Joe Staples | UGC Creator

GenX creator with 17 years of tech marketing and content dev experience. I'm a trustworthy and friendly on-camera presence. [email protected]

[Joe Staples | UGC Creator @JoeGenXUGC]

If your content doesn’t make someone feel something in the first 2 seconds, you’ve already lost. Attention is the currency, not aesthetics.

[Joe Staples | UGC Creator @JoeGenXUGC]

Who’s a creator you’ve learned something from this month? Tag them. I'll start: @alexgettlin , the one and only! #ugccommunity

[Joe Staples | UGC Creator @JoeGenXUGC]

Brands: if you want creators to deliver their best work, stop rushing timelines. Creativity under pressure becomes compliance, not innovation.

[Joe Staples | UGC Creator @JoeGenXUGC]

UGC example number 35. Been working on my feeling-natural-on-camera skills.

[Joe Staples | UGC Creator @JoeGenXUGC]

The first time a brand asked me to redo a video, I took it personally. Now I see revisions as data: “This didn’t communicate what we needed.” Feedback is a compass, not a critique.

[Joe Staples | UGC Creator @JoeGenXUGC]

Hot take: The UGC space doesn’t need more creators. It needs more creators who can think like marketers.

[Joe Staples | UGC Creator @JoeGenXUGC]

What’s one thing you wish brands understood about working with creators? I'll start: we do our best work when we have some creative freedom instead of having to stick to a fixed brief. #ugccommunity

[Joe Staples | UGC Creator @JoeGenXUGC]

Brands underestimate how much creators filter out. A good creator removes friction, confusion, and fluff, and that’s what drives conversions.

[Joe Staples | UGC Creator @JoeGenXUGC]

UGC Example — Testimonial Style: Direct-to-camera delivery focused on trust and clarity. This format works because it feels like advice from a friend, not a pitch.

[Joe Staples | UGC Creator @JoeGenXUGC]

I used to think creators with huge followings had something I didn’t. Then I realized they were often just louder, not better. Skill compounds. Noise fades.

[Joe Staples | UGC Creator @JoeGenXUGC]

Hot take: If your UGC relies on trends to perform, you don’t have a strategy, you have a dependency.

[Joe Staples | UGC Creator @JoeGenXUGC]

What’s one boundary you set this year that actually improved your work? I'll start: requiring a brief or detailed instructions before singing the contract. (A no-brainer, right?) #ugccommunity

[Joe Staples | UGC Creator @JoeGenXUGC]

No matter how clever the effects, messaging beats editing every time. If the hook doesn’t land, the rest of the video is just noise.

[Joe Staples | UGC Creator @JoeGenXUGC]

UGC Example — Bundle Concept: A 3‑video set: POV, demo, testimonial. Bundles work because brands can test multiple angles fast and scale the winner. Here's one in a bundle of 3 I did.

[Joe Staples | UGC Creator @JoeGenXUGC]

Early in my journey, I thought being “easy to work with” meant saying yes to everything. It didn’t. It meant delivering on what mattered and cutting what didn’t. Boundaries made me better, not harder.

[Joe Staples | UGC Creator @JoeGenXUGC]

Hot take: “Aesthetic” is the most overrated word in UGC. Pretty content that doesn’t convert is just decoration, and it often feels and looks less authentic.

[Joe Staples | UGC Creator @JoeGenXUGC]

Creators — what’s the most confusing brief you’ve ever received? #ugccommunity

[Joe Staples | UGC Creator @JoeGenXUGC]

Brands: if you want creators to deliver better content, stop sending briefs that read like internal memos (and sometimes obviously written by AI). Creators need clarity, not corporate jargon.

[Joe Staples | UGC Creator @JoeGenXUGC]

UGC example number? A problem-solution video.

[Joe Staples | UGC Creator @JoeGenXUGC]

A brand once told me, “We hired you because your content feels like it was made by an adult.” That stuck with me. Professionalism is a differentiator in a space full of chaos.