What Are EGC Creators (and Why Should Your Brand Care)?
In 30 seconds:
Are you sitting on an untapped goldmine of content creation? EGC can generate 8x more engagement than your polished brand posts
Want to make it happen? We’ve given tips to help turn your team into content creators
Plus we’re serving up real examples of brands absolutely crushing the EGC game - and ideas you can use right now.
Let's cut to it: your team is sitting on a goldmine of untapped content - and we're not talking about the usual "Meet the Team" LinkedIn post.
We're talking about EGC (aka Employee Generated Content). EGC creators are exactly what they sound like: your employees becoming content creators to bring your brand to life. Think TikToks from your social media manager, day-in-the-life vlogs from a product designer, behind-the-scenes snapshots from your customer support team. It's authentic, it's an upgrade of employee advocacy, and spoiler alert: it works.
First off, what exactly is EGC?
Employee generated content refers to any content created and shared by employees about their workplace, experiences, or company. Unlike traditional marketing content produced by your marketing team, EGC comes straight from the people who live and breathe your company culture every day. It's raw, it's real, and in a digital landscape where audiences are increasingly sceptical of polished brand messages, it's exactly what your marketing strategy needs.
While you might be familiar with user generated content (check out our explainer on UGC here), employee generated content takes this concept in-house. Your employees become your content creators, brand ambassadors, and authentic storytellers all rolled into one. And unlike influencer partnerships that can break the bank, EGC is surprisingly cost effective content creation that delivers serious ROI.
Employee Generated Content vs. employee advocacy: What's the difference?
Many brands confuse these two concepts, but understanding the distinction helps create a more effective strategy:
Employee advocacy typically involves employees sharing existing company content or brand messages through their personal networks. Think: resharing that company blog post on LinkedIn.
Employee generated content goes deeper—it's original content created by employees that expresses their unique perspectives and authentic stories about the workplace, products, or company values.
Both are powerful tools in your marketing arsenal, but EGC offers something special: original perspectives that can't be scripted by your marketing department. It's less about amplifying a pre-approved message and more about letting your employees share their genuine thoughts, fostering stronger connections with your audience.
Why EGC is having a moment
Authenticity isn't just a buzzword, it's the currency of trust in 2025. People are smart. They might scroll past polished ads in 0.02 seconds, but stop to watch a 24-year-old developer talking about their favourite Slack channel. Why? Because it's human, and genuine.
Back in 2012, Salesforce found that 92% of consumers trust online content from friends and colleagues - a far higher figure in comparison to other brand messages. And that has never changed. A recent PwC study found that 59% of consumers feel companies have lost touch with the human element of customer experience. In 2025, people want communities over consumption.
And guess what? Algorithms eat this up, too.
Social media trends continue to shift towards authentic, relatable content, with major platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and LinkedIn all prioritising "real people" content in feeds. As traditional marketing becomes increasingly expensive and competitive, turning to your employees to create content isn't just smart, it's necessary.
Here's why employee generated content important right now:
Trust factor: With consumers increasingly sceptical of traditional advertising, content from real employees cuts through the noise.
Algorithm advantage: Social platforms prioritise personal content over branded posts, meaning your employees' content often reaches more people organically.
Recruitment edge: Job seekers want to see authentic workplace content before applying. Employee stories show potential employees what life at your company is genuinely like.
Cultural reinforcement: When employees publicly celebrate your company's values, it reinforces those values internally, boosting employee morale.
The ROI of EGC:
More reach, less spend: Organic content from your team often outperforms branded campaigns. One reported study found that employee social media posts typically generate 8x more engagement than content shared through brand channels.
Higher trust: People trust people more than brands. Especially when it's your actual staff sharing their real voices. Employee testimonials consistently rank among the most trusted forms of content.
Culture flex: EGC is a major asset for employer branding and recruitment marketing. Behind the scenes content showcasing daily life significantly boosts application rates.
Content at scale: No more waiting around for a polished campaign. Your content pipeline grows overnight. When multiple employees create content, you suddenly have a steady stream of high quality content without the time-consuming production cycles.
Website traffic boost: When employees share company content, it can drive substantial website traffic, often from more qualified visitors than paid campaigns deliver.
Personal brand + company brand: When employees build their personal brand while representing your company, it's a win-win that can spark engagement on both fronts.
Types of EGC that hit different
Not all EGC is created equal - and that's a good thing. Employee generated content comes in many forms, giving your brand authentic voices across different platforms. Here's a little inspo:
🎥 TikTok or Reels: "What I do in a day" from different departments, trends with a company twist, or office memes. A single viral TikTok video from an enthusiastic employee can generate more brand awareness than months of traditional marketing.
📸 Instagram takeovers: Let a new voice hop on the brand account each week. This gives followers a rotating authentic perspective of your company culture.
✍️ LinkedIn posts: Hot takes on industry news, leadership lessons, or career growth milestones. Professional insights from your team members can significantly boost your reputation in your industry.
📩 Internal content turned external: That hilarious company-wide email? It could be your next viral post. Many companies are finding that their internal communications contain content gold.
🎙️ Employee podcast appearances: Technical experts and leadership sharing knowledge on industry podcasts become powerful brand ambassadors.
🏆 Recognition celebrations: Employees sharing team wins and company achievements shows genuine pride that can't be manufactured.
📝 Blog contributions: Subject matter experts within your company can create valuable, in-depth content that showcases both their expertise and your company's thought leadership.
🤳 Physical stores or office tours: Candid videos of your workplace give customers and potential employees an unfiltered look at your environment.
🧵 Employee Twitter/X threads: Detailed technical explanations or industry insights can drive engagement with specialised audiences.
👥 Team collaboration content: Showing how departments work together demonstrates company culture in action.
Real life examples that work
Still looking for content ideas? Take inspiration from these companies getting Employee Generated Content right.
SheerLuxe:
Sheerluxe can't be beaten when it comes to knowing how to build a community, and are masters of "office generated content". Using their employees to create and feature in their social content - often while still at their desks - they have built a team of influencers in their own right.
For SheerLuxe, it's all about easy content creation that shows off personalities. This means they're not only jumping on trends, but offering advice, a hand to hold and an insight into their industry. The result? they make their audience feel like an extension of the team.
Blackstone:
Finance company Blackstone have nailed their social content - an especially impressive feat considering finance is an industry that usually shies away from (and, let’s be honest, doesn’t attract) social media attention.
You may have heard of the “Gen Z intern fronting the channel” EGC strategy, but Blackstone do it differently. They spotlight senior executives who we don’t often hear from; humanising powerful corporate figures. It’s both educational and entertaining. Our favourite example? the mockumentary style “Alternatives Era Tour” video featuring Blackstone president and COO Jonathan Gray.
Marks & Spencer:
An unlikely brand to be killing it with Employee Generated Content, but killing it they are. With satellite accounts belonging to individual stores, Marks and Spencer use employees from all over the UK to feature in content, jumping on relevant trends to widen brand reach, while building local appeal, too.
In a survey by Sprout Social, 48% of respondents want to see the people behind businesses, not just those who run the brand account. That's what Marks & Spencers are nailing right now. Tapping into a pool of younger, potential customers by showing real people involve themselves in trends, not just flogging the latest item (but if it's picky bits they're flogging, we'll get behind that)...
Curry's:
Curry's have mastered the art of grabbing attention with their EGC. Their fun style shows that tech doesn't need to be boring: people don't care about product photos, they want insight and entertainment.
The staff are the stars of the show, and they're great at starting trends, as well as joining them. Case in point? They blew up the "Gen Z marketing script" trend in 2024. The audience consistently sees familiar faces and develops parasocial relationships with the team members at the store, meaning they're well placed to make self-deprecating content as well as sharing the kind of technical product know-how that eclipses most people's knowledge.
Hobbycraft:
If you're wanting to reach a wider audience but don't know how, look to Hobbiecraft. Typically marketing to older generations, their employees are taking TikTok by storm.
By jumping on reactive trends, Hobbycraft are bringing in a younger, engaged audience - but they aren't neglecting Gen X. (FYI, Typically, influencer marketing only spends 5% of Gen X, despite their 27% spending power). Using older employees in their content helps to stretch their appeal across all their audiences, showing how older generations can be involved in the current social moment, and engaging those younger using a language they speak: Memes. The result? Huge engagement on their content, from users across the age spectrum.
How to make it work (without making it weird)
Okay, so how do you actually do this without it feeling forced?
Empower, don't script. Give employees the freedom to show up as themselves. Think prompts, not scripts. Trust their voice. Encourage participation by providing loose guidelines rather than exact words. When employee voices sound genuine, your audience notices.
Create a toolkit. Make it easy: brand stickers, music suggestions, templates, example posts. The easier you make it for employees to create content, the more likely they'll participate. These resources can also help maintain some consistency.
Set guidelines (but keep them chill). Yes, you want brand safety. But don't over-regulate. A good rule of thumb: "Would you be cool with your mum, your boss, and your favourite client seeing this?" Clear boundaries protect both your brand's message and your employees.
Celebrate and spotlight. Feature the content on your main channels. Shout them out in company meetings. Make EGC creators feel like the stars they are. Recognition encourages more participation and shows that you value their contributions.
Track the impact. EGC isn't just feel-good fluff. Track engagement, reach, conversion... whatever aligns with your goals. Measuring results helps you refine your EGC strategy over time and demonstrates its business value beyond just "fun content."
Provide training and support. Not all employees naturally know how to create effective social media posts. Consider optional workshops on content creation basics, platform-specific tips, and how to build a personal brand while representing the company.
The most important rule of all? Make it voluntary! The most authentic employee generated content comes from those who genuinely want to participate. Forced participation rarely yields great results and can harm employee morale.
Pro tip: EGC can be strategic AF
Think beyond "fun office clips." Use EGC to:
Support a product launch from the team who built it. Customers love hearing directly from product designers and developers about features they created.
Show how you walk the talk on company values. When current employees share stories of values in action, it builds brand trust.
Humanise your leadership during times of change. Executive updates feel more authentic coming through personal channels.
Recruit top talent by showing off your people and culture (no stock photos needed). Job seekers - especially Gen Z - crave authentic content from real people at your company.
Address industry challenges with employee perspectives. Their front-line insights often resonate more than corporate statements.
Highlight diversity and inclusion initiatives through employee stories rather than corporate announcements.
Build thought leadership by encouraging employees to share their expertise in industry conversations.
Overcoming common EGC challenges
Even the best EGC programs face hurdles. Here's how to address them:
Participation hesitation: Some employees may feel uncomfortable creating content or worry about saying the wrong thing. Start with your most enthusiastic team members and let their success inspire others.
Consistency concerns: Employee created content can vary widely in quality and frequency. Focus on authenticity over perfection, and consider a content calendar to help maintain steady output.
Time limitations: Creating content takes time that employees might feel should be spent on "real work." Acknowledge this by allocating specific time for content creation or incorporating it into existing workflows.
Measuring impact: Like many forms of organic content, EGC can be challenging to attribute directly to business outcomes. Use a combination of engagement metrics, sentiment analysis, and periodic surveys to gauge effectiveness.
In summary: your people can be your best PR
EGC isn't just a content hack, it's a culture play, a recruitment tool, and a brand trust builder all rolled into one. And the best part? You don't need to hire influencers when you've already got the most trusted voices in the business: your own team.
In an era where consumers crave relatable content and genuine connections, your employees represent an authentic perspective that no amount of traditional marketing can replicate. When they share their experiences, they create content that doesn't just promote your products: it showcases the humans behind your brand.
By developing a thoughtful employee generated content (EGC) approach, you're not just filling your content calendar; you're fostering stronger connections with your audience, boosting employee morale, and creating a workplace where people feel valued for their unique perspectives.
Ready to turn your employees into your most powerful storytellers? Talk to us about a strategy and let's get them creating.