Pets are our best friends, and of course they need to be showcased. The way we shop for pet products is changing. Whether it’s a cozy pet bed, a new healthy treat, or a smart pet gadget, a great veterinarian, today’s pet owners don’t just buy based on advertisements—they look for real experiences, from real customers.
A glowing review from another pet parent, a video of a happy dog playing with a new toy, or a clip of a cat refusing to leave its new scratching post—these real moments drive consumer trust more than any polished ad ever could.
That’s why at Vidlo, we love exploring the pet industry—a space where authentic, user-generated content (UGC) is redefining how brands connect with customers and pets.
Why Pet Marketing is Changing
Pet owners are more selective than ever. They don’t just want to know a product exists—they want to see real pets enjoying it.
🐾 Pets Are Family – Consumers treat their pets like loved ones, seeking out premium, personalized products that fit their pet’s unique needs.
🌱 Sustainability Matters – More pet owners are looking for eco-friendly and ethical products, from biodegradable waste bags to all-natural pet food.
📲 Trust Comes from Real People – Traditional ads alone don’t work anymore. Pet parents want to see real customer experiences before making a purchase, this is where UGC ads come into play.
The brands that embrace these shifts will lead the industry—and UGC is a key part of that transformation.
How UGC is Reshaping Pet Brand Marketing
User-generated content (UGC) isn’t just about engagement—it’s about building a community of trust around your brand. Pet brands are seeing success by incorporating customer UGC into their marketing strategies. Here’s how video testimonials and UGC are helping pet brands grow:
1. Social Media & Hashtag Campaigns
Pet brands can encourage customers to share videos using specific hashtags. Content tagged with #MyPetLovesIt or #PetApproved becomes a powerful endorsement that new customers trust. This is a great way to gather customer content that can be used to build credibility and show the value of a product from a pet owner’s perspective.
2. Pet Parent Testimonials
Seeing a pet enjoy a product is the best marketing tool—whether it’s a puppy playing with a toy or a cat enjoying a new diet. Video reviews from real pet owners build instant credibility, helping other pet parents make informed decisions. These testimonials, especially in video format, are more engaging and persuasive than static reviews.
3. Influencer & Micro-Creator Partnerships
Instead of relying on traditional influencers, brands can partner with pet owners who naturally create engaging content. A dog trainer showing the effectiveness of a harness? A rescue cat owner highlighting a calming bed? These authentic moments, captured in video testimonials and shared as UGC, drive sales and help foster a loyal community.
4. Pet Challenges & UGC Campaigns
Running a campaign like “Show Us Your Pet’s Favorite Toy” encourages organic content creation—giving brands a library of authentic videos to repurpose across marketing channels. By incentivizing pet owners to share videos, brands create a continuous stream of customer UGC that speaks to their audience’s emotions and showcases real-life product usage.
Best Platforms to Share Your UGC
Pet content thrives on highly visual, engagement-driven platforms. Here’s where pet brands are seeing the most success with UGC sales:
🐶 Instagram & TikTok – Ideal for short, engaging pet videos and hashtag campaigns. These platforms allow users to share their video testimonials and tag brands, making it easy to engage a broad audience.
🐾 YouTube – Great for longer product reviews, tutorials, and training-related content. Pet owners are increasingly searching for detailed information about pet products, and YouTube offers the perfect space for them to discover it.
📌 Pinterest – A growing space for pet care guides, DIY pet hacks, and product recommendations. Pins featuring real-life experiences are more likely to be shared and drive customer content that spreads organically.
💬 Facebook Groups – Many pet communities actively discuss and recommend products. These private groups are a goldmine for gathering UGC that can help brands build trust with their target audience.
The Importance of Capturing Real Content from Your Real Customers
The unspoken truth is, consumers crave authenticity. They’re no longer swayed by perfectly staged ads or overly polished marketing campaigns. Instead, they want to see real people—just like themselves—using the products they’re considering purchasing. This is where real customer content and UGC become indispensable.
1. Builds Authenticity and Trust
Real customer content creates a genuine connection between the brand and its audience. When pet owners see other pet parents sharing their honest experiences with a product, they’re more likely to trust that product’s effectiveness. Authentic content shows potential customers what they can truly expect, building confidence in the brand.
2. Highlights Relatable Experiences
Every pet is unique, and every pet owner has their own set of needs and preferences. Real content from customers showcases these diverse experiences, which resonates more with others in similar situations. For example, a video testimonial from a dog owner discussing how a new pet toy helped with their dog’s anxiety can be far more compelling than an ad promising similar benefits.
3. Drives Engagement and Word-of-Mouth
Real customer content, especially video testimonials, can go viral within communities of like-minded individuals. When customers feel that they’re part of a brand’s story and are featured in campaigns, they’re more likely to share their content across social platforms, spreading the word to their networks. This organic word-of-mouth promotion is often more effective than traditional marketing strategies.
4. Empowers Your Customers
Encouraging your customers to create and share content gives them a sense of ownership and involvement with your brand. It transforms them into brand advocates, helping to foster a loyal customer base. When pet owners feel valued and appreciated, they’re more likely to return for repeat purchases and recommend your products to others.
How to Encourage Real Customer Content
The key to successful UGC campaigns is making it easy and rewarding for your customers to share their experiences. Here are some tips to help you capture real content from your customers:
1. Create Simple, Fun Ways to Create your UGC
Encourage pet owners to share their product experiences by offering simple ways to submit content. You can create specific prompts like “Show us your pet’s favorite toy” or “Capture your pet’s first time using our new bed.” Make the process as easy as scanning a QR code or creating a video through a campaign link, this is what (we) do.
2. Offer Incentives
Rewarding customers for sharing their content can go a long way. Consider offering discounts, exclusive access to new products, or a chance to win a giveaway in exchange for video testimonials or customer videos. This will motivate more pet owners to participate and generate authentic, real content.
3. Feature Their Content in Your Marketing
When customers see that their content is being used in your marketing materials, they feel valued and recognized. Feature their UGC on your social media channels, website, or in email newsletters to encourage others to submit their own content. This creates a sense of community and increases brand loyalty.
Vetting & Choosing the Right UGC Creators
Another strategy is hiring UGC creators to promote your brand. With so much pet content out there, how do brands find the right voices to represent them? Here are some tips to help brands identify the best UGC creators for their campaigns:
Reach out to your brand advocates- real customers – These are the people that are going to give you the most authentic and real video, because their experience is real.
✅ Look at Engagement, Not Just Followers – A pet influencer with high engagement and trust is more valuable than one with millions of passive followers. The key is authenticity.
✅ Match Brand Aesthetic & Values – UGC should feel authentic to the brand—whether it’s playful, informative, or focused on premium pet care.
✅ Ensure Quality & Authenticity – Customers can tell when a review is forced. Real experiences from real pet owners resonate most, and videos tend to offer more emotional appeal than static images.
Why Pet Brands Can’t Ignore UGC
The pet industry is built on trust—and nothing builds trust faster than real, relatable content from actual pet owners. Customer UGC acts as a form of social proof, showing potential customers that others just like them are enjoying the brand’s products.
With video testimonials becoming increasingly popular, it’s clear that authentic, video-driven UGC is the future of pet brand marketing. This content doesn’t just drive sales—it fosters deeper customer connections, strengthens brand loyalty, and helps brands stand out in an ever-evolving industry.
By embracing UGC and customer content, pet brands can elevate their marketing strategies to create genuine connections with their audiences. UGC sales are built on trust, and video is the perfect format to capture that trust in action.
The Future of Pet Brand Marketing
We’re excited to see how brands use UGC to create deeper customer connections, grow brand loyalty, and stay ahead of the competition. The future of pet marketing isn’t about polished advertisements—it’s about real moments shared by real people.
Want to be part of the future of pet marketing? Contact us, and let’s explore it together. 🐾
