Traditional video production, while valuable, is no longer enough on its own. Studio shoots are expensive, time-consuming, and often disconnected from the real voices of customers. In contrast, user-generated content (UGC) has emerged as a powerful solution that adds authenticity, increases engagement, and reduces production costs.
Integrating UGC into your workflow doesn’t mean replacing your creative team or compromising your brand quality. It means combining real customer voices with polished storytelling to create content that performs and connects.
With platforms like BrandLens, marketing teams can collect structured, brand-safe UGC at scale and seamlessly incorporate it into their video content strategy. From social media and product detail pages to internal communications and live events, UGC video production workflow is now an essential part of content operations.
Why UGC Belongs in Your Video Production Workflow
Consumers today are highly attuned to authenticity. They prefer hearing from real people over scripted actors. That’s why UGC video integration has become one of the most effective ways to increase relatability and drive conversions.
The Benefits of UGC Integration:
- Authenticity: Real voices resonate more than brand slogans.
- Trust: Peer recommendations feel more credible than ads.
- Efficiency: UGC reduces the need for expensive shoots and lengthy production timelines.
- Scalability: Collect content from dozens or even hundreds of contributors without a full crew.
- Versatility: UGC can be used across channels—social, web, paid, internal, and more.
In fact, UGC-based content often outperforms traditional content on social platforms by up to 2x in engagement, according to internal benchmarks.
One standout example is the Hershey’s personalized gifting campaign. In Southeast Asia, Hershey’s allowed buyers to attach personalized video messages to Kisses gift boxes. The result? A heartfelt gifting experience that boosted emotional connection and set a new standard for video storytelling in the consumer packaged goods space. You can have a look at how BrandLens works and get started on your journey!
For more on how this compares to traditional strategies, see benefits of crowdsourcing for your content strategy.
Step-by-Step: How to Integrate UGC into Your Workflow
UGC-based video production is amazing. Let’s go over some key points on how to integrate UGC into video production effectively:
- Define Where UGC Fits in Your Campaign
Before you start collecting content, define its role. Are you aiming to capture:
- Customer testimonials?
- Unboxing or product demos?
- Live event reactions?
- Employee culture moments?
- Fan-generated content for social media?
Think in terms of distribution, too. UGC is ideal for:
- Organic and paid social
- Product detail pages
- Email marketing
- Internal communications
- Event sizzle reels
- TikTok, Reels, or Shorts
When planning your campaign, treat UGC content integration as a core asset, not an afterthought.
- Launch a Branded UGC Collection Campaign
The key to effective UGC is a structured collection. That’s where BrandLens comes in. It allows you to:
- Share branded, app-free links or QR codes with participants
- Customize the capture experience with overlays, filters, voice guides, and timed prompts
- Ensure consistency across hundreds of submissions
Learn more about how to set up your first campaign in things to know before managing your first UGC project, or explore strategies for budget-friendly branded content.
- Automate Organization and Moderation
One of the major challenges with UGC is managing the incoming volume. Without the right tools, teams can easily become overwhelmed with assets spread across cloud drives, emails, and phones.
BrandLens solves this by:
- Using AI to automatically tag and organize content
- Managing video rights at the moment of capture
- Moderating inappropriate or off-brand submissions before they hit your library
This centralized content hub makes your UGC workflow integration smooth and stress-free, so your team can focus on storytelling, not file management.
- Combine UGC with Studio Content
UGC doesn’t have to stand on its own. In fact, one of the most powerful approaches is to blend UGC with professional video. By combining authentic clips with polished visuals, transitions, and brand music, you can create hybrid content that feels both real and refined.
Common use cases:
- Montage-style ads with UGC testimonials
- Event recaps with audience reactions
- Employee onboarding videos featuring team introductions
- How-to content combining real user experiences with explainer animations
Where UGC-Integrated Workflows Deliver the Most Value
What are the situations where you will benefit from combining UGC with professional video the most?
Event Recaps and Campaign Sizzles
Nothing captures energy like footage from the people who were there. With BrandLens, attendees can record and submit videos during the event itself, adding emotional weight to your recaps.
Explore how this works in practice in our guide to event activations with interactive videos.
Interactive Brand Experiences
UGC is the perfect complement to interactive campaigns. Whether you’re launching a “Finish the Story” challenge or a duet-based brand experience, UGC turns viewers into participants.
This approach is detailed in how to use interactive video to power experiential marketing campaigns, where we explain how to merge structured storytelling with spontaneous contributions for maximum engagement.
Product and Testimonial Series
Consumers trust other consumers—and employees—more than brand copy. Whether you’re highlighting product benefits or showing the people behind the brand, UGC adds credibility and relatability.
For instance, you can collect employee testimonials, customer product reviews, or real-life use cases. Learn more on our employee engagement and retail & eCommerce solution pages.
How to Maintain Brand Consistency While Using UGC
To ensure your videos meet brand standards, follow these best practices:
- Set clear creative briefs: Define tone, length, and visual style. Share reference clips.
- Use on-screen instructions: Guided prompts help contributors stay on message.
- Add branding in post: Watermarks, animated logos, and title cards ensure a cohesive look.
- Use platform controls: BrandLens includes built-in rights management, usage permissions, and moderation tools.
Real Stories, Real Results
User-generated content doesn’t replace your video production, but it enhances it. It makes your stories more believable, your brand more human, and your content more shareable.
By integrating UGC into your workflow, you unlock:
- Scalable production capabilities
- Increased ROI on every campaign
- Richer, more diverse perspectives
- A closer relationship with your community
With BrandLens, you can collect, curate, and activate UGC at scale without apps, friction, or loss of control.
Ready to bring real voices into your content strategy? Request a Demo and see how BrandLens simplifies UGC video creation from start to finish.
