The more user-generated content your brand earns, the better.
Because authentic posts from real people are your most valuable marketing assets.
The rise of brands using UGC in ads to optimize their paid campaigns speaks for itself. Not to mention that social proof helps brands stand out in a crowded social space.
The catch? Building a library of user-generated content doesn’t happen by accident. The sooner you master the art of creator outreach, the sooner you can get more UGC to promote elsewhere.
“Okay, then how do I collect UGC?”
If you want something, sometimes you just have to ask. Simple as!
Below we share our creator outreach templates and tips for collecting content faster.
Want to jump right to our UGC email templates? Go for it! 📄
We’ll bite: content rights management can be complicated.
What isn’t complicated is the need for permission to repurpose UGC in most cases.
Explicit permission is 100% required if you plan on running UGC ads. Full-stop.
While there are FTC guidelines for creator disclosures, reposting UGC to your feed is more of a gray area. For example, a brand reposting UGC without permission “with intent to profit” would technically violate Instagram’s terms of service.
Remember: you don’t “own” someone’s content just because they tag or endorse you.
When in doubt, err on the side of caution and ask permission.
It’s good manners and etiquette! Don’t put yourself in a position for a call-out or apology.
Besides, most satisfied customers won’t mind you reposting them. Most of the time, they’ll be delighted. That’s why brands shouldn’t be shy about collecting UGC.
Creator outreach isn’t one-size-fits-all. You have plenty of options beyond emails.
The thing is, everyone has an email address. Recent research says that a staggering 98% of millennials and 94% of Gen Z “depend” on email to communicate.
Let’s quickly review the biggest upsides of collecting UGC via email.
Reaching creators where they prefer to be reached is so important but often overlooked.
Consider that 46% of people prefer business-related communications via email. Many creators see themselves as business owners and rightfully so.
If a creator has a business email, chances are that’s where they want to be contacted.
This rings true for brands and content creators alike. How so?
That said, DMs do have the advantage of letting you know if your messages have been seen. Worried about being left on read? Consider using a creator outreach tool like GMass to track opens and clicks.
No surprises here. Email is an established communication channel for anyone and everyone. Likewise, emails make it easy to share links, contracts and attachments.
If nothing else, note that some people are checking their email up to 20 times per day.
That means it’s less likely that your outreach message will get overlooked. This is especially true if a creator has a dedicated business email only for brand queries.
Of course, email isn’t the only show in town when it comes to creator outreach. There are situations where non-email methods of collecting UGC might make more sense.
(Still, email is a safe bet most of the time!)
DMs are ideal if 1) the creator you’re contacting already follows you on social media and 2) they don't have an email address listed anywhere.
If your initial DM goes unread, you can always move things over to email. Consider that messaging influencers on TikTok requires them to follow you first.
Permission via comments is ideal for collecting recently posted UGC (<48 hours).
Chances are you’ve seen brands collect UGC with comments and this is totally fine. If someone recently posted about your brand and you reply the same day or the next day, chances are they’ll see it. Comment consent is pretty low effort on the creator’s part, too.
Source: @dee.diary
The main downside to comment approval is that comments can get deleted. Accounts can change or get deactivated, too. This can make documenting permission a bit tricky.
If you want to collect UGC that was posted weeks or months ago, email might be the better play. Seeing a seemingly random engagement on an old post is easier for a busy creator to overlook.
Whitelisting and creator ads are ideal when working with creators you have established partnerships with. This process is only necessary if you plan on using UGC in ads versus just reposting it to your own social feed.
TikTok and Instagram have streamlined the process of featuring creator content in ads. The thing is, whitelisting is an ad-specific process. Whitelisting isn’t necessary if you just want to repost a piece of content to your TikTok or Instagram.
Also, asking permission to collect UGC via email requires a simpler confirmation. That’s because whitelisting requires creators to provide account-level permissions.
For more context, check out our posts explaining…
With a dedicated UGC platform, you can streamline the process of collecting content.
For example, you might use a social media platform that informs you of @tags from customers. This means you still have to reach out to creators for permission to repost though.
On the flip side, a platform like Statusphere matches you with creators to create content on your behalf. No outreach or pitch emails required!
How automated and hands-off the process depends on the type of platform you use.
Below are three UGC collection email templates you can repurpose for your brand. Each template is tailored to different scenarios,
This template is for brands looking to collect UGC to promote elsewhere. This does not include paid ads.
For example, you might want to repost a piece of creator content or use it in a marketing email. You can likewise use this template as an intro to connect with UGC creators.
| Subject line: [Creator's name], we loved your post! 😍 |
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Hey [insert creator’s name], This is [insert your name] from [insert company name / @companyname]. We absolutely adored your recent [insert social platform] post about our [insert product name]! Our team loved how you [insert personalized compliment about their post]. Would it be okay for us to share your post across our marketing and social channels? If so, please review our terms below and reply to this email to confirm. 👇 [insert UGC terms and conditions link] We appreciate your time and thanks for showing [insert company name] so much love! [insert your name / company signature] |
This template is for brands that want to ask permission to run a piece of UGC as an ad. You’ll likely wind up going through the process of whitelisting regardless.
Still, this email can help you break the ice in a more official way than a DM.
| Subject line: [Creator's name], we'd love to share your post with our community! |
|
Hey [insert creator’s name], This is [insert your name] from [insert company name / @companyname]. Your recent [insert social platform] post about [insert product name] caught our team’s attention. We really appreciated how you [insert personalized compliment about their post]. Would you be okay with us featuring your post as part of an upcoming [insert social platform] advertising campaign? If so, please reply to this email and we can move forward with the next steps. We can also continue this conversation via DM if you'd prefer. Thanks so much for your time! [insert your name / company signature] |
This email template serves as a way to request an official review or testimonial from a creator that recently tagged on social media.
This might not seem like a big ask. That said, anything you can do to make the process easier is a smart move.
For example, you should provide a link to a specific product page or UGC section of your site. Don’t leave them confused about where to leave their review.
| Subject line: Care to share your positive review, [Creator's name]? ❤️ |
|
Hey [insert creator’s name], This is [insert your name] from [insert company name / @companyname]. On behalf of our team, I wanted to say how much we loved your recent post about [insert product name] on [insert social platform]. [insert link or quote from the creator’s post] Seriously, we really appreciate the kind words! We were wondering if you’d share your feedback in a quick review on [insert review channel]. If it makes things easier, you can literally copy and paste what you wrote in your post! Here’s a link to [insert review channel]: [insert link here] Thanks for your time and for being part of [insert company name]’s awesome community! [insert your name / company signature] |
Anything you can do to improve your creator outreach is a plus.
We’ve seen firsthand what effective creator pitches look like. Thankfully, asking for permission to repurpose UGC is much more straightforward.
That’s because the person you’re emailing is already familiar with you and your products. This means you’ll have a better success rate by default versus cold-pitch emails.
That said, there are still a few evergreen best practices to stick to. We’ll wrap things up by recapping them below:
Source: PetSmart
If you don’t have a page like this on-site, consider adding one as an alternative to a contract or doc. This terms and conditions template for UGC via TermsFeed is a solid starting point. When in doubt, consult with your legal team.
If you plan to feature UGC in your marketing campaigns, asking for permission is crucial.
The templates above can speed up the process and help your outreach emails actually land, too.
Also, note how you can bypass the need for creator outreach and pitch emails with a tool like Statusphere. Our micro-influencer marketing platform helps brands earn influencer and user-generated content at scale.
After all, we match brands with creators from our vetted network. That means you don’t have to worry about asking for permission to repost content or run it as ads. Content rights management is built directly into our platforms and creator agreements.
Want to learn more about how our process and platform work? Get in touch with one of our consumer-to-consumer marketing specialists to see how we can get more on-brand creator content in your hands.
Disclaimer: We're influencer marketing specialists, not lawyers ourselves! This content is not legal advice and you should definitely consult a legal professional based on your needs and questions. We do not make any guarantees as to the accuracy or completeness of this information and take no liability or legal obligations for your use of this information.