. You are paying for access to a specific audience and the "clout" that the influencer has built. While they might create influencer content that looks like ugc, the underlying relationship is commercial.
Is Influencer Marketing Considered UGC?
Technically, no. While you might see creators ugc (content made by professional creators that looks like user content), if there is a contract and a fee involved for the post itself, it falls under the influencer umbrella. The distinction matters because your customers can usually tell the difference. If it feels like an ad, they’ll swipe past it.
Why UGC Gives Your Brand Authenticity
At Kurve, we’ve found that ugc offers authenticity that money simply cannot buy. In a world of filtered Instagram feeds and AI-generated models, people are hungry for something real.
When your audience sees someone who looks like them, talking in a normal kitchen or office about how an app solved their problem, their guard drops. UGC marketing works because it’s peer-to-peer. It acts as a powerful form of social proof.
The Rise of Creator Videos
We’ve noticed a massive shift toward creator videos that mimic the style of ugc. These are often commissioned from content creators who specialize in making "relatable" video content. Even though these are paid for, they perform better in paid ads than traditional studio-shot commercials. If you are looking at mobile app growth marketing strategies, adding a layer of authentic-feeling content is often the quickest way to lower your CAC (Cost Per Acquisition).
The Power of Influencer Marketing and Reach
While ugc is great for trust, influencer marketing is the king of reach. If you are a b2b startup or a new consumer brand, you might have zero customers. In that case, you have no one to create ugc. This is where influencer partnerships become essential.
An influencer provides an immediate bridge to a community. Whether it’s a tech reviewer on YouTube or a lifestyle creator on TikTok, they have done the hard work of building a loyal following. When you work with them, you aren't just buying content; you are buying an endorsement.
Choosing Your Influencers
Not all influencers are created equal. We’ve written extensively about the types of influencers and how to choose between a "mega" star and a "micro" creator. Often, the smaller creators have much higher engagement because their followers feel a personal connection to them.
If you are wondering how many followers to be an influencer in 2025, the answer is less about the raw number and more about the influence they actually wield over their fans.
Content Strategy: When to Use Which?
From an operational perspective, you need to decide where in the funnel each type of content sits.
Top of Funnel: Awareness
This is where influencer marketing shines. You use their reach to blast your message to thousands of new people. This is digital marketing at its most traditional renting an audience to build awareness.
Middle to Bottom of Funnel: Conversion
This is where ugc dominates. Once someone knows who you are, they start looking for reasons to trust you. Seeing user-generated content from other customers provides that final nudge. It proves the product works in the real world, not just in a studio.
Many brands make the mistake of using high-production influencer content in their retargeting ads. In our experience, replacing that with a simple, honest ugc video can double the click-through rate. If you are struggling with ios app marketing, this is one of the fastest ways to improve performance after the privacy changes of the last few years.
Cost vs ROI: The Operational Perspective
Let’s talk about the "M" word: Money.
Influencer marketing can be expensive. You are paying for the influencer, their agent, the creation of the post, and the usage rights. If you are a startup, this can eat your budget fast.
UGC, however, is incredibly cost-effective. You can incentivise your existing fans to share their experiences in exchange for discounts, early access, or just a shout-out on your media channels. Even if you hire creators to produce ugc-style ads, the costs are usually a fraction of a celebrity endorsement.
Measuring Success
In digital campaigns, we look at different metrics for each. For influencers, we look at "Earned Media Value" and reach. For ugc, we look at conversion rate and CPA. Understanding the digital marketing vs social media marketing split helps in allocating these budgets correctly.
How to Integrate Both into Your Growth Plan
The most successful brands we work with at Kurve don't choose one or the other. They use ugc vs influencer as two parts of a single engine.
- Seed with Influencers: Use TikTok influencer marketing to get people talking about your brand.
- Harvest with UGC: Encourage the new users brought in by the influencers to share their own content.
- Iterate: Take the best-performing ugc and turn it into paid ads to reach even more customers.
This creates a cycle where influencer content drives the initial interest and user-generated content provides long-term sustainability. It’s a robust marketing strategy that works across almost every digital marketing channel.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between UGC and influencers?
The main difference is the relationship and the intent. UGC is created by unpaid (or incentivised) customers based on real experience. Influencer content is a professional, paid partnership designed to reach a specific audience.
Is influencer marketing considered UGC?
No. While it can be made to look like ugc, it is a commercial advertisement. True ugc is fundamentally non-commercial in its origin, even if brands later license it for ads.
What is the difference between UGC and influencing?
UGC is about the content itself its rawness and authenticity. Influencing is about the person their status, their reach, and their ability to move an audience to action.
What is the difference between UGC and KOL?
A KOL (Key Opinion Leader) is an expert in a specific field whose opinion is trusted due to their credentials. UGC is just "people like us" sharing their thoughts. A KOL is a specialized type of influencer.
Managing a brand’s growth in 2026 means being a bit of a psychologist. You have to understand that your audience is smarter than ever. They can spot a fake a mile off. Whether you lean into ugc or influencer marketing, the goal is the same: be useful, be honest, and be where your customers are.
At Kurve, we don't just look at the creative; we look at the data behind the delivery. We want to see how that content actually moves the needle on your bottom line.
