Q: Pay UGC creators or just film my own shoppable content?

Q: Pay UGC creators or just film my own shoppable content?

A: Decide whether you're buying volume or buying trust.

Own content = full control, zero per-video cost, but it carries your brand voice — which cold buyers discount as 'an ad.'

UGC creators (user-generated content from real people) read as authentic, convert colder traffic better, and give you angle variety you'd never script yourself. The cost: $80–$300 a video and quality is a coin flip until you find your people.

Early on, film your own to learn what hooks work. Once you know your winning angles, pay creators to scale those angles — you're buying volume on a proven formula, not gambling.

Also worth knowing: whitelist top UGC (run ads from the creator's handle) — it keeps the authentic feel paid ads usually lose.

Got a question? Drop it in the comments.