UGC Pro 🦄

Someone pinch me 🥹 Tell me how I just had my UGC journey and 10-year business story featured in freaking @Entrepreneur?! This is for sure one of those ‘Mama I made it’ moments that I’ll always cherish. Special thank you to Amanda Breen and @jlthoms for bringing this piece to life, and for giving the UGC community a spotlight. 💓 I’ve said it before, I’ll say it till I’m blue in the face: this is a win for the UGC community at large. A rising tide lifts ALL boats! 🛶✨📈

This. It’s ignorant to focus on what someone PAID (aka invested in) instead of asking what the ROI was. The right education and/or mentorship can genuinely collapse years of trial and error into months. Speaking from experience, I went through extreme learning curves that took YEARS because NONE of these resources existed dating back to 2014. Honestly, the best flex is now seeing students do it in a fraction of the time. 🥹

@ugcbykeeley Which is funny—I’m never on here. Rarely post on here these days and now I’m getting that much needed (& missed) second wind. Lol 😅

@UGCpro_ I think I need a breather from X if I’m being honest hahaha

I think I wanna quit UGC for 30 days and go all in on my Instagram. Thoughts or advice on doing this? lol

Some people will never realize how exhausting it is to constantly pour from your own experience and knowledge at scale for free. And if anyone feels this, imagine how it felt in 2022 when UGC suddenly went mainstream to the average person. At that point, I’d already spent years as a Creative Director in DTC + a UGC creator figuring this out in real time BEFORE there were roadmaps, mentors, courses, or even a mature paid media landscape. A lot of those learning curves took YEARS. People also forget… a majority of the coaches, mentors, and educational resources in UGC today simply did not exist back then. The influx of DMs, emails, texts, and requests for help became genuinely unfathomable almost overnight for me. I don’t think the average creator or coach today can fully comprehend what that period felt like. That’s a huge reason I’ve had to become intentional about boundaries and checking notifications. My mom always reminds me that even good news is still an emotional toll on the body. Constant access to you, even when it’s positive, can become overwhelming (especially as an AuDHD-er). And honestly, it’s hard not to feel resentment sometimes when you’ve poured so much into helping people, only to watch some weaponize that knowledge purely for selfish personal gain. But despite all of that, being able to help people shortcut the process now without completely burning myself out is still a win. You can care deeply about helping people while also protecting your energy, time, and expertise. 🥹

UGC OPPORTUNITY: its niche so please share for reach 😅🏥👩‍⚕️👨‍⚕️ We’re looking to cast an expert authority figure for an upcoming health & wellness production shoot—ideally someone with a real background in the medical field (doctor, pharmacist, nurse practitioner, etc.) or a closely related profession. Please only apply if this genuinely aligns with your career background and expertise. If this sounds like you (or someone you know), drop your portfolio below! 👇

Also, wait till they hear about COLLEGE. At least in the states—what is the bigger scam?? People are taking on $30k–$100k+ in debt at 18 years old (before their mental lobe has reached full cognitive function), often at 6–9% interest, only to graduate into an ‘entry-level’ market that somehow requires 3 years of experience… and that’s often at an unlivable wage. Not to mention, a huge percentage don’t even end up working in careers that require the degree they went into debt for. College honestly went from being a guaranteed investment to feeling like a financial gamble for a lot of people. Which is why UGC Pro was created in the first place—to make alternative education as accessible as possible. We’ve had students who are literally going to college for a marketing degree say that they learned more in our intro to creative strategy course then they did in their entire program. 💀

@UGCpro_ EXACTLY! Like I spent the past 3.5 years learning, investing and growing and you think I should just be helping you for free?

People can shit all over courses all they want, but as someone who’s invested almost $15,000 into growing my business… I’ve never regretted it once. Every investment has helped me move faster. That’s the important part. I’m currently in week one of Jun Yuh’s Creator College and let me tell you… this was NOT cheap as a Canadian 😭💀 But they’re helping me grow my coaching business and even on day two I already feel really great about this investment. The right education from people actually doing the thing? Worth every penny. #courses #ugc #businessgrowth

I’m all for helping people…don’t get me wrong. But there’s a time and place where I don’t hand out all of my past 3 years of experience and knowledge for free. It’s why I have 1:1 calls. I’m running a business. I worked hard for this. I don’t do hand outs. I’m sorry if this comes across as unprofessional, but like I said…it’s a business. #ugc

@vivifyugc This is freaking awesome Katie. I am sooo happy for you doing the damn thing!

I’ve been a bit MIA and that’s cause I am proud to say I’ve been brought on to be an in-house creator for Market of Stars 💫 I have been modelling for the first years and it feels like such a natural fit 🫶🏻🌞

This is your sign to try your best to focus on what you need to get done today. Anything that’s distracting you is just noise. If you want to hit your next goal, it’s time to put the blinders on! It’s focus time. ⚡️

@oneoffryan Thanks Ryan! Same to you ✨

@UGCpro_ Kelly!!! Hope you’ve been well !

Hiring UGC creators is the wild west rn.... Most brands treat it like one category. It's three different hires: Tester Creators: validate ideas, build your hook library, buy iterations. Signal Creators: graduated from testing, proved ROI. Tighter production, bigger budgets. Operators: lead your social presence. Command attention, push the brand forward. Each converts a different stage of the funnel. Each comes from a different pool. Most brands cast one person and ask them to do all three. If your UGC isn't converting, it's not the creator. It's the casting. #ugc #creatormarketing

@janetteUGC You’ve got this 💕 I have free resources on YouTube and a podcast. It should help guide you depending on where you’re at!! Just look up UGC Pro. We’re on all major streaming platforms. ✨

@UGCpro_ Oh thank you for this I’m a beginner trying hard everyday awaiting first deal #ugc

If you’re in grind mode right now (before the ROI, before the recognition, before you’re fully enjoying the fruits of your labor) just know this: The only guaranteed way it won’t work out is if you quit. This is your reminder to keep going. In the early days, I went through the absolute ringer. There were so many moments where the odds felt stacked against me, where things felt uncertain, slow, exhausting, and honestly discouraging. But I’m so grateful I didn’t give up on myself when it would’ve been easier to. A lot can change when you stay consistent long enough to see your hard work compound. ❤️🙏

@xin_create Hahaha it’s so funny watching it—feels like a totally different human 💀😂

@UGCpro_ OMG Kelly!! Ty for sharing!! I love this haha

That one friend that comes to mind or YOU’RE that friend 🫠 Hearing genuine concern can feel weirdly uncomfortable even when we secretly need it. Not because we don’t care about the people around us, but because vulnerability is foreign to us. If this sounds like you, you probably just got used to being the person who holds everything together. But your friends are allowed to care about you too, so shoutout the friends who know & understand 💜 Are you chronically independent? #ugccreator #ugccommunity #skit

@sarahfranz_ugc Hahahaha 😂 girl don’t worry, I forgot about it too 💀

@UGCpro_ Yes!! I 100% agree and love that you have a series on it! 😅 now that I’m thinking about it, I remember one of your videos talking about it! 🙌

Is it just me, or do most UGC creators have ADHD? because I’m pretty sure all my UGC friends have it… including myself 😅😆 (I have not been diagnosed, but I definitely have so many adhd tendencies) Just something I’ve noticed and I find very interesting… 🤔 Anyone else notice this? #ugccreators

@missterriholley @nickcastle_ugc @karondekreates @CastleCre8ive Thanks Terri!!

@UGCpro_ @nickcastle_ugc @karondekreates @CastleCre8ive Brilliant!

Recently a brand hired my agency, @CastleCre8ive , to recreate some ad creatives that they had initially produced with Ai. They started with Ai, not because they thought Ai creators would perform better. They started with AI because they didn’t have the bandwidth to: -source creators -manage creators -handle revisions -coordinate deliverables -oversee the entire production process In other words, AI became the operational shortcut. But eventually they realized something interesting: The “authentic-ish” content only gets you so far. (Their words, not mine.) One of our first UGC concepts for them ended up scaling past $138k in ad spend while still maintaining: -above-average hold rates -stronger CTR than campaign benchmarks -lower CPL than the account average That tells me something important: People don’t just want content that looks human. They want messaging that actually feels human. -Clear communication. -Relatability. -Nuance. -Timing. -Emotion. -Perspective. AI can help accelerate workflows. But there’s still a major difference between: “content generated to resemble people” and content created by people who actually understand people….. because they are a person. 😅

@hqcrocker I’m finally back on this dang app 😂 been missing the community on here. Thank you for your kindness and appreciation! 💕

@UGCpro_ The queen of UGC has agreed. I’m so thankful for you and this community!

THIS. One of the hardest lessons I’ve had to learn as my platform grew is that constant access to you is not something everyone is entitled to. I spent years overextending myself, answering everything, helping everyone, pouring endless time/energy into people for free because I genuinely cared about the community. But eventually I realized that if you give yourself to everyone, you end up completely burnt out, depleted, and honestly resentful. I’m still recovering from that era of UGC blowing up in 2022 when I felt pressure to constantly teach, give, answer, and be available 24/7. There’s a difference between being generous and having no boundaries. Protecting your time, knowledge, and energy doesn’t make you selfish—especially when this is your business, your livelihood, and years of hard-earned experience (year 12 for ya girl).