Term
User-generated content
Content created by users and customers, such as reviews, photos, videos or posts about a product. It is more credible than advertising, but using it requires the author's consent and attention to truthfulness.
Updated
What it means
UGC, user-generated content, is content created by users and customers rather than by the company itself. It includes reviews, ratings, photos, videos, social media posts, questions and answers, and discussions about a product or service.
UGC is more credible than advertising because it is created by people who actually use the product. Prospective customers often base purchase decisions on it, which makes it an important part of social media marketing and e-commerce.
Unlike influencer marketing, where the company pays for content, UGC usually arises spontaneously. The company can still encourage it, for example by inviting customers to share experiences, running contests or making it easy to leave a review after purchase.
How it works in practice
If a company wants to use a customer's content, such as a photo from their profile, in its own advertising or on its website, it needs the author's consent. Photos and videos are protected by copyright, and the people shown in them are also covered by personality and data protection rights.
Reviews and ratings on a website must be genuine. The company should state whether and how it verifies that reviews come from real customers. Deleting negative reviews or adding fake positive ones may be treated as an unfair commercial practice.
UGC is also valuable for SEO, as it naturally enriches pages with fresh text and the questions customers really ask. In social commerce, customer photos and videos raise conversions by showing the product in real use.
What to watch out for
If the company gives a reward, discount or free product in return for a review or post, the content is no longer fully spontaneous, and this should be clearly disclosed. Hidden incentives can mislead other customers.
The company is responsible for content it publishes itself and, when it hosts discussions or reviews, for reacting to illegal content it becomes aware of. It is wise to have moderation rules and a procedure for quickly removing offensive, false or unlawful posts.
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