The best examples of user-generated content: examples & best practices

Real examples of user-generated content that actually move revenue

Let’s start with what you came for: examples of user-generated content that go beyond “we reposted an Instagram Story.” These are campaigns and tactics that have driven real reach, trust, and sales.

1. Starbucks Red Cup Contest – seasonal UGC with clear prompts

Every holiday season, Starbucks turns its iconic red cup into a canvas. Customers draw on their cups, post photos on social with a branded hashtag, and Starbucks features the best examples across its channels.

Why this works:

• The prompt is insanely simple: decorate a cup, share a photo.
• The object is already in people’s hands — no extra effort.
• Starbucks gets thousands of real examples of user-generated content that feel festive, personal, and on-brand.

Best practice you can copy: give people one specific object or moment to capture, plus a single hashtag. “Show us your first sip Friday” or “Post your desk setup with our product” is far more effective than “Share your story!”

2. GoPro – product-as-creation tool

GoPro may be the best example of a brand that built its entire marketing engine on UGC. Customers film their adventures, upload to YouTube, TikTok, or Instagram, and GoPro curates the most impressive clips into highlight reels and ads.

Why this works:

• The product is literally designed to create content.
• GoPro doesn’t need glossy brand shoots; the best examples of user-generated content double as product demos.
• Community recognition (being featured) is a stronger incentive than a small discount.

Best practice: if your product helps people create or achieve something, highlight those outcomes. Feature real examples of user-generated content in your ads and product pages instead of only studio shots.

3. Glossier – customers as the creative department

Beauty brand Glossier built its early growth by obsessively featuring customers’ photos and routines. Everyday selfies, bathroom-shelf photos, and “get ready with me” videos became the backbone of their content strategy.

Why this works:

• Real skin, real lighting, real results — which beats airbrushed campaigns.
• Customers get social proof from seeing people who look like them.
• Glossier’s feed became a living catalog of examples of user-generated content: examples & best practices in one place.

Best practice: treat your customers as models and art directors. Build a regular cadence of “community spotlights” in your content calendar.

4. Airbnb – hosts and guests tell the story

Airbnb’s brand is built on stories from hosts and travelers: listing photos, reviews, and trip recaps. The best examples of user-generated content here are not just pretty travel shots, but detailed reviews and local tips.

Why this works:

• Travelers rely heavily on social proof. Reviews and photos from guests are more convincing than any brand copy.
• Hosts’ photos and descriptions provide localized, authentic content at scale.
• Airbnb’s search results and listing pages are essentially UGC galleries.

Best practice: if your product has a marketplace or community element, make user content the default experience — not an afterthought.

5. Nike Run Club & Strava – performance data as UGC

User-generated content isn’t only photos and videos. Fitness apps like Nike Run Club and Strava encourage users to share workouts, maps, and stats with friends and followers.

Why this works:

• Data becomes a social object: pace, distance, streaks.
• The act of sharing reinforces product usage and creates viral loops.
• The best examples include badges, milestones, and challenges that give people a reason to post.

Best practice: if your product tracks progress, turn that data into shareable visuals. Think weekly summaries, personal records, or achievements that users can post.

6. Amazon, Yelp, and TripAdvisor – reviews as conversion fuel

On ecommerce and review platforms, star ratings, photos, and long-form reviews are the most common examples of user-generated content. They also have a measurable impact on conversion.

A meta-analysis of online reviews published via the National Institutes of Health (NIH) found that positive reviews significantly increase purchase intention and sales, while negative reviews decrease them (NIH).

Why this works:

• Reviews answer real objections in buyers’ language.
• Photos from customers show the product in real environments.
• Sorting by “most helpful” surfaces the best examples of user-generated content automatically.

Best practice: don’t just collect reviews — design for them. Ask specific questions, encourage photos, and feature the most helpful examples on your product pages and in email flows.

7. Duolingo & TikTok – personality-driven UGC remixing

Language app Duolingo leaned into TikTok culture by encouraging users to duet, stitch, and remix content featuring its mascot. The result: users create skits, jokes, and challenges that spread far beyond Duolingo’s own followers.

Why this works:

• The brand plays by the platform’s rules (humor, trends, sounds).
• Users feel like collaborators, not just an audience.
• The best examples of user-generated content are weird, funny, and entirely on-platform.

Best practice: on TikTok and Reels, think in terms of formats people can copy — sounds, templates, or scripts — instead of polished one-off videos.

Types of user-generated content: examples include reviews, photos, videos, and more

Now that we’ve looked at some real campaigns, let’s organize the landscape. When marketers talk about examples of user-generated content, examples & best practices tend to fall into a few categories.

Review and rating content

This includes star ratings, written reviews, testimonials, and Q&A sections on product pages.

Examples include:

• Star ratings and photo reviews on Amazon product listings
• Restaurant ratings and photos on Yelp
• Hotel and experience reviews on TripAdvisor

Best practices:

• Make it easy to submit reviews via post-purchase email or SMS.
• Ask focused questions like “How does the fit compare?” or “What problem did this solve?”
• Highlight a mix of positive and constructive reviews to maintain trust.

The Federal Trade Commission’s guidance on endorsements and reviews is worth reading if you’re incentivizing reviews or working with influencers (FTC).

Visual social content: photos, stories, and short-form video

Visual content is often the best example of UGC for lifestyle, fashion, food, and travel brands.

Examples include:

• Customers posting outfit photos and tagging apparel brands
• Food shots from restaurants shared to Instagram Stories
• TikTok “unboxing” and “first impression” videos

Best practices:

• Create a branded hashtag and feature it in packaging, receipts, and email signatures.
• Regularly ask for permission to repost and credit creators clearly.
• Build shoppable galleries on your site using tagged photos and videos.

Long-form UGC: blogs, tutorials, and case studies

Some of the most persuasive examples of user-generated content come from long-form stories.

Examples include:

• Customers writing detailed product tutorials or setup guides on their own blogs
• Power users recording YouTube walkthroughs and reviews
• Community members writing success stories or case studies you host on your site

Best practices:

• Identify power users and invite them to contribute guest posts or webinars.
• Provide guidelines and support, but don’t over-edit away their voice.
• Link back to their own platforms to make it a win-win.

Data and feedback as content

User surveys, polls, and usage data can also be turned into content.

Examples include:

• Annual “state of the industry” reports based on anonymized customer data
• Poll results shared on LinkedIn or X (Twitter)
• Community-voted rankings, awards, or “top 10” lists

Best practices:

• Be transparent about methodology and sample size.
• Protect privacy and comply with relevant regulations.
• Use charts and summaries that are easy to share and quote.

Best practices for using user-generated content in 2024–2025

Trends shift fast, but the foundation stays the same: respect your customers, respect the law, and make participation fun. Here’s how to turn those principles into practical best practices.

1. Get clear rights and permissions

If you’re going to use someone’s content in ads, on your website, or in email, you need permission.

Practical tips:

• Use explicit consent language in your UGC campaign rules. Spell out where and how you might use submissions.
• For social content, ask in writing: “Reply YES to allow us to feature this photo on our site and ads.”
• Keep records of permissions in your CRM or asset management system.

If you work with influencers or paid ambassadors, written contracts are non-negotiable. The FTC’s endorsement guidelines outline how to handle disclosures and compensation (FTC).

2. Protect users’ privacy and safety

User-generated content can expose personal data without people realizing it — locations, health details, kids’ faces, and more.

Practical tips:

• Avoid resharing content that reveals sensitive information (home addresses, medical details, minors without consent).
• If you’re in a regulated space like health, consult legal before launching UGC campaigns. Health-related content may trigger HIPAA and other regulations.
• For health brands, cross-check claims against credible sources like Mayo Clinic or NIH before amplifying them (Mayo Clinic, NIH).

3. Make contributing dead simple

The best examples of user-generated content come from low-friction experiences.

Ways to reduce friction:

• Include QR codes on packaging that lead directly to a review or upload page.
• Add a one-tap “share your story” button inside your app with pre-filled text.
• Use short, specific prompts: “Show us how you organize your desk with our product” instead of “Share your experience.”

If someone has to think too hard about what to post, they won’t.

4. Curate hard; don’t repost everything

Not all UGC is good UGC. Your job is to find the best examples and organize them.

Curation principles:

• Prioritize clarity and relevance over follower count.
• Look for diversity: different body types, use cases, geographies, and styles.
• Maintain a high bar for quality while still feeling human and unpolished.

Think of your brand channels as a gallery of examples of user-generated content: examples & best practices selected from a bigger pool.

5. Integrate UGC across the entire funnel

UGC is not just a top-of-funnel awareness play. You can use it at every stage:

• Awareness: TikTok challenges, hashtag campaigns, contests.
• Consideration: Product page reviews, comparison videos, “how I use it” posts.
• Conversion: UGC carousels near the “add to cart” button, testimonials in checkout.
• Retention: Community spotlights in newsletters, loyalty tiers that reward contributions.

The best examples of user-generated content are those that show up exactly when a buyer needs reassurance.

6. Measure impact, not vanity metrics

Likes are nice. Revenue and retention are better.

Metrics to track:

• Conversion rate lift on pages with UGC vs. without.
• Average order value when UGC is featured.
• Email click-through rate when you include real customer stories.
• Referral sign-ups driven by UGC campaigns.

Run A/B tests: product page with only brand photos vs. brand photos plus a UGC gallery. Over time, you’ll build your own library of internal best examples and benchmarks.

7. Use AI carefully to support, not fake, UGC

As AI-generated content gets better, authenticity becomes even more important.

Guidelines for 2024–2025:

• Don’t pass AI-created content off as user-generated. That’s how you lose trust.
• Do use AI to help tag, sort, and surface the best examples of user-generated content from large volumes of posts.
• Do use AI to suggest prompts, captions, or highlight reels based on real user clips.

The point of UGC is that it’s from actual users. Treat AI as a behind-the-scenes assistant, not a stand-in for your community.

How to encourage high-quality user-generated content without begging

You don’t want to sound desperate (“Please tag us!!”). Instead, you design systems that naturally lead to people posting.

Tactics that work:

Build UGC into the product experience.
Think about how Duolingo or Strava nudges users to share milestones. Can you add shareable moments into onboarding, upgrades, or achievements?

Reward status, not just discounts.
Feature a “creator of the month,” offer early access to new products, or invite top contributors into a private community. Social recognition often beats a 10% coupon.

Give clear creative direction.
The best examples of user-generated content usually come from specific briefs: “Show us your before/after,” “Film your first try,” “Share your favorite hack.” Vague asks lead to vague content.

Close the loop.
When you feature someone’s content, tell them. Send a thank-you note, tag them, or share performance stats: “Your video helped drive 300 clicks this week.” That feedback encourages more creation.

FAQ: examples of user-generated content and how to use them

What are some simple examples of user-generated content a small business can start with?

Start with customer reviews, before/after photos, and short testimonial videos recorded on phones. Ask buyers to share how they use your product at home or in their workspace, then feature the best examples on your website, Google Business Profile, and social channels.

What is an example of user-generated content that works well for B2B?

For B2B, the strongest examples of user-generated content are case studies, LinkedIn posts from customers about how they use your product, and webinar appearances from power users. A customer sharing a screenshot of a dashboard with real results on LinkedIn is often more persuasive than a polished brand ad.

How do I legally use customer photos and videos in my marketing?

Ask for explicit permission and document it. For social posts, a written reply like “YES, you can use my photo in your marketing” is a good baseline. For larger campaigns or paid ads, use a simple release form. Follow FTC guidelines on endorsements and disclosures if there’s any compensation or incentive involved.

How do I keep user-generated content from hurting my brand if someone posts something negative?

You can’t (and shouldn’t) control everything, but you can set moderation policies. Respond professionally to negative feedback, correct misinformation with credible sources when relevant (for example, linking to Mayo Clinic or NIH for health claims), and reserve the right to remove content that is offensive, unsafe, or clearly violates your community guidelines.

How do I measure whether my user-generated content strategy is working?

Track both volume and impact. Volume includes number of posts, reviews, and contributors. Impact includes conversion rate changes, revenue influenced by UGC campaigns, and retention or referral rates among people who create or engage with UGC. Over time, compare performance between campaigns that use UGC and those that don’t to see where the lift is coming from.