UGC (user-generated content)
Also called: user-generated content, UGC ads
UGC is content made by customers or creators rather than the brand, and a UGC ad is a paid ad shot in that casual, phone-filmed style.
Most UGC ads today are not organic posts at all. Brands pay creators to film a talking-head review, an unboxing or a quick demo that looks like something a customer would post, then run it as an ad on Reels, TikTok or Shorts. The style works because it blends into the feed instead of looking like a commercial.
The term now covers three things: real customer posts a brand reposts with permission, paid creator videos made for ads, and AI UGC, where the creator is generated.
Related terms
Part of the Addy video ad glossary. Addy is an AI agent that writes, renders and posts short-form video ads.