Insights / Social Media
User-Generated Content: How to Get Customers to Tell Your Story
Customers trust other customers. How to collect stories, photos and videos from real buyers, get permission and turn them into your best marketing.
By Nicole Irmo · November 14, 2026 · 3 min read
User-generated content (UGC) is any photo, video, review or story created by your customers rather than by you. It is persuasive because it is real, and it is often the most efficient content you can publish. Getting it is mostly a matter of asking at the right moment, making it easy and asking permission to share.
Ways to collect it
- Ask for a photo or short story when you ask for a review.
- Run a simple prompt on social, such as "show us your setup," with a reason to join.
- Interview happy customers for ten minutes and turn the call into a story.
- Feature customers who already tag you, with their permission.
| Type | How to collect it | Where to use it |
|---|---|---|
| Photos and videos | Ask after delivery, run a monthly feature | Social, product pages, ads |
| Reviews | Text or email with a direct link | Website, Google, proposals |
| Short quotes | One question in a follow-up email | Landing pages, sales decks |
| Full stories | A 20-minute interview | Case studies, blog, video |
| Unboxings | Insert card with a hashtag | Social and ads |
Make it easy
- One link, one question, one upload.
- Give prompts: what was the problem, what changed, what would you tell a friend?
- Thank every contributor personally.
Get permission, every time
Ask in writing before using a customer’s name, image or words in marketing, and keep a record. In sensitive categories, offer first names or anonymous options.
In a category where most brands will not even name the product, my team captured more than 500 customer stories. Those stories became the brand’s voice, its content and its proof, and engagement rose 144% the year we brought social in-house.
Frequently asked questions
Is paid UGC still UGC?
Content from paid creators is useful, but it is advertising. Label it according to platform rules and the FTC’s endorsement guidelines.
What if customers will not share?
Start with your best customers, ask personally, and show them how their story will help others like them.
Customer story programs are part of our social media and brand storytelling work.
