The holiday season is one of the best times for brands to connect, boost engagement, and drive sales. As people gear up for holiday shopping, spending goes way up—and smart brands are ready to make the most of it. In fact, eMarketer expects U.S. holiday sales to hit a record-breaking $1.353 trillion this year.
With all that shopping buzz, standing out is key. One of the best ways to do this? Leaning into user-generated content (UGC) on platforms like Instagram. UGC—things like customer photos, videos, and reviews—lets you tap into the real experiences of your audience. This kind of content builds trust, feels authentic, and inspires others to make a purchase.
During the holidays, UGC becomes even more valuable. Shoppers want to see real-life recommendations and how products work in real situations before buying. Let’s dive into why UGC matters more than ever during the holidays, how to boost it, and how to weave it into your holiday marketing plan.
Why UGC matters for holiday marketing
Imagine you’re a shopper, scrolling through holiday deals. Which are you more likely to trust—a polished ad telling you why a product is amazing, or a cozy photo of someone just like you, wearing that sweater or decorating with those lights?
That’s where UGC comes in. Here’s why it’s gold for holiday marketing:
It feels real: UGC is like a personal recommendation. Seeing everyday people enjoying a product—whether it’s a photo of their cozy holiday setup or a quick unboxing video—feels genuine. It’s like getting a tip from a friend, and during the holidays, that connection feels even stronger.
It’s the best kind of influence: People love to see what others are buying or doing, especially during the holiday season. When someone sees that others are loving your product, it nudges them toward a purchase, creating a ripple effect of social proof.
It’s fun and engaging: UGC is interactive. When brands encourage people to share their holiday moments, it makes customers feel like part of something festive and exciting. And when people see their content shared by a brand? Instant excitement and loyalty.
In short, UGC is like a holiday party where everyone’s invited to share what they love. It brings authenticity, creates a buzz, and gives your brand a real, relatable edge—exactly what people want when they’re choosing gifts and making memories.
Bringing UGC to life with an Instagram feed plugin
Want to really make the most of UGC this holiday? Try adding an Instagram feed plugin to your site. Tools like Spotlight let you pull in live Instagram content, so your UGC becomes a vibrant showcase right on your website.
Here’s how an Instagram feed plugin can help your holiday marketing pop:
Showcase a live feed of UGC: Make your site feel active and festive by featuring a real-time Instagram feed of customers enjoying your holiday products.
Turn UGC into shoppable moments: Create a seamless experience by making Instagram posts shoppable, letting customers go from inspired to purchased with just a click.
Boost contests with real-time highlights: Hosting a holiday contest or challenge? Use the feed to spotlight entries as they come in, encouraging others to join in on the fun.
Strengthen social proof everywhere: Add that UGC-driven trust factor to your website by integrating the Instagram feed. It’s an easy way to remind people that your brand is a holiday favorite.
Spotlight has an intuitive and simple user interface (UI), allowing you to implement UGC quickly using the tagged posts or hashtag feeds feature.
Spotlight also offers a range of benefits, including:
- Sharing tagged posts
- Embedding hashtag feeds
- Multiple design and customization options
- Professionally designed templates
- Filtering by captions and hashtags
- Content moderation
How to use Instagram UGC in holiday marketing
Show UGC on Your Website
People trust what other customers have to say, so putting real-life customer posts on your website gives that extra credibility boost. It’s like letting new shoppers peek into how others are using and loving your products, which helps them imagine themselves doing the same—and makes them more likely to buy.
Here are a few easy ways to do it:
- Holiday landing pages: Add Instagram UGC straight onto your holiday pages. Think festive posts from customers wearing your holiday-themed products or sharing joyful unboxing photos.
- Hashtag feeds: Curate a feed using a holiday-specific hashtag for your brand. This not only builds community but also shows visitors that plenty of others are already enjoying your products.
- Shoppable feeds: With tools like Spotlight, you can turn these Instagram posts into clickable links that lead right to the product. It’s a quick path from “Ooh, I like that!” to “Got to have it!”—making buying easy and boosting conversions.
Make your Instagram feed a community hub
Instagram is like a big, visual hangout spot. When you share photos and videos from your customers, it feels less like a traditional ad and more like a real community space. It shows your followers that you see them, appreciate them, and that they’re part of what makes your brand special. This naturally encourages them to engage even more.
How to Do It:
- Keep UGC flowing: Make a habit of sharing UGC consistently. Over the holidays, make it festive by highlighting those cozy, seasonal moments—maybe a customer using your product in their holiday décor or as a thoughtful gift for someone special. This keeps your feed both relevant and relatable, inspiring others to jump in and share their own holiday memories.
- Spotlight the holiday spirit: Zero in on UGC that captures holiday vibes. Share posts of customers giving your products as gifts or using them in holiday settings, like at family dinners, cozy evenings, or even a festive party. It helps your followers visualize how your products could fit into their own celebrations and adds that warm holiday touch to your feed.
In this example, Instagram user Grant Allen created a post about how cold plunging is their new holiday tradition, featuring an Ice Pod by The Pod Company. It’s entertaining and illustrative, showing a real-life example of how to take the plunge.
Host UGC-Based holiday contests or challenges
The holiday season has this way of sparking creativity—everyone’s in the mood to make things a little extra special. That’s why UGC-based holiday contests can be pure magic for your brand. When you set up a challenge around your product, you’re giving people a chance to showcase their holiday spirit and their love for your brand, all while creating content that feels genuine and festive.
How to make it work:
- Keep it simple and fun: During the holidays, everyone’s short on time, so make entering seamless. Ask followers to post a holiday photo featuring your product and use your branded hashtag. That’s it! With just a quick snap and a hashtag, they’re in—and the simpler it is, the more likely people are to join.
- Offer irresistible prizes: Think of prizes that will get people genuinely excited. Maybe it’s a holiday shopping spree, an exclusive bundle of your top products, or the chance to be featured as the brand’s “holiday star” on your social channels. Prizes that feel unique and seasonal give people an extra reason to participate.
Take what Starbucks did with their #RedCupContest; it simply asked customers to share photos with their iconic holiday cups. The contest worked because it fit naturally into what people were already doing—grabbing their festive morning coffee and sharing it on social.
Use UGC in holiday ads
The holidays are when everyone’s social feeds are flooded with ads – but the most effective holiday ads aren’t polished studio shots. They’re the authentic moments captured by your real customers.
How to run campaigns:
- Select relatable holiday moments: Look for UGC that captures genuine holiday experiences – someone unboxing your product as a gift, decorating their home with your items, or sharing your product at a family gathering.
- Test different content types: Try mixing customer photo testimonials, honest unboxing videos, candid holiday celebration clips, and exciting before-and-after gift reveals in your ad campaigns. Each format brings its own authentic perspective to your holiday story.
In this example, Costa Coffee captured the fun of holiday baking when they asked customers to take on their “Blindfolded Baking Challenge” with a Christmas Yule Log. Instead of just showing their festive treats, they created engaging content that got people laughing along and joining in.
Create a branded holiday hashtag
A holiday hashtag can turn customer moments into a community celebration. When people share their seasonal stories using your hashtag, it builds excitement and inspires others to join in.
How to do it:
- Make it memorable and share: Pick a short, festive hashtag that connects with your brand (like #SeasonalSparkle or #MerryMaking)
- Showcase and inspire: Share the best holiday moments people post to get others excited about joining in the fun.
Aperol created the branded holiday hashtag #HappyAperolidays to boost engagement during the festive season. This social campaign helped it connect with fans and grow brand awareness through shared experiences.
Conclusion
Strategically leveraging UGC on Instagram is more than just a way to fill your feed with beautiful images—it can completely change the holiday marketing game.
Now, if you want to take things to the next level, consider using an Instagram feed plugin like Spotlight. It lets you take all that awesome UGC and display it across multiple channels—your website, emails, and even in shoppable content. This makes your holiday marketing even more seamless and interactive, creating an experience where customers can see, engage with, and buy your products in one smooth flow.
Whether you’re featuring UGC on your site, running a fun holiday contest, or using it to make your content shoppable, integrating UGC into your strategy is a smart, powerful way to supercharge your holiday marketing and turn all that buzz into sales.
