What is employee-generated content? (with examples)
What makes social media content resonate more: polished corporate messaging or authentic stories from real people? Today’s audiences are drawn to content that feels relatable and genuine. Employee-generated content (EGC) taps into these preferences by providing a unique method of showcasing your brand through the voices of its employees.
The question is, does it really work? According to a recent study, companies that implemented employee-generated content saw a 27% increase in online engagement and a 19% rise in sales within the first year. These figures demonstrate how employee advocacy can significantly boost your brand’s reach and credibility.
But knowing the value of authentic stories is one thing—getting your employees excited to share those stories and participate in the initiative is another. Let’s look at examples of powerful EGC you could leverage or suggest to your teams.
What is employee-generated content (EGC)?
Employee-generated content (EGC) is content created and shared by employees that reflect their personal experiences, insights, or perspectives about their workplace.
Unlike traditional marketing materials developed by corporate teams, EGC offers a more authentic and relatable view of the organization. It can take different forms, from social media posts and blog articles to photos, videos, or testimonials shared on professional platforms.
At its core, EGC leverages employees’ trust within their networks. Their stories and experiences feel genuine and make it easier for others to connect with them. This content often reaches audiences who might otherwise overlook branded messaging—creating a more natural way to increase visibility and engagement.
For B2B companies, EGC is especially valuable in industries where trust and credibility are essential. Whether the goal is to attract top talent, highlight company culture, or strengthen customer relationships, employee-generated content provides a personal touch that humanizes the brand and resonates with stakeholders.
Why is employee-generated content important for B2B brands?
Grows brand trust and credibility
People tend to trust an organization’s employees over its corporate messaging. When employees share their perspectives, it feels authentic and credible—which helps build stronger relationships with customers and prospects.
Increased engagement
Content shared by employees consistently outperforms posts from brand accounts. An employee’s network is more likely to interact with and share their posts, which extends your brand’s reach without additional effort.
Humanizes the brand
EGC gives your organization’s marketing content a personal touch. Highlighting employee stories makes your brand feel approachable and relatable, which creates a more meaningful connection with your audience.
Boosts recruiting efforts
Job seekers often look to current employees for insight into a company’s culture. EGC provides a positive inside look that helps attract potential hires who align with your organization’s goals and values.
Cost-effective content creation
Encouraging employees to share their stories is a practical way to produce high-quality content without dramatically increasing your marketing budget. It turns your team into advocates who create marketing value at little to no extra cost.
Examples of employee-generated content that works
1. Behind-the-scenes posts
Behind-the-scenes posts give an honest look at life inside your company. Whether it’s a snapshot from a team meeting, a peek at a project in progress, or a fun office moment, these posts feel genuine and personal. They help employees share relatable stories that spark engagement and build trust with their networks.
In this example from UpSlide, their LinkedIn audience gets a detailed look at everything that went down at their latest event for investment bankers (including pizza recommendations!), along with a link to a detailed report for those who want to know more.
2. Candid videos
Candid videos capture authentic moments that feel unscripted and real. These could be quick clips of employees sharing their thoughts on a project, celebrating a milestone, or offering a behind-the-scenes workplace tour. They’re engaging because they show personality and spontaneity, helping audiences easily relate to the employee and brand.
This candid TikTok video (reposted on LinkedIn) from Nada Alkutbi, IBM’s Geo-Social Media Lead, shows her first-ever TikTok and her experiences at IBM’s THINK event in Riyadh.
3. Social causes
Social cause posts showcase employees supporting initiatives they care about, like volunteering, fundraising, or participating in community events. These posts show your company’s values in action, showing how your team makes a tangible impact. When employees share these moments, it feels personal and genuine, strengthening your brand’s image and connection to the community.
This example from ComplyAdvantage, a leader in AI-driven risk detection, is part of a campaign to expand its social media presence. ComplyAdvantage brought together diverse employee advocates, including account executives and regulatory specialists, to share authentic, personalized content.
Leveraging Oktopost’s Employee Advocacy platform made it easy for account executives and regulatory specialists to access and personalize pre-approved content. This feature helped to ensure consistency while still allowing their authentic voices to come through, leading to a 1,028% increase in brand reach and a 160% year-over-year rise in posting.
4. Employee takeovers
Employee takeovers put your team in the spotlight by letting them manage your social media for a day. These takeovers can focus on a specific event, such as an upcoming webinar, a new project, or a day-in-the-life perspective, and allow employees to share their unique experiences.
The format feels fresh and engaging because it offers an authentic, unfiltered look at your company through the eyes of your team.
The University of Iowa builds social media engagement with its ongoing “Ask a Hawkeye” series in Instagram Stories. In this social media takeover, UI students answer incoming students’ questions about important campus life issues.
5. Professional milestones
Professional milestones highlight employee achievements like promotions, work anniversaries, or significant project completions. When employees share these moments, it highlights their growth and reflects your company’s commitment to supporting its people. These posts are inspiring and a great way to build pride within your team.
In this fun example, Hanna Fralova, Head of Sales Central Europe at Semrush, proudly shows off her company’s amusing new marketing campaign for its Trends feature, a giant cuppa poured from a crane on the streets of London.
6. Thought leadership
Thought leadership posts showcase your employees’ expertise and perspectives on industry topics. These could be insights on trends, solutions to challenges, or innovative ideas shared through LinkedIn posts, articles, or short videos. When employees share their knowledge, it positions them—and your company—as trusted voices in the industry.
UpSlide, a company focused on productivity and brand compliance for Microsoft 365, partnered with Oktopost to position its team as an industry thought leader. The Employee Advocacy platform helped employees share educational and insightful content related to their roles, such as tips for improving workplace productivity or navigating brand compliance challenges.
This content aligned with UpSlide’s sales and marketing goals while establishing employees as trusted voices in their field. As the campaign progressed, analytics revealed which posts resonated most, allowing UpSlide to refine its strategy for maximum impact.
The results included a 2.5x increase in unique website traffic, a 55% growth in monthly followers, and a 50% boost in social engagement.
6 Ways to boost employee-generated content efforts
1. Empower employees with the right tools
Simplifying the content-sharing process is essential for successful EGC. Oktopost’s Employee Advocacy platform lets employees quickly discover and share pre-approved content with their networks. Providing ready-to-use posts helps your team to confidently amplify your brand’s message while staying aligned with company guidelines.
2. Incentivize participation
Employees are more likely to engage when they feel recognized and rewarded. Gamification, such as leaderboards highlighting top sharers or rewards for impactful posts, can create healthy competition. Pair this with public recognition, such as employee shout-outs during team meetings or newsletters, to boost motivation and pride in their contributions.
3. Provide training and resources
Not all employees are familiar with content creation or social media best practices. Offering workshops or on-demand guides can boost their confidence.
Topics could include tips for crafting compelling captions, selecting engaging visuals, how to employ automation in post creation, or understanding what types of posts resonate with professional audiences. Training equips employees with the skills to create and share high-quality, compelling content.
4. Create a content library for inspiration
Give employees access to a library of content ideas, templates, and examples. This resource can inspire posts while ensuring alignment with your brand’s tone and messaging. Oktopost’s platform makes it easy to curate and distribute these materials, streamlining the process for your team.
5. Maintain a consistent schedule
Consistency is the key to maximizing the impact of EGC. Sporadic sharing can dilute momentum, while regular posts keep your brand visible. An automated scheduling tool ensures employee content is shared consistently, helping maintain engagement and extend your reach over time.
6. Track metrics and optimize ROI
Monitoring the performance of EGC is crucial for refining your strategy. Key metrics like engagement rates, website traffic, and shares provide insights into what works. Choose a social media tool with enriched analytics that can help pinpoint the most effective content types. This data will enable you to optimize efforts and demonstrate the value of EGC to all stakeholders.
Unlock the power of employee voices
EGC is one of the most effective ways for B2B brands to connect with their audience. Employees sharing their unique perspectives creates trust, sparks engagement, and expands your reach in ways that traditional brand messaging simply can’t achieve.
Scaling an EGC strategy is straightforward with Oktopost’s Employee Advocacy platform. It streamlines the process by offering employees curated, pre-approved content they can share effortlessly across their networks.
Built-in scheduling tools ensure consistent posting, while robust analytics offer detailed insights into engagement and performance. With features like gamification and leaderboard tracking, you can incentivize participation and create a culture of advocacy that gets results.
Schedule a demo today to unlock the power of employee-generated content for your business.
