Key stat: 36% of marketers say user-generated content (UGC) is extremely important to their social media strategy, compared with 2% who say the same for AI-generated content, according to an August 2025 survey from PhotoShelter.

Beyond the chart:

• Some 25.9% of US marketers use UGC in social and connected TV (CTV) ads, according to April 2025 data from EMARKETER and Smartly.
• US Gen Zers spend 14% of their time watching UGC, according to an October 2024 survey from Deloitte.

Use this chart: Brand and agency marketers can use this chart as justification to prioritize real voices over polished AI, incentivize UGC among their communities, and audit their content mix to ensure it's engaging consumers in the right way.

Related EMARKETER reports:

• US Creator Economy 2025 (EMARKETER subscription required)
• Reddit Marketing 2025 (EMARKETER subscription required)

Methodology: Data is from the September 2025 PhotoShelter report titled “2025 State of Social Media Marketing.” 397 marketers were surveyed worldwide during summer 2025. Respondents work full-time in marketing or serving marketing purposes within an organization (e.g., creative, communications, marketing, digital, content, social, IT). PhotoShelter is a digital asset management (DAM) platform for marketers and creatives.