How to Make UGC Content

User-generated content is a powerful way for brands to build authentic connections and drive real results without a massive content budget. Instead of hearing from you, your audience gets to see real people sharing their genuine experiences with your product or service. This guide will walk you through, step-by-step, how to actively generate and effectively use UGC to grow your brand.

What is User-Generated Content (and Why Should You Care)?

User-generated content is any form of content - like videos, photos, reviews, or social media posts - created by individuals rather than brands. Think of it as genuine word-of-mouth marketing for the digital age. When a customer posts an unboxing video on TikTok or shares a photo on Instagram wearing your brand’s sweater, that's UGC.

Why is this so valuable? Because people trust other people more than they trust advertisements. In a sea of polished, professional marketing, the raw, unfiltered feel of UGC stands out. It provides social proof, showing potential customers that real people not only use but love what you offer. This authenticity builds community, increases trust, and gives you a treasure trove of content to pull from without having to create everything from scratch yourself.

Step 1: Define Your Goals Before You Ask for Content

Before you run off and launch a hashtag campaign, you need to know why you’re doing it. What specific outcome are you hoping to achieve with UGC? Your goal will heavily influence the type of content you ask for and how you promote your campaign.

Common goals for a UGC campaign include:

• Increasing Sales: Showcasing UGC on product pages can act as a visual review, giving shoppers the confidence to make a purchase. Here, you’d want content specifically featuring products in use.
• Boosting Brand Awareness: If your goal is simply to get your name out there, you might run a broader campaign focused on reaching as many people as possible, like a fun hashtag challenge.
• Building a Community: You might ask followers to share content that reflects your brand’s values or mission. This fosters a sense of belonging and strengthens the bond between your brand and its audience.
• Gathering Content for Ads: UGC often outperforms studio-shot ads because it looks and feels more native on social platforms. Your goal here is to collect a library of high-converting creative for your paid campaigns.

Get clear on your main objective first. A campaign aimed at driving sales for a new makeup palette will look very different from one designed to build community around a fitness app. Knowing what you want to achieve sets the foundation for a successful strategy.

Step 2: Create a Campaign to Encourage UGC

People rarely create content for brands without a reason. You need to give them a clear prompt and motivation to participate. This is where launching a dedicated UGC campaign comes in.

Brainstorming Your Campaign Idea

Your campaign needs a clear, compelling hook that is easy for people to understand and participate in. Avoid being vague. "Share a photo with our product!" is boring. "Show us the first place you wore your new boots on an adventure using #BrandAdventure" is specific, inspiring, and gives people a creative direction.

Here are a few proven campaign ideas to get you started:

• Contests and Giveaways: This is the most direct way to incentivize participation. Offer a valuable prize - like a gift card, a product bundle, or a unique experience - to the best submission. The prize should be attractive enough to motivate people to create and share content.
• Hashtag Challenges: Branded hashtags are fantastic for organizing submissions and increasing visibility. Create a unique, memorable hashtag that’s easy to spell. Adobe does this brilliantly with #Adobe_Perspective, encouraging artists to share work that shows off a unique viewpoint.
• Follow a Prompt: Give your audience a specific creative challenge. For example, a coffee brand could ask followers to "Show us your cozy morning coffee setup." This guides users to create the exact type of aesthetic content you’re looking for.
• Feature Campaigns: Some of the best incentives aren’t monetary. Simply promising to feature the best submissions on your brand's official social media channels can be a huge motivator for creators who want more exposure.

Set Clear Guidelines

Once you have your big idea, spell out the rules. Don't leave people guessing what they need to do. Your guidelines should be easy to find (like in your post caption, Link in Bio, or a dedicated landing page) and clearly answer these questions:

• What kind of content should be submitted? (e.g., photos, Reels, TikTok videos)
• Are there any creative requirements? (e.g., must feature your product, must be a certain style)
• How do they submit? (e.g., Use the campaign hashtag #YourBrandTag and tag @YourBrand)
• What's the deadline for submissions?
• How will the winner (if any) be chosen and announced?

The simpler the rules, the higher your participation rate will be. Don’t create too many barriers that might discourage people from taking part.

Step 3: Actively Ask and Encourage Submissions

Now that your campaign is planned, it's time to get the word out. Simply posting about it once isn't enough. You need a promotional plan to let people know it's happening and keep the momentum going.

When asking for UGC, use clear and direct calls-to-action (CTAs). Instead of passively hoping people will create content, ask them directly in your posts, Stories, and emails.

For example:

• "Have you tried our new face oil? We'd love to see your glow-up! Share a selfie with #BrandGlow for a chance to be featured."
• "How do you style your Classic Tee? Post a Reel of your favorite outfit and tag us @YourBrand!"

Promote your campaign across all your marketing channels: your Instagram bio, email newsletters, website banners, and even on your product packaging. The more places people see the call to participate, the more submissions you’ll receive.

Step 4: Get Permission and Credit Every Creator

This is a critical step that many brands get wrong. Just because someone used your hashtag or tagged your brand doesn't give you the legal right to use their content everywhere, especially in paid ads. Always, always ask for permission first.

Getting permission doesn't have to be complicated. The easiest way is to leave a comment or send a direct message to the creator:

"We love this photo! Would you be willing to let us share it on our social channels and website? We'll be sure to give you full credit. Please reply with #YesYourBrand if you agree."

By having them reply with a specific hashtag, you're getting explicit consent that you can keep a record of. A screenshot of this interaction is often enough to cover your bases. Once you get permission, fulfill your promise. When you reshare the content, make sure to credit the creator clearly by tagging their handle in the caption and on the photo or video itself. Crediting creators is not just a courtesy, it shows respect for your community and encourages others to share content in the future.

Step 5: Showcase Your UGC Like a Pro

You’ve done the work, run a great campaign, and now have a folder full of amazing content from your customers. What’s next? It's time to put it to use.

While UGC’s appeal is its authenticity, you can still perform light edits to make it fit your brand’s aesthetics. This could be as simple as applying a consistent filter or color grade, adding your branding subtly, or formatting it for different platforms (like turning a horizontal photo into a 9:16 Story).

Then, start sharing it everywhere!

• Across Your Social Media Feeds: Mix UGC into your content calendar alongside your branded posts. It adds variety and social proof to your feed.
• In Your Instagram and Facebook Stories: Stories are a perfect, low-pressure place to quickly share multiple pieces of UGC in a row. It feels natural and keeps your community engaged.
• On Your Website: Create a gallery on your homepage or embed relevant UGC on individual product pages. Seeing a product used by a real person can boost conversion rates significantly.
• In Your Email Marketing: Include a section in your newsletters featuring your favorite customer posts of the month. It’s a great way to show community appreciation.
• In Your Digital Ads: Test UGC against your studio-shot creative in your ad campaigns. You’ll often find that authentic, user-shot content drives a higher return on ad spend because it feels less like an advertisement.

By strategically placing UGC across your marketing channels, you’re not just filling your content calendar, you're building a vibrant brand that puts its community front and center.

Final Thoughts

Mastering how to make UGC content isn't about sitting back and waiting for it to happen, it's about proactively encouraging your community to share their stories with you. By setting clear goals, running engaging campaigns, and always giving credit where it's due, you can turn your customers into your most powerful marketers and build a library of authentic content that resonates with your audience.

Once you’ve collected all this amazing UGC, the next challenge is weaving it into your content calendar seamlessly. I use Postbase every single day to map out our content schedule so we can spot gaps and find the perfect spot to highlight our community’s content. Since we built it with a video-first approach, scheduling high-quality Reels and TikTok content from creators is smooth, helping us stay organized and consistent across all our platforms.