User-generated content, or UGC, is any content your customers create about you: photos, videos, reviews and tags. It is powerful because people trust other customers more than they trust brands. Here is how to get more of it and use it well.
Why UGC works
- It is real social proof from real customers.
- It shows your product in everyday life.
- It saves you content creation time.
- It makes customers feel seen and appreciated.
How to get more UGC
- Ask directly. Include a card in orders or a sign in your space: “Tag us @yourhandle for a chance to be featured.”
- Create a branded hashtag and share it everywhere.
- Make it photo-worthy. Beautiful packaging, a great wall or a signature dish all invite photos.
- Feature people. When customers see others featured, they want to be next.
- Run a photo contest with clear rules.
- Follow up after purchase with a friendly email or text asking for a photo or review.
Always ask permission
Before reposting a customer’s photo or video to your feed or using it in ads, ask for permission in a comment or DM and keep a record of the reply. Credit them by tagging their handle. Resharing a tagged Story to your own Story is common practice, but feed posts and ads need explicit permission. If in doubt, ask.
Ways to use UGC
- Customer of the week post.
- Carousel of customer photos with a short story.
- Review graphic with the customer photo.
- Story reshares saved to a Reviews highlight.
- Reels stitched from customer clips (with permission).
- Ads, which often perform well with real customer content.
Review and UGC templates
UGC Ad Script Prompts
UGC-style ads
Many brands also hire creators to produce UGC-style videos: casual, phone-shot clips that feel like a customer review. If you go this route, be transparent and follow FTC endorsement guidelines. Our UGC ad script prompts help you brief creators quickly.
Turn UGC into a system
Set a monthly reminder to collect tags and reviews, ask for permission, and slot them into your content calendar under your “Prove” pillar. For more ways to show proof, see 100 post ideas for small businesses and the full Instagram content ideas guide.