A video shot on a smartphone, slightly shaky, in which a customer tells her experience: it looks real, and it convinces. An ad shot with a large crew, flawless: it’s beautiful, and we know it was prepared. So, do you have to pick a side? No. But you need to know what each brings.
UGC: what are we talking about?
UGC stands for user generated content. Behind this term actually hide two very different situations:
- Spontaneous content: a customer posts a photo or video of your product, without you having asked for anything.
- Content commissioned from a creator: you brief a person, often paid or compensated in products, who shoots a video in a natural style, to camera, with their phone.
In both cases, the style is deliberately close to what people already see in their feed: vertical, direct, spoken, with no visible staging.
The comparison
| Criterion | UGC content | Studio content |
|---|---|---|
| Impression | Close, spontaneous, credible | Polished, flattering, controlled |
| Image and sound quality | Variable, depending on equipment and person | Consistent, controlled lighting and sound |
| Brand consistency | Hard to guarantee | Thought through end to end |
| Production speed | Fast for a single video | More preparation, but several pieces of content at once |
| Message control | Limited | Total |
| Usage rights | To negotiate with each creator | Included from the quote |
| Ideal use | Social proof, reviews, reactions, product tests | Brand film, advertising, website, presentation, packshot |
The strengths and limits of UGC
Its strengths. UGC is reassuring because it looks like a friend’s recommendation. It’s produced quickly, it’s easy to adapt, and it gives your brand a human face.
Its limits. You depend on the lighting, the sound and the ease of each person. A series of different creators gives a brand with many faces. And above all, using someone else’s content means dealing with rights.
Usage rights: the point not to rush
Reposting a customer’s or creator’s video on your account, your website or in an ad is not automatic. Several rights come into play.
- Copyright. The creator remains the author of their video. To use it, you need an assignment of rights from them. Under French law, this assignment must be specific: it defines the scope, purpose, place and duration of the use (article L131-3 of the French Intellectual Property Code).
- Image rights. Anyone recognizable in the video must in principle have given written consent, specifying the medium, the use and the duration.
- The framework for commercial collaborations. Since the French law of June 9, 2023, a written contract is required for commercial influencer collaborations, with mandatory clauses, including the terms of the assignment of rights. The content must also be clearly flagged as advertising when it is.
Tip Specify from the start where the content will be used: social media, website, paid advertising, trade shows. And for how long. Paid advertising is a separate use, to be set out in black and white.
The best answer: shoot professionally, with a native style
Here is the compromise that works: keep the control of a studio, with the look of natural content. In practice:
- We shoot vertically, with a slightly moving frame, as if handheld.
- We work with soft light that looks natural but flatters the face.
- We take care of the sound, because a clear voice is the best guarantee of credibility.
- We write simple lines, spoken in the words of your teams or your customers.
- We add subtitles and an editing rhythm native to social media.
The result: content that slips into the feed without looking like an ad, with a consistent image and clear rights. You can then complement it with real customer reviews, reused with their consent.
This article gives general guidance and does not replace legal advice.
Going further
- Service-public.fr: image rights and respect for privacy
- Economie.gouv.fr: the June 9, 2023 law on commercial influence
At that dog, we produce native-style brand content: vertical, lively, close to the field, but shot with professional equipment and delivered with clear usage rights. It can all fit into a year-round partnership, so you can publish regularly without starting from scratch.
A natural style, professional quality
Tell us what you want to show: we design content that looks like your social feeds, with the control of a professional shoot.