How To Master UGC Campaigns with the Right Tools and Workflow

Who This Guide Is For: Social Media Managers and Content Creators

This guide is for social media managers, content creators, or small business owners who want to harness UGC to boost engagement without losing their sanity. Maybe you’re struggling to organize fan submissions, keep visuals on-brand, or scale interactive campaigns. If you’ve ever wondered, “How do I manage UGC without it turning into a mess?”, then this is for you. My goal is to share actionable steps and tools that save time, reduce errors, and make your campaigns shine.

Why UGC Matters (and Why It’s Tricky)

User-generated content is like gold for brands in 2025 - it’s authentic, engaging, and builds trust. The psychology behind UGC is compelling: social proof drives purchase decisions: LTK’s national shopper study and social media study (conducted December 2024, 1,500+ participants), revealed UGC boosts consumer trust by 64%. 

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For outdoor brands in 2025, UGC is especially powerful social media because its marketing thrives on authentic, adventure-driven content that resonates with passionate communities. Want to dive deeper into strategies for outdoor brands? Check out our guide on social media marketing for outdoor brands in 2025. 

Next, I’ll break down how I use four tools to streamline UGC campaigns, with real examples from my workflow.

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My UGC Toolkit: 4 Tools That Save the Day

🎨 1. Canva: Turning Raw UGC into Polished Branded Visuals

What it does:
Canva is my go-to for transforming raw UGC - think fan photos or shaky video reviews - into professional, on-brand visuals. Its drag-and-drop templates, including its amazing brand-kit feature make it easy to add logos, fonts, and colors that match your brand.

How I Use Canva for UGC:

• Testimonials: I take customer reviews from X or Instagram and drop them into Canva’s quote templates, adding the brand’s color palette and logo.
• Stories/Reels: I create templates for community features, like “Fan of the Week,” using user-submitted photos.
• Collages: For a food client, I combined user photos of their dishes into a vibrant collage for a campaign post.

Why it works:
Canva ensures visual consistency, so even raw UGC looks polished. It’s a lifesaver when you need to churn out multiple assets fast. Pro tip: Save your brand’s templates to reuse them across campaigns.

Example: For a fashion client, I used a fan’s Instagram photo of their outfit, added a branded border in Canva, and turned it into a Story that got 3x the usual engagement.

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🤝 2. Assembly: Keeping Things Organized

What it does:
Assembly is like a digital project manager for collecting submissions, assigning tasks, and tracking permissions.

How I Assembly It for UGC:

• Organize Submissions: I set up folders for each client to store fan-submitted content, like videos for a food brand’s recipe contest.
• Legal Approvals: Assembly tracks permission forms to ensure we have rights to republish UGC.
• Task Management: I assign team members to review submissions or schedule posts, keeping everyone on the same page.

Why it works:
It is a central hub for all of the logistics, so I’m not drowning in email threads or lost files. This was a game-changer when I managed a 50-submission UGC contest for a tech client.

Example: During a campaign, Assembly helped me track 30+ user videos, ensuring we had signed permissions before posting. No more “Did we get approval for this?” panic.

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🧩 3. Popfly: Streamlining Creator Collaboration for UGC Campaigns

What it does:
Popfly is a game-changer for UGC campaign managers, offering a platform to connect with creators, manage collaborations, and track performance - all in one hub. Built to simplify creator partnerships, it’s ideal for brands across industries, including outdoor and adventure, to drive authentic user-generated content.

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How I Use Popfly for UGC:

• Discover Creators: I used Popfly’s advanced filters to find creators who align with a brand’s vibe, like sourcing five lifestyle influencers for a beverage campaign focused on summer vibes.
• Collaborate Seamlessly: Popfly’s tools let me share campaign briefs and product details, ensuring creators deliver on-brand content, such as a video series for an outdoor gear brand showcasing their products in action.

• Track Results: Popfly’s dashboard tracks engagement, ROI, and conversions, helping me identify top-performing creators and optimize campaigns in real time.

Why it works:
Popfly saves UGC campaign managers hours by centralizing creator discovery, communication, and analytics. Its intuitive platform makes it easy to manage multiple partnerships, ensuring authentic content that resonates with audiences. Whether you’re running a niche outdoor campaign or a broad lifestyle initiative, Popfly keeps everything organized and efficient.

Example: For an outdoor client, Popfly helped me collaborate with creators who produced 100+ authentic posts, with 75% shared on Instagram Stories, driving a 2x increase in brand engagement.

Ready to simplify your UGC campaigns? 

Explore Popfly for Brands to connect with creators and streamline your workflow today.

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🤖 4. ChatGPT: Writing and Scaling UGC Content

What It Does: ChatGPT is my AI sidekick for brainstorming, writing, and optimizing UGC-related content. It’s like having a creative assistant who never sleeps.

How I Use ChatGPT for UGC:

• Captions: I feed ChatGPT a user’s review and ask it to craft a punchy caption that fits the brand’s voice.
• DM Templates: It generates polite, professional messages to request usage rights from fans.
• Repurposing: I use it to summarize long user reviews into bite-sized quotes for posts.
• Ideation: It helps brainstorm campaign ideas, like a “Day in the Life” UGC challenge.

Why It Works: ChatGPT saves time and keeps me from hitting writer’s block. It’s especially handy for scaling content across multiple platforms.

Example: For a tech client, I used ChatGPT to turn a 200-word user review into a 50-character tweet that eventually got 500+ likes.

Building a Foolproof UGC Toolkit 

That almost-posted meme taught me three big tips for managing UGC campaigns:

1. Double-Check Accounts: Always verify you’re logged into the right account before posting. I now use a checklist in Assembly to confirm the client, platform, and content.
2. Centralize Your Tools: Using a mix of Canva, Assembly, Popfly, and ChatGPT keeps everything organized and efficient. Each tool has a clear role, from creation to execution.
3. Plan for Scale: Interactive campaigns on Popfly and automated writing with ChatGPT let me handle multiple clients without burning out.

Final Thoughts: Your UGC Campaigns Can Thrive

Running UGC campaigns is like hosting a great party—you need the right mix of creativity, structure, and tools to keep the vibe alive. By combining Canva’s visual magic, Assembly’s organization, Popfly’s interactivity, and ChatGPT’s writing power, I’ve turned chaotic campaigns into smooth, engaging experiences. Whether you’re managing one brand or ten, these tools can help you avoid meme-level mishaps and make your audience feel like part of the story.

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