With so much great user-generated content out there, you don’t want to miss out on the opportunity to use it in your marketing campaigns.

That’s why you need a user-generated content platform!

These platforms make it easy to collect and curate user-generated content from your customers, leveraging it on the right channels.

However, not all UGC platforms are created equal.

This article teaches you how to discern between them according to your business goals as we analyze ten of the best user-generated content software on the market.

But first:

What is User-Generated Content?

User-generated content (UGC) is a digital marketing term for any piece of content, such as an image, video, or comment, created by a user rather than a professional media company. The rise of social media platforms has made UGC increasingly prevalent, as users share everything from their breakfast to their political views with the click of a button.

Here’s an interesting tidbit:

While some UGC is high-quality and informative, much of it is mundane documentation of day-to-day life.

Despite its often unglamorous nature, UGC has been shown to be more trusted and relatable than traditional advertising, making it an essential tool for brands looking to connect with consumers.

Just look at the official statistics:

UGC-based ads’ click-through rates are 400% higher than traditional ads.
UGC ads cost less than half of average ads.
90% of people base their purchase decisions on UGC.
95% of marketers agree that UGC increases marketing e-mails’ open rates.

That’s where user-generated content platforms come in.

These websites are designed to collect and curate user-generated content, allowing brands easy implementation. In this article, we’ll introduce you to the top UGC platforms and show you how you can use them to improve your marketing strategy.

But before getting to that list:

How to Choose the Right UGC Platform for My Brand?

Users can create rivers of content about the brands and products they use. Centralizing and organizing that info can be tricky.

That’s why you need a UGC platform:

UGC tools are websites that help companies collect and analyze UGC from all their social media channels. Thus, content curation is easier, and you can select the most persuasive UGC for their goals.

Alternatively, some user-generated content tools allow you to create or encourage your own UGC. We’ll see how in the next section.

But since not all UGC platforms are created equal, you’ll have to take these factors into account:

Ease of Use

The best UGC software is designed with the user and the company in mind. Creating an account, adding your social media channels, and collecting content should all be relatively easy.

Here are some factors influencing ease of use:

Layout and design
Usability
Features (e.g., filters, keywords, visible and intuitive category options)

Accuracy

Inaccurate data is worse than no data at all. Ensure your UGC software can accurately collect and report data from all your social media channels.

Here’s one frequent problem when using a user-generated content platform: finding duplicate content.

This happens when the platform doesn’t have a way to de-duplicate content or when it can’t tell the difference between two pieces of content that are very similar.

To avoid this problem, make sure your chosen platform has a deduplication feature. This feature will help the platform identify and remove duplicate content, so you don’t have to worry about it.

Pricing

The cost of a UGC platform will vary depending on the features you need. Some platforms offer a free trial so that you can test out the features before committing to a paid plan.

Functionality

Top UGC agencies recommend to consider these functions:

Data collection: The software should be able to collect UGC from all your desired social media channels.
Data analysis: The platform should provide insights and analytics so that you can make informed decisions about your marketing strategy.
Content curation: The UGC platform should allow you to curate the best content for your brand.
Content editing: The platform should provide tools to help you transform that user-generated content according to your needs. For example, if you receive fantastic reviews by e-mail, you may want to edit the text and add some photos to create an Instagram ad. Conversely, if you receive excellent Instagram comments, you may want a tool that adapts those interactions to your marketing e-mails.
Content creation: Some platforms help you create original user-generated content campaigns. With their intuitive filters and options, they will render the strategy down to your main keywords, CTAs, and gamification options.
Connecting with influencers: The platform should help you identify and connect with social media influencers if you want to build an influencer marketing campaign. The best UGC platforms connect you with verified content creators with high engagement rates that actually use (or are likely to use) your products. These people can create authentic content after receiving sample products or can popularize your UGC campaigns.

Customer Support

Even the top UGC software won’t be perfect. That’s why choosing a platform with excellent customer support is essential. You should be able to quickly get in touch with someone who can help you solve any problems you might have.

Pro tip: If you’re unsure where to start or what fits, you may want to discuss your goals with a qualified marketing strategist first. inBeat can help you with that, unlike other social media aggregators.

Scalability

As your business grows, so will your need for UGC. Make sure the content platform you choose can scale with you, so you’re never without the content you need.

You may also want to leverage UGC in different ways in the future.

For example, today, you may want to create a TikTok contest that requests UGC from your customers.

Let’s say you have a small DTC brand selling eco-friendly lunch bags for preschoolers. One such UGC contest idea may be asking parents to show how they use your bags to reduce their child’s eco-footprint. The prize could be a year’s worth of free lunch bags.

But as your brand grows, you may want to use UGC differently.

Perhaps you’ll want to create an Instagram reel featuring customer testimonials or convert that UGC for your product pages or marketing e-mails.

What Are Key Features of top UGC Platforms?

Digital asset management: The platform should offer top content curation, editing, and creation. It should also boast complete data collection and analysis options, with insightful reports that help you adjust your strategy, communication, and even your offer.
Influencer management: If you decide to work with content creators, your UGC platform should help you find legit, engaged ones. These influencers may create UGC directly for your brand, promote your UGC campaigns, offer insight into your potential customers’ minds, or all of the above. Make sure your UGC platform allows you to pick and choose according to these goals.
Loyalty program management: Running a UGC campaign doesn’t entail a complete lack of strategy, even if that content is user-generated. According to stats, people still expect you to tell them what to do and engage them with rewards. Your UGC platform should keep track of those prizes and schedule them accordingly.
Content calendar management: The best UGC platforms help you avoid marketing stack through calendar management solutions. These options allow you to plan your content and disseminate it at the best times to the correct audience.

What Are the Best UGC Platforms in 2024?

There are dozens of UGC tools on the market, and more spring up daily. It can be hard to keep track of them all, let alone decide which one is right for you.

To help you out, we’ve compiled a list of the best UGC platforms based on our research and experience.

Showcase
inBeat
Revoo
Taggbox
Socialboard
Adobe Experience Manager
Later
Flowbox
Taggshop
ShortStack
Bazaarvoice

1. Showcase: BEST FOR QUALITY-FOCUSED UGC AND TRANSPARENT COLLABORATIONS

Showcase is a UGC marketplace that excels in connecting businesses with top-performing content creators, focusing on high-quality user-generated content tailored for social campaigns.

The platform's standout feature is its vetting process, ensuring that every creator meets stringent standards for quality and performance.

Clients enjoy the freedom of the Showcase license, offering unlimited usage rights and no hidden fees, with clear, transparent pricing from creators.

Showcase streamlines the collaboration process through a user-friendly platform, facilitating direct communication and efficient project management with content creators.

The platform’s diverse range of categories, from fashion to sports and fitness, coupled with a secure payment escrow system, ensures satisfaction and peace of mind for clients.

For those interested in exploring Showcase’s capabilities, the platform offers an opportunity to delve into its features and see firsthand how it can enhance their UGC marketing strategies.

2. Inbeat: Best for Authentic Content Creation and in-Depth Strategy

inBeat connects you to the top 1% of micro-influencers, creating high-quality content on demand.

All you have to do is submit your brief and choose the type of content you need to match with top content creators.

The platform offers unlimited access to 30,000+ creators and their content, a dedicated campaign strategist, and complete copyrights at attractive prices.

You can generate authentic content, connect with your audiences on different channels, and create a user-centric e-commerce experience for them.

If you’re curious, you can schedule a demo or a call (or both!) to learn more before committing.

3. Reevoo: Best for Conversations

Reevoo understands that people trust people but that not all stories are created equal.

That’s why the platform boasts flexible solutions expressly tailored to your goals. The software helps you promptly generate and curate authentic reviews, solving negative comments.

Reevoo also facilitates customer conversations, allowing people to connect with your brand through Q&A, tips, opinions, and recommendations.

Of course, your brand will guide the agenda according to your goals.

Lastly, Reevoo will help you with user-generated content on demand from real people, creating authentic social proof and increasing your customer engagement rates.

4. Taggbox: BEST FOR SMMS

Taggbox allows you to leverage UGC across multiple marketing channels, including web pages, marketing e-mails, social ads, and product pages.

Besides, the platform helps you set up convincing UGC campaigns, from content collection and curation to securing copyrights, adding shoppable features, and publishing that content.

You can also access advanced CSS options, in-depth analytics, and 24/7 support.

5. Socialboard: Best for In-Person Events

Unlike other social aggregators, SocialBoard is a self-service platform that helps you collect and display UGC on different online platforms and digital screens, like websites, digital units, Smart TV, and mobile.

Additionally, it integrates with various social media channels, including Slack, RSS feeds, and more.

SocialBoard is an excellent option for brick-and-mortar shops, malls, or conferences because people appreciate seeing their content on a big screen.

6. adobe experience manager Best for Comprehensive Content Management

If you’re looking for a more comprehensive tool that allows you to cut back on your marketing stack, Adobe Experience Manager is an excellent solution.

This platform streamlines digital asset management and content management, allowing you to develop your websites, mobile apps, and forms.

Therefore, you can get customized, content-centric experiences for your customers faster.

Plus, it’s one of the best solutions if you want to eventually scale up your marketing endeavors without putting too much pressure on your IT team.

7. Later: Best for Planning Visual Content Posts

Later is a social media management platform that saves precious time because you can move faster between planning, analyzing, and publishing persuasive user-generated content with just a few clicks.

However, Later is a visual-first platform best suited for photos, videos, and stories.

It can help you plan and post Instagram Reels, get insightful analytics, and moderate your comments.

You can also use Later for other social media channels, such as TikTok, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and LinkedIn.

Best of all, you can use Later both for collecting and publishing UGC or creating your own content.

8. Flowbox: Best for Large Companies

Flowbox is one of the best social media aggregators for large companies, the tally of United Colors of Benetton, Salsa, or Cluse.

The platform uses lightning-fast technology, including AI automation, personalized integrations, and enterprise features.

That way, the software helps you automatically collect content from all your social media channels, obtain media rights, link multiple products, and synchronize stock.

You can also integrate Photoslurp seamlessly with your eCommerce website because the platform is created for high-traffic, multi-country, and multi-currency domains.

However, remember that Photoslurp is explicitly designed for larger enterprises with many products and a lot of UGC.

9.Taggshop: Best for eCommerce Brands

Taggshop allows you to create and post shoppable user-generated content, such as customer reviews, visual galleries, and posts.

You can use the software to collect UGC across your social media networks and then tag it to make it shoppable.

The next step is to publish this content on your online store or eCommerce website to drive your sales up by increasing your customers’ trust in your brand.

Besides, Taggshop allows you to tag unlimited products and get the legal rights to that UGC.

You can integrate this software with platforms like Shopify, Wix and Wix, WordPress, and Magento.

10. Shortshack: Best for Contests

ShortStack may lack the multi-layered capabilities of the UGC platforms above, but it focuses on a critical feature: creating contests that drive more UGC.

Therefore, you can use ShorstStack to build impressive social media contests, distribute unique offer codes, and impress your potential customers with games, quizzes, or puzzles.

The platform allows you to collect UGC, increase people’s time on your website, and analyze your performance.

11. bazaarvoice: Best Versatile uGC platform

Bazaarvoice offers versatile solutions across the board, such as content collection, influencer sampling, ratings, and customer reviews, answering questions on your website, and publishing curated content on your platforms.

You can also use Bazaarvoice for social commerce, creating shoppable images that increase your traffic, shortening the span between simple visits to customer acquisition and retention.

And, of course, they’ll give you worthwhile insights and reports to adjust your campaign.

Wrap Up

There you have it, the ten best UGC platforms to help you step up your marketing game.

Remember that your chosen platform should align with your business goals and objectives. Do you want to create shoppable images? Drive more traffic to your website? Increase people’s time spent on your website

Pick the content platform to help you achieve your desired outcome and boost your business.

If you want more insights into this, please check our friends at IMB: Top 10 User-Generated Content (UGC) Platforms for Brands in 2022.

Frequently asked questions

UGC can be divided into two distinct types: active and passive user-generated content.
Active user-generated content involves users actively creating content to be shared on a platform, such as postings on social media or blog posts, photos and videos.
Passive user-generated content, on the other hand, is content created by users without an intended purpose for it to be shared with others, such as customer testimonials, reviews or comments about products or services.
By incorporating both active and passive UGC into your marketing efforts, you can leverage the power of user engagement and community building in a powerful way.
Collecting UGC for free is not as hard as it may sound.
There are some simple tactics that can help businesses to effectively collect UGC without any additional investments or efforts.
For one, create an online space accessible for users to post their content and reviews, be it a website page or a group page on social media.
Secondly, tap into influencers of the same industry and ask them to generate content around your product or services as they already have an audience that trusts their opinions.
Finally, leverage visual platforms such as Instagram and Pinterest by encouraging customers to tag a company’s profile in order to get featured on its page.
By following these tips, companies of all sizes will be able to benefit from UGC while staying well within budget.
A UGC platform is a great way to increase user engagement, foster customer loyalty and create brand advocacy among your audience.
UGC platforms allow customers to share their experiences, stories and feedback with your brand.
At the same time, they give you valuable data which can be used to make informed decisions about products or services.
They also provide a way for customers to connect with one another, which helps build relationships with your brand.
There is no single answer to this question, as the best UGC platform for your business will depend on the specifics of your situation.
Each of UGC platforms listed above has its own pros and cons.
To choose which one is best for you depends on who your target audience is, what kind of UGC they are likely to generate and how you plan on using it.