20 Best UGC Platforms for Creators + Expert Recommendations

In a world where 92% of consumers trust recommendations from other people more than any other source, user-generated content has become an essential part of any marketing strategy, and creating such content has become a desirable career choice.

That said, generating and monetizing such content across social media is not always easy, as creators have to find the best business pairing for them.

Thankfully, we have a list of the 10 best UGC creator platforms where brands and creators can collaborate to reach their goals faster!

What is a UGC creator platform?

UGC creator platforms focus on helping UGC creators sell their content directly to fans or work with brands on promotional campaigns. Typically, these platforms offer a marketplace environment where creators can monetize their digital content or a place where they can get in touch with brands looking for specific type of content for their marketing campaigns.

For instance, platforms like AspireIQ and Upfluence facilitate connections between brands and creators for campaign production, product placements, and influencer promotions, providing tools to manage them, track performance, and handle communications.

This enables creators to leverage their influence and creativity to engage with brands and monetize their social media presence effectively.

Note: Unlike UGC platforms for brands to collect, curate, and display authentic content creators online, UGC creator platforms are designed to help users profit from their work.

FYI: You can embed user-generated content on your website automatically. Sign up now.

10 best user-generated content platforms for creators

We’ve collected the 10 best platforms where your user-generated content plays a crucial role in finding the right brand to work with based on several factors:

	Unique Benefit	Primary Features	Content Focus	Support & Resources
Captiv8	Best for creator analytics	Advanced analytics, audience insights, campaign performance tracking	Video, Images	Extensive analytics resources, customer support
Showcase by inBeat	Access to great brands	Access to high-quality brands, campaign management	Video, Images	Brand connection resources, support
Ubiquitous	Dedicated campaign manager	Dedicated campaign manager, campaign planning and execution	Video, Images	Dedicated campaign support, guidance
Upfluence	Best for influencer search	Influencer search, analytics, relationship management	Video, Images, Blogs	Search support, relationship management tools
NeoReach	Best Discord community	Influencer marketing platform, Discord community	Video, Images, Blogs	Active Discord community, support forums
Cohley	Great for free products	Product collaborations, content creation tools	Video, Images	Product collaboration support, content creation resources
Creator.co	Access to exclusive influencer events	Access to exclusive events, campaign management	Video, Images, Blogs	Event access, campaign management support
Aspire.io	Best for paid campaigns	Campaign management, analytics, relationship building	Video, Images	Campaign support, relationship management resources
Afluencer	Stand out with influencer spotlights	Influencer spotlights, campaign management, analytics	Video, Images, Blogs	Spotlight features, campaign management support
Brands Meet Creators	Completely free to use	Campaign management, brand connections, analytics	Video, Images	Free access, brand connection support

1. Captiv8 – Best for creator analytics

What it does:

Captiv8 is an end-to-end influencer marketing software that helps businesses scale, streamline, and data-inform their influencer marketing operations.

That said, while this platform is most suitable for enterprise businesses, creators get all the tools they need to analyze and monetize their influence as well.

Features:

When it comes to creators, Captiv8 allows you to manage, measure, and monetize your content, track their payments, and analyze your performance.

On top of all this, Captiv8 offers:

• A centralized platform to help you manage your user-generated content creation
• The ability to track the status of upcoming payments and revenue generated
• Insight into performance analysis across campaigns and audience reactions
• Control usage of your social profiles and content, and the option to easily manage advertiser access to ensure permissions are up to date
• Track campaign communication, maintain your post schedule, manage existing partnerships, and review new pending opportunities
• Audience insights and content optimization
• Measure organic content, and content performance across all of your social channels

Example:

Using Captiv8, Dr Pepper collaborated with 10 influencers across four social media platforms, reaching more than 20 million people with 271K total engagements.

Here’s a social media post that was part of the campaign:

2. Showcase by inBeat – Access to great brands

What it does:

Showcase is a platform created by inBeat for brands looking for creators and creative professionals looking to collaborate with top brands and get paid.

With almost 600 reviews on G2 and a rating of 4.9/5, inBeat makes a name for itself as the user-generated content platform of choice for all serious creators since they get access to a slew of great brands, including Bumble, Linktree, and YouTube.

Features:

Once you join Showcase, you can start creating content and seek out brands to work with. You don’t even have to post your content. Plus, you get to:

• Set your own marketplace prices
• Choose only those brands you want to work with
• Access superb customer support at all times
• Enjoy enhanced efficiency with a user-friendly interface.

Example:

Bumble relied on inBeat to produce an out-of-the-box marketing campaign with UGC content, in which creators documented their dates and showcased them on socials.

American Dairy also used inBeat to create relatable TikTok content to promote their #Gotmilk challenge among the Gen Z demographic and increase brand awareness.

Even Jason Derulo participated in this challenge:

3. Ubiquitous – With a dedicated campaign manager

What it does:

Presenting itself as the premiere creator network, Ubiquitous promises creators to get them the best brand deals on the market.

While the platform does not limit the platforms that creators use, they still say they work with creators who have more than 50,000 followers on social media.

Right now, they are handling over 13,000 creators with a combined following of 27 billion and around 47,500 unique pieces of content. Plus, Disney, Netflix, Amazon, and Adobe are just a few of the big brands that you can access via Ubiquitous.

Features:

To help you get everything that’s important to you, including money, transparency, control over your creations, and accessibility to brands, Ubiquitous offers all of this:

• Marketing expertise for deal negotiation with brands
• An entire team to help you execute campaigns and marketing strategies
• An average creator payout time of around 15 to 30 days
• Non-exclusivity deal that allows you to work with other agencies
• 24/7 direct support from a campaign manager

Example:

Using Ubiquitous, Casetify recruited 84 new influencers, created 168 videos, and gained 9,5 million impressions over the course of five months.

To achieve all that, Ubiquitous reached out to nearly 1000 influencers, and their audience, engagement rates, comments, and posting consistency were thoroughly analyzed.

The campaigns included a combination of various content types:

• “What I Ordered Versus What I Got”
• Drop Test Videos 
• Fall Photo Dump
• Unboxing Videos 

Casetify’s best-performing influencers were women and couples in the lifestyle, beauty, and fashion categories. Here’s some of the content they created:

• Unboxing video from Valheria Rocha
• Drop test video by Scarlett and Tiania
• “What I ordered versus what I got” video by Luana555

4. Upfluence – Best for influencer search

What it does:

Upfluence is an all-in-one affiliate and influencer marketing platform that provides brands with the tools they need to streamline their influencer campaigns and drive more sales.

Features:

When it comes to working with creators, they offer an online community with more than 7 million creators working for brands such as Kodak, Amazon, ASICS, and FARFETCH.

Here are all the other features they are offering creators:

• Get paid between $10 to $1,000 each time you refer Upfluence to brands
• Become an Upfluence partner via the Upfluence Creator Partner Program
• Collaborate with leading brands in various industries and create user-generated content
• Access a dashboard to track communication and campaigns

Example:

Using Upfluence and influencer collaboration, FARFETCH closed more than $15,4 million and acquired more than 16,000 new customers.

In collaboration with 1,200 creators, and spread over 11 markets, this Instagram campaign lasted 12 months and was a game-changer for acquiring new customers.

Here are a couple of content examples created by influencers and creators:

• Video content by fashion influencer @valentinaferrer
• Video content by Instagram creator @naraaziza

5. NeoReach – Has the best Discord community

What it does:

NeoReach is an influencer marketing solution suitable for large brands and agencies that need to scale their marketing efforts with original UGC marketing content.

On top of this, creators get to connect with brands they love and implement a social media strategy for projects they are passionate about.

Features:

Once you join NeoReach for free, you can personalize your experience on the platform and access all kinds of benefits, including the following:

• Get paid across all popular social media platforms and for all kinds of content
• Find the freshest opportunities in a unique creator-first Discord server
• Fast payments executed via PayPal or bank wire
• No exclusive contracts need to be signed
• A Discord community exclusive to creators with more than 2.000 members
• Access to exclusive brand deals and events and the opportunity to work with Fortune 500 brands, big agencies, media/music labels, and fast-growing startups
• Latest creator economy insights delivered to your inbox

Example:

Using NeoReach, SearchKibble used seven macro-influencers to create a content marketing strategy that generated 954,000 impressions, 116,000 engagements, and 2.3x ROI.

In addition, here’s part of the creator cast and some of the content they created:

• Video content by @mocachodien
• Video content by @moonpie.starbox

6. Cohley – Great for free products

What it does:

Cohley is a creator platform designed to be the connective tissue between brands and consumers. Plus, it is a certified Meta and TikTok marketing partner that offers brands various paid and organic user-generated photos, videos, and reviews on social media channels.

Features:

Becoming a Cohley Creator is free but you still have to go through an application process. But, once you are done you can start applying to campaigns and access:

• Hundreds of different brands in all kinds of industries, from beauty and fashion to food and beverage
• Paid social collaborations, review campaigns, photography campaigns, etc.
• Fast payments and free products within 30 days of completing the contract
• Great prices starting at $200 per video and $40 per photo

Example:

Collaborating with Cohley’s vast network of content creators, Philz Coffee generated more than 3.4 million Instagram impressions and 700 visual assets.

Here are some of the user-generated content examples by various creators:

• Video content by creator @raasibomma
• Photo by creator @samarreads on Instagram

• Video content by creator @majlrae on Instagram

7. Creator.co – Access exclusive influencer events

What it does:

Creator.co is where creators collaborate with great brands, grow their following, and earn money from their unique voice and original content.

Features:

Creator.co is a platform that is free for creators and influencers and offers heaps of features to its community of over 175,000 happy members:

• A vast community of like-minded creators and industry experts
• Hundreds of influencer campaigns and affiliate programs
• Exclusive influencer events and discounts on leading creator economy platforms
• The option to earn influence tokens that you can redeem for more cool stuff
• Collaboration Hub, where you can try out new products and build connections

Example:

Using Creator, Scentuals collaborated with 100+ creators and achieved a 70%+ sales increase across all Superstores in Canada.

Here are some user-generated content (UGC) examples they produced:

• Video content by the creator @sneaksandlipstick
• Video content by the creator @rachomama

8. Aspire.io – Best for paid campaigns

What it does:

Aspire.io is an influencer marketing software platform specifically designed for e-commerce brands. Plus, it’s a certified Meta, TikTok, Pinterest, Shopify, and WooCommerce partner collaborating with over 800 top brands and helping them spread their digital word-of-mouth.

Features:

In addition to catering to creators from all backgrounds to give them the tools they need to find top brand partners and earn money, Aspire features the following:

• Creators do not pay any commissions
• Aspire is creator-centered where your expertise and authority are valued
• Choose from and collaborate with 800+ leading brands
• Streamlined communication within their platform
• Creator portal feature to help you easily monitor the status of campaigns and social media posts, access affiliate links, and stay up to date with deadlines
• A dedicated support team for creators
• Creator Academy with free on-demand courses with hundreds of lessons
• You need to have at least 1,000 followers to join
• New campaigns are easily discoverable

Example:

Using Aspire and influencer campaigns L.L. Bean drove a 675% increase in ROI, a 156% increase in collaborations, and saved more than 80 hours weekly.

On Pinterest, we can see examples from a campaign called “#BeanOutsider” which is a collection of UGC of L.L.Bean’s customers being one with nature.

Here’s one example of that campaign on Pinterest:

9. Afluencer – Stand out with influencer spotlights

What it does:

Afluencer is another great platform where influencers can find the perfect brand collaboration for their niche as they can search by interests, requirements, channels, and more.

Features:

Without even logging in, you can find collaboration opportunities with all the details needed, such as channels, minimum followers, age group, pay-per-post, and interests.

Other than this, Afluencer offers:

• A special influencer spotlight section on the platform
• Invitations to collaborate with brands
• Direct method to communicate with brands
• The ability to work with more than 6k brands

Example:

Using Afluencer, Vela recruited more than 100 fitness influencers to raise brand awareness. Here’s one such example of this user-generated content marketing campaign:

10. Brands Meet Creators – Completely free to use

What it does:

Brand Meets Creators helps brands and creators establish custom partnerships without a middleman, which makes it one of the few platforms designed for long-term collaborations.

Features:

To facilitate a straightforward process of building these partnerships between creators and brands, BC comes with some very useful features:

• Free to use for both creators and brands without any commissions
• Creators can set their own rates
• Users control their usage rights and partnership terms
• Focused on building long-term partnerships
• Direct communication between brands and creators

10 UGC creator platforms recommended by experts

We’ve gathered insights from founders and marketing experts who have shared their experiences with various platforms, from leveraging Twitter’s real-time engagement to analytics for brand partnership pitches on YouTube.

Here are the top nine UGC platforms these professionals recommend for creators aiming to monetize their influence:

1. EmbedSocial: Collect all your social media portfolio and show on your website
2. Twitter: Leverage for real-time engagement
3. Skeepers: Authentic UGC collaboration
4. LinkedIn: Lucrative B2B influencer deals
5. TikTok: Viral content for brand deals
6. Collabstr: Intuitive creator-brand matching
7. Instagram: Diverse UGC and Brand Partnerships
8. Stackla: Advanced Social Content Curation
9. Twitch: Monetize gaming with brand deals
10. YouTube: Analytics for brand partnership pitches

EmbedSocial: Collect all your social media portfolio and show on your website

I’ve worked with a few social media mash-up softwares over the years, and EmbedSocial is the best one that I have worked with. The price is affordable, the embedded script loads quickly, it was easy to implement and integrate, the user interface keeps it fun for website visitors, and the client support is quick and friendly. I would 100% recommended this service to others!

Gary Sipe Executive Director of Digital Operations

EmbedSocial is the perfect social media aggregator. It works with the biggest social media platforms and helps you collect all your content in one place within a few minutes.

By collecting all your up-to-date posts from social media, you will be able to curate and create a social media wall on your website with a portfolio of your work on multiple platforms, including Instagram stories and Reels.

You can also include the content that you created for the brands published on their own social media accounts and create one hub with all the work you’ve done so far.

EmbedSocial works with YouTube, Facebook, Vimeo, Google, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, and X.

Twitter: Leverage for real-time engagement

In my work with Sevnflow and SevnChiro Digital, where we specialize in comprehensive digital marketing strategies for a multitude of businesses, including the chiropractic industry, I’ve observed the power of leveraging various social media platforms to extend brand reach and secure paid brand deals. However, one UGC platform that has consistently shown remarkable results is Twitter. Given our focus on lead generation and social media marketing, Twitter’s environment presents a unique opportunity for creators to engage directly with brands and their audiences in real-time.

Through our campaigns, we’ve harnessed Twitter’s hashtag trends and Twitter chats to maximize visibility and foster meaningful conversations around our clients’ brands. A specific example that underscores the efficacy of Twitter in landing paid brand deals involved a campaign where we leveraged targeted hashtags related to chiropractic care. By doing so, we positioned our client in the midst of relevant conversations, leading to increased engagement from both potential patients and brands interested in collaboration. This strategy not only amplified our client’s message but also opened doors to several paid partnerships with health and wellness brands looking for authentic voices in the chiropractic space.

The key takeaway from our experiences is the importance of engaging content and strategic participation in community discussions within your niche on Twitter. Using insights gathered from analytics, crafting tweets that resonate with your audience, and jumping on real-time events are strategies that have proven effective. Engagement and relevance are your best tools when aiming to attract paid brand deals. Twitter’s dynamic platform offers the flexibility to be creative and direct in your marketing efforts, making it an invaluable asset for creators looking to establish and monetize their brand presence.

Mark Pavlovets, Founder, Sevnflow

Skeepers: Authentic UGC collaboration

In my 15 years in the e-commerce marketing and growth strategy sector, I’ve seen a plethora of UGC platforms. However, one that stands out is “Skeepers”. My team and I have found it to be an extremely powerful tool for creators seeking paid brand deals.

It is an excellent choice for creators seeking to land brand deals. Its robust UGC capabilities and commitment to authenticity make it a powerful tool in the marketing landscape.

Skeepers provides a comprehensive framework for user-generated content (UGC), making it easier for brands and creators to connect and collaborate. It simplifies the process of curating, managing, and leveraging UGC to drive brand growth and engagement. We’ve used Skeepers for several of our clients, and it’s been instrumental in successfully landing them paid brand deals.

What I personally appreciate about Skeepers is its emphasis on authenticity. It encourages real user reviews and testimonials, which resonate more effectively with audiences, leading to increased trust and brand loyalty. The platform is also user-friendly and intuitive, a feature that our clients have consistently appreciated.

Yuvraj Pratap, Founder and CEO, Supplement Launchpad

LinkedIn: Lucrative B2B influencer deals

LinkedIn is a greatly underrated UGC platform. Influencers who build an audience focused on a specific industry niche can land lucrative deals from software providers and other vendors who want to get the word out to prospective customers.

Corey Schwitz, CEO and Founder, Skydog Ops

TikTok: Viral content for brand deals

I would recommend focusing your efforts on TikTok for landing paid brand deals as a creator. TikTok has exploded in popularity in recent years, and brands are flocking to the platform to leverage the engaged user base and trend-driven content. 

From first-hand experience managing influencer campaigns, TikTok creators have been highly sought after by brands in all industries—from CPG to financial services and beyond. The bite-sized, entertaining video format lends itself well to integrated brand collaborations. And TikTok’s powerful algorithm can help quality creators gain huge followings fast if they understand how to leverage trends and hook viewers in. 

For one campaign I managed, we partnered with a fitness creator to promote an energy drink. She seamlessly integrated the product into several dance challenge videos. The campaign delivered a 5X return on ad spend and a 20% lift in product sales. TikTok’s audience feels authentic, and creators who can weave brands into that type of content in a natural way tend to see amazing engagement and sales results.

Focus on upping your TikTok game and leaning into current trends and viral challenges. Once you build an engaged following in the millions, the brand deals will come rolling in. TikTok is the platform to be on right now if you want to get paid as a creator.

Noel Griffith, CMO, SupplyGem

Collabstr: Intuitive creator-brand matching

From what I’ve seen, Collabstr is a game-changer for creators aiming to secure paid brand partnerships. It operates intuitively, much like a dating app for connecting brands with UGC creators, giving you control over the collaborations you pursue.

The platform’s effectiveness largely depends on your audience’s insight, niche mastery, and content quality. Although there’s a commission fee, the exposure to potential brand partners is well worth it.

Be prepared for some negotiation, but if you’re keen to elevate your visibility, Collabstr is a solid choice.

Marco Genaro Palma, Chief Marketing Officer, PRLab

Instagram: Diverse UGC and Brand Partnerships

As a creator, I’ve found Instagram to be an effective platform for building my personal brand and securing lucrative collaborations because of its extensive reach and easy-to-use features.

Gareth Boyd, Advisor, Earthweb

Instagram is a powerhouse for UGC (User-Generated Content) creators to land paid brand deals. With its diverse user base and various formats like posts, stories, reels, and IGTV, creators have ample opportunities to showcase their content and engage with their audience. Instagram’s influencer marketing ecosystem is well-established, with brands actively seeking partnerships with creators who align with their values and target audience. 

Stackla: Advanced Social Content Curation

I recommend Stackla for curating and collecting social content. It’s a very good and robust user-generated content platform. From my extensive experience using it, Stackla excels at gathering data from virtually any social media platform and applies advanced features like visual recognition and geotagging.

Patrick Beltran, Marketing Director, Ardoz Digital

Moreover, Stackla incorporates an AI system that analyzes patterns using machine learning to provide predictive recommendations to its users. What really underscores its value is its enduring relationships with clients, which highlight its effectiveness and reliability in the market. This makes Stackla a highly commendable platform for creators looking to secure paid brand deals.

Twitch: Monetize gaming with brand deals

Twitch is an ideal UGC platform for creators in the gaming, esports, and live-streaming niches to secure paid brand deals. With its dedicated community of viewers and monetization options like subscriptions, bits, and sponsorships, Twitch offers creators multiple revenue streams beyond traditional advertising. 

Brands often partner with Twitch streamers for sponsored streams, product integrations, and affiliate marketing campaigns to reach their target audience in an authentic and interactive way. As a creator who streams on Twitch, I’ve had the opportunity to collaborate with gaming brands and sponsors, monetizing my content while providing value to my audience.

Ryan Thompson, Editor, Men’s Flair

YouTube: Analytics for brand partnership pitches

In my journey from serving in the Navy to becoming involved in digital marketing and then founding my own companies, I’ve used numerous platforms to enhance brand visibility and secure paid collaborations. One platform that stands out, particularly for influencer marketing and securing brand deals, is YouTube. My experience with YouTube, especially with our second software and marketing business, has shown that it’s an incredible platform for creators looking to land paid brand deals.

Why YouTube? The platform’s comprehensive analytics and targeted advertising capabilities allow creators to demonstrate direct engagement and detailed demographics to potential brands. We leveraged these tools to showcase our audience’s growth and engagement, making our pitch to brands more compelling. For instance, by highlighting a video series that consistently received high engagement, we were able to secure a partnership with a software tool relevant to our audience. The key was showing tangible metrics like view count, watch time, and subscriber growth, which are critical for brands looking to invest in influencers.

Moreover, YouTube’s SEO benefits cannot be overstated. By optimizing our video titles, descriptions, and tags with relevant keywords, we not only grew our audience but also made our channel more attractive to brands interested in those same keywords. This dual benefit of audience growth and increased brand visibility has proven to be a potent strategy for securing paid brand deals. Furthermore, the content’s longevity on YouTube means it continues to attract views and potential brand interest long after the initial post date, providing an ongoing value proposition to both creators and brands.

Joe Amaral, Founder and COO, Anthem Software

Key takeaways

Demand for genuine UGC will only increase in the years to come since this generation of shoppers and consumers prefer user-generated content that comes with sufficient social proof that helps them make the right decision and feel good about their purchase.

That said, it’s never been easier for customers creating content to make a living as UGC creators as such content is in high demand by brands and businesses of all sizes.

You only need to go through the list above to find a platform that suits your needs and goals best. Some of them are completely free to use (Brands Meet Creators), others offer free products and great payments (Cohley), and others still focus on e-commerce (Aspire).

Whatever you do, you first have to figure out what kind of content creator job you want to do, then find a platform that lets you unleash your creativity in that niche.

FAQs

How can I become a UGC creator?

To become a UGC creator, you first have to choose a niche that interests you, and for which you will create original content. Then, you must build a presence on suitable platforms by consistently posting high-quality content and engaging with your audience. Finally, once you grow your audience base, you can start getting in touch with brands to monetize your content.

What do UGC creators use?

UGC creators often use a variety of tools including cameras, editing software, content management systems, and social media platforms to produce, edit, and publish their content. They may also utilize analytics tools to track engagement with their content.

Which platform is used to create UGC?

You can become a UGC creator and social media influencer on all popular platforms. That said, you should consider the type of content you want to create. For instance, if you love working with videos, YouTube is the platform of choice. On the other hand, Instagram is best for photos, whereas TikTok is best for short-form video content.

How do UGC creators make money?

UGC creators make money through several avenues such as ad revenue sharing on platforms like YouTube, sponsorships from brands, affiliate marketing, selling merchandise, and offering exclusive content through subscription services like Patreon.