How to Get More UGC From Your Customers (5 Proven Methods for Shopify)

Posted June 17, 2025 • Written By The Socialphotos Team

You know user-generated content (UGC) is marketing gold. Real customer photos build immense trust and drive sales like nothing else. A store filled with authentic customer content feels vibrant and trustworthy, while a store with only professional product shots can feel sterile.

But there's one big problem every Shopify merchant faces: how do you actually get your customers to create and share that content? It doesn't just happen by accident. You need a strategy. This guide provides 5 proven methods to build a powerful and consistent engine for collecting UGC.

Method 1: The Automated Post-Purchase Ask (Your Most Powerful Tool)

The single best time to ask for UGC is 1-2 weeks after a customer receives their product. Their excitement is still high, and they've had time to experience what you sell. Manually emailing every customer is impossible, so this process should be automated.

This is where you can leverage two powerful incentives:

The "Get Featured" Incentive:
In your post-purchase emails (sent via Klaviyo, Shopify Email, etc.), don't just ask for a review. Ask customers to share a photo or video with a clear call-to-action like, "Tag us @YourBrand on Instagram for a chance to be featured on our homepage!" This makes your customers feel special and gives them a reason to share. A tool like Socialphotos automatically tracks when you're tagged or mentioned, so you never miss a submission.

The Direct Upload Link:
Not all of your customers are active on Instagram. To capture everyone, include a simple alternative. In the same email, add a line like, "Or, upload your photo directly here!" Socialphotos provides a unique link to a private upload page where customers can send their content straight to your dashboard, completely bypassing social media.

Method 2: Run a Hashtag Contest or Giveaway

A contest is a fantastic way to generate a large volume of UGC in a short period. The premise is simple: ask customers to post a photo with your product using a unique hashtag (e.g., #MyBrandStyle) for a chance to win a prize, like a $100 gift card.

The key to success is making it easy to track. Manually searching for a hashtag is a nightmare. A dedicated Shopify UGC app is essential here. Socialphotos can track any hashtags you choose and automatically pull all the photo and video entries into one easy-to-review dashboard.

Method 3: Put the "Call to Action" Everywhere

Don't just ask once in an email. Remind customers about your UGC program at multiple touchpoints to maximize participation:

• On Your Product Packaging: Include a small card in your shipments that says "Love it? Share it! Tag us @YourBrand to be featured."
• In Your Social Media Bio: Make your call-to-action a permanent part of your Instagram and TikTok profiles.
• On Your Order Confirmation Page: While they're excited about their recent purchase, give them a heads-up about your brand's hashtag.

Method 4: Curate and Showcase Your Best UGC

Collecting UGC is only half the battle. To be effective, you need to display it professionally. This is where curation becomes critical. You need to ensure the content you feature fits your brand's aesthetic. A good platform lets you quickly approve the best content and hide the rest.

Once curated, you can create a stunning shoppable gallery on your homepage to feature your customer "lookbook." You can even add specific customer photos to the relevant product pages to dramatically increase conversions. This is the ultimate form of social proof.

Method 5: Choose the Right Tool for the Job

To implement this strategy effectively, you need a tool that can automate collection, help you curate, and let you display the content in beautiful, shoppable galleries. As one of the highest-rated UGC apps on the Shopify App Store's front page, Socialphotos is built to do exactly this.

We provide all the tools you need to build a UGC engine:

• Automated Collection: From Instagram @tags, @mentions, and #hashtags.
• Direct Uploads: A simple link for your customers to send content directly to you.
• Easy Curation: A simple dashboard to approve the content that matches your brand.
• Beautiful Galleries: Fully customizable galleries (vertical, horizontal, sliders, etc.) that you can install with a no-code theme editor or a single line of code.
• No Limits: All of our plans include unlimited photo and video uploads.

Conclusion

The key to getting more UGC is to make it easy and rewarding for your customers to share. By implementing an automated collection strategy with a tool like Socialphotos, you can turn your happy customers into your most powerful marketing asset and build a brand that people genuinely trust.