Brands are slashing TikTok-centric marketing efforts amid persistent U.S. regulatory threats, fueling a boom in versatile user-generated content that promises cross-platform flexibility and superior returns. TikTok-heavy campaigns plunged 48% year-over-year in 2025, while platform-agnostic UGC initiatives rocketed 133% over the same period, according to Collabstr’s 2026 Influencer Marketing Report analyzed by eMarketer.

On Collabstr, an influencer marketplace linking brands to creators across social channels, UGC now claims 35% of campaigns, up from 15% in 2024. This surge has eclipsed TikTok’s share at 21% and trails only Instagram’s 40%. The pivot stems from TikTok’s instability, including a brief U.S. blackout in January 2025 under the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, prompting marketers to favor reusable assets deployable on Reels, Shorts, and product pages.

“The data shows brands pulling back from platform-dependent bets and leaning into repeatable UGC they can run anywhere,” the eMarketer report notes, drawing from Collabstr’s review of over 21,000 collaborations involving 200,000 creators. UGC also boasts 29% higher conversion rates than non-UGC content, underscoring its appeal in cost-conscious strategies.

Regulatory Shadows Fuel Strategic Shifts

U.S. uncertainty has marketers rethinking allocations, with TikTok’s time spent per user dipping to 52 minutes daily in 2025—a 6.9% year-over-year drop—per eMarketer forecasts. Projections show further erosion to 50 minutes in 2026 and 48 in 2027, outpacing Instagram’s 35 minutes but signaling maturation amid competition from YouTube Shorts and Reels.

Courtney Werpy, associate director of performance media at Collective Measures, captured the caution: “A new, U.S.-based version of TikTok would need to be vetted and understood before advertisers feel confident investing large amounts of advertising dollars in the platform,” as quoted in Digiday. Shamsul Chowdhury, global evp paid social at Jellyfish, added that clients question matching prior budgets if a new platform underperforms, eyeing Meta and Google as safer havens.

David Abbey, CEO of Endlss, warned: “The moment engagement or discoverability dips, the dollars move… If creators start losing reach or the platform hits technical turbulence during the transition, budgets will pivot fast to Instagram and YouTube Shorts.” Despite optimism in eMarketer’s September 2025 forecast—U.S. ad revenue climbing from $14.03 billion in 2025 to $17.17 billion in 2026—the haze persists.

Collabstr Data Reveals Broader Reallocation

TikTok campaigns on Collabstr tumbled from 41% to 21% of engagements year-over-year, detailed in NetInfluencer‘s coverage of the report. Instagram payouts averaged $193 per engagement, TikTok $186, and UGC $154, with X lagging at $76 and just 1% share. Twitch notched $115 million from in-app purchases, buoyed by 72% of users under 34.

A gender disparity emerged: Male creators averaged $205 per engagement versus $166 for females, a 24% gap. “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,” eMarketer observed. UGC’s lower costs and reusability across paid social, product detail pages, and email amplify its edge.

Platforms now eye UGC-friendly inventory expansions, per eMarketer: “With Collabstr’s data showing the promise of UGC campaigns, platforms have a clear incentive to turn more surfaces into ‘UGC-friendly’ inventory.” Advertisers are urged to build weekly pipelines of creator clips, scaling winners multichannel for conversion lifts.

Performance Metrics and Automation Surge

Yet TikTok ad revenue endures, with 42% of U.S. performance campaigns adopting Tinuiti’s Smart+ automation by late 2025, up from 9% at year-start, via the firm’s Q3 2025 Digital Ads Benchmark Report covering $4 billion in spend. Edison Research found 83% of weekly U.S. TikTok users ages 13-plus acted on ads, 43% purchasing.

UGC thrives on authenticity, as X user @alexxgrowth noted: “the stuff that actually converts looks like someone filmed it while half paying attention on their couch… biggest brand accounts are getting cooked rn because they can’t stop following their own guidelines.” Brands like Chipotle harness UGC via challenges, while CeraVe blends how-tos and testimonials, per industry analyses.

Precis research across 10 Nordic e-commerce brands showed UGC, storytelling, and minimal branding outperforming, affirming: “UGC not only feels more authentic and less scripted, it also aligns more closely with the kind of content users expect to see on TikTok.” As regulatory clouds linger, UGC’s platform-agnostic potency positions it as the enduring force reshaping creator economies.

Creator Economy Evolves Amid Platform Volatility

Emplifi’s State of Social Media Marketing 2026 report reveals 82% of B2B and B2C marketers deem UGC at least somewhat important, with 67% planning influencer budget hikes and 41% eyeing repurposed influencer content as UGC. Kolsquare highlights faceless UGC and split-screen formats persisting into 2025, defining non-influencer (under 5,000 followers) promotions.

Brands such as Duolingo, Netflix, and Glow Recipe exemplify viral success through creator-driven UGC, generating massive earned media without heavy ad reliance. “UGC is promotional content created by social media users who aren’t influencers,” Kolsquare explains, boosting trust and virality. InBeat Agency stresses TikTok UGC’s role in community building, with CeraVe’s before-and-afters driving engagement.

This shift marks a maturation: From TikTok gambles to diversified, authentic arsenals. As one X post lamented UGC pitfalls for hardware but praised apps, the consensus favors scalable, genuine content. Marketers heeding Collabstr’s signals—UGC at 35% and climbing—stand poised to capture efficiencies in a fragmented social arena.