If you’re not following influencers on Instagram, you are part of a rare minority. In case you’ve been living under a rock, you will know that the importance of influencer culture has grown to the extent that even employees are becoming influencers now. And yes, that could very well include you.

You know those iPhone unboxing videos you love? Or the ASMR iced latte reels that you stop to watch mid-scroll? They are prime examples of user-generated content (UGC). UGC is very commonly used on social media these days. In fact, with the boom of influencer marketing and microinfluencers, you have probably been guilty of an irrational purchase because of them.

But UGC isn’t the only ‘it’ strategy in town anymore. Seeing its undeniable success, brands are evolving the concept further. Now, companies and employees are taking a page out of influencers’ books and creating employee-generated content (EGC).

My first experience with EGC was during my internship at an MNC, where I was asked to record a day in my life for a reel. Unexpected as this task was, true to my Gen Z nature, I quickly whipped up a 10-second video on CapCut that unfortunately ended up not being used.

But it got me thinking about the purpose of such an activity. Was this another task to keep a chattering intern occupied? Or was it part of a greater strategy, albeit with poor execution?

EGC, true to its name, is content created by employees, typically showing business-as-usual and behind-the-scenes activities. What makes EGC different from UGC is that it isn’t necessarily created by traditional influencers but rather by everyday people working a 9-5 job. And people love it.

Most large-scale influencers are out of touch with reality. Their lives, including brand launches, PR scandals and unrealistic GRWM (get ready with me) videos, are far from relatable for the average Joe or Jamshed.

Content like ‘A day in the life as an ABC’ or ‘Spend the day with me as an industry pro’ makes people watch videos until the end because it satisfies this innate curiosity of knowing what people are doing. It offers a glimpse into the real lives of individuals, which allows us to learn, compare and connect on a personal level. This creates what is known as a ‘curiosity gap,’ where people want to understand the everyday realities of others, making EGC feel more genuine and accessible than traditional corporate marketing.

While previously an individual’s work-life was a mystery and no one knew what was going on in that elusive 9-5 time bracket, now we get a window into what people do at work. The beauty and thrill of EGC is that you don’t have to be in marketing, media or communications to be a part of it. Every side of an organisation can be showcased, from warehousing to content shoots.

EGC brings a whole new perspective to the social media game. Seeing someone post about the same desk job or fieldwork that you’re doing creates an instant connection. And the smartest brands are capitalising on it. Anthropologie, an American retailer, is one of them. Anthropologie’s social media marketing manager of seven years says, “On TikTok in particular, people come to see authentic content from strangers going about their daily lives. The power of a ‘story time’ or the recommendation from a regular person versus an influencer can have a much higher impact.”

Anthropologie’s relationship with EGC started off as a way around resource constraints. They didn’t have the budget for traditional influencer marketing. In fact, most companies start off using EGC as a cost-effective alternative to influencer marketing. Recognising that audiences connected more deeply with real people, their team leaned into this shift by featuring themselves and their daily experiences, bringing a personal and credible dimension to the brand’s content. For Anthropologie, this strategy paid off significantly. Their TikTok impressions for the first quarter of 2024 were up by an astounding 5,194% compared to 2023.

Brands are placing employees in the spotlight on their social media platforms, making them storytellers.

Beyond marketing and PR, EGC also brings a breath of fresh air to HR. And realistically, with the bad rep that HR gets, they can use it. Now, people aren’t asking coworkers and colleagues about whether they should accept a job offer. Instead, they’re typing the company name in a social media search bar to find their profiles and evaluate them. This verity builds trust, especially among younger generations like Gen Z, who value inclusivity and transparency. EGC has become a new tool for employer branding and delivers a peep into employee life.

Even established corporations are adopting EGC, albeit with a carefully curated approach. Nestlé Pakistan utilises LinkedIn and YouTube to share videos featuring their Management Trainee Officers (MTOs). These videos have hashtags like #AsGoodAsItGets and #LifeWithNestlePK to display the professional and personal joy of being within their community.

If we compare them, we’ll notice a trend: unlike the polished approach of large corporations, startups and agile businesses often adopt a more casual style in their EGC.

Savvital, an Islamabad-based startup offering virtual professionals as a service, has its own approach to EGC. Their Instagram showcases employee culture through skits inspired by local memes, combining humour with relatable storytelling. As a software-based startup heavily focused on back-end work, this is a creative way to highlight their work environment.

Many other brands in Pakistan have embraced EGC. Careem, for instance, features its captains (drivers) on social media platforms, primarily TikTok, where they share highlights from their day or heartfelt encounters with passengers. Stories and experiences shared under hashtags like #LifeAtCareem and #CareemStories create a connection between consumers and captains that extends beyond a 20-minute ride.

Similarly, Daraz incorporates EGC through product demonstrations, with employees reviewing and unboxing items for consumers. And, of course, the current magnum opus of contemporary Pakistani marketing — Crumble — features their employees in nationally beloved reels. EGC has spread rapidly, with local chains like Sweet Creme putting their own brain-rot twist on it.

Now that LinkedIn has introduced a new video feature allowing users to create vertical, short-form videos similar to those on platforms like TikTok, one wonders if LinkedIn is pushing more employees to become content creators.

However, as much as we all love scrolling through videos, I’m not sure being in front of the camera is everyone’s cup of tea.

Eman Ali is a business graduate from NUST and a part-time writer.