In short: You can collect UGC from customers by asking after purchase, running a branded hashtag, using a contest entry form or messaging people who already posted about you. Whichever route you use, permission is the point. Gleam’s guide says posting someone’s content from your own profile requires their permission, and that the implicit permission a hashtag campaign creates, while it will generally suffice, is “far from foolproof”, so ask clearly and keep the answer. Customer UGC is cheap but unpredictable, because you cannot brief it. Commissioned UGC costs money but arrives on a brief, with the rights settled. Most brands end up using both.
Customer UGC and commissioned UGC are different things
| Aspect | From customers | Commissioned from creators |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Little or none, unless you give an incentive | A payout per video |
| Control over the content | None, you take what is posted | Brief, shot list, approved claims |
| Rights | Permission to ask for, one post at a time | Settled by the terms of the deal |
| Volume | Depends on how many customers post | Depends on your brief and payout |
| Suits | Social proof and community | Ads, product pages and launches |
Four ways to collect from customers
- Ask after purchase. A short email or an insert card a week or two after delivery, asking for a photo or video and permission to share it.
- A branded hashtag. Easy to start, easy to search. Gleam describes asking people to add a unique confirmation hashtag once they have agreed, so you can later find content you are cleared to use.
- A contest or entry form. Entrants submit content directly, and the terms or a consent checkbox state that entering grants you permission. Gleam advises clear terms and consent checkboxes in entry forms.
- A direct message. When you find a post you would like to use, ask the person in a comment or message. Keep it brief and friendly, send it from your brand’s official profile, say what you want to do and ask them to confirm. Gleam also advises crediting the creator when you post.
Get the permission right
Gleam’s guide notes that sharing through a platform’s own share feature amplifies a post without taking ownership, while posting a person’s content from your own profile needs their permission. A tag or hashtag on its own is a weak basis. A better record is short and specific:
- A screenshot or saved message with the person’s clear “yes”, and the date.
- What you asked to do: repost organically, use on your site, or run as an ad. Permission to repost is not permission to turn a video into a paid ad.
- The handle and the link to the original post.
Rules differ by country, so check the ones that apply to you.
If you reward customers
An incentive changes the picture. The FTC’s guide says a financial relationship includes the brand paying someone or giving free or discounted products, and that such a relationship has to be disclosed. In its questions and answers on the reviews rule, the FTC says the rule does not prohibit giving incentives for reviews, but a business may not suggest that reviews must be positive to get the incentive. If you offer a discount for a customer video, ask for an honest one, and ask the customer to say that the discount was given.
Where customer UGC falls short
- It is unbriefed. You get what people film, which may not show the angle you need or avoid claims you cannot make.
- It is uneven. A launch week can bring one post or none.
- It is thin for new brands. No customers, no content.
- It is hard to run as an ad. You need clear permission for each use, and the content seldom comes ready for a paid placement.
That is why commissioning is a common second layer. See paid UGC and customer reviews for how the two sit side by side, and UGC for product launches for when you cannot wait for customers.
When to commission instead
- You are launching, and there are no customer videos yet.
- You need a specific angle, such as a routine, a try-on or an answer to an objection.
- You want to run videos as ads and need the rights settled.
- You need consistent quality across product pages.
- You need claims to stay inside wording you control.
On Usicri
Usicri is the commissioned side. You write the brief and set the payout, creators on Usicri choose your campaign, and you pay only for the videos you approve, with no platform fee on videos approved through December 31 and a platform fee of 15% after that. You do not have to chase permission post by post: the license for an approved, paid video covers your website, shop, email, socials and paid ads, worldwide and without time limit, and you can download the file from your campaign page. On every upload the creator confirms that they filmed the video, that it shows real people and that they hold the rights, and Usicri records the time. Your own customers’ posts stay a good thing to collect alongside. A campaign is not guaranteed to receive submissions, so a clear brief and a fair payout matter. See how it works for brands or create a free brand account.
Reviews also make good material for a brief; see how to turn customer reviews into UGC briefs.