UGC vs Influencer: Where is the real impact?

Updated: March 1, 2026.

In the world of digital marketing, the terms UGC and Influencer Marketing are often mixed up. And many professionals still don’t understand their differences and advantages. But although both involve content created by people outside your brand, they are not the same.

Not even close.

And if you’re looking for real results, not just numbers (some guru will tell you that reach is the KPI and be perfectly happy with that), it’s important to understand the difference.

Influencer marketing is based on paying people (influencers or content creators with large audiences) to talk about your brand. Its strength lies in visibility: a single post or story can reach thousands of people.

But here are the drawbacks:

• High costs: many influencers charge substantial amounts for a post, with no guarantee of return. From €1,000 to more than €30,000 for a single post.
• Limited authenticity: users are increasingly saturated with paid collaborations. Trust is diluted. Not to mention that they advertise several brands every day. It gets tiring. Their followers are no longer so easily influenced amid so much ad saturation.
• Inflated engagement: purchased followers, bots and doctored statistics are a common reality.
• You don’t own the content: you can’t reuse that content without paying more.
• Extra costs: costs for influencer platforms, fees for UGC agencies (¡create UGC videos for your agency!), timing issues, egos and these profiles’ abuse of influence.

And on top of that, you have to add: agency fees (normally +20%), management, usage rights clauses, timing, etc.

UGC, or user-generated content, is created by people who use your product in real life. They don’t have to be famous. What matters is that they look like real customers… and that sells, ladies and gentlemen.

1. For your brand: it’s the best option. Request content for your own use, for organic, paid, and web.
2. On UGC creators’ social profiles: you can ask UGC creators to upload the content to their channels, but the reality is that you’ll need dozens or hundreds of UGC creators to see an impact.
3. Combine both: if you can combine both, it’s a good option. You can do this on HICARI, since you provide the instructions yourself in the brief.

• Authenticity: the content is perceived as more natural and trustworthy.
• Conversion: users trust other users’ opinions more than direct advertising.
• Versatility: you can use that content on your website, ads, social media, email marketing, etc.
• Cost efficiency: you can get more content for less investment.
• Ownership: if you do it through platforms like HICARI, the content is yours and you can reuse it freely.

It’s not about choosing one or the other. It’s about strategy.

• If you want quick reach and brand visibility, influencer marketing can help… but be prepared to invest.
• If you’re looking for authentic, scalable content that you can repurpose to sell, UGC is your best ally.

HICARI tip: many brands are starting to use influencers as UGC creators. In other words, they don’t pay them for their reach, but for producing quality content that they can then use in their campaigns. This way, they get the best of both worlds.

Our UGC platform features all kinds of creators—sign up now!

Using both strategies is not only possible, but can also be one of the most profitable decisions for your brand. Here are some realistic and actionable ideas:

Example: a cosmetics brand hires 2 influencers to launch a new product and, at the same time, launches a UGC challenge among its customers: “Upload your routine with the hashtag #GlowReal and win a year’s supply of free product”. To do this, it commissions 10 UGC videos through HICARI and asks the creators to upload them to their social media, which the brand then reposts.

→ Result:

• The influencers generate visibility.
• Customers create credible content.
• Social media users join the challenge and upload free content.
• The brand obtains more than 100 reusable pieces of content.

Learn here—you can listen to our episode on UGC campaigns vs. influencer campaigns.

Hit play!

Example: a nutrition brand pays a fitness influencer not for their post, but to record 3 videos explaining how they use the products. The content is then used in TikTok Ads and Meta Ads under the brand’s profile. In other words, it is used as UGC Ads.

→ Result:

• Lower cost than a full campaign.
• Higher advertising performance with “native” content.

Important note: with HICARI, you don’t have to worry about negotiating rights and usage permissions. All content creators deliver to brands comes with full usage rights on the brand’s owned channels and paid media. You simply have to choose the creator you like best!

Example: a fashion retailer creates videos for its social media and website by purchasing UGC content all year round, with around 5–10 pieces per month. At the same time, it activates collaborations with influencers at specific moments to amplify its visibility.

→ Result:

• A constant flow of valuable content at a low cost.
• Visibility at key moments.

But that’s not all—what if we compare the UGC content sent to brands for them to post on their profiles VS UGC content posted by the UGC creators themselves:

Important: on HICARI, you can also request UGC videos on creators’ profiles. Keep in mind that they are not influencers, and their Instagram and TikTok profiles usually range from 500 to 3,000 followers.

Want to try UGC content for your brand and forget about endless briefs?

Go to hicari.io and start receiving real videos, authentic and ready to sell. At your own pace. On your terms. And without the posing.