How EGC helps brands build trust and awareness

Today, traditional advertising channels are losing some of their audience’s trust, as buyers trust the reviews and experiences of real people more than corporate messages. At the same time, EGC allows a brand to tell its story naturally, with a human voice, and thus build trust faster and more efficiently.

In this article, we’ll look at the practical benefits of engaging employees in content strategy, compare EGC with related approaches, and describe working formats and implementation mechanics.

What is EGC?

EGC (employee-generated content) is content created by the company’s employees. Posts and stories on social networks, video demonstrations, technical advice, case studies, product briefs, internal photos, and expert comments. Home Its strength is a natural, «human» voice and access to real insights that cannot be reproduced through standard advertising.

What is the difference between EGC and UGC?

UGC (User Generated Content) and EGC (Employee Generated Content) are live, sincere content that does not appear as part of classic advertising campaigns and does not look like «official brand advertising.» It is created by real people and is perceived by the audience much more naturally than standard marketing materials. The key difference lies in who the author is and what role this author plays in the brand’s ecosystem.

UGC is created by customers. It can be their photos, video reviews, testimonials, and stories about using the product. Such content works as a third-party recommendation. It builds trust through social proof and often relies on emotionally appealing visuals and simple storytelling.

EGCs are created by the company’s employees. This is a broader set of formats. EGC «sells» not so much a picture as a context and a story through the demonstration of corporate culture, processes, expertise, and internal decision-making logic.

So, the main differences are as follows:

From a practical point of view, UGC and EGC complement each other: the former quickly increases the convincing of a particular product through social proof, while the latter builds deeper, more sustainable trust in the brand as an organization. For businesses, the most effective strategy is to target both, but with different objectives and controls.

Why companies invest in EGC

Practice shows that content shared by employees generates higher engagement and better conversions than posts from official brand accounts. For example, according to industry research, CTR and engagement rates on employee posts are often twice as high as those of corporate publications, making EGC one of the most effective organic promotion channels.

In addition to the direct marketing effect, EGC works as a recruiting tool and builds internal culture Employee content demonstrates working conditions, development, and company values, which increases the employer’s attractiveness in the labor market. Taken together, these effects increase brand awareness and strengthen its reputation.

EGC content formats

EGC covers a wide range of formats, from short social posts to in-depth articles and podcasts. Let’s take a look at the main formats and their features.

Textual content

Textual EGC includes blog posts, short social media posts, product comments, internal cases, and explanatory notes from experts. This format allows employees to share their expertise, talk about processes, or give practical advice that will be appreciated by both customers and potential employees. Text works especially well for B2B: long-form content such as analytical posts or case studies increase trust and position the company as an expert in a niche.

Visual content

Visual EGC includes workflow photos, backstage photos, short vertical videos (Reels, Shorts), infographics, and photos of finished products taken by employees. Visuals are easily perceived and spread quickly on social media, which is why many brands encourage employees to take simple but authentic shots of their daily work. Videos are especially effective in demonstrating the human aspect of a brand: imperfect, «live» footage is more trustworthy than staged videos. At the same time, it is beneficial for the brand to combine naturalness with minimal editorial rules to maintain quality.

Interactive and situational content

This includes surveys in stories, Q&As from employees, live streams with master classes or product demonstrations, employee participation in thematic chats and forums, and reposts of reactions to current events. Interactive EGC allows you to build two-way communication: an employee not only shows, but also answers questions from the audience, demonstrates expertise in real time, and creates deeper engagement. Such content is useful for responding quickly to market demands and building an emotional connection with the audience.

Audio content

Podcasts, short audio messages in messengers, or a series of mini-interviews are a format that is gaining popularity, especially in niches where expert commentary is important. Audio allows employees to discuss topics of interest to the audience in a detailed and relaxed manner, demonstrating their depth of knowledge and human tone. A podcast can become a long-term platform for the company’s expert positioning and at the same time gain the trust of listeners.

Additional formats of EGC content

In addition to the basic formats, brands are increasingly using advanced and niche EGC formats to help maintain regular communication with the audience and reveal the team’s expertise in a deeper way. Such formats are especially relevant for B2B, tech companies, and brands with complex products.

Microcontent

Microcontent includes short, quickly consumed formats: employee quotes, practical tips in picture format, short videos, or stories from the workflow. Its key advantage is regularity and a low threshold of perception. Such content is easily integrated into social networks, helps to stay «in sight» without overloading the audience, and gradually forms the habit of interacting with the brand. Within EGC, microcontent works well as a way to showcase live opinions, expert observations, and daily team involvement.

Documentary formats

Documentary EGC is more in-depth content created by employees. Internal reports, analytical reports, studies, whitepapers, or first-person case studies. Such formats demonstrate not only the result but also the process – how the team makes decisions, what challenges it faces, and how it solves complex problems. For the B2B audience, this is a strong signal of transparency and reliability, because the content looks not like a marketing promise, but like the real experience of specialists.

Technical notes and expert guides

Technical materials created by engineers, analysts, product managers, or other specialized professionals play a special role in EGC. These can include technical blogs, practical guides, tool reviews, and internal approaches to process optimization. Such content works well in the long run: it boosts SEO, attracts a professional audience, and shapes the perception of the brand as an expert player in the market.

In practice, a combination of several formats gives the best results. To choose which of them to use and how to do it effectively, you need to take a number of preliminary steps, which we will consider below.

How to launch EGC: first steps for business

For EGC to start working for the brand and business results, it is important to start not chaotically, but with a clear understanding of the goals and processes. The recommended sequence is as follows:

1. Assessment of the company’s readiness. Conduct short interviews with marketing, HR, and sales representatives to understand what tasks the EGC should solve and which employees are potentially ready to become brand ambassadors. This will allow you to avoid a formal approach and involve people for whom content creation will be natural.
2. Launch a pilot project. Select a small group of employees and test several content formats: videos, expert posts, or case studies. The optimal test period is 6-8 weeks, which is enough time to assess the audience’s reaction and the team’s internal readiness.
3. Building simple rules and tools. It’s not about strict regulations, but about basic guides, templates, and a clear channel for publishing and approving content. This will help maintain authenticity while minimizing reputational risks.
4. Create systematic motivation so that EGC does not remain a one-time initiative. Public recognition of authors, demonstration of results, and linking activities to internal KPIs increase engagement and encourage regularity.
5. Measuring the effect. Track not only coverage and interaction, but also business indicators: leads, impact on recruiting, brand requests. This will allow you to adjust your approach and turn EGC into a full-fledged channel that consistently strengthens the company’s brand and awareness.

When employees understand the goals, have simple tools, and see the real result of their participation, EGC ceases to be an experiment and starts working as a stable channel of trust. It is this approach that allows businesses to get a measurable effect at an early stage, and in the future to scale content and increase brand awareness without direct dependence on advertising budgets.

EGC in 2025 and forecasts for 2026

In 2025, EGC will become one of the key tactical tools. Brands are moving away from exclusively promotional messages and prefer content with a human face. Industry research shows that employee engagement programs as brand ambassadors provide a significant increase in reach and engagement with the audience, and their effectiveness makes such initiatives cost-effective for marketing budgets.

In 2026, EGC will continue to develop as a strategic channel. Brands will rely on high-quality employee content combined with analytics and distribution automation. This is especially true in sectors where expertise and trust are important. However, the rapid proliferation of EGC also increases the requirements for internal policies and controls, so programs without proper organization can create risks.

Remember: EGC is not a magic button, but a tool that requires discipline and planning. When properly organized, it gives a brand a unique advantage: a trusted human voice and large-scale, yet controlled, distribution of messages. Integrate EGC into the marketing mix and consider it a long-term investment in trust and recognition.

Iryna Voitovych

Copywriter

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