The news: TikTok-heavy campaigns fell 48% YoY, while platform-agnostic user-generated content (UGC) campaigns surged 133% YoY in 2025, per Collabstr’s influencer marketing report. 

The data shows brands pulling back from platform-dependent bets and leaning into repeatable UGC they can run anywhere.

Collabstr, an influencer marketplace that connects brands with creators across major social platforms, analyzed more than 21,000 collaborations spanning 200,000 creators to chart where budgets and strategies are moving next.

Why it’s worth watching: TikTok’s slide is still significant—campaigns focused on that platform fell nearly 50% YoY, revealing how US uncertainty is forcing brands to spread spend and creative across platforms that feel more stable.

UGC makes up 35% of campaigns on Collabstr—up from 15% in 2024—overtaking TikTok (21%) and closing in on leader Instagram (40%). 

UGC climbed because it costs less and is built for reuse across paid social, product detail pages (PDPs), and email. It also drives 29% higher conversions than non-UGC, per AdWeek.

With Collabstr’s data showing the promise of UGC campaigns, platforms have a clear incentive to turn more surfaces into “UGC-friendly” inventory. 

Recommendation for advertisers: Use platform-agnostic UGC as your paid-social testing engine. Build a weekly pipeline of fresh creator clips, then scale the top performers across Reels, TikTok, Shorts, and PDPs to turn creator trust into measurable conversion gains.