Case Study: UGC Partnership That Boosted Sales
User-Generated Content
Jul 14, 2025
Jul 14, 2025
A skincare brand's shift to user-generated content led to a 50% sales increase and significantly higher engagement and conversion rates.
At the start of 2024, a skincare brand shifted from traditional ads to user-generated content (UGC) and achieved impressive results:
50% increase in online sales within 3 months.
Product pages with UGC saw a 161% boost in conversion rates.
UGC ads delivered a 4× higher click-through rate and 50% lower cost-per-click.
The strategy focused on selecting creators aligned with the brand's audience, distributing UGC across multiple platforms, and maintaining quality standards. By integrating customer reviews, videos, and testimonials into their marketing, the brand built trust, drove engagement, and improved conversions.
This case highlights how leveraging UGC can help brands overcome declining ad performance and connect with modern consumers more effectively.
Brand Challenge and Goals
The Sales Problem
By late 2023, a skincare brand found itself grappling with a tough reality: its traditional marketing playbook - glossy product shots and celebrity endorsements - was falling flat with younger consumers. These shoppers were seeking something more genuine, something that felt real. The brand’s digital campaigns struggled to spark interest, and its product pages lacked the kind of social proof that modern buyers rely on. Without authentic customer voices, they were missing out on the trust that comes from peer recommendations. In fact, research shows that 92% of consumers trust organic, user-generated content (UGC) more than traditional ads.
Gayathry PR of Flockler explained, "For most buyers today, UGC is synonymous with credibility and authenticity. They trust UGC 2.5 times more than brand-related content."
Faced with these hurdles, the brand’s leadership realized that sticking to the old ways wasn’t going to cut it anymore. To stay relevant, they needed to embrace a new, customer-focused approach. This shift laid the foundation for a campaign built on clear and measurable goals.
Campaign Objectives
To tackle these challenges head-on, the brand outlined bold goals for its UGC-driven campaign. The plan was to:
Increase website conversions by integrating authentic customer reviews.
Build a library of genuine content to serve as social proof across marketing channels.
Boost social media engagement through active sharing of UGC.
Strengthen customer loyalty by fostering a sense of community through user mentions and branded hashtags.
This strategy aimed to tap into UGC’s proven ability to drive higher engagement compared to traditional ads. By doing so, the brand also hoped to lower marketing costs while creating a network of loyal advocates who would champion the products organically.
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UGC Partnership Approach
With clear goals in mind, the skincare brand crafted a strategy to select creators and distribute content effectively. Their plan revolved around three key elements: choosing creators who genuinely aligned with the brand's values and audience, sharing content across multiple platforms, and maintaining top-notch quality throughout the campaign. These pillars formed the foundation for the campaign's success.
Creator Selection Process
The brand developed a thorough selection process, focusing on creators with a natural style, consistent visuals, and an audience that matched their clean beauty ethos. Using Vidpop's database, they filtered candidates, analyzed metrics, and created a detailed list of potential collaborators. The team paid close attention to audience demographics and engagement metrics - like likes, comments, and shares - to ensure the creators' followers aligned with the brand's target market.
This method mirrored successful real-world examples. For instance, Else Nutrition teamed up with 20 parenting-focused creators, producing 93 videos in just two months in 2025. The result? A 25% boost in website traffic and new customer acquisitions. Similarly, Eneba partnered with 22 creators to create over 33 visuals, helping them expand into new markets at an average cost of $40 per piece of content.
Before reaching out, the team took a proactive approach to build relationships with potential partners. They engaged with creators by liking, commenting on, and sharing their posts. This thoughtful interaction increased the likelihood of securing high-quality collaborators. By carefully selecting creators, the brand stayed focused on its ultimate goal: driving conversions.
"Even if you buy the best UGC course out there, if you do not hone in on your skills and practice, you will not see results. And basically, that course will be useless. That right there is the truth. Brands want to work with good creators, so you have to become a good creator, and that takes time to build that skill."
– Ang Wells, UGC creator and mentor
Content Distribution Strategy
Once creators were onboarded, the brand launched a multi-channel approach to maximize the reach and impact of user-generated content. UGC appeared across their website, email campaigns, social media platforms, and paid advertising channels. For example, product pages featured authentic photos and video testimonials, newsletters included UGC to foster trust, and social media posts encouraged users to visit product pages through compelling calls-to-action.
This strategy was similar to efforts by other brands, like Coach, which worked with impact.com to create 211 pieces of UGC - including Instagram posts, Stories, and Reels - that reached over 2.3 million people. Additionally, the brand adopted a tactic inspired by GoPro: encouraging users to share content with a branded hashtag. This allowed their social media team to easily find and reshare standout content. Regularly tracking performance metrics like engagement and click-through rates helped refine and optimize their distribution strategy.
Maintaining Content Quality
Ensuring content quality was a top priority throughout the campaign. The brand provided clear guidelines for creators, specifying preferred formats, themes, and hashtags while allowing each creator to maintain their authentic voice. A combination of automated tools and human review was used to moderate submissions and ensure they met quality standards.
Before amplifying any UGC, the team carefully reviewed submissions to verify their originality and ensure they felt like genuine recommendations rather than overt advertisements. They also screened customer photos to avoid sharing misleading or low-quality images. By resharing and engaging with top-tier content, the brand set a standard for what they were looking for in future contributions.
To streamline this process, the team developed a system to collect and categorize UGC, making it easier to identify high-performing content for different marketing channels. This approach ensured consistent quality and curation standards. By focusing on quality, the brand built a trusted library of content that resonated with their audience, strengthened customer trust, and ultimately boosted sales.
Results and Sales Impact
The UGC partnership achieved remarkable outcomes, exceeding expectations. In just three months, the brand experienced measurable gains across several key performance indicators. A well-thought-out strategy for selecting creators and distributing content proved highly effective, delivering a strong return on investment and establishing a scalable UGC model.
Performance Data
The campaign's success is evident in the numbers. Online sales surged by 50% within three months, while product pages featuring UGC saw a 161% increase in conversion rates. Visitors who interacted with UGC were 102.4% more likely to convert compared to those who only encountered standard product descriptions.
On social media, UGC drove engagement 6.9 times higher than prior in-house content, and a branded hashtag campaign resulted in a 200% increase in activity. Even email newsletters featuring UGC saw 29% higher conversion rates on the website.
UGC-powered ads stood out with a 4× higher click-through rate (CTR) and 50% lower cost-per-click (CPC) than traditional ad creatives. Additionally, web pages with UGC doubled visitor engagement, allowing the brand to scale its ad spend while maintaining profitability.
Key Success Drivers
Several factors played a key role in these results. A combination of thoughtful creator selection, high-quality content standards, and strategic distribution across multiple channels ensured the campaign's success.
Creator Selection: Using Vidpop's extensive database, the brand carefully chose creators whose audiences closely matched their target market. This meticulous process ensured that the content resonated with potential customers, driving both engagement and conversions.
Content Distribution: The timing and consistency of UGC releases kept the campaign momentum strong. By sharing fresh content across platforms regularly, the brand maintained audience interest through multiple touchpoints.
Content Repurposing: High-performing UGC was repurposed across various channels, including social media, email campaigns, website testimonials, and paid ads. This approach maximized the value of each piece of content, extending its impact.
Long-Term Creator Relationships: The brand prioritized building ongoing relationships with its top-performing creators. Instead of viewing these partnerships as one-off transactions, they invested in nurturing these collaborations, leading to more authentic content and sustained results over time.
Key Takeaways and Recommendations
This case study highlights some key elements that brands can use to build stronger user-generated content (UGC) strategies. The best campaigns blend thoughtful planning with genuine creator relationships, offering a model that other companies can adjust to meet their goals.
Success Factors
Authentic Creator Partnerships Are Essential
Building genuine, ongoing relationships with creators was a cornerstone of this campaign's success. These partnerships resulted in content that felt relatable and trustworthy to audiences. Experts note that UGC often reduces consumer doubts about brand-generated marketing efforts.
Strategic Content Distribution Boosts Results
Sharing top-performing UGC across multiple platforms significantly increased ROI. By integrating authentic content into various stages of the customer journey, the brand achieved a broader reach and deeper engagement.
Balancing Quality and Authenticity
Maintaining high-quality content without losing its authentic feel is a balancing act. By providing clear guidelines while allowing creators enough creative freedom, the brand avoided making the content appear overly polished or promotional.
Data-Driven Creator Selection
Carefully choosing creators based on data ensured their audiences matched the brand's target demographics. This approach led to stronger engagement and higher conversion rates, as the creators’ followers aligned closely with the ideal customer profile.
These findings offer practical insights that brands can implement right away.
Practical Tips for Brands
Building on these success factors, here are some actionable strategies for running effective UGC campaigns:
Set Clear Campaign Goals
Define measurable objectives from the start, whether it’s increasing brand visibility, driving sales, or boosting engagement. With 79% of consumers influenced by UGC, tying your campaign to specific outcomes is critical.
Use Creator Discovery Tools
Platforms like Vidpop can simplify the process of finding the right creators. These tools let brands filter creators based on audience demographics, content style, and performance metrics, ensuring a data-driven approach for better results.
Establish a Content Approval Workflow
Before creators start producing content, set up clear guidelines for technical requirements, brand messaging, and quality standards. This ensures consistency while preserving the authentic voice that makes UGC effective.
Plan for Multi-Channel Use
Design your campaign with repurposing in mind. High-performing UGC can be adapted for email campaigns, social media, website testimonials, and even paid ads, helping you get the most value out of each piece.
Monitor Campaign Metrics
Track key performance indicators like engagement, conversion rates, and cost-per-acquisition throughout the campaign. UGC ads often cost 50% less per click than traditional ads while delivering better engagement rates. Monitoring these metrics helps identify what’s working.
Build Long-Term Creator Relationships
Instead of treating UGC partnerships as one-time deals, invest in ongoing collaborations with top-performing creators. These relationships lead to more authentic content over time and provide a steady stream of high-quality UGC.
Incorporate UGC at Every Stage of the Customer Journey
Strategically place UGC throughout the customer journey to maximize its impact. From raising brand awareness to encouraging post-purchase advocacy, UGC can play a role at every step. Use creator content, testimonials, and real-life usage examples to guide customers along the way.
Secure Usage Rights
Make sure to obtain clear usage rights for all commercial content. This includes agreements on where and how the content will be used, the duration of usage, and any compensation terms. Proper legal agreements protect both your brand and the creators, ensuring a smoother campaign process.
Conclusion
This case study highlights how a well-executed user-generated content (UGC) partnership can turn sales challenges into measurable growth. By addressing consumer skepticism and delivering content that feels real and relatable, the campaign filled the gap left by traditional marketing. The result? Immediate sales improvements and a strong foundation for ongoing customer engagement.
The campaign's success came from its thoughtful approach to both content creation and distribution. Research supports this strategy, showing that UGC-based ads often generate higher click-through rates and lower cost-per-click compared to ads created by brands themselves. This underscores the power of authentic customer voices in influencing purchase decisions.
"When it comes to driving sales, user-generated content consistently outperforms traditional marketing approaches. UGC taps into deep psychological factors that influence how consumers make purchasing decisions." - Natalia Petrova, Video Marketer
Beyond boosting sales, the campaign had a broader impact. By building meaningful relationships with creators and fostering ongoing collaborations, the brand established a steady stream of engaging content. This approach reflects a larger industry trend: UGC videos tend to generate higher engagement than other types of content.
For brands tackling similar challenges, this case study demonstrates that UGC is more than just a passing trend - it’s a smart, effective business strategy. The combination of carefully chosen creators, strategic content distribution, and a focus on quality led to a campaign that not only achieved its goals but also surpassed expectations for long-term growth.
These results emphasize the growing importance of authenticity in marketing. When brands prioritize real customer experiences over overly polished promotional content, they create campaigns that resonate deeply with today’s consumers. With 79% of people reporting that UGC significantly influences their buying decisions, this approach is clearly a winning formula for driving meaningful business outcomes.
FAQs
How can brands choose the right creators for a successful UGC campaign?
How to Choose the Right Creators for a UGC Campaign
Picking the right creators can make or break your UGC campaign. Here are a few things to focus on:
Engagement and connection: Seek out creators who genuinely interact with their followers. High engagement rates often signal a loyal audience that values their content.
Alignment with your brand: Make sure the creator’s tone, style, and content match your brand’s personality and message. This keeps the campaign consistent and relatable.
Audience relevance: Go for creators whose followers align with your target customers. This ensures your campaign reaches and resonates with the people you want to connect with.
Focusing on these factors can help you form strong partnerships with creators and deliver campaigns that truly make an impact.
What are the main advantages of using UGC across different marketing channels?
Using user-generated content (UGC) in your marketing strategy can transform how your brand connects with its audience. It brings a sense of realness to your brand, making it easier for people to trust you. Plus, it creates a feeling of community, which can go a long way in building stronger customer loyalty and enhancing your reputation.
On top of that, UGC simplifies the content creation process. It helps maintain consistent messaging across different platforms while saving both time and resources. By weaving in relatable, customer-driven content, your campaigns become more engaging and memorable. The result? Marketing efforts that resonate more deeply and deliver stronger outcomes.
How can brands ensure UGC content stays authentic while meeting quality standards?
To ensure that user-generated content (UGC) stays true to a brand's identity while maintaining quality, it's crucial to set clear guidelines for creators. These should cover essential details like the preferred tone, messaging, and visual style. This way, creators can craft content that mirrors the brand's values while still feeling natural and unforced.
Equally important is having a vetting and moderation process in place. This step allows brands to review submissions, making sure they meet both quality standards and align with the intended authenticity. Encouraging contributors to share their own stories or unique perspectives can add a relatable, human touch to the content, all while staying consistent with the brand's overall image.