10 Ways To Encourage UGC On Social Media

User-generated content (UGC) can boost your brand’s engagement, credibility, and organic reach on social media. Here are 10 actionable strategies to inspire your audience to create and share content about your brand:

1. Set Up Brand Hashtags: Create short, memorable hashtags that represent your brand or campaigns. Promote them across platforms and monitor their usage.
2. Run Social Media Contests: Encourage followers to participate in photo challenges, video submissions, or caption contests with clear rules and enticing prizes.
3. Respond to Your Followers: Engage with user comments, mentions, and direct messages in a timely and personalized manner to build stronger connections.
4. Share User Content on Your Pages: Highlight audience contributions by featuring their content on your social media platforms, giving credit and recognition.
5. Get Employees to Share Content: Motivate employees to share behind-the-scenes moments, product updates, or team highlights to humanize your brand.
6. Build an Online Community: Create dedicated spaces like Facebook Groups or Discord servers to foster discussions and encourage consistent engagement.
7. Share UGC Across Platforms: Adapt user content to fit the style and specifications of each platform, ensuring it resonates with different audiences.
8. Get Permission and Give Credit: Always obtain consent before sharing UGC and properly credit the creators to build trust and encourage future contributions.
9. Work With Social Media Influencers: Partner with influencers whose audience aligns with your brand to inspire authentic UGC through challenges or collaborations.
10. Set Clear Content Guidelines: Provide users with submission rules, technical specs, and brand alignment tips to ensure high-quality and on-brand contributions.

These strategies can help you build a loyal, engaged community while maintaining a steady flow of authentic content.

10 Essential Tips to Boost Your Brand with User Generated Content

1. Set Up Brand Hashtags

Brand hashtags are a great way to organize user-generated content (UGC) and encourage followers to share their experiences. A well-crafted hashtag makes it easy to track and build engagement.

Keep It Short and Simple

Your hashtag should be short, easy to spell, and instantly recognizable. Examples like Nike‘s #JustDoIt or GoPro‘s #GoPro show how effective a simple, memorable hashtag can be. These tags have inspired millions of posts.

Make It All About Your Brand

Your hashtag should reflect your brand’s identity. Avoid generic phrases that other companies might use. Instead, aim for something that is:

• Easy to recognize
• Simple to understand
• Memorable for your audience

Use Different Types of Hashtags

You don’t have to stick to just one type of hashtag. Mix it up with:

• Campaign-specific hashtags: Use these for limited-time promotions or events.
• Evergreen brand hashtags: These represent your brand as a whole and can be used consistently.
• Product-focused hashtags: Highlight specific product lines or services with unique tags.

Promote and Track Your Hashtags

To get the most out of your branded hashtags, feature them on:

• Social media profiles
• Marketing campaigns
• Email signatures
• Product packaging
• Physical store locations

Regularly monitor how your hashtags are being used. This not only helps you keep content organized but also strengthens your connection with your audience.

Test Before You Launch

Before rolling out your hashtag, make sure it’s unique and works well across all major platforms. A quick check can save you from potential confusion or overlap with other brands.

Encourage Followers to Join In

Make your hashtag visible and easy to use. Add clear calls-to-action in your posts, asking followers to share their content using your hashtag. To keep the momentum going, you could even feature a weekly roundup of the best user content that includes your hashtag.

These tips will help you build a solid foundation for your branded hashtags. Once you’ve nailed this, you can take it a step further by introducing interactive contests to boost engagement even more.

2. Run Social Media Contests

Contests are a great way to boost engagement and get your audience actively involved. They’re also an effective way to encourage user-generated content (UGC) and give your brand some extra energy.

How to Structure Your Contest

Keep your contest simple and focused on clear goals. Some popular contest ideas include:

• Photo challenges: Ask participants to share themed photos.
• Video submissions: Encourage short, creative videos.
• Caption contests: Let users come up with fun captions for your posts.
• Before-and-after transformations: Highlight stories of change or improvement.
• Customer success stories: Showcase real-life experiences with your products.

Set Clear Rules

Make it easy for participants to understand what’s required. Be sure to outline:

• How to enter
• Deadlines for submissions
• Details about the prizes
• Who owns the content once it’s submitted
• How winners will be selected
• How and when winners will be notified

Offer Prizes That Resonate

Choose rewards that your audience will love. Some ideas include:

• Bundles of your products
• Unique experiences (like VIP access or events)
• Gift cards
• Collaborations with other brands

Adapt to the Platform

Each social media platform has its quirks, so adjust your contest to fit. For example, on Instagram or Facebook, you might ask participants to submit visual content, use branded hashtags, tag friends, follow your account, or share posts to their Stories.

Spread the Word

Get people excited about your contest by promoting it across different channels:

• Post on your social media accounts
• Send out email newsletters
• Feature it on your website
• Run targeted social ads
• Encourage employees to share it with their networks

Monitor Your Results

Keep an eye on key metrics to see how well your contest is performing. Track things like:

• Number of participants
• Quality of submissions
• Engagement levels (likes, comments, shares)
• Growth in followers
• How often your brand is mentioned

Don’t Forget Legal Details

Make sure your contest complies with legal requirements. Include official rules, a privacy policy, eligibility criteria, and any disclaimers required by the platform you’re using.

3. Respond to Your Followers

After launching engaging campaigns, keeping up with real-time responses strengthens connections and encourages more user-generated content (UGC). Quick, thoughtful replies make followers more inclined to share posts featuring your brand.

Build a Response Plan

Here’s how to stay on top of follower interactions:

• Reply within 2-3 hours during business hours
• Keep responses friendly while staying true to your brand’s tone
• Use followers’ names in your replies
• Engage with comments, mentions, direct messages, and shares

Make Responses Interactive

Turn simple replies into meaningful interactions:

• Ask follow-up questions to keep the conversation going
• Share tips or advice related to their post
• Show genuine interest in their experiences
• Use emojis to add personality (when appropriate)
• Add calls-to-action to encourage further engagement

Tailor Your Approach to Different Interactions

Not every engagement is the same, so adjust your responses accordingly:

Use Response Templates

Create adaptable templates to save time while keeping replies personal. For example:

Thanks for sharing your thoughts, [Name]! Can we feature this on our page? 📸 #BrandHashtag

Track and Analyze Engagement

Stay organized by monitoring your interactions:

• Keep an eye on response times and rates
• Note which types of replies lead to more UGC
• Look for trends in how followers engage
• Identify your most active and loyal content creators

Personalized and timely responses, much like contests and hashtags, can significantly increase engagement and inspire followers to share even more.

4. Share User Content on Your Pages

Once you’ve connected with your followers, take it a step further by showcasing their content. Highlighting user-generated content (UGC) not only recognizes their contributions but also encourages others to share their experiences. Featuring real posts from your audience can strengthen your brand’s connection with the community.

Choose the Best Content

Pick UGC that aligns with your brand and resonates with your audience. Look for:

• Clear, high-quality visuals
• Genuine representation of your product or service
• Stories or posts that your audience can relate to
• A variety of perspectives and experiences

Plan a Content Showcase

Create a schedule to share UGC regularly and keep your messaging consistent across platforms:

Make It Stand Out

Transform user content into engaging stories that reflect your brand:

• Add your logo or other branded elements to shared posts
• Write short, engaging captions that highlight the user’s experience
• Tag the original creators and use your brand hashtags
• Share the content across multiple platforms to reach a wider audience

Measure Success

Keep an eye on how your UGC performs compared to your own branded content. Track:

• Engagement rates (likes, comments, and shares)
• Reach and impressions
• Saves and shares
• Sentiment in comments
• New user submissions inspired by your posts

Set Clear Submission Guidelines

Help users create better content by providing simple guidelines:

• Recommended image and video quality
• Tips for featuring your product naturally
• Required hashtags or captions
• Alignment with your brand’s values
• Any technical details for submissions

5. Get Employees to Share Content

Encouraging employees to share content can help personalize your brand and extend its reach in an authentic way. To make this effective, set up a clear program that supports and motivates employees to participate.

Build an Employee Advocacy Program

Develop a structured program to guide employees in sharing content:

• Provide social media guidelines to clarify expectations.
• Offer training on how to create engaging content.
• Share pre-approved templates to simplify the process.
• Create a content calendar for coordinated sharing.
• Set up an easy approval process to streamline contributions.

Suggest Content Categories

Help employees understand the types of posts that work well by offering examples:

Equip Employees with Tools

Provide resources to make content creation easier:

• Brand Assets: Logos, colors, and approved visuals.
• Content Templates: Pre-designed layouts for posts.
• Caption Guidelines: Suggested messaging and hashtags.
• Scheduling Tools: Platforms to manage posting schedules.
• Mobile Apps: Tools for editing photos and videos.

Recognize and Reward Efforts

Boost participation by offering incentives:

• Highlight top-performing content with monthly awards.
• Feature employee contributions in company newsletters.
• Offer professional development opportunities or certifications.
• Recognize standout posts during company meetings.

Set Clear Professional Boundaries

Ensure professionalism by defining clear rules:

• Specify acceptable topics and types of content.
• Maintain a consistent brand voice and tone.
• Require proper disclosure of the employee’s role.
• Outline crisis communication protocols.
• Provide guidelines for privacy and confidentiality.

Measure Success

Track how employee-shared content performs:

• Monitor engagement rates on their posts.
• Measure how much your reach expands through their networks.
• Analyze which content types work best.
• Keep an eye on brand sentiment in comments.
• Calculate conversion rates from shared links.

sbb-itb-d6d4d8b

6. Build an Online Community

Building an online community is a key part of any UGC strategy. A thriving community not only encourages consistent contributions but also makes members feel appreciated and engaged.

Create Dedicated Spaces

Set up specific platforms where your community can connect and interact. Platforms like Facebook Groups, Discord servers, Reddit communities, or LinkedIn Groups work well for focused conversations.

Encourage Meaningful Engagement

Keep the community active and lively by promoting interaction through activities like:

• Hosting live Q&A sessions to address member queries.
• Starting weekly discussion threads on popular or trending topics.
• Organizing virtual meetups, workshops, or webinars.
• Highlighting and celebrating the contributions of active members.

Establish Clear Guidelines

To maintain a positive and productive environment, outline rules for participation:

• Ensure content shared is relevant to the group’s focus.
• Encourage respectful and constructive communication.
• Limit promotional posts to a set number per week.
• Require permission before resharing someone’s content.
• Enforce a zero-tolerance policy for harassment or hate speech.

Boost Participation

Get members involved and excited by introducing fun and engaging initiatives:

• Launch weekly challenges or themed activities.
• Allow members to plan and lead events.
• Hold regular feedback sessions to gather ideas and insights.
• Reward top contributors with badges or other recognition.

Track and Improve

Keep an eye on the health of your community by monitoring key metrics:

• Engagement Rate: Check how often members interact and how many are active daily.
• Content Quality: Evaluate the relevance and usefulness of the content shared.
• Response Time: Measure how quickly questions and posts receive replies.
• Member Satisfaction: Gather feedback through surveys to understand their needs.
• Growth Rate: Track how many new members join and how many stay active.

Effective community management not only strengthens your UGC efforts but also creates a loyal and engaged audience.

7. Share UGC Across Platforms

Sharing user-generated content (UGC) across platforms requires a thoughtful approach, as each platform has its own specifications and audience preferences. Here’s how to make the most of your UGC strategy.

Platform-Specific Requirements

Each platform has unique guidelines for images, videos, and content types. Here’s a quick reference:

Cross-Platform Strategy

Tailor Content for Each Platform
Repurpose UGC to fit the platform’s style and audience while keeping its original charm. For example:

• Trim a testimonial video to 60 seconds for Instagram.
• Add extra details to make it suitable for Facebook.
• Break it into 15-second clips for TikTok.
• Add captions for silent viewing on all platforms.

Timing Matters
For time-sensitive posts, publish simultaneously across platforms. For evergreen content, stagger posts, experiment with posting times, and consider different time zones to maximize reach.

Content Organization

Keeping UGC organized is key to smooth cross-platform sharing. Use tools like:

• A content calendar to schedule posts.
• A central repository to store assets.
• Thematic tags for easy categorization.
• Clear documentation of permissions to avoid legal issues.

Performance Tracking

Measure how your UGC performs by analyzing engagement, reach, click-through rates, and conversions. These insights will help you fine-tune your strategy and improve results across all platforms.

8. Get Permission and Give Credit

Always get written consent from the creator before using their user-generated content (UGC). Even after posting, creators still hold the rights to their work. Be clear and ask them to outline how and where their content can be used.

Once you have permission, establish clear usage terms so creators understand exactly how their material will be featured. This step not only ensures legal protection for your brand but also strengthens trust and encourages them to share more in the future.

Make sure to give proper credit. Tag the creator, mention their name or handle, and include a link to their profile or original post. Recognizing their work builds a sense of community and reinforces your brand’s credibility on social media.

9. Work With Social Media Influencers

Collaborating with social media influencers can take your user-generated content (UGC) efforts to the next level. By partnering with influencers who align with your brand and target audience, you can encourage their followers to create and share content about your products or services.

Micro-influencers, with follower counts between 10,000 and 100,000, are particularly effective. They tend to have stronger engagement and closer relationships with their audience, making it easier to inspire authentic UGC. These influencers are great for running content challenges or encouraging followers to respond to specific calls-to-action. Plus, working with them adds variety to your UGC sources while building trust within your community.

Here are some tips for structuring successful influencer partnerships:

• Provide clear guidelines: Share a detailed brief that outlines your brand voice, preferred content style, and campaign goals, while still leaving room for the influencer’s creativity.
• Set measurable goals: Track metrics like engagement rates, hashtag usage, or the number of UGC submissions to evaluate the campaign’s success.
• Create fun challenges: Collaborate with influencers to design interactive content challenges that their followers will enjoy. For instance, a makeup brand could launch a "Transformation Tuesday" challenge where users recreate the influencer’s look.

Let influencers showcase your products in their own way to keep the content relatable and genuine. Their audience is more likely to engage with and replicate content that feels natural.

Building long-term relationships with influencers who truly connect with your brand can also pay off. Regular collaborations foster trust with their audience and ensure a consistent flow of UGC. You might even consider starting an ambassador program, offering rewards or perks to influencers who consistently drive UGC for your brand.

This strategy works hand-in-hand with other UGC efforts, helping you maintain steady growth.

10. Set Clear Content Guidelines

To wrap up your UGC strategy, it’s important to establish clear content guidelines. These guidelines help users create content that aligns with your brand while maintaining quality standards.

Here’s what to include in your UGC submission requirements:

• Technical specifications: Minimum resolution (e.g., 1080×1080 pixels for Instagram), video durations (15–60 seconds), and accepted file formats like JPG, PNG, or MP4.
• Content rules: Ensure submissions are family-friendly and avoid explicit language.
• Brand elements: Outline correct usage of your brand name, logo, and products.
• Legal considerations: Clarify ownership rights, content usage permissions, and privacy policies.

Make these guidelines easy to find and understand. Display them on:

• A dedicated page on your website
• Social media bios
• Automated responses for contests or campaigns
• Visual examples that highlight preferred styles

For added clarity, provide a simple checklist for users:
✓ Meets technical requirements
✓ Follows brand guidelines
✓ Includes required hashtags
✓ Tags correct accounts
✓ Secures necessary permissions
✓ Complies with platform rules

Regularly update your guidelines to reflect user feedback and any changes in platform policies. This ensures all user-generated content stays on-brand and meets your standards.

Wrapping It Up

A well-thought-out UGC plan can change the game for your social media efforts. The ten strategies we’ve discussed offer a solid foundation to build stronger connections with your audience while tapping into their creativity and loyalty to your brand.

The key to a successful UGC campaign lies in balance:

• Start with simple hashtag campaigns and grow from there.
• Focus on genuine interactions, not just quantity.
• Always get proper permissions and give credit where it’s due.
• Stay consistent in your engagement.
• Keep an eye on metrics to fine-tune your approach.

When executed well, these strategies don’t just increase engagement – they help create meaningful relationships between your brand and its community.

If you’re looking for expert advice to develop a data-backed UGC strategy, check out JeffLizik.com. Their VTC™ Framework turns these UGC tactics into actionable monthly plans that align with your marketing goals.

UGC isn’t just about content – it’s about building a community and growing your brand. By using these approaches wisely and tracking their results, you can create a social media presence that resonates with your audience.

Ready to take your brand’s storytelling and community-building to the next level? Visit JeffLizik.com for tailored digital marketing solutions and UGC expertise.

Related Blog Posts

• How to Create a Data-Driven Marketing Strategy
• 5 AI-Powered Content Creation Tools Compared
• How Marketing Automation Delivers Personalization
• 10 Best AI Content Scheduling Tools 2025

Jeff Lizik