Socioverse

Loading…

User-generated content - Instagram Glossary

User-generated content is content about a brand created by customers or paid creators rather than the brand itself. On Instagram it usually means creator-shot video that looks native to the feed, licensed by the brand for organic posting or paid ads.

The term has drifted. Originally it meant genuinely organic content from real customers. In practice, most 'UGC' today is commissioned - a creator paid a flat fee to produce native-looking footage the brand owns outright, with no obligation to post it on their own account.

That distinction matters legally and practically. Reposting a real customer's content requires their permission, not just a credit in the caption. Commissioned content requires a written licence covering paid usage, or you will discover the limits of your rights the day you try to run it as an ad.

More Instagram terms

Related