Ultimate Employee Generated Content Guide
By Michael Glenn, Sponsored by The Martec
What’s more important than money? Time. Employer branders don’t have much time to generate content, let alone budget dollars for a team to generate content. That’s why employee-generated content (EGC) is significantly impacting employer branding right now. If you’re struggling to keep up with hiring managers' insatiable content appetite, EGC needs to be a key part of your content strategy.
Thanks to our sponsor, The Martec, and their EGC Playbook, we’re going to explain the what, why, and how to get started with your own EGC program. We’ll give you an overview of what it looks like in action and how you can build a scalable strategy to get your employees creating—and sharing—content that puts time back into busy workdays.
What Is Employee-Generated Content?
EGC is precisely what it sounds like: content created by employees, not your marketing team. This could be a selfie from a team offsite, a quick LinkedIn post about a recent project, or a short video about why someone loves working at your company. It’s raw, real, and most importantly, relatable.
It’s not another polished company video with a catchy tagline. It’s “Hey, here’s what my day looks like” or “We just launched something cool—check it out.” That authenticity is gold when it comes to building trust with potential candidates and customers.
Why Should You Care About EGC?
Here’s the TL;DR: EGC performs better than brand content almost every time. Why?
Trust: People believe employees over corporate messages.
Reach: Employee posts tap into personal networks, expanding your visibility.
Engagement: Employee-shared content often sees significantly higher interaction.
Recruitment: Candidates want real stories from real people—not HR spin.
Culture Showcasing: EGC is the best way to highlight what your culture actually feels like.
Cost-Efficiency: More content without blowing up your marketing budget.
EGC doesn’t just tell your employer brand story—it shows it.
How to Get Employees to Share Content (Without Forcing It)
Here’s the tricky part. How do you get your people to create and share content?
The Martec’s EGC Playbook lays out a smart strategy with these best practices:
Empower them with tools: Platforms like Martec’s AI tools make it easy. Give employees access to branded templates, image libraries, and sample posts.
Incentivize participation: Whether it's public recognition, leaderboards, or simple thank-yous, make sharing feel rewarding, not like homework.
Offer training: Some folks want to contribute but just need a nudge. Host a “how to post like a pro” lunch & learn.
Create a content library: A shared folder of prompts, sample posts, and visuals can go a long way.
Celebrate contributors: Give shoutouts to employees who regularly create content—they’ll inspire others to join in.
Keep it authentic and optional: No one likes forced content. Let employees speak in their own voice, and make sure participation is always voluntary.
The Challenge? Time, Approval, and Staying On-Brand
Let’s be real—EGC isn’t completely hands-off. Employees are busy, and not everyone feels confident posting. There’s also the matter of brand consistency and approval workflows. It’ crucial to work with marketing and internal comms to ensure you’re within brand guidelines.
Stop Wasting Time!
If you’re not tapping into employee-generated content yet, you’re missing out on one of the most authentic and cost-effective ways to tell your company’s story. People want to hear from people, especially the ones already living and breathing your brand daily.
The best employer brands don’t just market at people, they connect with them. And EGC is one of the most powerful ways to make that happen.
So, fire up those internal campaigns, hand the mic to your employees, and let the storytelling begin.
Need a starting point?
Check out The Martec’s Employee-Generated Content Playbook to kickstart your strategy the smart way.
