Employee-Generated Content: Tips on How to Get Them + Examples

What is employee-generated content?

Employee-Generated Content (EGC) is content created by employees to share their experiences and perspectives about their workplace. It can be in the form of videos, images, social media posts, short blogs, etc.

EGC gives people an authentic, insider view of the company, which not only helps you stay relevant with customers but also acts as a talent magnet. 

How does EGC differ from user-generated content (UGC)?

User-Generated Content (UGC) comes from social customers or fans sharing their experiences with a brand’s products or services—like reviews, unboxing videos, or social media shoutouts. It’s great for building trust and showing how real people use your brand.

On the other hand, EGC focuses on the company’s internal story—a day at work, behind-the-scenes processes, recruitment stories, leadership tales, or what makes the workplace unique. 

Overall, while UGC highlights the customer’s perspective, EGC puts the employee’s perspective front and centre.

Creating employee-generated content: what works and what doesn’t

Pros

1. Authenticity: Employee-generated content gives your brand a genuine, behind-the-scenes feel. It makes your company more relatable and trustworthy to your audience. 

2. Increased Engagement: When employees share their experiences, it helps build stronger connections with customers. This often leads to higher engagement on social media and other platforms. 

3. Cost-Effective: Using employees to create content saves money. You can tap into your existing team instead of hiring outside creators or agencies. 

Cons

1. Inconsistent Quality: Not everyone on the team has content creation skills. This can lead to variations in quality, which might not always match your brand’s standards. 

2. Time Constraints: Employees already have full workloads, so asking them to create content on top of that can lead to stress and decreased productivity. 

3. Risk of Misrepresentation: Without clear guidelines, employees might unintentionally misrepresent the brand or share a wrong message that doesn’t align with the company’s values.

How can employees be encouraged to create content?

Make Content Creation Easy with Training and Tools

Many employees hesitate to create content because they feel unsure of where to start. 

Start by offering workshops or online tutorials to teach your team members the basics of creating a great social media post, taking compelling photos, or writing a short blog. Make these sessions interactive and fun, so employees feel comfortable learning.

Provide easy-to-use tools like Canva for design, Grammarly for writing, or apps for video editing. Create a resource hub with templates, sample captions, and a guide to the company’s tone of voice. 

These resources simplify the process and help employees focus more on storytelling rather than worrying about technical details.

Celebrate and Reward Employees for Their Contributions

Public recognition goes a long way in motivating employees. 

Feature your employee-made content on the company’s official social media pages, website, or internal platforms. Highlight their names and stories in the post or in company newsletters to celebrate their efforts.

You can also implement a rewards system to encourage participation. For example, you could offer small prizes like gift cards, extra PTO, or a “content creator of the month” award. 

Moreover, you might host friendly contests, like who can create the most engaging post during a campaign. Recognition and rewards like this can make your employees feel valued and excited to contribute.

Set the Example and Get Involved

When leaders actively share their own stories, employees feel encouraged to do the same.

For instance, a manager could post about a successful team project, or an executive might share insights from an industry event. This shows employees that sharing is part of the culture, not just something disrespectful or an extra task.

Leaders can also involve employees directly. For example, a CEO could co-write a blog post with an employee about their shared experiences, or a manager might collaborate with their team on a video. 

When leaders participate, it sends a clear message: everyone’s voice matters, and everyone has something valuable to share.

Encourage teamwork to make content creation fun

Content creation becomes easier and more enjoyable when it’s a team effort. 

Organise a brainstorming session where your employees bounce ideas off each other. For example, ask teams to come up with a series of posts about a recent project or event. These sessions often spark fresh, creative ideas.

Next, encourage the brainstorming members to work together on content campaigns, like creating a video that highlights their achievements or writing a group blog post about their favourite moments at work. 

Another thing you can do is to pair newer employees with seasoned contributors to mentor them through the process. 

Collaboration makes content creation feel less intimidating and more rewarding for everyone involved.

Examples of Employee-Generated Content

Buffer

Buffer, a social media management platform, has been a strong advocate for employee-generated content. The company encourages its employees to create personal brands on LinkedIn by posting useful information, company news, and details about their industry. The company mainly focuses on content creation strategies and how Buffer helps with scheduling those posts.

Their leadership team, including CEO Joel Gascoigne, also shares their experiences of growing the company from the beginning. This approach helps the company reach more people and creates a culture of leadership and new ideas within the team.

Miro

Miro is an online collaborative whiteboard platform designed to help teams work together, brainstorm, plan, and organise ideas in real time.

Miro’s employee-generated content on Instagram often focuses on real-world challenges and solutions using their platform, which resonates with both existing users and potential customers. This approach typically highlights situations where users (including employees) might be struggling with a specific task or feature, followed by a better way to solve it using Miro’s tools.

Hootsuite

Hootsuite is a social media management platform that helps businesses and individuals manage, schedule, and analyse their social media content across multiple platforms.

Hootsuite’s approach to employee-generated content (EGC) focuses on the everyday challenges social media managers face and how Hootsuite’s platform helps solve them.

Employees share jokes, stories, and tips about managing social media accounts, dealing with time pressures, and staying on top of trends.

Additionally, Hootsuite often includes their mascot, Hootsuite Owly in their content. The mascot is used to bring a fun and relatable touch to posts.

Final Thoughts

Employee-generated content is a great way to show off your company’s true personality and connect with your audience.

By valuing your employees' voices, giving them the right tools and training, recognising their contributions, and leading by example, you can inspire them to share their unique perspectives.

Ready to bring your team’s voice to the forefront? Start using the strategies mentioned on the blog today.