5 Best User-Generated Content Ideas for Holiday Marketing (2025 Edition)

The holidays and user-generated content go together like Thanksgiving and pumpkin pie. Here's how to collect and use UGC this holiday.

The pumpkins aren’t even carved yet, but for marketers, it’s time to think ahead: Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas, and the New Year. Yep, holiday sales are in full swing—just look at the aisles of your local big-box store.

But here’s the good news: there’s still plenty of time to launch a user-generated content (UGC) campaign that collects tweets, reviews, photos, or videos from your customers and turns them into your holiday marketing engine.

And this year, it matters more than ever:

• 87% of marketers now use UGC as part of their content strategy
• Brands that feature UGC see a 29% lift in web conversions compared to those that don’t
• 82% of consumers say they are more likely to buy from brands that use UGC in their marketing

So if you want to boost engagement, brand awareness, product reviews—or all three—this holiday season, here’s your complete guide to doing it right.

Why UGC Works (and the Stats to Prove It)

Consumers trust real people more than brand messaging. Just look at these numbers:

• 93% of marketers say UGC outperforms branded content
• 13% of shoppers abandon checkout if no UGC is visible
• 92% of consumers trust UGC more than commercials and advertisements.

UGC can be fun for consumers and brands alike, but it is also the secret sauce for trust, engagement, and sales. 

Your 4-Phase Holiday UGC Strategy

Before diving into examples, here’s a strategy framework for the what, when and why when it comes to running a user-generated campaign. 

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Examples of successful UGC campaigns (and how you can create your own)

Goal: Increase brand awareness

Example: Office Depot/Office Max Elf Yourself

Office Depot’s Elf Yourself has become a holiday tradition unto itself. Get this: the app -- for which people upload a photo of themselves and it gets superimposed on dancing elves --  was downloaded more than 92 million times. For Office Depot, Elf Yourself has been a powerful marketing effort, getting the brand in front of millions of people basically for free since people want to share their silly videos with their friends and family.

Create Your Own

Ask your followers to create an image of themselves using an Instagram Stories holiday filter and post the image to Instagram using your hashtag in the caption. Then you display the entries. In the example below, people are sharing images of their watches, but you can use your imagination to see what kinds of photos you could collect.If you want to get more out of the campaign than just brand awareness, you could offer a prize. You’d link to a form in your bio where people would share their email address with you in exchange for a chance to win your prize. The link-in-bio option would also give you an opportunity to use automated email messaging to send special offers throughout the coming year.

Goal: Increase engagement

Example: Tahoe South

In the example below, Tahoe South, a travel and visitors’ bureau, posted a photo and asked people to respond to it with an emoji. The only “content” users are sharing is their emoji craft, but it’s a fun and simple engagement post literally any kind of business could run. You could show off one of your products in a photo or video, or even post an image that features a statistic or makes a statement about your company and then ask people to respond with a comment or an emoji.To make the campaign more useful, offer a prize for the most creative use of emoji, or just pick a winner randomly. Use the link in your bio to post terms and conditions and, if you’re offering a prize,  to collect email addresses.

Create Your Own

If you're offering a prize, make sure you detail how you'll choose a winner, any age restrictions you might have, and information about how the prize will be distributed. Use our Terms and Conditions template and link to it from you bio.

Goal: Collect user-generated images/videos and email addresses

Example: Williams-Sonoma

Williams-Sonoma has tapped into the social media world’s love of food photography, and collected thousands of photos from bloggers, chefs and foodies who tag their photos with #mywilliamsonoma. Then, from Williams-Sonoma's Instagram bio, there’s a link to a gallery where you can view all the tagged images and videos. Williams-Sonoma is also betting you’re going to want to get some of their recipes and sale announcements by email, so they ask for an email address right at the top of the feed.

Create your own

Use ShortStack's Interactive Instagram Gallery template so you can collect and display UGC and collect email addresses at the same time. You can use this kind of campaign to build email lists and then send your lists automated emails with special offers and announcements.

Another idea: Let's say, you wanted to do a UGC recipe contest, you’d use ShortStack’s Recipe Contest template and collect recipes and email addresses. As a bonus, the template has a built-in voting component so entrants would be motivated to share their entries with their friends, giving your business even more visibility.

Goal: Collect user-generated images/video to use for marketing

Example: Two Notes Audio

Two Notes Audio is a company that makes audio-engineering equipment. They recently ran a hashtag contest where they asked people to show a photo of “You using your Torpedo hardware.” In just a few hours, Two Notes Audio had dozens of entries -- not bad for relatively small company -- and a nice collection of photos and videos showing their product in use.

Create your own

A hashtag contest is so simple to run. All people have to do to enter is post a picture or video to Instagram and use your branded hashtag in the caption, just like in the example above. People who post an image or video using your hashtag are automatically entered to win. (If you plan to use any of the content you collect on your website or for any of your marketing efforts, make sure you get permission, first.)

Goal: Collect product reviews

Example: Pestle & Mortar

Product reviews have been a UGC staple for years. Since as many as 70 percent of people rely on customer reviews to influence their purchases, it's a great idea to include reviews or comments from your customers in your marketing. Did you know 88 percent of people read reviews to determine the quality of a local business? (Source: Brightlocal.com)In the example below, Pestle & Mortar, a beauty brand, links to a review by tagging @blossom_bride and then linking to her review of their products. Brands should also be encouraging their customers to create and share reviews.

Create your own

Link your customers to a template that makes it really easy for them to review your product. You can share the link on your website, in your email signature, and on your social channels. Then, display individual reviews throughout your website (which is what we do) or you could simply show them off all at once on a landing page, using our Testimonials template.

Tip

Show your customers you appreciate them for taking the time to leave you a review. If people leave you a public negative review on Facebook or Twitter, ask them -- also in public -- to contact you directly so you can resolve the issue. This is a great way to build trust.

Best Practices for Running a Holiday UGC Campaign

• Keep it simple: Hashtag + photo = easiest entry ever.
• Match the prize to the effort: Don’t ask for a 2-minute video if the reward is a $5 gift card.
• Get usage rights: Always ask permission before repurposing content.
• Offer real value: Discounts, bundles, or early access make great incentives.
• Show appreciation: Like, comment, or share users’ posts to build loyalty.
• Stay legal: Publish clear terms, eligibility rules, and prize details.
• Use the right tools: Platforms like ShortStack can automate collection, moderation, and display.
• Repurpose everywhere: UGC works in ads, emails, on your website, and even in packaging.

Fresh Holiday UGC Campaign Ideas for 2025

Here are some trend-forward ideas you can launch this year:

• Holiday Unboxing Challenge: Ask buyers to film their reaction when opening your product.
• 12 Days of UGC Countdown: A new daily prompt keeps followers coming back.
• User-Curated Gift Guide: Customers submit photos; you turn them into a holiday guide.
• Moment of Joy Clips: Quick, 5-second video snippets of favorite holiday moments with your product.
• Thank-You UGC Requests: After purchase, invite customers to share how they’re using your product.

Launch That Campaign

Whether it’s growing your email list, getting reviews, or simply driving brand awareness, UGC is your holiday secret weapon.

And the best part? Every photo, video, or review you collect now can keep working for you long after the holidays are over.

So go ahead—pick one idea, launch it, and watch your customers become your best marketers this holiday season.

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