Creating content for your business takes time, money, and a creative eye. Because of this, many small business owners put content creation on the backburner. If this sounds familiar, you may be looking for ways to supplement your social media feed and website by republishing other people’s content of your work or related to your work.
Whether you’re relying on user-generated content (UGC) or reposting artwork from a professional photographer, crediting the original creator of the content is a must. If you’re about to implement UGC into your social media strategy, we’ve listed some best practices when reposting content. From how to ask for permission to tagging on different platforms, we’ll go over everything you need to know about crediting photos on your social media accounts and website.
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Photo credit was typically used for publications to credit the photographer of the image being used. Now, with social media and photography-heavy websites, photo credit can be given by tagging the photographer or linking to their website.
Using someone else’s content without permission can get you into some serious legal trouble. And although having a contract in place when sharing professional content is standard practice, the rules on reposting UGC aren’t quite as clear.
You may also not have the time to draft a contract each time you want to repost UGC on your social media channels.
Fortunately, many customers are happy to let their local small business owners reshare their content when asked and providing proper credit. Often up-and-coming local content creators are willing to work with you in exchange for goods and services.
Below are two standard templates you can use via the comment section or a direct message to get permission to reshare on your social media channels.
| Hi [NAME], [CUSTOM COMPLIMENT]. Hope you’re enjoying [YOUR PRODUCT/SERVICE]. Thanks for sharing and supporting local businesses. With your permission, we’d love to repost this on our social channels with proper credit. Please reply ‘yes’ if you’re okay with us posting this [PHOTO/VIDEO/CONTENT]. |
| Hi [NAME], [CUSTOM COMPLIMENT]. We think our audience would love to see this! With your permission, we’d like to repost this on our social channels with proper credit. Please reply ‘yes’ if you’re okay with us posting this [PHOTO/VIDEO/CONTENT]. |
Again, most customers or local content creators are happy to let small businesses republish their photos. However, you may get people who decline—if that’s the case, thank them for their time and move on.
You may also find people asking for compensation—especially if it’s a professionally shot photo or video. If you have the budget, great! We recommend drafting a contract to ensure both parties are on the same page. The contract should specify how, where, and for how long you'll use that piece of content on your channels.
If you don’t have the budget, be sure to thank them either way. To keep a positive relationship with content creators who may be out of your budget right now, we suggest you keep supporting their content by liking and commenting on their channels.
Below are a few common ways to give photo credit on popular platforms.
Pro-Tip: Always post the original photo or video. Avoid adding any filters, stickers, or editing the content from its original form.
On platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook, it’s easy to credit the original creator by tagging them in the description or caption of your post.
Be clear by including messaging like:
Since YouTube doesn’t allow users to tag another account, you’ll want to provide credit in the description. Ask the original creator of the photo or clip you’ll be using in your video how they’d like to be credited. They may prefer a link to their website, YouTube channel, or social media accounts.
If the original creator also has a YouTube channel, you can link to a video of theirs by adding a card or end screen.
Your website is the best place to display examples of your past work. If you’re using UGC or any outside content on a product page, be sure to get written permission to use that piece of content.
We also recommend having a designated page with before and after photos, a gallery, or testimonials. Use text boxes to credit any content that was not shot by you.
There are also many apps out there that allow you to integrate a live feed of your social media content on your website. If you opt for this, the captions where you credit the original creator will also populate on your site.
Whether it’s a professional content creator or customer, we always recommend crediting their photos or videos. Asking for permission and giving proper credit can help you avoid copyright infringement, network with other industry professionals, and strengthen customer relationships.
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