# Gen Z Wants To Be In Your Ads: How To Use That Without Looking Spammy > Most brands are still trying to advertise at Gen Z. That's the wrong direction entirely. **Author:** Trisha Hitches **Published:** 2026-03-22 **Updated:** 2026-05-03 **Category:** Paid Ads **Read time:** 10 min read **Canonical URL:** https://trishahitches.com/blog/gen-z-ugc-ads --- Most brands are still trying to advertise at Gen Z. That's the wrong direction entirely. Gen Z makes up 30% of the global population. They've grown up creating content, not just consuming it. They want to be part of your brand story — and when brands actually let them in, the content performs. When brands try to manufacture that participation, it bombs. Here's how to use Gen Z's desire to participate without crossing into desperate, spammy territory. ### Key Takeaways - Gen Z makes up 30% of the global population and consistently chooses authentic user-generated content over polished corporate advertising. - Raw smartphone videos and lo-fi content outperform expensive studio productions on TikTok and Instagram Reels. - Micro-influencers with 10,000–50,000 followers achieve higher engagement rates with Gen Z audiences than celebrity partnerships. - Brands that hand creators genuine creative control produce content that converts. Over-curated briefs produce content that doesn't. - Always get permission before using Gen Z content. Align campaigns with causes they actually care about — sustainability, mental health, representation. ## Why Gen Z Wants to Be in Your Ads This generation didn't grow up watching ads. They grew up making content. TikTok, YouTube, Instagram — these are platforms where everyday people broadcast to audiences, not just celebrities and brands. Participation is the default mode. ### The Authenticity Imperative Gen Z wants to see real people in marketing campaigns. Not polished actors. Not aspirational lifestyles engineered in a studio. Faces that look like theirs. Stories that reflect their actual experiences. They have a finely tuned radar for manufactured content. A scripted testimonial reads as a script. An influencer posting talking points they didn't write reads as promotional. The moment content feels produced rather than genuine, it's dismissed. Paula Ferrai's research on Gen Z brand trust is direct on this: brands that earn trust through authentic communication and clear privacy policies succeed with this cohort. The ones that try to perform authenticity without actually being it, don't. Gen Z wants to be treated as collaborators — not targets. That's a meaningful distinction for how you structure content briefs and creator relationships. ### Why UGC Outperforms Brand Creative With This Audience Gen Z trusts peer content more than brand content. Full stop. User-generated content outperforms polished marketing because it looks and sounds like something their network created — because it did. They scroll past obvious ads. They stop for content that looks like their friends made it. This isn't a preference that brands can design around — it's a behaviour that brands need to design with. That's exactly why UGC works as a performance strategy, not just a creative one. ## How to Use Gen Z's Interest Without Being Spammy The line between participation and exploitation is thinner than most brands realise. Gen Z can tell when their culture is being borrowed for commercial purposes without genuine buy-in. Get this wrong and the backlash is public and fast. ### Prioritise Raw, Unpolished Content Forget the production brief. TikTok has over one billion monthly active users, and the content that drives engagement on that platform looks nothing like a brand campaign. Vertical video. Natural lighting. Shaky camera. Genuine reactions. Lo-fi content outperforms polished ads with this audience — not despite the imperfections, but because of them. Imperfection signals authenticity. Perfect lighting and professional editing are flags that content was made for an audience rather than with one. Your brand needs to get comfortable with content that doesn't look like advertising. That discomfort is exactly what makes it perform. ### Emphasise Storytelling Over Sales Pitches Gen Z values authenticity, entertainment, and substance. They disengage from content that exists solely to sell. They engage with content that teaches, connects, or entertains — and happens to feature a product. Origin stories. Behind-the-scenes content. Real impact. Manufacturing process. Values in action. These are the story formats that land. Educational content that solves a genuine problem performs particularly well — it earns attention before it asks for a purchase. Put their needs first in the content. The commercial outcome follows. ## Strategies for Creating Authentic Gen Z Content ### Use Lo-Fi, Smartphone-Shot Videos The smartphone is the right tool for this audience. Not because it's cheap — because it produces content that feels native to the platforms Gen Z actually uses. Vertical video shot in a bedroom outperforms polished corporate production with this cohort. Raw smartphone footage builds stronger resonance than professional video campaigns. Social platforms reward content that looks organic — which means your organic reach goes further when the content format matches the platform's native feel. This is not a budget shortcut. It's a strategic choice based on what actually converts with a Gen Z audience. See UGC marketing strategy for 2026 for how leading brands are structuring this approach. ### Give Creators Genuine Creative Control Aerie's #AerieREAL campaign is the case study here. Creators were given complete freedom to style products however they wanted. Zero retouching. No rigid scripts. The result was authentic content that resonated far beyond what a brand-controlled brief would have produced. Creative control means providing key talking points — not a word-for-word script. It means allowing creators to choose their own location, editing style, and storytelling approach. It means trusting that someone who has built an engaged audience knows how to speak to that audience better than your marketing team does. Over-briefing is one of the most common mistakes brands make with Gen Z creators. The more you control, the less authentic the content. The less authentic the content, the worse it performs. That's not a creative philosophy — it's a performance reality. For guidance on getting better results without controlling every frame, see the UGC brief checklist. ### Highlight Real Customer and Employee Stories GoPro built its content strategy around customer videos. The brand features real adventures, real reactions, real use — and builds community around those authentic moments. The products become supporting characters in stories their customers are already living. Employee stories work the same way. Staff sharing genuine daily experiences, challenges they've solved, or products they actually use gives the brand a human face. For Gen Z, transparency about who works at a company and what they actually think is more persuasive than a produced testimonial. Short video clips. Real people. Their own words. No studio required. ## Building Engagement Through UGC ### Actively Interact With User Submissions GoPro doesn't just collect user content — they engage with it. Likes, comments, reposts, creator tags. The active participation of the brand signals to other users that their content is valued and worth creating. That signal drives a compounding effect. Users who feel seen contribute more. Their contributions attract others. The community builds around genuine interaction, not broadcast messaging. Gen Z spots performative engagement immediately. Robotic responses, copy-paste comments, generic praise — all of it reads as fake. Genuine enthusiasm and specific engagement are what create trust at scale. ### Build Community Through Consistent, Real Engagement Gymshark is the benchmark for this model. They feature customer workout videos in branded apparel, comment on form, celebrate milestones, and share the best content across their own channels. One-time buyers become brand advocates. The brand functions like a member of the community rather than a company selling into it. That transformation — from brand to community participant — is what Gen Z responds to. It requires consistent effort and genuine attention. It cannot be automated or templated. But the brand loyalty it produces with digital natives is something traditional advertising simply cannot replicate. ## Key Tactics to Avoid Looking Spammy ### Focus on Value First, Sales Second Gen Z has grown up with advertising on every platform they use. They've built sophisticated filters against promotional content. Brands that lead with a sales pitch get filtered out. Brands that lead with genuine value — education, entertainment, community — earn attention first. Content that answers real questions before asking for a purchase outperforms content that leads with product. Video marketing that demonstrates solutions rather than listing features converts better. Email that offers genuine insight rather than promotional copy gets opened. This generation cares about real issues — mental health, climate, economic precarity. Brands that engage with these topics authentically earn trust. Brands that use them as marketing hooks get called out for it. ### Don't Over-Curate Heavy editing strips authenticity out of user-generated content. The value of UGC is the natural, unfiltered voice of real customers. Polish that away and you're left with expensive content that performs like a brand ad — because it now reads like one. Let customer voices stay natural. Accept the imperfections. Gen Z scrolls past content that feels manufactured, regardless of how well it's produced. The best UGC examples share one common trait: they look real because they are. ### Work With Relatable Micro-Influencers Micro-influencers with 10,000–50,000 followers offer something celebrity partnerships can't: genuine community trust. Their audiences see them as peers, not celebrities. Recommendations from that position carry real weight. A skincare creator who openly discusses their acne journey has earned authority with an audience that shares that experience. That earned authority converts. A celebrity with millions of followers but no specific credibility in a category does not. Find creators whose content already feels natural — not forced. Give them creative control. The resulting content will have a native feel that resonates with Gen Z because it was made by someone they already follow and trust. For finding the right fit, see how to find UGC creators and review the micro-influencer marketing guide. ## Best Practices for Using Gen Z Content Always ask permission before using someone's content. Gen Z creators put genuine effort into their posts. Taking content without attribution — or without consent — is exactly the kind of move that generates public backlash from a generation that is very online and very vocal. Tag creators in reposts. Credit them in captions. This isn't just respectful — it's smart. Creators who feel credited and valued produce more content for your brand, recommend you to their network, and become long-term advocates rather than one-off contributors. Align with causes that matter. Sustainability, diversity, and mental health are not peripheral concerns for Gen Z — they're core values. Brands that take clear, genuine positions on these issues earn loyalty. Brands that perform concern without substantive commitment get called out for it, quickly and publicly. Keep your communication casual and conversational. Drop the corporate register. Gen Z responds to brands that communicate like real people — direct, specific, occasionally imperfect. Formal language signals distance. Natural language signals authenticity. ## Conclusion Gen Z doesn't want to be marketed to. They want to be part of something real. Brands that understand this build content strategies around genuine participation — raw content, real stories, creative freedom, active community engagement. Brands that try to perform participation without actually enabling it produce content that Gen Z ignores or, worse, mocks. Treat this generation as collaborators. Give creators control. Engage with their content authentically. Align with values that reflect genuine commitments. The result isn't just better content — it's the kind of community-driven brand loyalty that pays out long after any single campaign ends. For the performance data behind why this approach works, see the UGC statistics that prove it. ## FAQs ### 1. Why does Gen Z want to be featured in brand advertising? This generation grew up creating content on social platforms — participation is second nature. They want to see real people like themselves in marketing, not polished actors. Authentic representation builds the kind of trust that drives purchasing decisions. ### 2. How can brands use UGC without seeming desperate or spammy? Keep it genuine and give proper credit. Don't pull content without asking. Build campaigns that invite participation naturally — then amplify the best contributions across your channels. The invitation needs to feel like an opportunity, not a data grab. ### 3. What social media marketing strategies work best with Gen Z? Short, scroll-stopping video content that doesn't feel like advertising. Micro-influencer partnerships with genuine category credibility. Platform-native formats — Reels, TikToks — shot with a smartphone, not a studio rig. ### 4. How do you avoid ad fatigue when marketing to Gen Z? Vary your approach across platforms and content types instead of repeating the same message in different formats. Lead with value — education, entertainment, community — before you lead with product. The brands that feel like they're adding to Gen Z's feed rather than cluttering it earn the most loyalty. ### 5. What actually builds brand loyalty with Gen Z? Demonstrating that you value their contribution. When brands feature creator content authentically — with permission, with credit, with genuine engagement — they convert one-time contributors into long-term advocates. That relationship compounds. Flashy paid campaigns don't.