At work, conversations about user-generated content.
I think the moment you start talking “UGC”, it becomes a jargon. You slip into business mode. And then the primary focus is always about “what can we get out of it?”
It’s such a stupid stance in an economy where good samaritanship is evidently doing better than creative business acumen.
And when it comes to user-generated content, if you start by asking “what can we get out of it”, even if you follow it up with “while providing value to our customers/people”, it only shows that providing value is secondary to you.
No matter how much you try to convince yourself and others that you’re doing this with all good intentions, the self-serving attitude just comes through plainly.
Contests, promises, offers… nothing can kickstart a user-generated content campaign better than just going out, picking data from real people, real customers and showcasing it on your property.
In recent times, the only team that I saw do this smartly was Marmalead. What does an Etsy SEO tool have to do with featuring interesting items from Etsy shops in their Instagram feed?
One could argue that we’re doing it with our own Pinterest boards but that’s a totally different context. Boards are boards. They are de-personalized, de-humanized and detached. It’s not like a main brand sharing/featuring its customers’ work (or art) on its main channel.
For startups thinking about user-generated content, don’t start by asking people to do something.
If you want them post their workspace with a hashtag, start by posting your own workspace and many other workspaces you find online. Lead by example.
Do first. Then when you gain a bit of traction, you can ask people to do the same.