Collection Basics

Think of your collection settings as a set of criteria that content must adhere to in order to be added to an album. When collecting content from social channels instead of direct sources (direct upload, uploader, or email), brands most commonly collect content that @mentions their brand or includes a particular hashtag.

How does Emplifi UGC Find Content to Add into Albums?

Each social channel has its own restrictions for how we are allowed to collect content from their platform. For example, Instagram allows us to collect stories only from owned profiles (i.e., your profiles) connected to Emplifi UGC. Similarly, we can collect content with specific @mentions only if the mention is for an owned profile connected to Emplifi UGC.

The infographic below shows the sources from each platform, including non-social media, that Emplifi UGC uses to add content to albums:

The following table is a text summary of the Emplifi UGC collection sources:

Platform	Details
Instagram	Collect from your brand's mentions, your brand's user handle, your brand's tags, and hashtags. Content that contains copyrighted audio cannot be collected. This is controlled by Meta API restrictions.
X (formerly Twitter)	Collect from hashtags, user handles, mentions, and locations.
Facebook	Collect photo/video posts made on your own timeline, from the comment section on your own posts, and when your brand is mentioned. You cannot collect content from Facebook hashtags You can collect from all Facebook pages where you have admin access. Content that contains copyrighted audio may not be collected. This is controlled by Meta API restrictions.
Youtube	Collect content from specific Youtube video URLs.
TikTok	Collect content by connecting your brand account. At the moment we can not collect from hashtags or other users, however, you can add in content from TikTok with specific URLs. To learn more, see the TikTok FAQ .
Uploader	Collect content uploaded through the Emplifi UGC Gallery Direct Uploader.
Email	Collect content sent to a unique Emplifi UGC email address. A custom email can be connected via email platform's setting - please contact us when completed, so we can forward you the confirmation code.

*You can also collect content from specific X (formerly Twitter) URLs or directly from your computer. Acceptable photo files include jpg, jpeg, png, and gif, while acceptable video files include mp4, m4v, and mov within a 200MB limitation.

Emplifi UGC cannot collect from Pinterest.
Pinterest is a platform in which over 80% of the photos are not user-generated. Most often, users are pinning images copied directly from brand sites which many brands do not find value in. 

How do I Set Up or Edit Collection Settings for an Album?

You can set up different collection settings for each album and adjust them at any time. Any changes made to live albums will automatically go live on active displays.

1. Click Curation.

2. Click an album that you want to collect content for.

3. Click Collect Content to open up the collection settings.

   

   You can also click the area of the album tile that shows the status of collecting content. After creating a new album, you are also prompted to open the collection settings.

4. The tabs on the left side will allow you to set collection criteria for each content source.

5. Once you have set your collection settings for a content source, click Start Collection to begin collecting content.

You can also change your collection settings at any time. If you change your hashtags, user handles, or date range, Emplifi UGC will re-collect any new pieces of content that meet the new criteria without creating duplicates.

How do I know what collection settings to use for a particular album?

Before you set up collection criteria, you should have a clear idea about what you’ll use the album for. Here are some common best practices:

• Homepage Album: Displays general branded content

  • Your brand's user handle

  • Your brand hashtag(s)

• Inspiration Album: Displays general public branded content

  • Your brand hashtag(s)

  • Mentions and tags of your brand user handle(s)

• Contest/Campaign Album: Displays content specific to a particular contest/campaign

  • Contest/campaign specific hashtag(s) 

  • Location based hashtag(s)

• Shoppable Instagram Album: Displays your brand's Instagram feed that includes CTA links

  • Your brand user handle(s) only 

How long does it take to collect content?

Once you have set your collection criteria, it will take a few minutes for your content to be collected. If you are collecting for a large date range or from popular hashtags, it may take longer than normal. If you're not seeing anything in your inbox, double check to see if your collection dates, hashtags, user handles, etc are set correctly and that your moderation is toggled off.​

If you believe some content may be missing, please reach out to us at Emplifi Support with the album title that this may be happening to.  

Can I collect content without an Instagram account for my business?

In order to collect content from Instagram, you must be logged into the following:

• A Facebook account that has admin access to your brand's Facebook business page

• A Facebook account that has admin access to your brand's Instagram page

• Your brand's Instagram business account

How does Emplifi UGC Filter for Spam?

Emplifi UGC automatically filters for spam. Spam refers to collected content that is irrelevant or inappropriate for the interests of your brand. Emplifi UGC has a built-in spam detection system that analyzes both the image and the caption to catch things like inappropriate language, nudity, duplicate content, and low quality images.

For example:

• Images with a lot of text (spammers often post text as images because it’s harder to filter than actual text).

• Photos with pure white backgrounds (they look like product photos instead of organic UGC).

• Content that is a duplicate of another piece of content in the same album.

• Content with swear words or other “bad words” in the caption.

• Content that is medically, violently, or sexually graphic and/or explicit.

Each album has its own spam folder that includes all content caught in the Emplifi UGC spam filter. Any content identified as spam is sent to the spam folder for the album. This can take up to one hour to complete.

You can view spam content by clicking the “Spam” tab in an album’s inbox.

How can I prevent content from being flagged as spam?

Some flexibility is built into the spam filter to prevent sending to the spam folder any content that might interest brands who sell products like swimwear, lingerie, baby products, permanent cosmetics, and personal safety and hunting equipment. In addition, if you suspect that a large amount of your brand’s content may be sent to spam because your products can be misused, please contact support to address this.

The following exceptions exist for the spam filter:

Duplicate content within an album will be flagged as spam regardless of any exceptions.

• If the content is a post from a social account that is connected in the social profiles page, the content will not be marked as spam.

• If the creator/influencer is marked as auto-permission or auto-approve, their content will not be marked as spam.

Do you have feedback or more questions? You can contact us through our Emplifi Customer Center.