UGC and Creator Content for DTC Brands
What is borrowed traffic?
Borrowed traffic is attention from audiences that belong to someone else: creators, the people who follow them, and partner audiences. It works because trust transfers. People believe a real person using your product faster than they believe your ad, which makes borrowed traffic one of the fastest ways to earn a first purchase from a cold audience.
Borrowed is one of the four traffic engines C4 runs together, and the goal is always to turn it into something you keep. Creator content feeds your paid and organic engines, and new customers are moved into your owned channels.
Content Army UGC
Content Army is our network of 300 trained everyday creators, matched to your product, your customer and your tone. Real people film in real environments with direction from a marketing team that knows what converts, so every video reads like a recommendation instead of an ad.
How we run it
Brief and match
We learn your product, customer and offer, then match creators whose look, voice and life fit the people you sell to.
Produce and direct
Creators film in real environments with direction from our team, and every video is reviewed before it reaches you.
Launch and reuse
Videos go into ad testing and across your social and email, and the winners tell us what to make next.
Related case studies
Honest Pets
UGC, Brand Video, Storytelling, Paid Ads, Creative Direction, Art Direction, Social Amplification, Influencers
Amla Green
UGC, Brand Video, Storytelling, Paid Ads, Creative Direction, Art Direction, Social Amplification, Influencers
Healthier Home Products
Branding, Creative Direction, Launch, Social Media, Paid Media, SEO, Video, Photo, Influencers, Strategy
Common questions
What's the difference between UGC and influencer marketing?
Influencer marketing pays for access to a creator's audience. UGC pays for the content itself: videos made by everyday creators for you to run in your ads, on your social channels and in your emails. Content Army is UGC, so the value doesn't disappear when a post scrolls out of someone's feed.
Who are the Content Army creators?
Everyday people, not celebrities: 300 trained creators we match to your product, customer and tone, then direct so each video looks like a real recommendation.
How does borrowed traffic turn into owned traffic?
By design. We plan creator content and offers so a first purchase comes with a reason to join your email or SMS list, and the best videos keep working in your paid and organic channels long after they're made.
How much does it cost to work with C4 Social?
Each growth engine starts at $5,000/month, plus ad spend. Our growth programs include a minimum of three engines, because that's where the compounding results come from.
Who is the best fit for C4 Social?
We do our best work with brands doing at least $2M in annual revenue, and with VC-backed DTC brands in the growth stage. At that stage there's enough momentum and budget for our systems to scale results quickly.
Why do you require three engines?
The engines work together. Paid brings in new customers, owned turns them into repeat buyers, and organic and borrowed lower your acquisition costs over time. One engine running alone misses most of that effect, and we want to stand behind the results we deliver.
Can we start with just one or two engines?
Yes, on a project basis. If one part of your system needs attention, we can fix it with a focused project. For example, we repair and rebuild email systems in a 45-day project. Many brands start with a project and move into a full program once they see the results.
Is ad spend included?
No. Ad spend is paid directly to the platforms (Meta, Google, etc.), so you keep full ownership of and visibility into your ad accounts.