Most ecommerce emails land in inboxes and get ignored. Some get opened, but few earn a click.
Meanwhile, your customers are already creating content that sells better than anything a marketing team can build from scratch: real photos, authentic feedback, and unfiltered excitement.
When real people share their experiences with your products, and you put those stories into your emails, everything feels more trustworthy.
Today, I’ll explain how to use UGC to drive better open rates, higher click-throughs, and stronger conversions using smart email marketing strategies.
Let’s make your email campaigns more than just another inbox filler.
Smart Email Marketing Strategies Start with UGC That Performs
Not all user-generated content belongs in your email campaigns. Choosing the right content starts with a clear, objective filter. The goal is to identify what resonates most with your audience and supports your email marketing strategy—not just fill space.
- Start by looking at metrics. UGC that performs well on social media platforms—high likes, shares, and comments—is usually worth testing in email. It already has validation, which helps boost social proof when presented to email subscribers.
- Sort content by format. Here are some good categories you can use:
- User-submitted photos showing the product in real-life use cases
- Customer testimonials that highlight product satisfaction
- Short clips or GIFs demonstrating the product in action
- Avoid anything that looks overly edited or doesn’t align with your brand voice. Your goal is to reflect the experience of real users.
- Tag content during collection. Use categories like product type, emotion expressed, and setting. This makes it easier to build relevant campaigns later.
Designing Email Templates That Highlight UGC Without Overshadowing Your Offer
Effective emails guide the reader’s eye. You want authentic content to stand out without distracting from the purpose of your message: the click. UGC should support the story you’re telling—not hijack it.
Here’s a format that works:
- Hero image. Start with a standout customer photo or short video.
- Caption or quote. Add context from the original content creator
- Value proposition. Follow with your product benefit or offer
- CTA. End with one clear action prompt
Additional email design tips
- Prioritize visual content above the fold. Make sure it scales well for mobile and that the photo is portrait-oriented or square. Email subscribers are often reading on phones, and bad formatting kills engagement.
- Maintain consistent brand fonts, CTA button styles, and colors across all promotional emails. This keeps your email content visually cohesive while letting the authentic user experience shine.
- Test different subject lines that reference real experiences. Phrases like “What Sarah said after her first try” or “You’ve got to see this photo” drive curiosity while still grounding the message in customer stories.
Segmenting Your List Based on UGC Themes and Interests
Generic blasts no longer cut it. To create compelling email campaigns, use segmentation strategies that match content with user preferences and behavior. UGC makes this easier by offering flexible content that can appeal to different audience segments.
Segmented UGC emails often deliver 4x higher click-through rates than one-size-fits-all messaging. They also support better customer interaction by presenting relevant and timely content.
How to Segment Your List
- Mass emails rarely perform well. To boost engagement, segment your list using customer behavior and match each group with relevant user-generated content (UGC). This creates more targeted, authentic email campaigns that feel personal—because they are.
How to Segment Your List Using UGC:
1. Start with customer data. Use your ecommerce or email platform to group subscribers by:
- Purchase history
- Browsing behavior
- Cart activity
- Email engagement (opens/clicks)
2. Tag your UGC. As you collect content through RaveCapture or post-purchase flows, label it by:
- Product type
- Use case (unboxing, gifting, everyday use)
- Emotion (excited, relieved, proud)
This helps you find the right content for each segment quickly.
3. Match UGC to the segment. Some examples:
- First-time buyers: UGC showing positive unboxing experiences
- Pet owners: Customer photos with pets using your product
- Cart abandoners: Testimonials from buyers who hesitated before purchasing
- Repeat customers: Photos or reviews from loyal fans
4. Automate where possible. Use your ESP’s logic to trigger emails based on behavior + matching UGC. For example, send pet content to those who recently purchased pet products.
5. Monitor performance. Track which UGC themes earn more clicks or conversions in each segment. Refine based on what works best.
Integrating Review Management Software to Automate UGC Collection and Curation
Collecting and organizing user-generated content takes time most ecommerce teams don’t have.
Hunting down visuals on social media, chasing permission, and reviewing each submission can stall your email workflow. That’s where review management platforms like RaveCapture can help.
By automating the collection, moderation, and organization of customer reviews and visual content, you create a steady pipeline of ready-to-use assets for your email campaigns.
Here’s how to use RaveCapture to simplify UGC for email:
- Automated collection. Trigger UGC requests right after delivery. Send targeted emails asking for photos, videos, or feedback.
- Incentivize reviews. Offer discount codes or loyalty points to encourage submissions and speed up content flow.
- Smart filtering. Use built-in tools to tag and sort content by product, sentiment, or visual type to quickly pull the right assets for segmented email campaigns.
- Moderation controls. Auto-publish reviews that meet your criteria. Hold others for review to remove spam or off-brand responses before they’re featured.
- Seamless export. Download high-quality UGC assets in seconds and drop them directly into your email builder.
- Cross-channel visibility. To maximize their impact, share top-performing reviews across email, your website, and social media channels.
Try it today. Sign up here for free!
Mapping UGC to the Customer Journey: What to Send and When
Adding UGC to an email strategy is more effective when mapped to customer behavior. Different types of content serve different functions at each stage of the customer journey.
Here’s a breakdown:
- Welcome emails. Use real customer photos to reinforce early purchase decisions and build a sense of community
- Cart abandonment. Drop in a customer story showing someone who almost didn’t buy—but was glad they did
- Post-purchase. Share customer testimonials or user reviews that suggest how others are using the product
- Loyalty sequences. Show real-life experiences from long-time customers to reinforce repeat buying behavior
- Seasonal campaigns. Match customer photos with relevant holidays or seasonal use cases
Mapping UGC in this way creates a personal connection and drives emotional engagement. You’re not just promoting products—you’re showing how real customers interact with them across different points in their journey.
A/B Testing Frameworks to Measure UGC Email Performance
It’s one thing to send emails with UGC—another to know what’s working. Testing helps you refine your marketing efforts for potential customers and avoid relying on assumptions.
How to Test Content in Email Marketing
- Variable control. Change one thing at a time. For example, try a photo vs. a video or a customer quote vs. standard text
- Test placement. Top vs. middle vs. near the CTA. UGC placement can influence how much of the email gets read
- Tone testing. Compare casual captions with more product-focused messaging to see what resonates with your target audience
- Device testing. UGC-heavy emails may load differently on desktop vs. mobile. Check how content renders across platforms
- Timing. Send variations at different times of day to identify peak engagement windows
Track performance using analytics tools. Focus on engagement rate, scroll depth, click-through rate, and sales attribution—not just open rate.
Testing also improves your return on investment. By focusing your email marketing efforts on what drives results, you reduce wasted sends and maximize every email campaign.
Tracking UGC Performance Across Email Campaigns
Sending user-generated content in your emails is only half the work—tracking how that content performs is what helps you improve. Without a review process, knowing which visuals or messages move the needle is hard.
While platforms like RaveCapture help collect and organize authentic customer content, performance tracking must happen within your email platform or analytics tools.
Here’s how to stay data-informed:
- Tag and label your UGC manually in your email builder (e.g., clearly name each image, quote, or video). This makes it easier to connect performance results to specific pieces of content.
- Use UTMs or tracking links for CTAs in emails that feature UGC. This helps you trace conversions back to a specific campaign or asset.
- Compare performance by content type:
- Are customer testimonials generating more clicks?
- Do product-in-use photos result in higher conversions?
- Focus on meaningful metrics: Look at click-through rate (CTR), click-to-open rate (CTOR), conversion rate, and revenue per email—not just opens.
- Maintain a tracker or spreadsheet to log which content was used, where it was placed, and how it performed.
- Recycle top-performing assets in follow-up sequences or seasonal campaigns—and retire visuals that didn’t gain traction.
Over time, this approach helps you understand what type of UGC drives engagement across different audience segments, making your future email content more focused and effective.
Make Every Email Count with Content Your Customers Already Trust
User-generated content turns your emails from brand promotions into real stories that buyers relate to. It builds a level of trust and engagement that pre-written copy alone rarely achieves.
Here’s a quick recap of what to do:
- Pick the right content. Use photos, testimonials, and videos that reflect real customer experiences
- Design with purpose. Let UGC support your offer, not distract from it
- Segment smart. Match UGC themes with customer behavior and interests
- Automate collection. Use review tools to keep your UGC pipeline full
- Time it right. Map content to the right points in the customer journey
- Test and refine. Use performance data to improve what you send next
- Track results. Tie your content back to clicks, conversions, and revenue
If you want to collect better content and save time, use RaveCapture. It helps you gather reviews, visuals, and feedback automatically—then organize, moderate, and export what’s ready to use.
No spreadsheets, no inbox digging—just high-quality UGC ready for your next send.