UGC as a development tool: when the community shapes the product
User-generated content has long been used as an adjunct to marketing. A nice photo, shared Reels, a video with unboxing. Tag it, repost it, thank it. But smart brands are using it differently today.
UGC becomes a tool for product development, improvement and redesign.
And it makes sense. Who else has more accurate feedback than people who actually use your product in their own way and with their own expectations?
UGC as the most natural form of feedback
UGC is not created on demand. It arises spontaneously. From real experience, motivation to share something, the need to respond or recommend.
You get something in customer content that your internal team will never fully convey:
Real behaviour - how people actually use the product, not how they talk about it.
True context - in what environment, what they combine it with, what they expect from it.
Unadorned feedback - including emotions, disappointment and unexpected enthusiasm.
Instead of looking at metrics like "how many UGC we have per month", it makes sense to ask a different question:
"What signals about the product does this content give us?"
Glossier: Community as co-creator, not just target
The Glossier brand grew up on the idea that a product should not be created behind closed doors. From the beginning, it draws the community into the process. Not just as consumers, but as co-creators.
And when it reformulated its legendary Balm Dotcom lip balm in 2023, customers knew it immediately.
UGC in the form of comparison videos, composition analysis, honest reviews and memes flooded the internet. The community has been vocal that the "new version" is not what they expect from the product.
And what did Glossier do? She listened. She reacted. She corrected.
The original formula has returned. Not as a gesture, but as a recognition that the brand grows because of the people, not in spite of them.
Golloria George: An independent voice with real impact
When beauty influencer Golloria George publishes a review, brands go wild.
Not because it has hundreds of thousands of followers, but because its content is not subordinate to the campaign. It's experience-driven.
Golloria has repeatedly pointed out the lack of shade diversity in well-known brands. The reaction was immediate. Not only from followers, but also from the brands themselves. There have been changes in composition, offer and communication tone.
The community pressure, amplified through UGC, acted as real feedback that no internal team could simulate.
The lesson is clear: UGC from trusted voices is not a threat. It's a public feedback loop that can be painful, but it moves the brand forward.
What to do if you want to get the most out of UGC?
It's not enough just to collect and repost it.
It's needed:
Introduce systematic monitoring of UGC (not just mentions, but also tagless content).
Analyse trends in content: what repeats, what resonates, what appears unexpectedly.
Create internal tools to work with this data. From reports to decision-making processes.
Respond visibly and transparently. Even negative feedback can be turned into respect if the brand shows that it takes it seriously.
Summarized: What to take away?
UGC is not just external content. It is an internal tool.
Customers tell you what they need. Even if they don't say it directly.
Each product has a digital mirror. The question is whether you look into it.
Want UGC that isn't just pretty content, but real feedback for your brand?
At Intense Social, we select authentic creators and create UGC that shows how people actually perceive and use your products. We help brands collect content that both inspires and improves, not just fills the feed.
Get in touch and together we'll find the creators who will turn ordinary content into real insight.
