Smart UGC System - AI Prompts to Get Content from Your Audience

There’s one type of content that almost always outperforms brand-created posts: user-generated content (UGC).

Think about it. If you’re choosing a restaurant, do you trust the ad that says “Best pizza in town”, or the photo a real customer posts of their meal?

UGC builds trust, adds social proof, and takes pressure off you to create everything yourself. The challenge? Most small businesses don’t have a system for getting it. They either hope customers will post on their own, or they feel awkward asking.

The solution: an AI-powered UGC system that helps you source content, ask customers confidently, and repurpose submissions into posts that perform.

Why UGC Matters

• Trust – 79% of people say UGC highly impacts their purchasing decisions.

• Volume – It gives you more content without more work.

• Variety – Every customer adds a unique voice.

• Engagement – UGC posts feel real, not polished or forced.

For small businesses, UGC is often the fastest route to building credibility online.

The 3-Part UGC System

To keep UGC flowing, you need three steps:

1. Source – Find where people are already mentioning you.

2. Ask – Confidently request photos, videos, or testimonials.

3. Repurpose – Turn customer content into branded posts.

AI can help with all three.

Step 1: Source UGC With AI

Customers may already be posting about you, you just need to find it.

• Check tagged posts, mentions, or location tags.

• Search hashtags related to your brand or area.

• Look at reviews on Google, Yelp, or TripAdvisor.

AI can help by scanning text-based reviews and pulling out powerful quotes.

Prompt Example:

“Act as a social proof curator. Here are 10 reviews [paste reviews]. Extract the most persuasive phrases and rewrite them as short, engaging captions I could use on social media.”

This instantly turns hidden praise into shareable content.

Step 2: Ask for UGC (Without Feeling Awkward)

Most business owners hesitate here. They don’t want to bother customers or sound desperate. But the truth is: people love sharing if you make it easy.

AI can draft polite, on-brand request messages for you.

Example AI Prompt:

“Write 5 friendly DM templates asking customers if they’d be happy to share a photo/video of their experience with [business]. Keep the tone casual, grateful, and non-pushy. Suggest what kind of content would work best.”

You can also build automated asks:

• Add a request in your email receipts (“Tag us in your photos for a chance to be featured!”).

• Use QR codes in-store that link to a quick upload form.

• Run fun challenges or giveaways to spark submissions.

Step 3: Repurpose UGC Into Posts

Once you have UGC, don’t just repost it raw. Add context and strategy.

Ways to repurpose:

• Carousel – Showcase 3–5 customer photos in a swipe format.

• Reel/TikTok – Turn a testimonial into a video with text overlay.

• Story Highlights – Save UGC to a “Happy Customers” highlight.

• Ad Creative – Use strong UGC in boosted posts (with permission).

AI can help by rewriting customer words into captions that match your tone.

Example Prompt:

“Take this customer testimonial [paste text] and rewrite it as:
– A short Reel caption.
– A Story text overlay.
– A carousel slide headline.
Keep the tone [insert brand voice].”

Case Study: A Salon in Omagh

A salon struggled to keep up with posting content. Using this UGC system, they:

• Pulled glowing reviews from Google and had AI rewrite them into captions.

• Sent friendly DMs after appointments asking for photos.

• Collected 12 UGC posts in a month.

• Repurposed them into Reels, Stories, and carousels.

Their engagement doubled, and 3 new clients said they booked after seeing before-and-after photos from real customers.

Advanced AI Workflow Prompt (Copy & Paste)

Here’s the all-in-one weekly UGC prompt:

“Act as my UGC manager. My business is [insert business type]. This week I want to build user-generated content. Please:

1. Suggest 5 ways to source UGC from reviews, tags, or mentions.

2. Write 3 friendly DM templates asking for photos/videos/testimonials.

3. Take this customer review [paste text] and rewrite it as a Reel caption, carousel headline, and Story overlay.

4. Create a 7-day posting plan that mixes UGC with my own content.”

Run this once a week, and you’ll always have fresh, authentic content on tap.

Mistakes to Avoid

• ❌ Not asking permission – Always get consent before reposting.

• ❌ Over-editing UGC – Keep it authentic, don’t polish away the realness.

• ❌ Only sharing one format – Repurpose UGC into multiple post types.

• ❌ Being inconsistent – One UGC post won’t cut it. Build it into your routine.

Tools That Help

• ChatGPT / Claude – For scripts, captions, and repurposing.

• Canva – To frame UGC with branded templates.

• Later / Buffer – To schedule UGC posts alongside originals.

• Google Alerts / Mention – To catch brand mentions online.

• Typeform / Google Forms – To collect UGC directly from customers.

Why This Works

UGC is social proof at scale. It’s your customers selling for you. By adding AI, you:

• Find hidden gems you’d miss.

• Ask with confidence (and consistency).

• Repurpose content into high-performing formats.

• Free yourself from constant content creation stress.

It’s not about shouting louder, it’s about letting your happy customers do the talking.

Final Thoughts: UGC on Tap

You don’t need to wait around hoping customers post about you. With this AI-powered system, you can source, ask, and repurpose UGC every single week.

With this system, you:

• Build endless authentic content.

• Strengthen trust and credibility.

• Save time while boosting engagement.

And here’s the truth: while AI can help you set up the system, most business owners don’t have the time to manage UGC sourcing, requests, and repurposing consistently. That’s where I come in.

📩 If you’ve read this and thought “This sounds amazing, but I’ll never stick to it”… I can help.

I help businesses:

• Create UGC systems powered by AI.

• Source reviews, photos, and videos consistently.

• Repurpose UGC into posts that drive trust and sales.

If you’re ready to get user-generated content flowing every week, send me a message today. Let’s put UGC on tap for your business.