By Dorien Morin-van Dam
Creating content is a tough task, especially since everything you want to write about has already been written about. ItÂs tough to be original, isnÂt it? In recent months IÂve seen a surge in articles being written about user-generated content and how to create it. I have also spotted more and more articles written with user-generated content.
There are many social media platforms that lend themselves perfectly for sharing user-generated content; two very well known visual platforms come to mind first. The first one is Pinterest and the second platform is Instagram.
On Pinterest, people re-pin pretty pictures other people pinned before them  80% of pins are re-pins. On Instagram, using re-post apps, people can easily find and share other peoples pictures, too!
But what about written content? Can we use text-based user-generated content?
A perfect example of written user-generated content is, of course, quotes! Who hasnÂt seen and shared quotes on social media? I know I have. It would be a stretch to write a whole blog post just with quotes (it has been done), but I am here to suggest several other techniques that may help you seek out user-generated content.
Here are my 3 tips for writing a blog post simply by asking the right people!
1. Ask your fans.
One way I use my Facebook audience, for example, is to give them two or three words and let them free-associate with those. I often get great ideas for blog posts based on their answers. It shows what is foremost on their minds. I also ask questions on Twitter, but since my audience is greater and more diverse, it has not been as effective for me as asking my Facebook fans.
2. Ask the experts in your circles of influence.
You can do this via email or dedicated Facebook group. Those would be my first choices as I recommend you reach out to each individual privately, and of course, offer to link to them once your write your blog post. Here are some ideas on how to crowdsource content from the experts:
- You can give each of them the same question (or hypothetical) situation to answer in their own way.
- You can ask them to give you real life questions (sourced from their audience) about a specific topic you provide i.e Pinterest, LinkedIn profile, Twitter Cards.
- You can ask them for a solution to a problem you are having. If you ask five experts you will be sure to get five different solutions.
- You can ask for an interview from an expert. Whether you have created a set series of questions, or you make it up as you go, interviewing someone in your industry, a leader, is a great way to get user-generated content. You will be using their words, their thoughts, to write your blog.
3. Ask your peers.
Your peers are the people in your industry, your co-workers, your fellow bloggers and entrepreneurs. I love involving them and asking them questions or get input from them on a certain topic. People also love to be quoted.
If you go to your peers for a quote, at least they will be aware your are writing something that mentions them and will look for your article to be published.
Alternatively, you could read a series of articles written by your peers and take quotes, and link back of course, highlighting their take on issues.
Your Turn:
 Have you used any of these techniques to get content for your blog?
 Do you enjoy reading these types of blog posts?
 Can you think of other ways to gather user-generated content?
