6 steps to make employee-generated content (EGC) work for your organisation

Employee-generated content (EGC) has become one of the most authentic and effective ways to amplify your brand's message. It’s not a nice to have any more if you think about how people trust individuals more than brands.  

Did you know: Personal posts get 9x more engagement than curated posts. (source)

Yes, EGC is important in 2025 and it’s going to be more important in 2026 but it’s not about begging your team to like a post. It should be strategic.

Your team's networks are full of exactly the people you want to reach. But forcing it doesn’t help.

Done right, employee-generated content becomes a powerful extension of your marketing strategy while simultaneously helping your employees build their personal brands and professional presence. 

I’ve trained several teams over the last year on how to get more comfortable with posting on LinkedIn so here are the steps they tend to follow.

Source: LinkedIn

1. Define your objectives and EGC strategy

Before you create a single Canva template or draft one "please share" message, answer this: what are you actually trying to achieve?

Are you building brand awareness? Attracting talent? Establishing thought leadership in your industry? Your EGC efforts should align with your broader organisational goals.

Tip: EGC typically lives in marketing/comms, sometimes with HR involvement. Make sure you've got buy-in from leadership before you launch. Nothing kills a program faster than a CEO who doesn't engage with it themselves.

2. Work on your social media policy

Nothing kills enthusiasm faster than uncertainty. Your team needs to know what they can and can't share, what's confidential, and how to represent the company appropriately online.

Create clear, practical social media guidelines that empower rather than restrict. Cover the basics: confidentiality, respectful communication, disclosure requirements, and who to contact with questions. 

Make these guidelines accessible and easy to understand, not a 47-page legal document nobody will read.

Tip: Help your team feel encouraged not restricted. Yes, there may be some limitations (or considerations), but you don’t want to make them feel that they are monitored on their own profiles. Also, make sure that you have the policy ready before you start the training. I’ve seen this in practice, it can make a difference.

3. Train and involve your team

In most cases, EGC starts from marketing and comms who want to encourage their organisation to be more active.

Remember, your employees aren't professional content creators, and that's actually part of the appeal. But they still need support to feel confident.

Offer training sessions on social media best practices tailored to your team (ahem, hello 👋🏼), content creation basics, and your brand voice. Show them what good looks like. 

More importantly, show them the benefits of doing this, how they can build their professional brand, grow their network, or become known for their expertise. 

Position EGC training as professional development, not a company favour.

For example, I’m offering a session on ‘how to be more comfortable with posting on LinkedIn to support your organisation’.

The word ‘comfortable’ is key.

We talk about their barriers, the things they feel comfortable with. We focus on accountability and small steps that build a habit. We do live updates to personal profiles to feel like one task is achieved. Everything is aligned with what the organisation wants to achieve.

Tip: Speak your team’s language. Not everyone is comfortable with being active (and it’s okay). Give them different options and levels of involvement. Give space for the training for everyone to share their thoughts and worries. It makes such a difference!

4. Find your cheerleaders

I’ve trained teams before because one person said they need to be more active on LinkedIn. This is a ‘cheerleader’. They make a case and it starts building up momentum.

Not everyone will want to participate, and that's okay. Start by identifying the enthusiastic early adopters who are already engaged on social media or genuinely excited about the company.

These advocates become your EGC champions. They'll test your processes, provide valuable feedback, and inspire others through their example. 

Share those screenshots. Make it easy to understand.

When others see their colleagues getting positive engagement and professional benefits from EGC, they'll be more likely to join in.

Tip: Instead of a company-wide launch, start with a pilot program. Recruit your cheerleaders, work closely with them for a month or two, iron out the kinks, and let their success do the recruiting for you.

5. Make it fun and effortless

If participating in your EGC program feels like homework, you've already lost. The key is removing friction at every opportunity.

Build a content library with:

• Pre-written posts they can customise (not copy-paste)

• On-brand graphics and templates

• A simple tagging system so people can find relevant content fast

• Behind-the-scenes photos and videos

• Customer testimonials and case studies

• Industry insights and data they can riff on

You can have a Slack channel or a Drive folder with details they can access. You can even share reminders about what’s coming up and how they can be involved.

Consider gamification elements — recognition programs, friendly competitions, or showcasing top contributors. Celebrate wins. Make it something people actually want to be part of, not something they dread.

6. Support them in the process

Here's what nobody tells you about EGC: it's vulnerable. 

You're asking people to put themselves out there publicly, attach their name and face to opinions, and open themselves up to judgment.

That requires trust and support.

Start small. 

Maybe month one is just "share one thing about your work." 

Month two, "add your own commentary to a company post." 

Month three, "create something original."

Offer 1-on-1 support. 

Set up office hours where anyone can hop on a call to workshop a post idea. Have someone review drafts if people want that safety net. Reply to and engage with every single post your team members share—especially in the beginning.

Accountability without surveillance: Check in regularly, but not like Big Brother. A weekly roundup celebrating who posted what works better than tracking spreadsheets with red and green boxes. Make people feel supported, not monitored.

→ Stop forcing, start supporting 

Employee-generated content shouldn't be about forcing your team to become unpaid marketing staff. 

When done strategically, it's a win-win: your brand gets authentic amplification, and your employees gain visibility, build their networks, and enhance their professional profiles.

The companies with the best employee advocacy programs have cultures where people genuinely want to share.

That doesn't happen overnight. It happens when you:

• Give people a real reason to participate 

• Make it easy

• Celebrate the people who do it

• Never, ever make it feel mandatory

The most successful EGC programs recognise that employees are humans, not megaphones. 

Now stop sending those "please share" messages and start building something better.