Unless you’ve been living on Mars (if so…you should really be doing the talk shows), you’ll be very familiar with terms like crowdworking, crowdfunding, and crowdsourcing video.

Essentially, it’s looking to the masses for the solution to your problem, be it the gig economy, fundraising projects, or in the case of this article, capturing video for your crowdsourced campaign. It can be a cost-effective way to get a lot of footage in a short amount of time, and brands as large as Adidas, Toyota, and MAC Cosmetics have used it in high-profile campaigns involving crowdsourced campaigns. But it’s important to note that not all crowdsourcing resources are created equal.

Crowdsourcing vs. crowdbidding - know the difference.

The rise of crowdsourcing to gather content has created a swell of sites ready to leap on the opportunity. Two of the biggest names in crowdsourced video are Tongal and Userfarm.

While these sites can be useful, you need to know what you’re getting. They usually focus on tapping a creative community to provide content, and these contributors are often professionals working side hustles. They won’t be as in tune with your brand as a fan, and in a sense you’re engaging them in “crowdbidding;” basically, submit something and with any luck you’ll be selected. This kind of content is rarely going to be authentic; it’s basically a cheaper way of getting content than going to an agency.

This is the reason we created Cinebody. We wanted to give brands the ability to reach out to genuine fans who can provide authentic, exciting content. In fact, to understand more about how Cinebody operates and stands apart, check out our 'How Cinebody Works' video. And from our inception, we’ve learned a lot about the wrong ways of getting User-Generated Content (UGC), and of course, the right ways.

Our five tips for video crowdsourcing success.

So, you know for certain that a UGC campaign is the right direction to go in. You know you want genuine content, not crowd bidding. Where do you go from here?

1. Know your audience AND your vision

It’s not enough to have a rough idea of the fans you want to reach out to. You also need to know if they will be perfect for the particular UGC campaign you’re creating. If it’s a live event, you’ll want to tap into your fans that actively enjoy those experiences. If it’s a conference, you’ll want attendees that have the opportunity and drive to get the content you need. Without marrying the two, you could miss the mark.

2. Speak their language

It’s one thing to know who your audience is. It’s another to talk to them in their language. Fans don’t want to play marketing lingo bingo, and they don’t want to be patronized. Be conversational, open, honest, and as simple as possible. They’re people who are ready to go and capture awesome footage for you on their own time. Treat them with respect.

3. Provide enticing incentives

Not every audience or fan will need to be incentivized. For example, when Slash asked his fans to capture video footage for him, they jumped at the chance. But not many brands have that kind of adoring crowd pull. If you’re not quite as dazzling or rock ‘n’ roll, sweeten the pot with incentives like free tickets, unique merchandise, and maybe even something made just for them. Considering the ROI on this, you’re getting a whole lot of bang for your buck. The fans are giving you the content you need. Reward it when you need to.

4. Learn to recruit the right way

Throwing up a social post and calling it a day isn’t going to cut it for most brands. You need to put as much thought and effort into recruitment as you would with pre-production on a traditional video shoot. That means doing your research, finding out where the fans like to hang out, creating promo videos, posters, and flyers, and building a crowdsourcing campaign with multiple touchpoints.

Build a timeline. Drop materials early and often, and maybe offer early bird incentives to the fans you really want to shoot your footage. Look to email marketing lists (but please…don’t SPAM people), and get fans who have already signed up to recruit on your behalf.

Remember, the heart and soul of your crowdsourced video campaign comes from these people. The better quality your recruitment campaign is, the better the footage will be.

5. Give great direction and encouragement

One of the big advantages of Cinebody is the ability to see the footage as it comes in, in real time, and provide push notifications directly back to the fans. Don’t let this be the time when the ball you got rolling loses momentum. Keep the energy up, get people hyped about the footage they’ve already supplied, and be really energized about what you want them to get next. They’re in this for you, and like any creatives, a little praise and encouragement goes an awful long way.

So, there you have it. Several years’ worth of learning in one go. Use it wisely and your next UGC video will blow the doors off anything you’ve done previously. These tips for crowdsourcing videos can help you effectively leverage user-generated content and create a next-level UGC video that surpasses your previous work. Good luck.