6 User-generated Content Best Practices
To help you strategically think about UGC, we’ve outlined six tactics to serve your audience in the best possible way:
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Set Goals
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Credit the Source
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Strive for Authenticity
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Encourage Video
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Share a Variety of Users
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Make it Memorable
#1: Set Goals and Be Strategic
There’s no point in sharing UGC just for UGC’s sake — you need to be strategic and considerate with your UGC delivery.
Start by outlining your purpose — whether it’s being inspirational, showcasing how to use a product, sharing IRL reviews, or helping followers make informed purchasing decisions.
Once you have a clear idea of your UGC purpose, you can better cement your UGC goals.
Take Knix, for example. The brand collects UGC images and videos from their customers and saves them to an Instagram Stories Highlight called #YouInYourKnix:
This type of UGC showcases their products while celebrating people of all shapes and sizes — aligning with their brand values.
TIP: If you need help creating goals for social media, read this: How to Set Social Media Goals (+ Achieve Them!)
#2: Credit the Original Source
Before you share your next piece of UGC, make sure you’re ticking all the required boxes.
Start by sending the creator a DM or message to ask if you can reshare their content — this goes a long way in building lasting relationships and a stronger community.
And according to a study, 72% of users are more than happy to accept a brand’s request to repurpose their content, so you’re most likely always going to get the green light.
From there, it’s best practice to credit the original source by tagging the creator and including their handle in your caption. This way, anyone looking at your post can easily visit the OG creator’s profile, too.
FYI: ’s UGC tools and features automatically add the handle to your caption, so it’s easier than ever to give credit where credit is due.
#3: Strive for Authenticity
Social authenticity is a growing trend online, and sharing honest user reviews through UGC will keep your brand ahead of the curve.
Consumers are 2.4 times more likely to view user-generated content as authentic compared to content created by a brand.
With that in mind, it’s a good idea to strike a balance between your product shots and UGC.
This helps you sell in a less “salesy way” (especially for Millennials and GenZers) while encouraging a sense of community.
#4: Encourage Video-focused UGC
If a picture can tell a thousand words, a video is worth at least a million — making it a powerful UGC tool.
Plus, it doesn’t hurt that video content typically performs best, garners the most engagement, and captures a user’s attention for longer.
Check out how Bumble shares cheeky “dating” videos (that match their brand ethos) created by their audience:
The result? A chatty comments section and engagement galore!
#5: Share Content Created by a Variety of Users
Encouraging a diverse range of voices in your user-generated content makes your brand and products more relatable and accessible to a wider audience.
Fenty Beauty — a brand celebrated for its representation — regularly reposts product tutorials and makeup reviews from their diverse Fenty family:
Not only is this best practice for inclusivity and celebrating diversity online, but it allows Fenty to reach a variety of potential customers.
PSA: Showcasing diversity in UGC cannot be a token gesture, it needs to be embedded in your overall marketing strategy and company ethos.
#6: Make it Memorable, Entertaining, & Shareable
It goes without saying that UGC should be entertaining for your followers — and not all UGC has to be product-related either.
In fact, one of the biggest UGC trends we’ve spotted this year is reposting Reels to your Instagram feed!
At , we like to share videos that match our bright and playful aesthetic:
While doesn’t have a physical product to sell, we aim to share our community’s creations to promote and encourage creativity online — something we’re always striving to be!
And that’s it — you’re officially equipped with everything you need to understand user-generated content.
Whatever your social media goals, you can benefit from including UGC in your content strategy.
Whether you plan on sharing UGC to your Instagram feed or integrating product reviews into TikTok posts — sharing UGC is an effective marketing tactic.
And with the right UGC strategy, you can boost sales, grow your online community, and build a level of trust far deeper than any paid marketing campaign.
Ready to start using UGC in your marketing strategy? makes it easy to find, plan, and schedule your user-generated content. Create an account, today:
