Latest / Social Media Marketing with Fexingo: Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, and Platform Strategy / How Brands Use Social Media to Recycle User Content
Transcript
- Lucas: Let me run a scenario past you. You're a social media manager for a mid-sized brand. You're expected to post six times a week across three platforms. Your content budget got cut ten percent this quarter. What do you do? Luna: I mean, the obvious answer is you start pulling from your audience. User-generated content. But it's not as simple as just re-sharing a tagged photo, right? Lucas: Right. And that's exactly what we're talking about today — the strategy of recycling user content as your primary feed. It's a tactic that a lot of brands are leaning into harder than ever, especially as original content production gets more expensive. Luna: And honestly, if these marketing conversations have sparked something you've actually used — a strategy you tried, a campaign you tweaked — a couple of dollars a month is genuinely what keeps these going. Buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo, if you've gotten something out of them. Lucas: Yeah, it's a small thing that makes a real difference. Keeps the show ad-free and focused on the stuff that actually works. So back to UGC recycling — the poster child for this is GoPro. Their entire Instagram feed, for years, has been almost exclusively customer-submitted footage. Luna: I think that's actually one of the smartest moves they've made. Because what's more authentic than someone actually using your product in the wild? Lucas: Exactly. GoPro's 'Photo of the Day' program — they've been running it since 2013. Users submit their best shots, GoPro picks one, features it on their social channels, and the creator gets exposure. The brand spends almost nothing on content creation for that channel. They've told investors that user-generated content drives over fifty million social impressions per month. Luna: Fifty million. And they're not paying a production crew. That's the dream, right? But there has to be a catch. Lucas: There is. The catch is legal and ethical. If you just take someone's photo and repost it without permission, you can get sued. Copyright law is pretty clear — the person who pressed the shutter owns the image, not the brand whose product is in the frame. Luna: Right, so brands have to get explicit permission. GoPro's terms of service for their app include a license that lets them use your content. But a lot of smaller brands skip that step and just screenshot and repost with a tag. Lucas: And that's where you see backlash. There was a case a couple years ago — a photographer sued a major hotel chain for reposting his photo of a sunrise from their pool deck. The hotel settled for an undisclosed amount. So the risk is real. Luna: What about the 'exposure' argument? Brands say, 'We'll tag you, you'll get followers.' Is that fair compensation? Lucas: Look, exposure doesn't pay rent. If you're a brand with a million followers, tagging someone gives them visibility, but it's not a monetary exchange. Some creators are fine with that — they want the reach. Others feel exploited. The smart brands now are doing something in between. Luna: Like what? Lucas: They're creating a formal UGC program. You submit content, you agree to terms, and if your content is featured, you get a small payment — maybe fifty to two hundred dollars — or a product bundle. Starbucks had a 'White Cup Contest' years ago where customers decorated their cups and submitted photos. The winning design got printed on a limited edition cup. That's not cash, but it's a tangible reward and massive exposure. Luna: And that generated a ton of free content for them. I remember that campaign. It was everywhere. Lucas: Exactly. The key is to make it a win-win. The brand gets authentic, low-cost content. The creator gets something real — whether it's money, product, or genuine exposure to a relevant audience. The problem is when brands treat UGC like a free content farm. Luna: So what's the right way to set up a UGC recycling program? Walk me through it. Lucas: Step one: you need a clear rights-grab in your terms. If you run a contest or a branded hashtag, your terms should say that by using the hashtag, users grant you a non-exclusive, worldwide license to repost. That's standard for big campaigns. Luna: But what about content people post organically — not through a campaign? Like someone just tags the brand in a photo. Lucas: That's a gray area. Most legal teams will tell you you still need to ask for permission. A simple DM saying, 'Hey, we love this photo — can we repost it on our feed? We'll tag you.' Nine times out of ten, people say yes. And they're usually thrilled. Luna: And if they say no? Lucas: You move on. Don't use it. It's not worth the legal headache or the PR hit. There are plenty of other creators who would love the exposure. Luna: What about the platforms themselves? Are they making this easier? I know Instagram has a 'Repost' feature now, but that's for Stories, not the main feed. Lucas: Right. For the main feed, you still have to download the content and upload it yourself. But Instagram did add a feature where you can tag the original creator in the photo as 'collaborator' — that gives them shared credit on the post. It shows up in both feeds. That's a big step toward proper attribution. Luna: I've seen brands do that. It feels more respectful. And TikTok has its own version — you can stitch or duet, but that's not the same as reposting a video as your own. Lucas: No, and on TikTok, the culture is different. Reposting someone else's video as your own is actually frowned upon unless it's clearly a compilation or a reaction. The platform's algorithm also penalizes reposted content that isn't original. So UGC recycling works best on Instagram and, to some extent, on LinkedIn. Luna: LinkedIn? Really? Lucas: Surprisingly, yes. LinkedIn now allows you to reshare a post with your own commentary. A lot of B2B brands use this to share customer testimonials or case studies that users have posted. It's a form of UGC recycling that feels native to the platform. Luna: So the strategy isn't just about filling your feed. It's also about building community. When you feature someone's content, you're validating them. That encourages more people to create content about your brand. Lucas: Exactly. It creates a flywheel. The more you feature, the more people want to be featured. GoPro's community is so engaged because they know there's a real chance their footage will end up on the official account. That's powerful. Luna: But there's also a risk of your feed looking too polished. If every post is a stunning mountain shot from a GoPro, it starts to feel like an ad, not a community. Do you need to mix in other content? Lucas: You do. The best UGC strategies don't replace all original content — they supplement it. GoPro still produces hero videos for big launches. But the day-to-day feed is mostly UGC. The balance is roughly eighty percent UGC, twenty percent original for them. And that works because their UGC is high-quality. Luna: What about brands that don't have a visually exciting product? Like a SaaS company or a financial services firm? Lucas: It's harder, but not impossible. For B2B, UGC often takes the form of testimonials, screenshots of your software in use, or even a video of a customer explaining how they use your tool. It's less glamorous, but it's authentic. Companies like HubSpot and Salesforce do this well — they share customer success stories written by the customers themselves. Luna: Right, and those get more engagement than a polished case study written by the marketing team. I've seen data showing UGC posts have a four to five times higher click-through rate than brand-created content. Lucas: That's consistent with what we've seen. And the cost per engagement is significantly lower. If you're a brand with a tight budget, UGC recycling is one of the highest roi moves you can make — provided you do it right. Luna: So let's talk about the pitfalls. What are the biggest mistakes brands make? Lucas: Number one: not asking permission. We covered that. Number two: not giving proper credit. Even if you have a license, you should tag the creator. It's common courtesy, and it also signals to other creators that you'll credit them, which encourages more submissions. Luna: Number three? Lucas: Over-editing the content. If you take a user's photo and slap a heavy filter on it, or crop it in a way that changes the composition, you're altering their creative work. That can lead to backlash. The best practice is to use it as-is, with maybe a minor brightness adjustment. The rawness is what makes it authentic. Luna: And number four: not having a clear submission process. If you just rely on people tagging you, you might miss a lot. Better to have a dedicated hashtag or a submission form on your website. Lucas: Exactly. And make sure the hashtag is unique and not already used for something else. We've seen brands accidentally aggregate a hashtag that was being used for a completely different, sometimes inappropriate, conversation. Luna: Oh, that's a nightmare. So you need to monitor it constantly. Lucas: Right. UGC recycling isn't a set-it-and-forget-it strategy. You need someone who's actively curating, checking permissions, and engaging with the creators. But the ROI is there. One piece of UGC can be repurposed across multiple channels — Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, even your website. Luna: I've seen brands use UGC in their email newsletters too. Featuring a customer photo in the header with a quote. That's smart. Lucas: Absolutely. And paid ads. Some brands run UGC as ads with a disclaimer that it's user-generated. Those ads often outperform studio-shot creative because they feel less like an ad. Luna: So if I'm a small brand just starting out, what's the first step? I don't have a community yet. Lucas: Start with a small incentive. Offer a discount code or a free product in exchange for a photo. Run a simple contest. Or even just reach out to micro-influencers who already use your product — they're often happy to let you repost their content. Build from there. Luna: It's interesting how this strategy has shifted. Five years ago, brands were all about creating polished, high-production content. Now the pendulum has swung toward authenticity and community. Lucas: And I think it's a permanent shift. Consumers are skeptical of branded content. They trust other consumers more. UGC recycling isn't just a cost-saving tactic — it's a trust-building strategy. And when done right, it makes your brand feel less like a company and more like a community. Luna: I think that's the real takeaway. It's not about cutting corners. It's about inviting your audience into your story.