17 Tactics to Encourage UGC Creation Among Your Audience
Getting people to create content for your brand can feel like an uphill battle, but the right tactics make all the difference. Industry experts have identified proven strategies that turn passive audiences into active contributors, from hosting collaborative workdays to designing shareable experiences. This article breaks down 17 practical approaches that encourage authentic user-generated content and build stronger community engagement.
Integrate Post-Purchase Feedback with Gratitude
For eCommerce, the most effective way I've encouraged UGC is making reviews part of the post-purchase experience.
What's worked best is sending a timed post-purchase email that offers a small incentive (discount code, loyalty points, or early access) in exchange for an honest review. The key is positioning it as a thank-you, not a bribe. The core message focuses on helping future buyers, with the reward as a bonus.
To support this type of campaign, making the process frictionless is also important. A few formats such as one-click review links, mobile-friendly forms, and clear question prompts work best.
The more authentic review volume that can be generated, the stronger the trust signals that can be shown across the site to improve the conversion rates.
Spotlight Everyday Creativity through Community Tales
A tactic that worked surprisingly well was creating a "Small Change, Big Impact" wall where customers shared short clips of how they reused our eco-friendly packaging at home. The twist was that every month we highlighted the most creative idea in a simple community newsletter, not with prizes but with a short story behind the person's effort. This made people feel seen rather than promoted. Within the first eight weeks, submissions grew by 53%, and our overall comment activity increased by 31%. What made this work was keeping the request extremely simple and showing real examples early, so people felt their everyday actions were good enough to share. Business leaders can apply this by making UGC feel like a shared conversation, not a marketing task. When people believe their small actions matter, participation becomes natural and consistent.
Enable Power Users with Early Tools
Here's what worked at ShipTheDeal. After someone scored a great deal, we'd automatically email them asking to share their story. We also gave our biggest fans early API access, and some built their own deal widgets and shared them in forums. Suddenly we had users creating content for us and more people discovering the platform. If you want real engagement, give your power users something extra to work with and let them run with it.
Host Collaborative Creator Workdays for Loyalists
At Lusha, we started hosting virtual creator workdays, inviting loyal users to make content with us. It was cool. When people saw their peers working alongside them, they got way more into it. Ideas bounced around and the stuff we made was better. If your audience is passionate, make it feel like a get-together instead of a task. That's how you get people to actually show up.
Surprise Monthly Pizza for Tagged Supporters
One of the best ideas I ever had was to offer free pizza to one lucky UGC creator every month. Each month, we pick one piece of UGC that we were tagged in (on all platforms) and reach out to them to let them know that they're this month's lucky winner of two free pies. We literally get their order, place it for them on the day and time of their choosing, and pay for the za. Then, we get MORE UGC when the pizza arrives, because they always tag us to thank us for the free dinner! People absolutely love it - nothing builds brand loyalty and affinity like melted cheese and carbs.
Invite Co-Authors with Unfinished Concepts
One of the most effective ways I've encouraged audiences to participate in UGC came from a moment when a campaign almost fell flat. Years ago, we launched a community challenge tied to a product update, and I assumed people would naturally want to share their experiences. They didn't. We got a few polite posts, but nothing with energy or authenticity.
Instead of pushing harder, I pulled back and started studying what actually motivates people to create. I kept coming back to one observation from working with clients in different industries: audiences create when they feel like co-authors, not promoters.
So I tried something different. I shared an unfinished idea—a rough, behind-the-scenes snapshot of a feature we were testing. It wasn't polished. It wasn't a campaign. It was something real. At the end of the post, I asked a question I genuinely wanted the answer to: "If this were yours, how would you make it better?"
That single shift changed everything. People didn't just comment; they started stitching their own takes, showing what they would build, how they would redesign it, how they would repurpose it. The creativity was incredible, and none of it felt forced.
It taught me that the strongest catalyst for UGC is inviting people into the creative process early, when their voice actually matters. Not after launch. Not when the messaging is final. But at the stage where feedback can influence the outcome.
Since then, my go-to tactic has been to intentionally show the imperfect version first. I reveal the draft, the sketch, the half-thought. It sparks a different kind of participation—people aren't just reacting; they're contributing. And when someone feels like they helped shape something, they naturally want to share it.
If I had to give one tip, it would be this: don't ask your audience to "create content." Ask them to take part in the story. People are far more willing to build with you than to broadcast for you, and once they feel that connection, the UGC becomes authentic, frequent, and genuinely valuable.
Anchor Participation to Exposure and Utility
I've found that the most effective way to encourage UGC is to remove friction and give people a clear sense of "why" their participation matters. Early on, we made the mistake of simply asking our audience to share content, which rarely works on its own because it puts all the creative and emotional effort on them. What consistently worked for us was anchoring UGC to recognition and utility rather than incentives alone. We framed participation as a way for customers to showcase their business, learn from peers, and be seen by a wider audience, not as free promotion for us. One tactic that performed particularly well was spotlighting real customer use cases and explicitly inviting others to respond with their own variations, using simple prompts and formats that mirrored what they'd already seen. Once people realize the bar for participation isn't perfection and that their contribution has visibility and value, UGC starts to compound naturally instead of needing constant pushing.
Launch Personal Features for Upcycled Journeys
We started encouraging our audience to share photos and stories of how they used our upcycled products by running a monthly "Second Life Spotlight" contest. We asked customers to post images of their bags or home decor with a short story on social media and tag us. Initially only 12.7 percent of our audience participated, but after highlighting winners and sharing their stories across our channels, participation jumped to 53.9 percent within three months. The tactic that worked best was making the experience personal each featured post included a small note from our team and a glimpse into our design process. This made contributors feel recognized and part of the Dwij community rather than just participants in a contest. Sharing real stories of real customers created authenticity and inspired others to engage. UGC became not only a marketing tool but also a way to build a deeper connection with people who care about sustainability.
Cultivate Trust through Themed Curated Accounts
We place emphasis on creating a sense of trust and featuring real-life human stories. We find that individuals will engage significantly with more authentic content than a standard marketing message. We have encouraged this type of participation by creating opportunities for our audience to share their own meaningful experiences related to our brands, including personal results, lessons learned through the process, or even pictures of visual examples.
We have had success in creating campaigns around specific themes and hashtags, which we spotlight across our social media platforms. The success of this strategy stems from using stories of real people, thus adding elements of perceived authenticity and making it easier for other community members to contribute. Additionally, we actively curate submissions, moderating them to maintain the safety of our community and only feature honest content. By creating an environment where an audience feels appreciated and valued, the process of participation becomes organic and results in a long-term contribution of content.
Prompt Filter Selfies to Demonstrate Proof
We encourage User-Generated Content (UGC) creation by framing it not as a marketing task, but as a way for our customers to help their neighbors here in the San Antonio community. People are always willing to share something that solves a problem, so we ask questions that lead directly to visual and authentic answers, making the customer the expert. Our goal is to make it easy and rewarding for them to show off the results of their own home wellness efforts.
Our most effective tactic for driving UGC is tied directly to preventative maintenance: we call it the "Filter Selfie" challenge. Twice a year, when we remind customers to change their filters, we ask them to snap a picture of their old, dirty filter next to the new, clean one, and share it with us. This works because the difference between a clean filter and a dirty filter is a dramatic visual statement that homeowners can easily capture in two seconds.
This tactic works because it's about sharing proof, not a testimonial. They are showing off a successful act of maintenance that benefits their family's health and their AC unit's efficiency. When they share that "Filter Selfie," they are essentially proving that Honeycomb Air is helping them maintain comfort. We then repost and highlight those customers—because recognizing our community members and celebrating their smart choices is the ultimate way to foster engagement.
Design Shareable Scenes that Encourage Organic Posts
We encourage user-generated content by making participation feel natural and low pressure rather than promotional. The tactic that's worked best for us is creating moments people want to capture, instead of asking them directly to post.
At our events, we subtly design photo-friendly moments, welcoming signage, relaxed social spaces, and end of night highlights and then invite guests to tag us if they feel like sharing. There's no obligation and no scripted request. Because the experience feels genuine, people post organically.
What makes this effective is that UGC becomes a by-product of enjoyment, not a marketing task. When people are having a good time, they're far more likely to share and the content feels authentic because it is.
Imran Malik, Founder, True Dating
Create Contribution Loops with Visible Impact
Creating WhatAreTheBest.com has shown me that users participate in UGC when they feel their contribution has context and purpose, not when they're simply asked for "content." I evaluate thousands of products and SaaS tools, and I've learned that people engage most when the system reflects their expertise back to them.
One tactic that consistently works for us is what I call "Contribution Loops." Instead of asking users or SaaS founders to submit feedback blindly, we show them exactly where their insight will appear — a category page, a comparison module, or a scoring explanation. The moment someone can see how their expertise enhances the experience for others, participation jumps.
A great example happened during the week our SaaS taxonomy script accidentally generated 70 duplicate categories. When fixing it, I added a small prompt for founders to clarify their tool's core differentiator. It wasn't a generic request — it was tied directly to the updated category structure. The response rate was far higher than any broad outreach, and the content was richer.
Honestly, I love these moments — turning a problem into a user-driven upgrade feels like watching the platform evolve in real time.
My tip:
UGC accelerates when users feel their contribution has a clear home and visible impact.
Albert Richer, Founder, WhatAreTheBest.com
Organize Regular Challenges that Reward Process
We run monthly SEO challenges where people document their keyword research with the SearchGAP method, and we always highlight the unconventional approaches. Many people hesitate to share, worried their ideas aren't unique. So we showcase all kinds of submissions and reward the process, not just big results. This has led to more honest, creative discussions and people are now more comfortable sharing their actual tactics with each other.
Guide Language to Match Search Intent
Here's what actually got our community talking. We started asking clients to use specific phrases in their stories, the kinds of words people actually search for online. Their reviews then started showing up on Google and brought in a ton of new customers. People would read them and immediately see themselves. So just ask what problem they solved and tell them you're actually using that feedback.
Request at Save Point to Publish Lists
Here's what worked for us at ReelRecall. When someone saves a workout or recipe, we immediately ask if they want to share their new list. Our uploads took off after that. The request feels like a natural next step instead of a separate chore. People share when it's connected to what they're already doing.
Seek Specific Hard Moments for Authentic Clips
Here's the thing: getting couples to record short videos about their online marriage journey has been a game changer for us. But it's all in how you ask. Instead of a generic question, try something like, "Tell me about a moment you almost gave up, but didn't." That's when the real stuff comes out. Those imperfect, honest moments are what connect with people. So design your questions around specific, tough times, not broad feedback.
Spark Casual Showcases with Simple Questions
When I ask people in our Slack to share actual SEO wins or link building tricks, they actually post stuff. We tried this 'Show and Tell' week once - everyone just dropped screenshots of what worked for them with a quick note about it. Some posts were messy but that's what made it real. The quiet people started chiming in after a while. My advice? Keep the questions simple and make it feel like a casual chat. People share more when it doesn't feel like homework.
