Employee-generated content can be an incredible asset for L&D teams - fast, relevant, authentic and cost-effective. But without the right scaffolding, it can quickly become chaotic, inconsistent or even risky. This blog explores how to help employees create valuable learning content while keeping quality, safety and clarity firmly in place.

Have you ever noticed how the best tips often come from the people actually doing the work?

Every organisation has that one person everyone goes to.

The spreadsheet wizard.

The natural communicator.

The colleague who just gets it.

Now imagine capturing all of that expertise systematically and scaling it across the business.

That’s the promise of employee-generated content (EGC).

Done well, it’s a goldmine.

Done badly, it’s a governance headache waiting to happen.

Let’s look at how to strike the balance.

Why organisations are turning to employee-generated content

Three big shifts are driving demand:

1. Speed

Formal eLearning takes time. Employees can often share know-how in hours, not weeks.

2. Authenticity

People trust real stories, practical advice and examples from those who do the job every day. Storytelling research shows we connect most strongly with narratives that feel lived-in and relatable, not abstract or corporate.

3. Capacity

Many L&D teams are stretched. EGC offers a way to scale knowledge without scaling headcount - as long as there’s structure.

But structure is the part that often gets missed.

The risks when employee-generated content has no guardrails

1. Inaccuracy

Great employees aren’t always great communicators. A brilliant tip delivered the wrong way can create confusion or reinforce bad habits.

2. Inconsistency

Different formats, tones and levels of depth can make the ‘academy’ feel messy or unintentionally unprofessional.

3. Lack of accessibility

If contributors don’t understand accessibility basics, you can end up with content that excludes learners - something Popcorn explicitly avoids across all its design work.

4. Compliance exposure

Unreviewed content in regulated environments can create real risk.

5. Content sprawl

Without curation, EGC can balloon into a giant library no one can navigate.

The goal isn’t to restrict employees - it’s to help them shine.

How to curate, QA and scaffold employee-generated content (without killing enthusiasm)

Below is a practical set of steps that keep EGC valuable, safe and manageable.

1. Give employees a simple, clear content brief

If people know what ‘good’ looks like, they’ll aim for it.

A helpful brief includes:

• The audience

• The skill or behaviour the content supports

• The ideal length or format

• Whether examples or demos should be included

• Any ‘must-include’ messages (especially for compliance or safety)

  
  

Keep it short. A one-page ‘how to create great content’ guide usually works best.

2. Provide lightweight templates

Templates create consistency without restricting creativity.

Useful templates include:

• A storyboard outline

• A ‘tips from the field’ format

• A scenario-writing frame

• A simple video or screen-recording checklist

• A one-page job-aid structure

  
  

This is where Popcorn’s design craft can make a huge difference - good templates remove cognitive load and let subject-matter experts focus on expertise, not structure.

3. Add a quick QA pass, but not a full rewrite

The fastest way to kill enthusiasm is for L&D to rewrite everything.

A better approach is a light-touch QA process:

• Is the content factually correct?

• Is the message clear?

• Are examples realistic and appropriate?

• Is the tone respectful and inclusive?

• Is accessibility covered (alt text, readable fonts, simple language)?

  
  

Think ‘polish’, not ‘ownership transfer’.

4. Scaffold the storytelling, not just the content

People learn through stories. But employees often need support turning experiences into structured narratives that land well.

Offer guidance like:

• Start with a real problem

• Show what you tried

• Explain what worked and why

• Share one lesson others can take away

  
  

This aligns with storytelling research showing that people connect more deeply when they can follow a relatable journey with tension and resolution rather than a list of tips.

5. Make it easy for employees to record content well

Many contributors feel confident explaining something, but less confident filming or structuring it.

A few nudges go a long way:

• Keep videos under three minutes

• Use a quiet room

• Speak normally, as if talking to a colleague

• Show the step, then the insight (‘Here’s what I did… here’s why it helped’)

• Share screen recordings instead of long explanations where possible

  
  

Short, honest and practical always beats polished-but-empty.

6. Tag and index content properly

Without metadata, EGC becomes impossible to navigate and loses value fast.

Consider tagging by:

• Skill

• Topic

• Team

• Level (beginner, practitioner, advanced)

  
  

This helps L&D curate learning pathways and prevents duplication.

7. Keep content alive with periodic refreshes

Employee-generated content ages quickly, especially in fast-moving environments.

Set a simple rhythm:

• Quarterly relevance checks

• Annual refreshes for anything core or widely used

• A ‘sunset’ plan for outdated content

  
  

Ownership can shift naturally and employees will often volunteer to update their own pieces if the process is easy.

What good looks like: a quick example

Imagine a frontline operations team wants to share ‘What good looks like during a busy shift’.

The EGC process might look like this:

1. Brief – ‘Share one technique that helps you handle busy periods safely and calmly.’

2. Template – A simple three-step video script: challenge, what you do, why it works.

3. Recording – 2-minute phone video.

4. QA – L&D checks clarity, safety messaging and accessibility.

5. Publish – Added to a ‘Shift Excellence’ playlist, tagged by skill.

6. Refresh – Reviewed quarterly as processes evolve.

   
   

Zero over-engineering.High authenticity.

Safe, clear and human.

FAQs

Won’t the quality of EGC vary too much?

Yes, unless you add scaffolding. Templates, briefs and light QA keep quality high without stifling the people contributing.

Do we need specialist tools to run EGC?

No. Most organisations already have everything they need. The challenge is governance, not technology.

What if people share something inaccurate?

That’s why QA is essential. It protects learners and gives contributors confidence.

How do we encourage employees to take part?

Celebrate contributions, show examples of good work and make the process simple. If it feels like extra admin, participation drops.

Can EGC sit alongside formal learning?

Absolutely. In fact, it strengthens it. Employee stories and examples help formal training feel real, practical and grounded in lived experience.