Your people are your biggest asset – so harness them to create a feeling of togetherness, help build your culture and add authenticity to your messaging.

This is the power of user-generated content (UGC), and specifically employee-generated content (EGC).

What better way to build an employee community than by involving it in the conversation? EGC does just that. Turning viewers into contributors can help create a sense of real belonging to something human. It’s an opportunity to raise the profile of the people in your organisation, and if your organisation spans far and wide, EGC is a great way to feature a range of contributors from multiple locations without stretching the budget.

When people see their content featured in videos, they’re more likely to share, comment, and engage. It’s a sense of pride, a moment of “Hey, that’s me!” that sparks conversations and connections. Featuring EGC in internal comms, whether it’s a virtual all-hands or the annual sales kick-off, makes people feel like they’re really part of something, and it can have a ripple effect, encouraging colleagues to tune in or keep engaged because they’re going to see a face they know. By leveraging EGC, you’re not just creating content; you’re creating opportunities for engagement. You’re empowering your audience to be part of the narrative.

So, how do you integrate EGC into your videos? Maybe you’re nervous about losing control and incorporating it into your content, so it’s important to consider the following:

• • The right time and place: EGC definitely has its place, but it’s important to understand when and where it’s appropriate. It’s typically best suited to Internal Communications, where it’s important for your organisation to see and hear from the people they know best. It can also be a great tool for recruitment communications, to give a real sense of the people working within your organisation, utilising authentic voices to showcase your company culture and values. When considering using EGC in your comms, particularly in an external setting, it’s important that it feels authentic to your brand identity, and sometimes a more polished approach is more appropriate.
  • Messaging – If you’re worried about losing control of the messaging, it’s important to remember that you still have editorial control. The more people you ask to contribute, and the more specific you are with your brief to them, the more content you’ll have to choose from in order to create a piece that has the right mood and tone, and, most importantly, tells the story you want to tell. But don’t put words into people’s mouths – anything staged will probably stand out as inauthentic.
  • Video Quality – Whilst EGC won’t give you the high production values of a professionally produced video, what you lose in video quality, you gain in authenticity. If you’re worried about the quality of the video you’re producing, don’t leave people entirely to their own devices. They will need coaching in terms of set-up, (background/location/lighting/sound), and remember to tell them whether to film portrait or landscape.
  • Sound – Sound is by far the most critical thing to get right – people tend to frame the shot and forget about the lawnmower chugging away in the background, rendering the audio unusable. This is where the brief to your contributors is critical.

Integrating EGC into your communications is an adventure, one that requires a little courage and a little patience. But the value of harnessing EGC in video strategies and, fostering a community built on authenticity and engagement can really pay dividends.