user_generated_content v1.0.0

name: "user_generated_content" description: "Design UGC campaigns that actually produce content: prompts that work, rights and permissions done right, and featuring creators well. Triggers on requests to run a hashtag challenge, collect customer content, or reuse audience posts in marketing." metadata: { "includeInPrompt": true }

User-Generated Content

Purpose

Plan and run a UGC campaign end-to-end: prompt engineering that gets submissions, a permission workflow that keeps every reuse legally defensible, and a featuring loop that turns contributors into repeat participants.

Workflow

1. Clarify the goal and the ask. What one artifact do you want (photos, videos, reviews, stories)? Name the brand, the audience, and where the finished content will run (social, website, ads). Vague asks produce zero submissions — the prompt must name exactly what to capture. See references/prompts_that_work.md.
2. Set the prompt and hashtag. One short, unique, brand-owned primary hashtag — verify it isn't already in use on the target platforms. Draft the prompt for the audience (platform-specific: see references). Seed the campaign with employee/ambassador/early-advocate examples so newcomers can model the format.
3. Lock the permission route. Choose one: (a) explicit per-post permission (comment/email "reply with #yes[brandname]"), (b) branded campaign hashtag + published terms, or (c) contest entry terms. Explicit permission is the safest route; a branded hashtag alone is implied permission at most, and someone may tag it without ever seeing your notice. See references/permissions_and_rights.md.
4. Launch touchpoints. Place the prompt where the behavior happens: post-purchase email (day 7–14 for physical products), packaging insert with QR, in-product prompt after a success moment, social announcement with the example content embedded.
5. Run the featuring loop. Monitor the hashtag + social listening for untagged mentions. Like, comment, and share participant content as it arrives. Ask permission on the posts you want to reuse; repost with a fresh caption and credit (tag in caption or text overlay). Run a recurring spotlight (weekly roundup, "creator of the week") so contributing is visibly rewarded.
6. Close out and archive. Save every permission (screenshots of comments/DMs/emails) and a copy of the campaign terms with a timestamp. Note what prompt shape converted best for next time.

Generate a ready-to-run campaign brief with the helper:

bash
python3 ~/workspace/skills/user_generated_content/bin/ugc_brief.py \
  --brand "BRAND" --hashtag "#BrandMoment" --ask "photos of your morning routine with the product" \
  --platforms instagram,tiktok --permission-method comment --output /tmp/ugc_brief.md

Output Contract

A campaign deliverable includes all of:

• Prompt copy — exact wording for the ask, per platform, with the hashtag and credit call ("tag us for a chance to be featured").
• Hashtag — primary hashtag, verified unused, plus 2–3 discovery hashtags.
• Permission workflow — chosen route, the exact permission request text, where permissions are stored, and what counts as granted.
• Terms — usage scope: which platforms the content may run on, for how long, whether edits are allowed, who owns what. (Plain-language draft, not legal advice.)
• Featuring loop — how creators get credited, the spotlight cadence, and the response SLA (reply/like to every participant).
• Archive — where permissions and terms snapshots live.

Operating Rules

1. Never repost audience content without a permission record. A brand tag is not consent; a public post is not free to use.
2. Fair use does not cover commercial marketing — do not rely on it.
3. Editing a creator's photo or video (crop for ad, logo overlay) creates a derivative work: it needs permission beyond basic reuse.
4. Do not pay for positive reviews or incentivize five-star ratings (FTC violation). "Feature me" language, not "pay me" language.
5. Always credit: tag the creator in the caption or as a text overlay on the media.
6. If permission is refused or revoked, stop using the content immediately — no negotiation, no "but we already ran the ad."
7. Hashtag campaigns need published terms stating usage scope; keep a timestamped copy even if you use explicit per-post permission too.