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When you hear the words influencer-generated content, a lot of different images might come to mind.
Some of you might think of super-polished photos, others might remember a funny, slightly messy video you’ve seen, and some could even be thinking of longer YouTube content. The truth is – all of it falls under the IGC umbrella.
So, are you curious how this type of content can help you and your brand?
That’s why we’re here! In this article, we’re going to get into what IGC is, why it works so well, and how you can use it to your advantage.
Let’s get started!
In a nutshell, IGC means some kind of creative output –videos, photos, articles, whatever – that influencers make for brands. These aren’t just regular ads; they’re much more authentic and relatable than that, and that’s what makes them special.
These pieces of content align with an influencer’s style and audience preferences while also matching with a business’s branding.
Because it’s so in tune with what audiences want to see, IGC often performs better than traditional brand-created content, but more on that later.
https://www.instagram.com/p/DFDmg_DoTsT/
We’ve already touched on some of the benefits of IGC, but, in this section, we’re going to break it down. So, let’s go over the top 6 benefits that stood out to us:
Creators know their platforms and their followers inside and out. They’re not afraid of jumping on trends and trying out new editing techniques, which makes them amazing at creating content that feels fresh and relevant.
When an influencer posts about a product, their followers are more likely to stop scrolling, take notice, and interact. That’s because IGC blends into feeds, unlike traditional ads that often get skipped or ignored.
No one likes that feeling of scrolling past ads that just scream We’re selling you something! It’s distracting and it usually goes ignored.
But, with IGC, your brand can stand out because it doesn’t feel like an ad.
Influencers spend years building trust with their audiences, talking about their lives, and being relatable. Their followers see them as real people, which makes their product recommendations feel like advice from a friend.
This authenticity is exactly what sets IGC apart in an age where many of us have learned to tune out traditional advertising.
Need content in a pinch? Influencers can deliver.
They’re essentially one-person production teams who can create content much faster than a professional photo shoot would allow. This is because we’re talking about IGC, meaning its goal is to have a more raw feel than traditional ads.
So, instead of waiting months for a big shoot to come together, you can partner with influencers and get your hands on quality content in just days or weeks.
And the best part? For the cost of one traditional shoot, you can work with multiple influencers and produce a whole library of content!
Diversity is crucial in marketing, and IGC delivers on that front, too.
When you’re working with influencers, you’re working with people from various backgrounds, which means that you can create content that resonates with different audiences.
So, regardless of whether you want to go for something super bold or something more tame, IGC lets you get your message out so that it fits any demographic.
https://www.tiktok.com/@smollyh/video/7420132583423397152?q=bold%20makeup&t=1737416613984
We’ve talked about this before, but we can’t emphasize enough just how true this is.
Study after study has shown that influencer-generated content often beats brand-made content when it comes to engagement.
Thanks to its authenticity and design specifically made for certain social platforms, IGC tends to generate over 8x more engagement than traditional branded content.
One of the biggest perks of IGC is how easily you can repurpose it.
A single post or video from an influencer can be used across your marketing channels, like email campaigns, website pages, and even paid ads. This not only adds consistency to your branding but also makes sure you’re getting the most value out of every piece of content.
https://www.tiktok.com/@duyguozaslannn/video/7458702302233251080
Did you notice how we just barely mentioned the topic of the cost-effectiveness of IGC? That’s not because it’s not a factor, but because we think this benefit deserves its own section.
And this is it! Here, we’re going to talk about all the ways in which IGC helps keep marketing teams within their budgets:
Traditional studio shoots can be expensive. You’re paying for a whole team of photographers, stylists, models, and who knows what else. Sure, you end up with nice, polished content, but we already talked about how that may not resonate with today’s audiences.
On the flip side, influencers can create professional-grade content for a fraction of the cost. For example, Elexsis McCarthy, co-founder of MakeupEraser, shared that she used to spend $3,500 on a single professionally produced video. Now, for the same amount, she can get 10 videos and 30 photos by working with influencers. That’s a huge win in terms of both cost and variety.
The beauty of IGC is how adaptable it is.
Once an influencer creates content, you can reuse it across multiple channels without spending a penny more, like we already mentioned earlier. This flexibility allows you to breeze through every stage of the marketing funnel while still getting quality content out to your audience.
Lower costs and higher engagement mean you’re reducing your customer acquisition costs (CAC) while maximizing value.
Take Aura Frames, for example. By partnering with influencers, they produced over 650 pieces of content and cut their digital content creation budget in half.
https://www.instagram.com/p/DEgnLJGRk_m/
IGC doesn’t just save money – it makes money.
Influencer content has been shown to achieve double the engagement of traditional brand content, and ads based on IGC deliver even more impressive results.
Case in point: Ruggable, who is – you guessed it – a rug manufacturer, saw a 32% higher return on ad spend (ROAS) and a 25% lower cost per engagement (CPA) by using repurposed influencer content in their paid campaigns.
https://www.instagram.com/p/DFEXRMiR-SA/
When it comes to social media marketing, these two terms often get tossed around in the same breath. Although it’s true that they share some similarities, there are a few key differences that brands need to understand to make the most of these strategies.
This is exactly what this section is all about – breaking down the similarities & differences between UGC and IGC.
User-generated content is exactly what it sounds like: organic content created by everyday people online.
This can include employees, loyal customers, or brand fans who share their thoughts, photos, or videos without being prompted by a partnership deal. For brands, UGC is often free, making it a pretty popular way to boost authenticity and engage with audiences.
Still, businesses often incentivize UGC by offering perks like discounts or free products.
While UGC is great for encouraging customer interactions, there are some trade-offs. Since it’s created organically, brands have limited control over the messaging and quality.
Plus, the reach and impact of UGC often depend on how popular a brand already is – if you’re not well-known, UGC alone might not be enough to see a significant change in conversions.
https://www.tiktok.com/@hollyauna/video/6933378569888468229?q=apple%20tv&t=1737421163875
The main difference is that IGC is content created by influencers – experienced content creators who have built a loyal following and know how to speak to their audience.
These creators partner with brands to produce content that aligns with the influencer’s style and appeals to their followers while still working in the brand’s favor.
With IGC, brands can carefully select influencers whose audience, style, and reach match their marketing goals. This allows for more control over the final product while still benefiting from the influencer’s authenticity.
https://www.tiktok.com/@ellyawesometech/video/7163416499263278337?q=apple%20tv&t=1737421163875
To summarize the differences:
UGC is organic, created by regular people, and often free or incentivized. However, it can lack consistency, and its success depends heavily on your brand’s existing popularity.
IGC is produced by influencers in a professional, strategic partnership with your brand. It offers more control, higher quality, and the ability to align closely with marketing campaigns, though it involves a cost.
Both forms of content have their place, and combining them might be the best route to take – depending on your brand, of course.
Once you’ve invested in influencer-generated content, the next step is understanding how to measure the results you get.
Traditionally, brands have used Total Media Value (TMV) as a way to evaluate how IGC compares to more conventional campaigns like TV ads. TMV essentially measures how much it would cost to achieve the same level of impressions, engagement, or reach through paid advertising.
Here’s how you can calculate it:
Total Media Value (TMV) = number of clicks, comments, etc. × value per metric
For example, if 100 Instagram clicks are worth $3 each, the TMV would be:
100 × $3.00 = $300
While TMV provides a good starting point, it’s not the only metric you should track. To fully understand the ROI of IGC, here are a few other metrics to keep an eye on:
Track how the influencer’s content performs on platforms like Instagram, TikTok, or YouTube. Are people engaging? Are clicks and conversions higher than your usual campaigns?
Compare the cost of working with influencers to the traditional photoshoots you do. Many brands find they can produce more content for less money through influencer partnerships.
Content creation takes time, but influencers are efficient. Factor in the time saved by outsourcing to experienced creators instead of coordinating in-house production.
How much content did the campaign generate? High-performing IGC can often be repurposed across your entire marketing funnel, making it an even better value.
The ultimate goal is to figure out how much you saved and how much you earned through your IGC efforts, from production time to boosted sales.
Now that you know the (very high) value of IGC, how do you make it happen?
Partnering with influencers requires a bit of planning, but the payoff is well worth it. Here’s how to get started:
This might sound boring, but it’s probably one of the most important steps.
Without proper rights, you won’t be able to repurpose influencer content for other marketing channels like ads, emails, or landing pages, or you might even get yourself into some legal trouble. Make sure you include image usage rights in your agreements from the start.
While influencers are great at creating authentic content, they still need some direction to ensure the final product aligns with your brand. To strike a balance between creative freedom and clear expectations, you should give them a content brief.
This can include:
You can find some influencer brief templates online to streamline this process. Here’s a checklist we use:
Partnering with influencers involves several steps, from onboarding to content creation and approvals.
So, before you start, map out the process to avoid any unnecessary obstacles. This way, you’re making sure that every stage of the campaign runs smoothly and nothing gets overlooked.
Plus, if you send this to your influencer in advance, you’re not only making a super professional impression, but you’re also helping them understand exactly what your collab is going to look like.
Like we said, the approval process is an important part of the content’s lifecycle.
To maintain brand safety, make sure there’s an approval stage before any influencer content goes live. Review everything to ensure it aligns with your campaign goals and brand image.
Pro tip: it’s not uncommon for this to take several rounds of feedback before content is posted, but let your partner know what to expect.
We’ve already gone over how versatile IGC is. To make the most of it, we suggest creating a centralized content library where your team can easily access all the influencer-generated content.
This makes repurposing content for ads, emails, or social media a breeze. Besides, who wants to trek through countless files named 5628472FinalFINAL2.1?
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