Crowdsourced content refers to content that is created, submitted, or co-developed by a brand’s audience, customers, or online community—rather than solely by internal teams. It can include anything from photos and videos to taglines, feedback, designs, or even full-blown creative campaigns.
Instead of relying entirely on in-house creators or agencies, brands open up participation to their communities. This approach often brings in diverse perspectives, increases authenticity, and helps brands connect more meaningfully with their audience. It’s a form of collaborative content development—rooted in trust, engagement, and co-creation.
The content may be submitted directly through calls to action (like contests, prompts, or hashtag challenges), or discovered organically when users create brand-related content on their own and the brand reshapes it into marketing material.
Common examples of social media crowdsourced content include:
These efforts often blur the line between user-generated content (UGC) and crowdsourcing. The key difference? Crowdsourced content is typically encouraged, structured, and sometimes guided by the brand—whereas UGC can occur spontaneously.
This method is not only efficient, it’s also effective. Content made by real users tends to perform better in terms of engagement and trust, especially when compared to heavily branded posts.
There’s a reason marketers are leaning into this approach. Crowdsourced content delivers value across three major areas:
Brands often use crowdsourcing during campaigns, product launches, or community-driven moments. But it’s equally effective for long-term relationship building when done consistently and respectfully.
Q: What is crowdsourced content? It’s content created or contributed by a brand’s audience or community. It can include visuals, ideas, stories, or other creative inputs.
Q: How is crowdsourced content different from user-generated content (UGC)? UGC is typically unsolicited, while crowdsourced content is usually encouraged or prompted by the brand as part of a campaign or strategy.
Q: Why is crowdsourced content popular on social media? It boosts authenticity, trust, and engagement while lightening the brand’s content production load.
Q: Are there rules for using crowdsourced content? Yes. Always obtain permission to repost, give proper credit, and follow platform and legal guidelines regarding user content.
Q: What’s an example of crowdsourcing on social media? Running a hashtag challenge asking users to share their product experience, then turning those submissions into highlight reels or testimonial posts.
