What is UGC? User-generated content, UGC ads and where AI fits

What is UGC? Types of user-generated content, how UGC ads and influencer posts differ, permission and disclosure rules, and where an AI-made film fits.

Cinela Studio 8 November 2026 8 min read

A frame from Moving Day: a laughing couple sitting on the floor among moving boxes in front of a large window over the Bosphorus, with a dog between them — Image: made with AI · Cinela

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What is UGC?

UGC stands for user-generated content. A video a customer films while unboxing what they bought, a photo someone takes and posts at a hotel, a review they write for a restaurant: all of these are UGC. What they share is that the user made them, not the brand.

The OECD’s 2007 report Participative Web and User-Created Content describes user-created content with three tests: it is published online, it involves a certain amount of creative effort, and it is made outside professional routines and practices. The report admits there is no widely accepted definition, but the three tests still give a useful line.

The marketing value of UGC fits in one word: authenticity. Viewers treat what a brand says about itself with caution; they find it easier to believe someone who actually uses the product.

What are the types of UGC?

Type	Example	How a brand uses it
Product review	A rating and written review on an online shop	Shows it on the product page; doesn’t hide negative reviews
Unboxing	A short video filmed while opening an order	Shares it on its own account with permission
Use video	The product in use at home, on the road, at work	Shares it in Reels and Stories, credits the source
Photo post	A shot taken at a hotel, restaurant or shop	Finds it by location or tag, uses it with permission
Campaign hashtag	Posts made with a set hashtag in response to the brand	Curates them; writes the entry rules up front
Questions and answers	Users answering each other on a product page	Enriches product information

What do “UGC ads” and “UGC creators” mean?

For a while now, “UGC” has had a second meaning. Brands pay content creators for videos that look as if an ordinary user made them: shot on a phone, in natural light, someone talking to camera. These are called UGC-style ads, and the people who make them UGC creators.

Here it pays to keep the line sharp. A video a customer films of their own accord is UGC. A video a brand pays for is an ad that looks like UGC. The second is a legitimate format, but it has two rules:

If it runs on the creator’s own account, the payment or gift must be disclosed clearly. In Türkiye, the Ministry of Trade’s guide for social media influencers requires this for posts made in return for money, gifts or discounts.
If it runs on the brand’s account or in ad space, a commissioned video must not be presented as a real customer’s spontaneous review. Türkiye’s consumer protection law (No. 6502) requires ads to be truthful and honest, and bans ads that deceive consumers as well as covert advertising that isn’t clearly identified as such. In the US, the Federal Trade Commission’s 2024 rule on consumer reviews and testimonials also targets fake reviews, including AI-generated ones attributed to people who don’t exist.

UGC vs influencer content vs a commercial

	Who makes it?	Whose voice?	How is it disclosed?
UGC	A real user, unprompted	The user’s	If the brand shares it: permission and credit
UGC-style ad	A paid content creator	The creator’s, on the brand’s behalf	Clearly marked as an ad or partnership
Influencer content	Someone with a following, on their own account	Their own	If there’s payment: a clear label such as “ad” with the brand’s name
Commercial or brand film	Brand, agency or production studio	The brand’s	The source is obvious; nobody is presented as a customer

We cover the difference between influencer content and branded content in detail in what is branded content.

How should a brand use UGC?

Ask for permission. Get written permission before using a customer’s post on your own account or in an ad. A public post isn’t automatically yours to use in advertising.
Credit the source. Say who made it and tag them.
Don’t change the meaning. Don’t cut a review so it seems to say something else.
Disclose what you gave. If you gave a product, a discount or payment for the post, say so.
Think about other people. If other people’s faces, homes or number plates are visible, look again before using it.
Don’t hide negative reviews. A page that only shows praise damages the credibility of every review on it.

The easiest way to collect UGC is to give customers a reason to share: a dish that looks good on the table, a handwritten note in the box, a corner worth photographing. If you ask for a campaign hashtag, write the entry rules, where the content may be used and any prize clearly and up front. Once there’s a prize or a discount, those posts are no longer spontaneous content and the incentive should be disclosed.

UGC works best in vertical feeds: Reels, TikTok and Shorts. For first-second hooks and editing, see our Reels ad video guide.

Where does an AI-made film fit?

An AI-made film is, by definition, not UGC: a production team makes it, not a customer. That isn’t a problem; it’s simply a different job. The problem starts when an AI-made face is presented as a real customer.

In Türkiye, where we’re based, this line is written down. Since 1 August 2026, under an amendment to the commercial advertising regulation, ads that feature AI-made characters indistinguishable from humans must say so clearly, understandably and distinguishably. The same amendment bans ads in which an AI-made digital copy of a real person falsely appears to have used or to recommend a product.

In practice the line runs like this:

Fits	Doesn’t fit
A commercial in the brand’s own voice	A fake review video where an AI-made person says “I use it too”
A mood film that builds the product’s world alongside real customer content	Copying a real customer’s face or voice without permission
A weekly social series with the same character and setting, clearly telling a story	Posting an AI video as “a video from one of our customers”
A film that quotes a real customer review, by name and with permission	Generating ratings and reviews with AI

The cover of this article is a frame from Moving Day, our real estate sample film. It looks like a moment from a real family’s moving day, which is exactly why the film is labelled everywhere as AI-made sample work. It isn’t client work. Watch Moving Day. Cinela delivers every film labelled as made with AI. We explain how to spot AI video in a separate article.

How do UGC and an AI film work together?

One doesn’t replace the other; they complement each other. UGC provides proof: the product really is used, really is liked. The brand’s film builds the world: it shows which feeling and which moment the product belongs to.

Restaurant: Dishes shared by customers show the real portion; the brand’s mood film tells the story of the night and the master.
Hotel: Guest photos show the room as it really is; the season film shows the reason to come back.
E-commerce: User videos on the product page show it in use; the campaign film makes the product the hero of a story.

A checklist before you publish

Did the content come from a real user, or did you commission it?
Do you have written permission for user content?
If anything was given in return, is the ad or partnership label visible at first glance?
Is there an AI-made character indistinguishable from a human? If so, is that clearly stated?
Is no AI character presented as a customer, expert or witness?
If a real person’s face or voice is used, do you have their permission?

If you want a steady stream of video in the brand’s own voice alongside your real customer content, the Social Series (3 vertical videos × 15 s) starts at $990 (excl. VAT) and is delivered in 5 business days; details are on our AI video production page.

Sources

The rules were checked in November 2026. This article isn’t legal advice; see the sources for the current text.

UGC
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