As a new creator, one of the first hurdles you’ll need to jump is deciding whether or not to have a dedicated TikTok account for UGC. And let me tell you, people waste a helluva lot of time here.
If you have already amassed followers on a personal TikTok account, or just don’t want the hassle of switching to a new one, it’s understandable to question whether or not it’s even worth creating a new account.
The truth is, there is no one-size-fits-all answer. Whether or not you should start a dedicated TikTok account for UGC will depend. It’ll depend on you, your goals and which direction you want to head in with your UGC career.
Today, we’ll cover some of the pros and cons of having a dedicated account for UGC and provide advice to help you make the decision that’s right for you.
Starting A UGC TikTok: The Pros and Cons
For most people, the standard is to create a stand alone UGC TikTok account.
In fact, the State of UGC: Creators Report 2023 found that a whopping 84% of creators went into the industry with a brand spanking new account. And with good reason. Creating a new TikTok account for UGC can also come along with:
✅ Less Fear of Judgement: Not everyone goes into UGC wanting to shout about it from the rooftops. It can be a big leap to go from posting about family BBQ to ROAS in one fell swoop, and more often than not you won’t show up in the way you need to if you’re doing it from a personal account. The exception here is if you are extremely confident posting about UGC on a personal account, OR, you’ve already amassed a following in an influencer capacity. If this is the case, keep going.
✅ Increased Engagement: Depending on how engaged your personal following is with your UGC style content, you may benefit from moving to an entirely brand new account. A lack of engagement signals to TikTok that your content isn’t worth pushing out, and your Auntie Sue or Dave from high school might not be too forthcoming with comments on your recent Hopper ad.
✅ Discoverability: With a new account you can tailor your username, display name and bio with UGC related keywords. This makes it easy for brands to find you.
Drawbacks of Starting a UGC TikTok
But alas, it’s not all sunshine and rainbows when you start a new account for UGC. In fact, more often than not, it can end up being a detriment.
❌ Attracting the wrong audience: Having a TikTok dedicated just for UGC can often mean falling into the trap of targeting only other UGC creators. This will happen if you’re creating content that educates around UGC and the business of it.
Now, I’m not saying brands will not come across your page. Brands WILL see your account and there is always potential to be hired from this account. BUT, there is definitely more of a chance if you’re growing an organic personal brand.
Having a TikTok account that is not niched in just UGC means you’re account will be pushed to a larger audience. Which also means, more brands will be seeing your account organically.
❌ Less Social Proof: If you’ve got less followers, you can look less reputable as a creator. A sad but true fact. I know we all went into UGC with the mindset that followers don’t matter, but the harsh reality is that a few hundred can make all of the difference when brands are trying to decide whether or not to trust you. Creators with 0-1k following are earning $155 on average per video, while those with more than 10k earn on average $216.
So What Do We Do?
Instead of creating a ‘UGC’ dedicated account, you’re going to create either a new account or use your personal account to build a personal brand around eCommerce or social media.
If you are trying to reach small brands and business owners, and change your strategy to rely more heavily on inbounds than outbounds, you need to switch up your content strategy. You’ll discuss tips for brands looking to grow their accounts or improve their social media presence.
Part of this will include UGC content, where you can showcase your editing style & build social proof with case studies. Start using comments like eCommerce or Shopify, or answer questions that brand owners are searching for. ‘Where can I find affordable UGC?’ ‘Best platform to find content creators.’
Work smarter, not harder.
What Would Expert Creators Do If Starting UGC Again in 2023
So that’s what we would do if starting UGC again, but what about the big dogs in the UGC space. Madi, Ang and have all shared their exact approach if they were to start UGC again. Clearly, their initial approach has worked as each is killing in their own right, but lets take a look at what they would do with the knowledge they have now.
Madi (CreativelyMadi)
“My approach isn’t some special hack. The first thing I would do is make my website look different from everyone elses. I’ve been seeing the same looking portfolio’s everywhere. I would post on social media more than Alex Earl and I would just push myself into the UGC space on social media in the most unique and influential way with how I position myself with what I talk about and all of this I mentioned is personal branding. I think if more UGC creators focused on personal branding instead of sending 10,000 of the same pitches every single day they’d have a lot better luck.“
Ang (UGCAng)
“As a new UGC creator, I would make a name for myself on TikTok and other socials. Rather than spending my time doing outreach I would rather use the time to hone my skills so that I can increase my rate. The best way to do that is just my working on social, and coming up with a content schedule that is geared towards brands and not towards other creators (unless that is your goal). I’d be doing a lot of Day In The Life style videos, but incorporating products within them. It’s a great way to have an in when then pitching to those brands. I wouldn’t be all UGC everyday, but instead incorporate your interests.”
I think the short answer here is that there is no one-size-fits all approach.
Create a new account, or use your old one, but regardless, make sure that your content is relevant to the people you are looking to reach.
If you want to reach BIG beauty brands, you’re going to be creating generic beauty content that might land on the feed of their marketing exec in her off time. If you want to work with small eCom brands, you’re targeting the owners who are searching for tips in the D2C marketing space. If you want sell courses to UGC creators, then talk about the business of UGC.
