User Generated Content

4/5/2020

What is user generated content?
USG is what is created by clients/users. E.g a person purchases a belt and then goes out and takes some great photos for that brand. That brand then asks permission of whoever took the photo and then shares & tags them.
*if the photo was taken by a photographer the brand must check with the photographer. As the photographer owns the image*

This blog links to my IGTV tip Tuesday so be sure to check that out to see the brands explain what they like from USG themselves.

Overall brands liked to be tagged in the image and the caption, if just hashtagged it can often get missed. They love sharp interesting and relevant images for the grid. Stories are more relaxed and there is a place for your order screenshots, mirror selfies and videos or video screenshots.
Think about what is already on that brands grid and what you can bring to it.
I’d recommend doing something where that product should be used and if you feel you want to do some out of context outside of the box photos it’s worth a shot.
Make sure when you tag a brand that you are actually tagging them in one of their products not something random that serves no purpose.

For my brand I don’t get many nor share many client images as they usually have the same digital file as me.
For someone to get on my grid they would need to take something similar to the below image and ideally on portrait mode. (Make sure you tap the screen and thee little square goes yellow so you get that lush blurry background)
I would love to see my portrait shoot prints held up with my client and their horse.
I like only around three colours in an image if it’s too busy it doesn’t look it’s best.
I will nearly always share story tags if they are relevant and my story isn’t longer than mrs Hinch’s! (I love her stories but I’m no way capable of a story that long!)

 

Content for us needs to be engaging to a wide audience both age and location. And at the same time product focused but without it being an oversell.
Nice lifestyle shots work well for this mixed in with memes and other lighter content 🙂
Charles Owen

Make sure when you tag a brand that you are actually tagging them in one of their products not something random that serves no purpose.
Our favourite part of seeing our customers photos is the happiness and joy that can be felt through their snaps. Our ethos is all about living your best lift with your essentials close by.
Our bags are often paired and photographed with other highly desirable country brands, giving you that ultra chic country look! From lifestyle shots to flat lays we love to see a carefully curated and well styled shot.
As a fashion brand we love to see how customers style their products. We personally love a classic look of jeans, blazer, a t-shirt and a cute pair of shoes or trainers. Colour combinations are so important to us, we want our bags compliment the outfit. Matchy matchy is so huge right now, it’s no wonder our tempting toffee bag sold out in record time!
Lifestyle shots with close up of the products looking to be highlighted are a real bonus for any brand. It’s amazing how much details people will go into to get that perfect shot of their outfit. Our gold embossing looking amazing when photographed in the right light!
We’ve built a really strong community in such a short time and we couldn’t be prouder to see our lovely customers on their Salthouse adventures.
Salthouse England

I guess if you as a creator are creating content that you’d like to be considered to be shared on a brand’s feed, it needs to be a good example of the product. This doesn’t mean it has to be pristine and shiny but especially with a product that could cause discomfort if not fitted correctly (and this applies to boots, bandages, training aids, etc) it has to be correct. You also don’t want people thinking that’s how it should be as if they use that as a guide to how to fit you have more problems. These are my words not Albion. Non blurry is also the key which can be tricky with moving horses.
Rhea Freeman.

For us it’s lovely to see images of the pony or horse that shoe came from, or perhaps. Images of the item purchased is also fab but invariably the shoes are a bit difficult to get good images of. Reviews and general testimonials are good too.
Horseshoes photograph badly in bright sunlight and on a very light background. The string contrast just doesn’t really work well for them and hides so much detail. To truly show the gunmetal and silver tones in the shoes along with the wear marks taking photos in natural light, perhaps in a lightly shaded place against a mid toned, neutral shaded usually background works really well. Some directional light is still ok as that can be used well to highlight areas of hand stamping making it easier to read in the resulting image. Taking the image from an angle rather than from directly above can also help show more detail.
Horseshoe hearts

I like either the products in use or unboxing style images. Hooves&love

In terms of client content – clear and quality imagery of User Generated Content is what we use. Customers who have purchased from us tagging us in their pics is one of the most powerful marketing tools we use. Colour coordination is always desirable. Especially with compatible brands (red blazer with red Fairfax tassels, etc.)
Flat-lays are effective as, having other brands featured, helps the exposure of the post and, therefore, the products used.
Sporting hares

A really clear image that shows off the brand. When you put the extra effort in, brands can then use time and time again and each time tagging the creator.
I get sent 100’s photo’s of people loving their products in their mirror. They are great and I love seeing them but it’s not something I can keep posting. This would be more story content.
Equiboodle

Image shot for Equiboodle. Black Supa Star Tee. I am size 10 and wear an XS for a slim fit and the wonder leggings, I am wearing a size Small.

I see all our customers as ambassadors and being able to share our products being used and loved in the real world is the key thing.
Natural and authentic.
Also, I get tagged in about 5 photos a day, so if I don’t use your photo straight away, it doesn’t mean I won’t. I prefer to repost with some. Time between the original post anyway.
Mackenzie & George

Thankyou to all the brands that got involved. Head to https://instagram.com/marthalilyphotog
To see the latest IGTV on user generated content. Don’t forget to tag me if you use any tips, I love sharing to stories.