EBOOK

The Complete
Guide to UGC for
Museums

kat_leah_
 racineva

Hello!
As a museum marketer, you know the power of visual storytelling.

And you also know the challenges that come with visual storytelling today.
It has become harder to rise above the noise and speak your truth—both as
a cultural institution and a business.

Because we work with so many museums, we have a unique vantage point into
what different organizations are doing to embrace technology, meet the diversity
of audience expectations and maximize engagement today.

In this eBook, we share how 8 leading museums have made user generated-content
(UGC) work as part of a successful marketing strategy. We also offer practical advice
on acquiring the rights to UGC.

Many of the inspiring UGC images in this eBook were sourced from social media
and rights-approved through CrowdRiff.

We hope this gives you a better understanding of what UGC does, and the value
it can bring to your museum.

Amrita Gurney
VP Marketing at CrowdRiff
 WHAT’S INSIDE

What’s Inside
What Is UGC 4

Museum Marketing: Current Challenges 5

Why Should Museums Use UGC? 8

How 8 Leading Museums Are Using UGC In Their Marketing 10

When Do You Need Content Rights? 26

Best Practices for Getting Rights to UGC 29

How CrowdRiff Manages User-Generated Content Rights 30

About CrowdRiff 31

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3
 WHAT IS UGC?

What is UGC?
In today’s digital world, user- a group of students participating
generated content is being in a workshop, or visitors
created in extraordinary volumes listening to an artist discuss the
and is an essential part of every inspiration behind their work,
museum marketer’s toolkit. UGC visuals can humanize your
brand and connect with future
But what exactly is museum visitors.
user-generated content
and why is it so important? These photos and videos can
be repurposed as content for
User-generated content (UGC) your museum across a range
is any content about your brand of mediums. From social media
that your visitors create and posts to digital displays to
share all on their own. UGC galleries on your website, UGC
can be both visual and textual. can be used just about anywhere
It includes photos and videos owned visuals are used.
shared on social media, as well as
reviews and testimonials posted
emma_ampersand
on third-party review sites, like
Google, Yelp, or TripAdvisor.

Countless user-generated visuals

are created and shared by your
visitors and greatest brand
advocates every day. Whether it’s
photos of parents exploring your
museum with their children,

4
 MUSEUM MARKETING: CURRENT CHALLENGES

Museum Marketing:
Current Challenges
Visual UGC is a valuable marketing asset for any museum
or gallery. Before we dig into the benefits of UGC, let’s look
at three of the biggest challenges facing museums in the
age of digital marketing.

1 Embrace technology
while honoring your
mandate
As curators of both art and
history, museums play an
important cultural role as a
bridge between old and new.
But in order to stay relevant
today, museums need to
adapt to the evolving needs
of their communities. In many
cases, that means embracing
digital marketing and building
a presence in online spaces.
Otherwise, museums risk getting
left behind, as people are drawn
to other places that make the
effort to stay top-of-mind for gaspare.chirillo
modern consumers.
As Michael E. Shapiro, Director Emeritus of
the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, puts it1:

“Directors need to embrace technology

as a vehicle for speaking to and attracting
audiences to the museum, without
undercutting the special experience of
the immediate and direct work of art.”

1Source: https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:-HzzqoSMyHAJ:https://www.blouinartinfo.com/
news/story/2009807/the-biggest-obstacles-museum-directors-face-today+&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=ca 5
 MUSEUM MARKETING: CURRENT CHALLENGES

2 Meet the diversity

of audience
expectations
Building authentic connections
with visitors is one of the biggest
challenges facing museum
marketers today. As museum
audiences continue to evolve
and diversify, so too do their
expectations and needs. For
instance, a recent study found
that roughly 40% of millennials
and 35% of the general
population felt that history
and art museums were “not for
people like me2.”

Furthermore, museums often

struggle to find an ideal balance
between their role as entertainers
and educators. In order to stay
competitive, museum marketers
must find a way to appeal to
a wide range of visitors with
diverse backgrounds, interests,
and experiences.

livingdattlife

2Source: https://www.colleendilen.com/2019/03/20/perceptions-matter-how-welcoming-are-cultural-organizations-data/ 6
 MUSEUM MARKETING: CURRENT CHALLENGES

lucilebssg

3 Increase engagement streams, like offering the space

and maximize for parties or corporate events.
revenue For example, The New Museum in
New York averages 30 to 40 event
Thanks to smartphones, your space inquiries a day, a figure
visitors have direct access to that represents roughly 7 percent
information about just about of its revenue3.
anything. The question is, how
can museums leverage their The challenge is determining how
visitors’ curiosity and interest in a to best use technology and social
way that adds to their experience media to drive sales and inspire
and knowledge? brand advocates to share their
experiences.
As technology gets more
sophisticated, there are new
opportunities for museums to
create engaging, interactive
exhibits, as well as contests,
workshops and new revenue

3Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/12/arts/artsspecial/12events.html 7
 MUSEUM MARKETING: CURRENT CHALLENGES

Why Should
Museums Use UGC?
What makes UGC such a powerful tool for your museum?
By incorporating UGC into your digital marketing strategy,
your museum would be able to:

1 Adapt to audience
needs without losing
sight of your mission
Museums have always been
exceptional visual storytellers.
With UGC content, you can tell
a story that represents the range
of different experiences enjoyed
by your visitors. UGC helps
museums set, meet, and exceed
audience expectations. 85% of
consumers find visual UGC more
influential than brand photos
or videos4.

joeyexplores

4Source: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160503005382/en/Offerpop-Survey-Identifies-Gaps-Consumers-Marketers-User-Generated 8
 MUSEUM MARKETING: CURRENT CHALLENGES

2 Tell a diverse, authentic brand

story that engages your audience

UGC brings an authenticity to your brand story by featuring real

people your audience can relate to – which makes it easier for them
to picture themselves having those experiences, too. For many
museums, UGC is the ultimate form of social proof. In fact, 92%
of consumers5 trust word of mouth marketing and UGC more than
traditional forms of advertising.

3 Promote exhibits,
increase ticket sales,
and stretch your
marketing dollars
Another major benefit of UGC for
museums is that it doesn’t cost
anything to create. Your visitors
are actively generating content
for you, providing your museum
with a large, growing resource of
UGC that can be used alongside
branded visuals. And it’s a proven
formula – brand engagement
increases by an average of 28%
when UGC is used to supplement
branded promotional content6.

Think about the possibilities

of using UGC to promote your
museum as an event space, like
the New Museum, to double
down on new revenue streams.

mtlvws

5Source: https://www.nielsen.com/content/dam/nielsenglobal/apac/docs/reports/2015/nielsen-global-trust-in-advertising-report-september-2015.pdf
6Source: https://www.comscore.com/Insights/Press-Releases/2012/3/comScore-Study-Finds-Professionally-Produced-Video-Content-And-User-Generated
-Product-Videos-Exhibit-Strong-Synergy-in-Driving-Sales-Effectiveness 9
 HOW 8 LEADING MUSEUMS ARE USING UGC IN THEIR MARKETING

jiayue9

How 8 Leading Museums Are

Using UGC In Their Marketing
10
1
THE ROYAL ONTARIO MUSEUM

Build A Community
and Invite Participation
As a leader in the evolution of and build excitement leading
digital museum culture, the up to a visit, but they also use
Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) UGC to inspire visitors to take
uses UGC to shape their visual (and share!) more photos during
marketing strategy around their their visit.
community. The ROM curates
UGC for a number of creative For example, as soon as visitors
uses, including on-site digital arrive, they see UGC photos on
displays and photo walls, the digital display behind the
as well as their online and admissions desk. This reinforces
social presence. the sense of community fostered
online and encourages more
The ROM promotes UGC tagged visitors to lend their voice (and
with #atROM on their website visuals) to the conversations
and social channels to drive sales happening on social media.

11
 THE ROYAL ONTARIO MUSEUM

UGC has played a major role in building the ROM’s visual influence and
helping them engage with visitors before, during, and after their visit.
By showcasing UGC in both digital and physical spaces, the ROM gives
visitors the chance to get involved in what the museum is currently
doing and sharing.

And it seems to be working! Since adding UGC galleries to their website,

the ROM has achieved a 4X increase in time on site and cut their bounce
rate by 30%7.

shridevij

“Over the last year using CrowdRiff, it’s been Pro Tip
really easy to show the power of earned media Look for creative ways to use UGC
to foster a sense of community both
and UGC. We no longer tell people that we are online and off. By featuring UGC photos
cool, people are doing it for us.” on digital displays near the entrance
of your museum, you can set the tone
Ryan Dodge for making each visit a visual, social-
Previously Digital Engagement Coordinator at the ROM friendly experience.

7Source: https://crowdriff.com/royal-ontario-museum-case-study/ 12
 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY

2
Promote Specific Exhibits
and Drive Ticket Sales
Seeing the museum experience
through visitors’ eyes allows
future guests to get excited about
what’s to come. That’s one of
the reasons the Field Museum
of Natural History features a
gallery of ever-changing UGC
on their homepage.
with a CTA. This ensures that as
soon as someone shows interest
in a photo, they’re prompted to
click to learn more.

Not only does the gallery invite

visitors to discover the latest
exhibits and learn more about
planning a trip, but some of
The curated gallery pulls the CTAs lead directly to a ticket
in images tagged with @ sales page.
FieldMuseum to promote specific
exhibits, artifacts, and spaces. Since 85% of consumers find
But these photos are more than UGC more influential than
just a pretty picture. branded visuals8, combining
authentic images with CTAs can
The Field Museum combines lead to more sales than owned
UGC with calls-to-action, thereby visuals alone. By placing clickable
turning moments of inspiration UGC galleries on your website,
into moments of action. When you can spark interest and drive
someone hovers over an image action at the same time.
in the gallery, they’re presented

8Source: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160503005382/en/Offerpop-Survey-Identifies-Gaps-Consumers-Marketers-User-Generated 13
 CHILDREN’S MUSEUM OF INDIANAPOLIS

3
Create Engaging
Instagram Stories that
Keep Fans in the Know
The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis uses UGC for Instagram
stories to engage with and educate their audience. By featuring real
people in candid photos and videos, the Children’s Museum is able
to show off what people are loving during their visits.

Here are a few key lessons from the Children’s Museum on how
museums can use Instagram Stories:

• Featuring real people in candid photos and videos draws people

in more effectively than branded content alone.

• The more often you feature UGC in your Story, the more often
you’ll get tagged in visitors’ Stories.

• UGC isn’t just about visuals. You can use polls in your Stories to
drive more engagement and spark conversation around specific
campaigns and exhibits.

14
 CHILDREN’S MUSEUM OF INDIANAPOLIS

With over 500 million people posting Instagram Stories every

single day9, your visitors are creating and sharing a huge amount of
interesting content. When visitors tag your museum in their Instagram
Stories, you have the option (and more importantly, the rights) to
repost their content to your own Story.

Beyond just keep people up-to-date on the latest happenings at your

museum, pulling UGC into your Stories is a great way to put a human
face to the experiences you provide. Featuring UGC in your Instagram
Story shows your audience that you’re paying attention and appreciate
what they’re sharing.

Pro Tip
Instagram Stories are impactful but
timely – they only stay live for 24 hours
(unless you add them to one of your
Highlights reels). This allows you to
feature a wide range of UGC without
necessarily worrying about the staying
power of each piece of content.

kat_leah_

9Source: https://www.statista.com/statistics/730315/instagram-stories-dau 15
 CANADIAN MUSEUM OF NATURE

4 Tap into Social Media

Trends and Create a Better
Pre-Visit Experience
The Canadian Museum of Nature taps into social media trends
to attract visitors to their upcoming exhibits. They focus on creating
memorable pre-visit experiences that get people talking, filming,
and sharing UGC online.

One of their most memorable stunts to date was bringing the concept
of ‘T-Rex Tuesdays’ to life on the streets of Ottawa.

“There was a thing already happening on social

media called T-Rex Tuesdays, and they were
really funny. People were putting up videos of
folks in those inflatable dinosaur suits doing
just about anything, because anything a dino
is trying to do is pretty funny.”
John Swettenham
Chief Marketing Officer for the Canadian Museum of Nature

Image: Youtube, VideoManOttawa 16

 CANADIAN MUSEUM OF NATURE

“It’s fun for people to see them on the street,

but let’s face it, even if they go to Parliament Hill,
that’s still just a few thousand people, it’s not
millions or hundreds of thousands. At the end
of the day, the way to leverage it and expand
the longevity is through social media.”

Image: Youtube, VideoManOttawa

The Canadian Museum of Nature The events were even picked

was able to leverage this trend up by media outlets across the
because they were already in country, with the CBC sharing a
tune with what people were “T-Rex Yoga” clip that was viewed
sharing online. So not only more than 1.7 million times.10
did the campaign draw local
attention to the temporary The key takeaway here? Listen to
exhibit they were promoting, but the conversations your audience
the UGC created in response to it is having online and look for ways
was also timely and relevant to to incorporate those trends and
an audience that already existed topics into your next marketing
on social media. campaign.

Plus, the stunt led to the creation Get creative in how you think
of tons of new UGC that was about the pre-visit experience.
shared and viewed online. After By creating an experience that
all, who could resist snapping your fans and visitor can’t help
a shot of dinosaurs doing yoga but share, you can reach a larger
on Parliament Hill? audience and build awareness
through UGC.

10Source: https://resources.crowdriff.com/blog/canadian-museum-of-nature-dinosaur-promotion 17
 5
DENVER ART MUSEUM

Make Art More

Accessible and Promote
Shared Experiences
UGC allows upcoming visitors Not only does UGC help DAM
to see what people are excited keep their finger on the pulse
about at that exact moment – of what’s happening in their
and it also allows museums to community, but it also gives
see how guests are interacting them the chance to showcase
with exhibits. For instance, the range of experiences they
monitoring UGC on social media provide. DAM reflects their
gives the Denver Art Museum guests’ experience and stories
(DAM) a deeper understanding back to their audience by
of how visitors respond to art. reposting their favorite UGC.
This injects a very human
tailor.ko element into the DAM brand
and makes it easy for future
visitors to envision themselves
in those scenarios.

18
 DENVER ART MUSEUM

arimitsos

As Shannon Robb, the Communications and Public Affairs

Coordinator for the Denver Art Museum, puts it:

“It can be more intimidating to walk into an art

museum than, say, a zoo, because people can
explain to their children what a giraffe is, but
when they walk into an art museum, they feel
like they need to know everything about who
Picasso was.”
By embracing the power and potential of UGC for marketing, you can
showcase everyday people enjoying your museum – from connoisseurs
to casual art fans.

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6
LOS ANGELES COUNTY MUSEUM OF ART

Connect with the

Next Generation
of Art Lovers
The Los Angeles County Museum
of Art (LACMA) uses social UGC
to make their collections more
accessible to everyone. By
leveraging the power of modern
social media platforms like
SnapChat, LACMA has found a
new way to get young people
excited about art.

Part of what makes LACMA’s

social presence so impactful is
that they aren’t afraid to take
risks. For example, many of their
SnapChat creations play off timely
references to pop culture, mixing
classic art with popular memes.

teawithkea

20
 LOS ANGELES COUNTY MUSEUM OF ART

Museums can follow LACMA’s lead by embracing social media as a way

to connect with a more diverse audience. By building a presence in the
digital spaces where young people communicate and share stories,
museum marketers have an opportunity to connect, engage, and
Images: Huffington Post educate a whole new audience. Bringing customers into the experience
has been proven to make promotions 28% more effective 11, and
facilitates almost 7 times12 more engagement than brand content.

UGC marketing, by definition, invites your audience to be part of your

story. If you want to inspire the next generation of art lovers, you
can start by incorporating more UGC into your digital marketing –
especially on social media.

By showcasing exhibits and artwork through a fun, accessible medium

like SnapChat, you can make your space and exhibits more familiar
and approachable to visitors of all ages.

11Source: https://resources.crowdriff.com/blog/ways-museums-use-ugc-promote-exhibits
12Source: https://blog.iconosquare.com/ugc-generates-engagement 21
 7
BRITISH MUSEUM

Fuel Conversations
Around Specific
Exhibits and Spaces
As the home to thousands of further discussion. The British
unique artifacts, museums have a Museum highlights UGC as an
unique advantage when it comes opportunity to elaborate on
to storytelling. Museum curators specific exhibits and features
have tons of interesting tidbits in their collection. Not only
and stories to tell about each does this inspire further
collection – and UGC can be used conversation around the exhibit
as the starting point. on social media, but it also
creates a fantastic pre-visit
The British Museum does a experience. Plus, the hashtag
fantastic job of this. Rather than #myBritishMuseum really
simply reposting an interesting drives home the narrative that
visitor photo, the British Museum museums are a shared cultural
uses UGC as a springboard for space for their communities.

riccardo_macchi

22
 BRITISH MUSEUM

saidsiaht

The key to driving engagement Pro Tip

is to make it simple for your If you’re holding back to avoid being
visitors to participate. Be pushy, consider that 53% of visitors
straightforward in telling them want to be told exactly how to create
exactly how to get featured. and share UGC – and 42% want to see
specific examples of the type of content
For instance, the British Museum you like so they can get featured13.
includes clear instructions in
their Instagram captions and
consistent CTAs asking visitors
to share their photos.

13Source: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160503005382/en/Offerpop-Survey-Identifies-Gaps-Consumers-Marketers-User-Generated 23
8
STUDIO MUSEUM IN HARLEM

Showcase Diversity and

Address Visitor Misconceptions
A 2010 study by the American
Alliance of Museums predicted
that in 2033 people of color
would make up 46 percent of
the country’s population, and
yet they would still represent
only 9 percent of museums’
core visitors.14 This is certainly
a troubling fact, but one that
museums can address by using
UGC imagery to send a powerful
message to their audience.

The Studio Museum in Harlem

is the perfect example of how
it’s done. In alignment with their
mission to act as a “nexus for
artists of African descent,” the
Studio Museum embraces UGC
as a means to showcase diversity
and promote inclusiveness.

Sharing UGC photos and videos

of their visitors, artists, and
guests allows them to paint a
more realistic picture of the
people who make up their
communities.

kmelb7

14Source: https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2015/11/museums-must-attract-diverse-visitors-or-risk-irrelevance/433347/ 24
 STUDIO MUSEUM IN HARLEM

Their Instagram feed features

candid UGC of visitors, which
invites anyone to explore the
museum, capture their
experiences, and share them
online. This drives the creation
allison.mccutcheon
of even more UGC and highlights
the fact that the Studio Museum
is just as much about its people
as its art.

a_tayjah

Promoting UGC allows museums to address any misconceptions

potential visitors might have about how art should be celebrated and
who can participate in museum culture. Because cultural spaces like
museums haven’t always celebrated or existed for women and people
of color, this message of diversity is just as important to the Studio
Museum experience as the exhibits and art itself.

25
 WHEN DO YOU NEED CONTENT RIGHTS?

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When Do You Need

Content Rights?
When it comes to using photos and videos from social media in
your marketing, it can be tricky to figure out what you’re allowed
to do, and what you aren’t. Follow these guidelines to learn more
about user-generated content rights and when you do and don’t
need to ask for permission to use a visitor’s photo.

26
 WHEN DO YOU NEED CONTENT RIGHTS?

When you DO
NOT need rights:
If you’re displaying a
user-generated photo
through a social network or
through an API partner that
follows the social network’s
official display guidelines,
you don’t need rights.
Essentially, if it’s clear who
the original creator is, and
you can easily direct viewers
back to the original content,
you won’t need permission.

This includes:
• Embedding a Tweet or Instagram photo onto your website or blog.
If you use the embed code provided by the social network, you don’t
need to request the rights to the photo.

• Displaying content through an API partner, like with CrowdRiff

galleries. Since CrowdRiff uses Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook’s
API to display photos, and abides by all of their separate Terms &
Conditions, you do not need explicit permission to display photos.

27
 WHEN DO YOU NEED CONTENT RIGHTS?

When you DO
need rights:
You need to request rights
to photos anytime you take
the photo off of its social
network, without a direct
link back to the original
content. You need to request
rights if you are:

• Reposting a photo or video to

your own social media accounts.

• Using the photo in digital or

print ads.

• Displaying the photo on your

website without a link back to
the original photo.

• Displaying a modified version

of a photo.

mihaelafedoseev

28
 BEST PRACTICES FOR GETTING RIGHTS TO UGC

Best Practices for

Getting Rights to UGC
Asking for permission in a comment is the best way to request
rights to a photo. Generally, people are quite flattered when
they’re asked to share their photo, and are usually happy to
say yes when asked nicely.

When crafting a comment, follow this checklist:

1. Leave a nice comment that shows appreciation for their work.

2. Tell them how you want to use their photo.
3. Give them a way to explicitly say “yes”. Let them know what
hashtag they can use when they respond back to you.

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 HOW CROWDRIFF MANAGES UGC RIGHTS

How CrowdRiff
Manages UGC Rights
Over 500+ travel and tourism brands use CrowdRiff
to automate the rights request process, shaving hours
of manual searching off the work week.

We keep track of your requests. We retrieve the high resolution We take a screenshot each
When you’re manually requesting version of any photo immediately time someone responds with
rights to UGC, it’s extraordinarily after someone gives you rights. “yes”, and archive it so that
hard to keep a record of which No more emailing back and forth you can have a record of every
photos you’ve requested and - when they approve, you get the interaction.
who has responded. CrowdRiff photo instantly.
automates all of that.

kat_leah_

30
About CrowdRiff
CrowdRiff is an AI-powered visual content marketing platform
that enables marketers to discover, collaborate on, and deliver
top-performing visuals across every channel.

Museums use CrowdRiff to:

• Automatically source new guest photos in real-time
from social channels
• Expand their image libraries by getting rights to UGC
• Deliver impactful imagery across their website, social
channels, print materials, digital ads, and more

Discover the most engaging social media photos

from your museum visitors.
We work with 500+ leading travel and tourism brands worldwide.

Let us show you what CrowdRiff can do for you.

Get a free demo