User-generated content (UGC) refers to any content—reviews, photos, videos or social media posts—created by your customer base about your brand. Sharing these genuine user experiences can help build trust, foster community and add authenticity to your brand’s messaging.
Below, 18 members of Forbes Communications Council discuss the benefits of incorporating UGC into your company’s marketing strategy. They also share their top tips for collecting and leveraging UGC to boost audience engagement and connection to your brand.
1. Include Reviews And Testimonials
Integrating user-generated reviews or testimonials adds credibility to your content because it comes directly from real users, making it more relatable and trustworthy. A brand that is open to sharing this content shows it is transparent and willing to learn. – Katherine Paulson, Haven Tower Group
2. Think Beyond Hashtags
UGC goes far beyond hashtags. Reviews, testimonials, social media interactions and even Q&A forums can be powerful sources of authentic content. Foster relationships by responding with personalized feedback and encouraging users to join in on the conversation. Showcase relevant reviews and stories on your website, in blog articles or anywhere you’d like to build trust. – Cassi Hallam, System Pavers
3. Start With Strong Content Generation Ideas
Creativity fuels content generation. Evaluate your approach to generating ideas for content. Do you have the right people involved? The best way to generate more content is to have strong ideas from which the content flows. Even the most well-written piece of content can fail if it’s irrelevant. Focus more on the ideas and the rest will follow. – Rachel Kule, Pursuit PR
4. Become Part Of The Customer Conversation
Flip the script. How can a company show respect to its customers? Reshare their posts. Feature their wisdom on your website or social media channel. Add a valuable point to their conversation. When you become part of the conversation with the customer, that is integration. When you just ask for UGC, it’s not the same. – Bob Pearson, The Next Solutions Group
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5. Leverage Generative AI
Continual advances in generative AI will make it easier to generate unique and targeted content directly from your customers’ feedback through user surveys, community forums and social media posts. This will give marketers a clear look at what their users are saying, needing and wanting firsthand, without a filter—meaning we’ll see an explosion of new UGC with minimal additional effort. – Tifenn Dano Kwan, Amplitude
6. Use UGC To Turn Data Into Stories
UGC and real customer feedback are invaluable tools for marketers. UGC offers direct insights into audience needs and can inspire campaigns, while authentic customer quotes build trust and relatability. Together, they turn data into compelling stories, driving engagement and showcasing the human impact behind your brand. – Alyssa Kopelman, Otsuka Precision Health
7. Maintain An Active, Collaborative Online Presence
UGC works because people want to see real content that’s authentic, transparent and unfiltered. Foster UGC by maintaining an active, collaborative social media presence—even when you’re not actively seeking it—through community-building interactions. Beyond your channels, use influencer marketing to spark UGC, as influencers can inspire their followers to engage and share their own stories. – Lyric Mandell, PhD, MOXY Company
8. Build A Thriving Brand Community
Companies can integrate more UGC by building strong communities that foster deeper connections with their audience. A thriving community encourages customers to become advocates, share authentic content and stay engaged with the brand beyond transactions, creating a consistent flow of valuable, user-driven contributions. – Dee Blohm, Anteriad
9. Encourage Your Audience To Share Their Ideas
Companies can integrate UGC into their strategies by featuring it in brand videos or on a company website. UGC boosts authenticity, saves production time and costs and builds trust. To actively engage with users, encourage them to share reviews, testimonials and creative posts that can be featured on company platforms to foster loyalty and inspire more submissions. – Meredith Rosenberg, Chartwells Higher Education
10. Cross-Post Relevant Content From Your Team
Some companies have a gold mine of employees who create their own content, like industry-related podcasts and blogs, with sizable communities. A win-win partnership with those employees, which integrates their content into the company’s content plan, can help create tremendous reach and earned media for the brand in a way that’s authentic and more believable than “official” company content. – Kerry-Ann Betton Stimpson, JMMB Group
11. Share Customer Feedback Across Platforms
Customer reviews are a valuable source of UGC for B2B companies, found on platforms like G2, TrustRadius and Gartner Peer Insights. Many companies invest in generating these reviews but often fail to share them beyond the review sites. By incorporating customer reviews into press releases, social media posts and blogs, companies can maximize the impact of this type of UGC. – Rekha Thomas, Path Forward Marketing
12. Provide Clear Guidelines And Incentives For Participating
Create engaging social media campaigns, run contests and feature customer testimonials on your website and marketing materials. Be sure to make it easy for customers to share their experiences. Provide clear guidelines, create branded hashtags and offer incentives for participation. By fostering a culture of co-creation, companies can use UGC to increase brand awareness and drive engagement. – Patrick Ward, NanoGlobals
13. Include Employee-Generated Content
From my experience, including employee-generated content (EGC) in a content strategy is one of the best ways to make a brand feel more authentic and relatable. It also reduces reliance on third parties for UGC. The key is to make it easy for employees, so give clear guidelines or prompts. I’ve also seen that when leadership gets involved, it sets the tone and really inspires others to join in. – Bradley Keenan, DSMN8
14. Make Your Social Posts Interactive
Utilize social media platforms and make your posts interactive (e.g., asking questions and polls). Choose relevant topics you know will trigger a response to get the conversation going. This will create a dynamic, interactive environment that shows you’re being proactive in solving customer challenges. – Joe Ariganello
15. Create Sharp, Specific CTAs
Sharpen your calls to action on social media, email marketing pieces and digital campaigns. The more you encourage specific feedback, the more user-generated content you’ll have to use (with permission) for strategic marketing endeavors. – Melissa Kandel, little word studio
16. Spotlight UGC On Social, Email And Your Website
UGC is a great vehicle to build social proof and authenticity with your audience, and it should be a part of every marketing strategy. You can use UGC in roundups, carousels and Reels on social, featured client or customer spotlights in email and on your website. Gathering UGC can be achieved easily on social media through Stories, giveaways or campaigns with branded hashtags. – Christina Hager, Crux
17. Capitalize On FOMO
Contests and challenges can be a great way to engage customers and incentivize them to provide UGC. Sharing this content post-campaign can help these programs last longer but also create FOMO with those who didn’t participate, driving more interest in future campaigns. – Roshni Wijayasinha, Prosh Marketing
18. Celebrate And Share Your Customers’ Experiences
UGC enhances brand authenticity, boosts engagement and offers cost-effective marketing, increasing trust and credibility among potential customers. Celebrating user-generated contributions by highlighting the stories behind the content, fostering strong customer connections and elevating genuine brand experiences helps in creating a more engaged and loyal audience. – Arnav Sharma, Tech Mahindra
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