Types of UGC Content: 4 Categories, Every Major Format.

An unboxing and a testimonial are both "UGC video." So is a tutorial, a try-on haul, a get-ready-with-me. They sit in the same row on a content calendar and look interchangeable, but each one does a different job: it stops the scroll at a different moment, lives on a different platform, and asks for a different skill to pull off. Pick by the label instead of the job, and a brand burns budget on content that can't move the number it was bought to move, while a creator piles into the single most crowded corner of the market.

Most "types of UGC content" guides won't help you dodge that. They define each format, show one example, and move on, which leaves you where you started: aware that "unboxing" exists, still unsure whether to order one or offer one. This guide adds the part they skip. For every format that matters you'll get what it is, when it works, where it goes, what it's roughly worth, and who should be making it. (If you're still nailing down what UGC even is, start there for the definition, then come back for the formats.)

"Type" means four different things in UGC

The word "type" gets used four ways in UGC, and running them together is why so much advice reads as muddy. Here's the clean version:

• Content format is the deliverable itself: a photo, a video, a written review. That's what this guide catalogs.
• Creator type is who makes it: a solo creator, a family or group, or a pet profile. Same format, different person behind the camera.
• Sourcing is how the content reaches a brand. Organic means a customer posts it unprompted; commissioned means a brand briefs and pays a creator for it. Organic is free but unpredictable, commissioned is briefable and reliable.
• Intent is what it's built for: content shot to document genuine use, versus content scripted to run as a paid ad. The same unboxing can be either, and the brief and the rate shift depending on which.

Keep those straight and the rest of this guide clicks into place. One quick disambiguation while we're here: a "UGC form" sometimes means the release form that hands a brand the rights to use the content, and "UGC" on gaming platforms like Roblox means something else entirely. Neither is what this is about. Everything below is sorted by content format, grouped into four categories: photo, video, written, and emerging.

Every UGC format at a glance

Start here, then jump to the formats that fit your goal. This table is the whole catalog in one view.

How to read it. Funnel stage is where the format does its best work in the buying journey, though most span more than one. Brand demand and creator difficulty are our read of the current market, not survey data; the performance figures further down are footnoted to their sources. Typical rate is a relative tier, $ entry to $$$ premium, not a quote; for actual ranges by niche and experience see the UGC pricing guide.

The sections below add the context the table can't: why each format works, what a good brief looks like, and which ones are worth building a portfolio around.

Photo and image formats

Photo UGC is the fastest to produce, the easiest to start with, and still one of the best-performing content types for e-commerce. A product photographed on someone's kitchen counter reads as more trustworthy than the same product on a white studio backdrop, and that's the kind of image people say they want to see: in a 2023 EnTribe survey of more than a thousand US consumers, 90% said they'd prefer brands share content from actual customers.¹ Pages built on authentic photos outperform stock photography for exactly that reason.

Product photography

A creator photographs the brand's actual product in an authentic setting: their apartment, their desk, their backyard. The product is the star and the environment is what makes it convincing.

This is bread-and-butter UGC photo work. E-commerce brands need it for product pages, Amazon listings, Shopify stores, and social ads, and they need a lot of it, because different products, seasonal campaigns, and A/B testing burn through visuals fast.

For creators: the lowest barrier to entry in UGC. A smartphone and window light is enough to start. Shoot products you already own to build a portfolio, and our phone lighting guide covers clean product shots without equipment. One step up in value: annotated and detail shots, the close-up texture or feature-callout images that fill out a listing. They take more care, and brands rarely have enough of them.

For brands: be specific in your briefs. "Lifestyle shot of our moisturizer" is vague. "Moisturizer on a bathroom shelf next to a toothbrush and a coffee mug, morning light, no filters" gives the creator something to work with. Our brief-writing guide goes deeper.

Lifestyle imagery

Same product, different focus. In a lifestyle shot the scene is the star and the product is woven into someone's day: a protein shake on the counter while breakfast cooks, running shoes by the front door next to a leash and car keys. The product is present but contextual, not centered.

Lifestyle imagery works best for social ads and brand feeds where you want the product living in someone's world. On Instagram especially, a carousel of lifestyle shots gives people more to linger on than a single product image.

For creators: the niches you already live in are your advantage. If you're a parent, your kitchen is a lifestyle set. If you're into fitness, your gym bag and morning routine are content waiting to happen. Our guide to the most profitable UGC niches shows which categories brands spend the most on.

For brands: this format spans platforms but earns its keep on Instagram and Pinterest, where the aesthetic of the scene does a lot of the selling.

Flat-lay and styled product shots

An overhead, deliberately arranged composition: the product surrounded by complementary objects, shot top-down on a clean surface. Think a skincare bottle ringed by petals and a folded towel, or a snack styled with its ingredients.

Flat-lays are a quiet workhorse for listings, Pinterest, and gift-guide content, and one of the most accessible formats to shoot well. Because everything sits on one flat plane, your phone keeps it all in focus with no extra gear. Our flat-lay photography guide walks through the setup step by step.

For creators: an easy format to template. Once you nail your lighting and surface, you can produce a styled set quickly, which makes flat-lays a reliable repeat order.

For brands: great for showing range (a full product line in one frame) and for seasonal refreshes without a new shoot location.

Before-and-after

Side-by-side or sequential images showing a transformation: skincare results over 30 days, a room before and after a cleaning product, a yard before and after a fertilizer. The format is especially powerful for local service businesses, where salons, landscapers, and cleaners can show visible results.

Before-and-after works because the visual proof does the selling. There's no claim to believe and no copy to read; the result speaks for itself.

For creators: this format rewards patience. You're documenting a change over days or weeks, not snapping a quick photo, and that's exactly why it pays well. Before-and-after tends to command premium rates because brands know it converts and fewer creators will put in the time.

For brands: authenticity is non-negotiable here. A fabricated before-and-after damages credibility faster than almost anything. Brief for honest documentation, even when the results are modest: "shoot day 0 and day 30 from the same angle, same light, no edits in between." Modest and true beats dramatic and fake.

Platform tip: on Instagram, run before-and-after as a swipe-to-reveal carousel. On TikTok, the split-screen or transition reveal is what drives rewatches.

Video formats

Video UGC carries more of the buying journey than any other category, but "shoot a video" is about as useful a brief as "make some content." The specific format decides almost everything: where it performs, what it costs, and who can make it well.

Each format below answers a different question for the viewer. Match the format to the moment and the placement, and the same production budget goes a lot further.

Unboxing videos

A creator films themselves opening and reacting to a product for the first time. The appeal is simple: it mirrors the feeling of receiving a package yourself, and that anticipation transfers to the viewer.

Unboxing is one of the most consistently requested formats because it works at the top of the funnel. It grabs attention, builds curiosity, and introduces a product in a way that feels personal rather than promotional.

For creators: one of the easiest formats to start with, because the genuine reaction is the content. No script, no product expertise, no heavy editing. Our full breakdown of what brands want from unboxing content has the specific formula.

For brands: unboxing works best when your packaging is worth filming. If the experience is forgettable, the content will be too, so treat packaging as part of the brief. A workable spec: "open it in one unbroken take, phone propped steady, and say the first thing you notice."

Product demos

A creator shows the product being used: setting up a gadget, applying a skincare product, assembling furniture, cooking with a kitchen tool. Demos focus on function rather than first impressions, answering the one question a considering buyer actually has: does this thing work the way they say it does?

For creators: demos land hardest when you show the product solving a problem you genuinely have. The more specific and grounded the use case, the more convincing the result. Our product demo filming guide covers the process from brief to final cut.

For brands: this is your highest-demand format for the consideration stage. Someone watching a demo is closer to buying than someone watching an unboxing, so brief for genuine scenarios, not staged ones: "show the three steps it takes to set up, start to finish, no cuts."

Tutorials and how-to videos

A creator teaches the viewer how to use the product or reach a specific result with it: a makeup look using a brand's palette, a recipe built around an appliance, a workout around a piece of equipment.

Tutorials build trust by demonstrating expertise while the product works in the background, and they tend to outlast the other video formats here. People search "how to" content for months and years after it's published, which gives tutorials strong SEO value for brands.

For creators: tutorials show what you know, not just your face. Many work perfectly as faceless UGC: voiceover walkthroughs, hands-only demonstrations, screen recordings. If you can explain how something works while making it look good, you're in demand, and teaching content tends to command higher rates because it lasts longer.

For brands: tutorials do especially well on YouTube and TikTok, where search intent brings in viewers already looking for the answer. Brief for specific outcomes: "show three looks with this palette" beats "make a tutorial."

Video testimonials

A creator speaks to camera about their experience: what they liked, what surprised them, how it compared to what they used before. Testimonials sit at the conversion end of the funnel, where social proof tips a decision someone is already close to making. The instinct to trust a peer over a brand is well documented: in that same 2023 EnTribe survey, 86% of consumers said they're more likely to trust a brand that publishes UGC than one leaning on influencers.¹

Honest take: the scripted talking-head testimonial is losing its edge. Viewers have seen thousands of them, and the fatigue is hard to miss. The testimonials that still work weave the review into a story or a routine instead of delivering an endorsement to camera.

For creators: authenticity is everything here. Brands can tell when you're reading a script, and viewers can tell faster. If something about the product didn't land for you, say so, then talk about what did. Nuanced, honest reviews are worth more than five-star raves. For frameworks you can adapt, see our UGC video script templates, and our testimonial filming guide covers delivery, audio, and the mistakes that get testimonials rejected.

For brands: use video testimonials on landing pages, in retargeting ads, and anywhere social proof seals the decision. Pair them with a specific claim or result and they hit harder.

Get-ready-with-me (GRWM)

A creator films a routine (morning skincare, an outfit pick, a makeup application) with the product featured naturally as part of it. The product isn't the subject of the video, it's part of the creator's life.

GRWM works because it feels like spending time with a friend rather than watching an ad. The placement is contextual, not forced, which is why it tends to do so well for awareness on TikTok and Instagram Reels.

For creators: high demand, relatively low competition right now. If your actual routine involves products brands want content for (skincare, makeup, fashion, wellness), this is a strong format to build a portfolio around.

For brands: best for beauty, fashion, skincare, and wellness, where the product fits a routine naturally. A workable spec: "use the product at its natural step in your morning, no to-camera pitch." If you have to force it in, the format falls flat.

Try-on hauls

A creator buys or receives several products and works through them on camera: trying each on, reacting, and giving a quick verdict. Where a GRWM is one routine and a demo is depth on one product, a haul is breadth, multiple items judged in one sitting. It's one of the highest-volume video formats in fashion and beauty.

For creators: hauls reward personality and an honest eye. Viewers come for the "would I actually keep this?" verdict, so the keeps and the returns both matter. Strong fit if you already shop a category brands want content in.

For brands: powerful for fashion, beauty, and anything bought in sets, though it invites comparison, so it works best when your product genuinely holds up next to the others in the haul. A workable spec: "five items, an honest keep-or-return call on each, natural light."

Comparison and dupe content

A creator puts two or more products side by side: "I tried both of these concealers for a week, here's which one actually stayed on." Comparison content speaks directly to the consideration stage, helping viewers choose between options they're already weighing, and it pulls steady search traffic because people actively look up "[product A] vs [product B]."

For creators: a high-value format that positions you as an informed voice rather than a product shower. Our breakdown of UGC vs influencer marketing is an example of comparison framing in action.

For brands: risky to commission directly (you're inviting a head-to-head with competitors) but strong when it happens organically. Consider it for retargeting, where viewers are already comparison shopping.

Day-in-the-life and routine videos

Broader than a GRWM. A creator documents their day with the product woven through it: morning coffee in a branded mug, a dog walk with a new leash, working from home with a productivity app on screen.

For creators: the easiest format to make authentic, because it literally is your actual day. The less staged it feels, the better it performs. Parent, pet owner, student, commuter: you already have the content, you just need to film it.

For brands: works for products that don't have an obvious "demo moment" but do have an obvious place in someone's day: food, beverages, productivity tools, fitness gear, pet products. A loose spec works best here: "three moments where the product shows up in your day, no script."

B-roll and voiceover (the supporting cast)

Two formats that rarely headline but quietly fill a lot of briefs. B-roll is supplemental footage with no narrative, the product close-ups and hands-using-product clips brands cut into their own edits and ads; our B-roll guide covers the six shots briefs actually ask for. Voiceover content pairs a script read with B-roll or screen capture and never shows the creator's face, which makes it the natural home for faceless creators and a fast-rising request as brands repurpose one shoot into multiple ad variations.

For creators: both are gentle on-ramps. B-roll needs a steady hand and clean framing, not a personality on camera, and voiceover lets you earn without ever appearing in frame.

For brands: order B-roll when you have an in-house editor and want raw material to cut. Order voiceover when you need a clean, repeatable script delivered over visuals.

Written and review formats

Written UGC doesn't get the attention video does, but it quietly carries an enormous amount of e-commerce weight. If you've ever bought anything online, you already know where the decision happens: the reviews.

Written reviews and ratings

Text-based product reviews on e-commerce platforms, Google, or social media: stars, written feedback, pros and cons. Reviews aren't glamorous, but they're foundational, and they're the baseline everything else builds on.

For brands: if you sell on Amazon or any e-commerce platform, written reviews should be your first content priority, before you invest in anything else.

For creators: written reviews are a stepping stone, not a specialty. They build relationships with brands and seed early portfolios, but the earning ceiling is lower than photo or video work. Treat them as a way in.

Visual reviews (photo and video)

A review with the customer's own photos or a short clip attached. It reads as a separate format from a text review because it does measurably more work: people who interact with user-generated photos and videos on a product page convert about 104% more often, according to PowerReviews' 2023 analysis of 1.5 million product pages.²

For brands: the highest-impact corner of written UGC. Prompt buyers to add a photo, and seed a few strong visual reviews early; they pull more weight per review than text alone.

For creators: an easy add-on that lifts the value of review work. A clean product photo or a ten-second clip alongside written feedback turns the lowest-paid format into something brands will pay a little more for.

Q&A content

The questions-and-answers section on a product page, plus the "I asked, here's what they said" content that addresses a specific buyer worry. It's the most underused format on this list relative to what it does: in the same PowerReviews analysis, people who engaged with Q&A on a product page converted about 177% more often, a bigger lift than written ratings or visual reviews produce on their own.²

For brands: answer the questions buyers actually ask, in public, and treat the Q&A block as conversion real estate, not an afterthought. Every answered objection is a removed reason not to buy.

For creators: objection-handling content (a short video or post that tackles "but does it actually work for X?") is a smart, low-competition angle, especially paired with a demo.

Social posts and mentions

Organic posts where someone tags or mentions a brand: an Instagram story showing a new purchase, a tweet about a restaurant, a TikTok in someone's feed. These often land as more relatable than brand-published content, which is why smart brands reshare and repurpose them.

For brands: monitor your mentions; some of your best content arrives unsolicited from people who already love the product. One guardrail, though: organic posts are not yours to reuse by default. Get explicit permission before you reshare or run anything as an ad, and put usage terms in writing for commissioned work (our creator contracts guide covers what to include).

For creators: even casual posts tagging brands can open doors. Brands notice when someone makes good content featuring their products, and that's how a lot of paid relationships start.

Long-form and blog reviews

Detailed written reviews or experience posts on personal blogs, Medium, or niche publications. These are declining in volume as video takes over, but they still carry weight for SEO and for high-consideration purchases where buyers research hard before committing.

For brands: a credible long-form review can drive organic traffic for months or years. They're most valuable for products with a long consideration cycle: tech, furniture, software, professional equipment.

For creators: a slow, high-effort format with a small but genuine audience. Worth it only if writing is genuinely your strength and you're targeting categories where buyers read before they buy.

Emerging and interactive formats

These are newer or fast-growing. If you're a creator looking for less competition, or a brand looking for a fresh angle, this is where to look.

Reaction and POV videos

A creator reacts to trying something for the first time, often shot from a specific point of view: tasting a new snack with the camera catching the genuine response, or a POV of opening a mystery subscription box. A genuine first reaction is hard to fake, and the format is native to TikTok, where high watch time rewards it.

For creators: if you're naturally expressive on camera, reaction content is low effort and high reward. The catch is that the response has to be genuine; faked surprise shows.

Live shopping and livestreams

Real-time demonstrations with viewer interaction: try-ons, cooking demos, Q&A with the product in hand. TikTok Shop and Instagram Live are the main Western channels, though live shopping is a much bigger channel across Asia-Pacific than in the West.

For creators: a different skill set from pre-recorded content. You need to improvise, read comments in real time, and sell without a script. It isn't for everyone, but creators who do it well become genuinely valuable to brands.

For brands: best for impulse-friendly categories with stock to move (beauty, fashion, food, accessories). Pair a creator who can demo and field comments live with a genuine reason to tune in, a launch, a limited drop, a sale, and keep the replay as cuttable clips afterward. Start small: one short session around a single event beats a standing schedule you can't sustain.

UGC for services and non-physical products

Screen recordings, walkthroughs, and experience vlogs for apps, platforms, coaching programs, fitness subscriptions, and SaaS tools. Most UGC writing assumes a physical product, which is exactly the gap: service businesses need content too, and almost nobody is making it.

For creators: if you can walk through a digital experience clearly, showing an app's interface, narrating a workflow, documenting a coaching session, you face almost no competition. Service UGC is an underserved niche with rising demand, precisely because most creators assume UGC means holding a product. Our deep dive on UGC for SaaS shows how it actually gets briefed and shot.

For brands: if you sell a service, don't assume UGC isn't for you. A screen recording of someone using your app with honest commentary is more persuasive than any product tour you'd build in-house. It usually costs less, too: 85% of e-commerce marketers in a 2023 Nosto survey said visual UGC keeps costs down compared with professional photography or influencer content.³

One more interactive note: participatory UGC, the hashtag challenges and branded prompts that invite customers to post their own entries, is a brand-run awareness play rather than a creator deliverable. Our roundup of UGC examples shows what those campaigns look like when they land.

How to choose the right format

The master table up top maps every format to its platform, funnel stage, and demand. Two cross-cuts it can't show are worth spelling out: how formats line up by product category, and where the openings sit for creators.

By product category

Certain formats simply fit certain products:

• Beauty and skincare: GRWM, tutorials, before-and-after, routine videos
• Tech and electronics: unboxing, product demos, comparison videos
• Food and beverage: recipe tutorials, taste-test reactions, day-in-the-life. The food and beverage UGC playbook breaks down lighting, plating, and the sub-niches that pay creators twice through repeat orders
• Fashion: try-on hauls, GRWM, lifestyle photos
• Services and apps: screen recordings, walkthroughs, testimonials
• Pet products: reaction videos, product-in-action clips, lifestyle photos

If you're stuck, ask three questions: What stage is my customer in? Which platform am I targeting? What does my product look like when someone actually uses it? Where the answers overlap is your format.

Where the opportunity is (a creator's read)

Demand and competition aren't evenly spread, and the gap between them is where a creator builds a profitable specialty. This is a market read rather than a sourced ranking, but the reasoning behind each call is observable:

• Service and SaaS UGC, underserved. Demand is climbing while almost no creator portfolios feature a clean screen-recording walkthrough. Easiest open lane on the board.
• Before-and-after, underserved relative to demand. Brands love the conversion, but the multi-week documentation scares most creators off, so the ones who deliver charge a premium.
• Live shopping, underserved and high-skill. Few creators can sell live and unscripted, which makes the ones who can hard to replace.
• Talking-head testimonials, crowded. The easiest format to attempt, so everyone does, and viewer fatigue is setting in. Still worth offering, but differentiate with story over script.
• Product and lifestyle photo, saturated but always-on. The lowest barrier means the most competition, yet the sheer volume brands burn through keeps it a reliable on-ramp for newcomers.

The pattern holds across the board: the formats that take patience or genuine skill are where the rates and the repeat orders live. The way up is rarely to do more formats, it's to climb from the easy, crowded end toward the harder ones fewer creators will touch.

Getting started

For creators

Pick two or three formats that match your niche and your actual life. Don't try to do everything. Brands hire format specialists, not generalists, and a creator who makes excellent tutorials is more hireable than one who makes mediocre everything.

Build portfolio samples in your chosen formats, even with products you already own. Three strong pieces in one format beats ten weak pieces across five. Our portfolio guide walks through what to include and how to present it, and if you're brand new, start with the complete guide to becoming a UGC creator. For where to find paid work, our guide to UGC creator jobs maps the options, and our cold pitching vs marketplace comparison covers the trade-offs between chasing brands and getting discovered.

For brands

Start with the format that matches your most immediate goal. Need content for e-commerce product pages? That's product photography, visual reviews, and Q&A. Scaling paid social? That's short-form video: unboxings, demos, GRWM. Launching something new? Lead with demos and testimonials.

Then write briefs that specify the format, not just "make us some content." The more specific the brief, the better the content you get back, and testing two or three formats before going all in tells you what works for your product (what converts for one brand won't always convert for the next). For scaling, see how DTC brands build a content engine, and if you're weighing where to source creators, our comparison of the best UGC platforms covers pricing, features, and honest pros and cons.

Frequently asked questions

What are the main types of UGC content? UGC content falls into four families: photo (product shots, lifestyle, flat-lays, before-and-after), video (unboxings, demos, tutorials, testimonials, GRWM, hauls), written and review content (ratings, visual reviews, Q&A, social mentions), and emerging interactive formats (reaction and POV, live shopping, and content for services and apps). Within each, the specific format you pick matters more than the category, because it decides where the content performs and what it costs.

What's the difference between a UGC format and a UGC creator type? A format is the deliverable: a photo, a video, a written review. A creator type is who produces it: a solo creator, a family or group, or a pet profile. The same format (say, an unboxing) can be made by any creator type, so brands usually choose the format first, then pick the kind of creator who fits the brand.

Is AI-generated content a type of UGC? No. The defining trait of UGC is that a person made it, featuring products and services in authentic settings. A fully synthetic AI avatar reading a script isn't user-generated content, even when it's dressed up to look like it. The market still treats the human version as the trustworthy one: when Nosto asked e-commerce marketers in 2023 what generates the most customer trust, authentic visual UGC came out on top at 33%, more than double the 16% who picked AI-generated visuals.³ Using AI as an editing tool on footage a person actually shot is a different thing and perfectly normal. For the full breakdown, see UGC vs AI-generated content.

Isn't "the 4 types of content" written, visual, audio, and video? That's the broad marketing split, and it covers all content, not UGC specifically. It's easy to land on while researching UGC, but it's a different framework. Inside UGC, the four working categories are the photo, video, written, and emerging buckets above.

Is UGC content paid? It can be either. Organic UGC is content a customer posts on their own, unpaid, like a happy buyer's review or story. Commissioned UGC is what a brand hires a creator to produce: the creator is paid per deliverable, often with extra for scripting, editing, or ad usage rights. Marketplace UGC is the commissioned kind, where creators set their rates and get paid for the content itself, separate from any influencer-style payment for audience reach.

Which type of UGC content performs best? There's no single winner; the best format is the one matched to your goal, platform, and product. That said, on a product page the on-page review formats do the heaviest lifting (Q&A and visual reviews drive some of the biggest conversion jumps), while short-form video earns the most reach in social feeds. Order to the job, not to a leaderboard.

Pick your formats

UGC isn't one thing. It's a toolkit of formats, each built for a different job. The brands that get the best results order specific formats for specific goals on specific platforms; the creators who earn the most get good at the formats that match their life and their niche. The formats will keep evolving, but the through-line won't: content made by people, featuring products and services in authentic settings, keeps outperforming content that tries to fake it.

So figure out which formats fit your goals, then go make them. If you sell on Shopify, our guide to UGC for Shopify stores covers where each format belongs on your product pages. For more creator tips, brand guides, and industry insights, explore the blog.

Footnotes

1. EnTribe, Consumer UGC Survey (2023), survey of 1,000+ US consumers. Findings. ↩ ↩²

2. PowerReviews, How User-Generated Content Impacts Conversion (2023 edition), analysis of 1.5 million product pages across 1,200+ sites. Report. ↩ ↩²

3. Nosto / Censuswide survey of 202 e-commerce marketers (2023). Findings. ↩ ↩²