What Is UGC? Spoiler: You're Not the Star (You're the Co-Captain)
Another intro blog post. Yes, reader, another one — and one more after that. I want you to know exactly what I'm trying to build, so buckle up because it's good, fun, simple, and a little crazy compared to what a normal blog post sounds like. But if you've been following along, you already know that, ha.
So, if you haven't heard or haven't seen the videos, you may be wondering: why are these three letters capitalized, and what do they mean?The letters stand for user-generated content. Umm, excuse me, will you explain? Yes, I will. Let's keep going.
Basically, brands and businesses pay users like myself — and you — to make them short-form video content. It's like an ad, but not always a traditional one. It's more like you reacting to the product and sharing how you experienced it, though it can be used in different ways. The brand can also take that UGC and use it as an ad.
Since you're the one making it, you can negotiate what it's used for. But both you and the client have to agree: what it's used for, for how long, and what the client can pair it with. A campaign is when a business promotes a product, or a network promotes a show, for a set amount of time. Clients can use UGC for content, graphics, socials, videos, and/or ads.
So yeah — another dream job for me, ha. And yes, sue me. I have a lot of dreams. I have a lot of work to do here.This is the fun part, where the storyteller gets to come alive. You can do reactions and exclaim, "Oh my gosh, y'all, this is so cute!" or "Oh, I need this. Look at it!"
You could also make videos about how a product changed your life in some way — how it changed your organizational skills, made your style better, or made your workout easier. You could make a tutorial video showing how to use the product. Unboxing is something I want to try — it feels very early-2000s YouTube.
Now for the crazy part, fellow people.This might feel a little too good, doesn't it? Like I could be lying to you. The question is: do I need millions of followers? Do I need to be an influencer?
NO! Nope, not even close.It sounds weird to say, but you aren't the star. The brand is. The product is. You're showing the product in all its glory. You, my reader, are the co-captain here.
Alright, so through all of this, I hope it makes sense — but there's one small detail we haven't covered. What do I need, and is it a lot of gold coins (money)? Three simple things, and mostly free — well, one is kind of free since you pay for it, so maybe not totally free. Okay, I'm overdoing it. Anyway:
You need a phone and/or laptop, a basic email (a good one — not the one you made when you were 12), and free video-editing software. I use Canva. Maybe iMovie or InShot and maybe even Canva too. The boring, repetitive part is researching brands. I look for the type of content they make, find ways to email them — one day I'll be bold enough to call, but not today, ha — and watch videos to get ideas.
Here's something you might not believe: when I was younger, before I even knew what YouTube was, I used to record myself eating sweets, ha. Wish I still had access to that phone. I always dreamed of being the girl — or woman now — who posts things like "Look what I bought at Ross, ha," or "This is what I'm eating."
This is something I genuinely, really want for myself. It's a dream of the girl who was too scared to be herself but always felt she could be on camera — she just was never brave enough to hit post. This is for little Nat, so she can make her dreams come true. So maybe I'm "too old" by some people's standards, but I can't wait for permission, and I can't make myself small anymore.
So if you're enjoying these Captain Logs, I hope you like, comment, and subscribe — because this 90-day challenge is going to be a lot of fun. We're going to grow, maybe shed some tears, and I'm going to become the woman I've always wanted to be.
See you in the next one. Creativity yours, —Nat Garcia
October 3rd, 2026 Saturday
