User-generated content — or UGC — has become one of the most discussed forms of social proof in digital marketing, particularly for consumer-facing businesses. Understanding what UGC is, why it carries marketing value, and how businesses can encourage it helps founders leverage something that is often available without significant cost or effort.
User-generated content is any content — photos, videos, reviews, testimonials, or social media posts — created by customers or other individuals about a business, product, or service rather than by the business itself. It carries a form of credibility that branded content does not, because it represents the perspective of a real user. For consumer businesses, authentic customer content shared on social media is often more persuasive to prospective buyers than polished marketing material.
Encouraging UGC involves creating the conditions for it — delivering an experience customers want to share, making it easy to tag the business, and engaging actively when content appears. Asking satisfied customers directly to share their experience is the most reliable method. Our guide to user-generated content for UK businesses covers how to encourage and use customer content effectively.