<commit_before>---
author: <NAME>
comments: true
date: 2014-12-15 17:32:57+00:00
layout: post
slug: want-to-generate-a-ton-of-ugc-run-an-instagram-photo-contest
title: Want to Generate a Ton of UGC? Run an Instagram Photo Contest!
wordpress_id: 1819
image: /img/piqora_single_v3_header-img.jpg
categories:
- Industry Insights
tags:
- b2c
- instagram contest best practices
- instagram contest ugc
- Instagram Marketing
- instagram photo contests
- instagram ugc
- instagram user generated content
---

Instagram photo contests are awesome tools for [gaining followers, driving website traffic, moving audiences over from other networks like Facebook or Twitter, and promoting products.](http://blog.piqora.com/?p=1650) They are also the single most powerful resource brands can harness to harvest creative, high-quality User-Generated Content. As [we've mentioned before](http://blog.piqora.com/turbocharge-your-visual-marketing-with-user-generated-content-from-instagram/), incorporating UGC on your brand's Instagram profile and website can deliver some stunningly powerful benefits, such as enhanced audience retention, reach and brand loyalty, as well as being a great source of cost effective marketing content.

[![Instagram Photo Contests are an integral part of West Elm's strategy for generating user-generated content](http://blog.piqora.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/OhWhatFun.jpg)](http://blog.piqora.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/OhWhatFun.jpg) [i]Instagram Photo Contests are an integral part of West Elm's strategy for harvesting User-Generated Content[/i]

[West Elm](http://instagram.com/westelm), for example, relies heavily on UGC for their Instagram content. And while many of their posts are organic submissions from their fans, they regularly capitalize on photo contests to generate thousands of images that they then repurpose on their marketing channels.

Instagram Photo Contests come with tons of additional benefits. For one, they are an easy way to scale up harvesting and permissioning UGC photos, as in the contest's terms & conditions, brands can ask for the rights to use any photo entries on social media, websites, or in advertising. They are also fantastic for promoting products. Let's say that your brand is running a campaign for your new catalogue. By running an Instagram contest around it, you not only promote your products, but you could collect UGC photos and in turn use them in your marketing campaigns.

These are just a couple of use cases, but the key to getting a lot of UGC out of your contest is to [design it with that objective in mind.](http://blog.piqora.com/instagram-marketing-how-to-run-successful-instagram-photo-contests/) If generating UGC is the primary goal of your contest, here are a few simple ways to design your contest to ensure success.



	
  1. **If QUALITY is your primary concern, make it a judged contest. **Instagram is the perfect place to crowd source [beautiful, original marketing content](http://instagram.com/p/wJ5rcTEJZ-/?modal=true). A judged contest encourages maximum quality for each submission, as contest participants will step up their game if they know that they have to compete against others to win. The participation rate might be lower, but the quality of photos will usually be much higher, enabling you to republish those photos and tell a beautiful visual story about your brand.

	
  2. **If QUANTITY of content is what you want, lower the barrier to entry. **"If there is one thing we've learned from Instagram contests, it's to make the concept simple and digestible so that both brand advocates AND those who have never heard of us can enter," said <NAME>, a social media manager at Z Gallerie. "We try our best to avoid adding unnecessary steps or flourishes that the average potential customer doesn't care about. The easier it is to participate, the more people will."

	
  3. **Offer a relevant, valuable prize. **Offering a fantastic prize give people a compelling reason to participate in your contest. Based on our research, the average Instagram contest reward has a value of approximately $850, but a great prize doesn’t have to be mammothly expensive. Focus on choosing a prize that will resonate with the interests and likes of your fans, and is in line with your brand.

<commit_msg>update header image<commit_after>---
author: <NAME>
comments: true
date: 2014-12-15 17:32:57+00:00
layout: post
slug: want-to-generate-a-ton-of-ugc-run-an-instagram-photo-contest
title: Want to Generate a Ton of UGC? Run an Instagram Photo Contest!
wordpress_id: 1819
image: /img/UGCfoodblogpost.png
categories:
- Industry Insights
tags:
- b2c
- instagram contest best practices
- instagram contest ugc
- Instagram Marketing
- instagram photo contests
- instagram ugc
- instagram user generated content
---

Instagram photo contests are awesome tools for [gaining followers, driving website traffic, moving audiences over from other networks like Facebook or Twitter, and promoting products.](http://blog.piqora.com/?p=1650) They are also the single most powerful resource brands can harness to harvest creative, high-quality User-Generated Content. As [we've mentioned before](http://blog.piqora.com/turbocharge-your-visual-marketing-with-user-generated-content-from-instagram/), incorporating UGC on your brand's Instagram profile and website can deliver some stunningly powerful benefits, such as enhanced audience retention, reach and brand loyalty, as well as being a great source of cost effective marketing content.

[![Instagram Photo Contests are an integral part of West Elm's strategy for generating user-generated content](http://blog.piqora.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/OhWhatFun.jpg)](http://blog.piqora.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/OhWhatFun.jpg)

[West Elm](http://instagram.com/westelm), for example, relies heavily on UGC for their Instagram content. And while many of their posts are organic submissions from their fans, they regularly capitalize on photo contests to generate thousands of images that they then repurpose on their marketing channels.

Instagram Photo Contests come with tons of additional benefits. For one, they are an easy way to scale up harvesting and permissioning UGC photos, as in the contest's terms & conditions, brands can ask for the rights to use any photo entries on social media, websites, or in advertising. They are also fantastic for promoting products. Let's say that your brand is running a campaign for your new catalogue. By running an Instagram contest around it, you not only promote your products, but you could collect UGC photos and in turn use them in your marketing campaigns.

These are just a couple of use cases, but the key to getting a lot of UGC out of your contest is to [design it with that objective in mind.](http://blog.piqora.com/instagram-marketing-how-to-run-successful-instagram-photo-contests/) If generating UGC is the primary goal of your contest, here are a few simple ways to design your contest to ensure success.



	
  1. **If QUALITY is your primary concern, make it a judged contest. **Instagram is the perfect place to crowd source [beautiful, original marketing content](http://instagram.com/p/wJ5rcTEJZ-/?modal=true). A judged contest encourages maximum quality for each submission, as contest participants will step up their game if they know that they have to compete against others to win. The participation rate might be lower, but the quality of photos will usually be much higher, enabling you to republish those photos and tell a beautiful visual story about your brand.

	
  2. **If QUANTITY of content is what you want, lower the barrier to entry. **"If there is one thing we've learned from Instagram contests, it's to make the concept simple and digestible so that both brand advocates AND those who have never heard of us can enter," said <NAME>, a social media manager at <NAME>. "We try our best to avoid adding unnecessary steps or flourishes that the average potential customer doesn't care about. The easier it is to participate, the more people will."

	
  3. **Offer a relevant, valuable prize. **Offering a fantastic prize give people a compelling reason to participate in your contest. Based on our research, the average Instagram contest reward has a value of approximately $850, but a great prize doesn’t have to be mammothly expensive. Focus on choosing a prize that will resonate with the interests and likes of your fans, and is in line with your brand.


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