If you've been researching ways to work with brands as a creator you've probably come across both UGC and influencer marketing. They sound similar. They both involve creators. They both involve brands. But they are fundamentally different, and understanding that difference is one of the most important things you can do for your creator career.

So, let's break it down.

What is Influencer Marketing?

Influencer marketing is exactly what it sounds like. A brand partners with a creator who has an established audience and pays them to promote their product or service to that audience.

The key word here is audience. Influencer marketing is about reach. The brand is paying for access to your followers, their size, their engagement and their trust in you as a creator.

This is why follower count matters so much in influencer marketing. The bigger and more engaged your audience, the more valuable you are to a brand looking to get in front of new customers.

What is UGC?

UGC (user generated content) is content created by real people that brands use across their own channels. Unlike influencer marketing, UGC has nothing to do with your following.

As a UGC creator you are hired to produce authentic, engaging content which might include product reviews, tutorials, unboxing videos, lifestyle content, content that the brand then uses in their paid ads, social media, website and email marketing.

And then the brand distributes the content, not you. Which means your follower count is completely irrelevant.

What matters is the quality of your content, your ability to make it feel authentic and how well you understand what brands are looking for.

The Key Differences

Audience vs Content Influencer marketing is about your audience. UGC is about your content. One is about who is watching you. The other is about what you can create.

Distribution With influencer marketing you post the content to your own channels. With UGC the brand takes the content and uses it on their channels. You create it, they distribute it.

Follower Count In influencer marketing your follower count directly affects your value and your rates. In UGC your follower count is irrelevant. A creator with 500 followers can earn exactly the same as a creator with 500,000 if their content quality is there.

Usage Rights With UGC you typically hand over the usage rights to the brand so they can use your content however and wherever they need to. This is something to factor into your pricing.

Longevity Influencer posts have a shelf life so they live on your feed and fade over time. UGC content can be repurposed by brands across multiple channels for months or even years.

Why Brands Are Investing More in UGC Than Ever

The shift towards UGC is happening for one simple reason and that's authenticity converts.

Traditional advertising is losing its power. Consumers are savvier than ever and they can spot a polished brand advertisement from a mile away. What they trust is real people, real experiences and real opinions.

UGC gives brands exactly that. Authentic looking content that performs like organic but can be scaled like paid advertising. It's one of the most cost effective and high performing strategies available to brands right now, which is why the demand for UGC creators is growing faster than ever.

Can You Do Both?

Absolutely. Many creators work as both UGC creators and influencers simultaneously. Your social channels build your personal brand and attract inbound opportunities while your UGC work provides a consistent income stream regardless of your follower count.

In fact building a strong UGC portfolio often leads to more influencer opportunities over time, because the brands you work with as a UGC creator see your content performing and want to collaborate further.

How to Position Yourself for Both

Whether you want to focus on UGC, influencer marketing or both, the foundation is the same. You need to present yourself professionally to the brands you want to work with.

Your portfolio is your first impression. It's what a brand sees before they've spoken to you, before they've seen your rates and before they've made any decision about working with you. If it doesn't do your work justice you're losing opportunities before you've even had a chance to prove yourself.

The Tool Every UGC Creator Needs

This is exactly why we built Pressbook and it's the world's first portfolio platform built exclusively for UGC creators.

Whether you're pitching for UGC work or building your profile for brand partnerships Pressbook gives you a portfolio that presents your work professionally, feels like you and makes brands want to say yes!

Build your free Pressbook today at pressbook.co