Get your influencer content the attention it deserves with paid social

But, here's the catch. While UGC builds incredible engagement and authenticity, it has one glaring flaw. Organic reach is severely limited. There’s always the chance that an influencer’s TikTok video or Instagram post featuring a brand’s product might go viral, but that’s more of a gamble than a strategy. Social media algorithms are constantly shifting, and while UGC excels at driving initial awareness, it’s often seen by a tiny fraction of an influencer’s actual followers – often as low as 2%. When it comes to the money spent for influencer reach, that’s not exactly the widespread impact brands hope for. Which brings us to the real conversation: paid social.

Increase reach

Brands are waking up to the reality that if they want UGC to truly perform, they must enhance it with some paid amplification. Paid social is the bridge between organic content and large-scale success, not just an add-on when a few dollars are left. By using paid social ads, whether via boosting or whitelisting, brands can extend the reach of influencer-driven content to a precisely targeted audience right at the perfect moment in their buyer journey.

We have observed that, on average, paid strategies can increase reach rate by 123% compared to relying solely on organic methods. Whether it’s awareness, consideration, or conversion, paid amplification equips brands with the tools to elevate their UGC beyond the limits of organic reach. Breaking it down, organic content shines in the early awareness stages – think brand and product discovery. But when it’s time to scale up, especially in competitive industries, paid social allows for granular audience targeting.

Through custom audience segmentation, lookalike audiences, and retargeting, brands can ensure their UGC reaches not just anyone but a relevant audience – those who share similar behaviors and interests to their most engaged consumers. Within retail and CPG industries, we’ve seen an average 9x higher click-through rate (CTR) just by adding additional audiences to our traditional interest-based prospecting audiences. It’s this precision that increases awareness, drives better consideration, and – ultimately – encourages people to convert.

Silo effect

Here’s where things often fall apart for brands: the silo effect. Too often, paid and organic social are handled separately, albeit by different teams or agencies, leading to disjointed strategies that miss out on synergy. Organic content is being shared, but it’s not getting the amplification it needs, and paid ads are running but not integrated with the organic narrative. It’s like having two parallel universes that never collide.

When you unify paid and organic strategies, brands can treat these efforts as two halves of the same whole. When you marry the authenticity of organic UGC with the precision and reach of paid social, you create a powerful, data-driven strategy that drives results across the board. This isn’t just about getting quick wins; it’s about building a lasting brand presence. The magic happens when you take the trustworthiness of organic content and amplify it strategically for maximum performance.

Influencer-driven UGC is an invaluable asset for brands, but unless you’re amplifying it with paid social, you’re leaving a ton of potential untapped. The key takeaway is clear: paid social is not just an add-on – it’s an essential tool for unlocking the true potential of organic content.