we’re trying to scale our UGC production, and right now we’re hitting a wall. we have a handful of amazing creators we work with regularly, but they can only produce so much content per month. we need volume—like, a lot more volume—but every time we’ve tried to bring on new creators quickly, the quality drops noticeably.
our current process is pretty ad hoc: we reach out to creators individually, send them a brief, they send back content, we approve or request revisions. it works for our core partners, but it doesn’t scale.
i’m wondering how other DTC brands are solving this. are you using specific platforms or agencies? are you building in-house creator networks? what’s your balance between maintaining quality and actually hitting production targets?
also curious about the creative briefs—do you give creators a lot of direction, or do you keep it loose so they stay authentic? what actually moves the needle on conversion vs. just looking pretty?
okay, so from the creator side, the worst briefs are the overly detailed ones where you’re basically told exactly what to shoot, how to frame it, what to say. that kills authenticity immediately. the best briefs are like “here’s the product, here’s our audience, here’s what we care about—now show me what you’d actually do with this.”
the creators you’re losing are probably the ones who feel like you’re just trying to manufacture content, not collaborate. if you want to scale without losing quality, treat it like a partnership, not a transaction.
one thing that helps: create templates or frameworks, but leave the execution flexible. like, “we want UGC that shows real usage” is better than “film yourself holding the product against this background.” the first one lets creators use their creative instinct.
also, if you’re bringing on new creators, give them a test project first. small budget, see how they work, check if their style fits. don’t go all-in with someone you haven’t vetted.
the scaling challenge you’re facing is actually pretty classic. here’s what i’d recommend from a strategic angle:
first, segment your UGC into content tiers. tier 1 is high-production, premium creators who get more direction and higher budgets. tier 2 is mid-tier creators with looser briefs but consistent output. tier 3 is volume—micro-creators who produce fast and cheap.
the mistake most brands make is trying to maintain the same quality bar across all three tiers. that’s not the goal. the goal is different content for different purposes. premium tier content is for hero campaigns, social proof, and conversion-critical placements. tier 2 is your steady stream. tier 3 is social media noise and testing.
second, build systems, not relationships. scale individual creators by increasing their output with them (they get comfortable, faster), but also build processes so incoming new creators have clear expectations and submit better work on the first try.
third—and this matters for conversion—track which creator tier actually converts best. a lot of brands assume premium content converts better, but in my experience, tier 2 often outperforms because it feels more authentic while still being polished.
this is actually where working with an agency or a formal creator network makes sense. we handle this for a bunch of our DTC clients.
what we do: build a managed creator roster that’s tiered exactly like Mark described. we provide onboarding so new creators understand the brand voice, provide templates they can customize, and then scale outward from there.
the key operational piece is having a production manager who knows both the brand side and the creator side. they write briefs that are loose enough for authenticity but structured enough that creators know what success looks like.
we also do batch production—instead of individual briefs trickling out, you give creators a month’s worth of concepts and let them batch film. it’s more efficient, and creators appreciate the clarity.
if you don’t want to hire an agency, the in-house equivalent is hiring a producer who sits between your marketing team and the creators. that person becomes the translator and quality gate.