Creative Ways to Feature Your Employees in Your Employer Brand Strategy

Let’s be real: hiring today is less about job ads and more about storytelling. Candidates can spot corporate fluff from a mile away. The good news? Employees are your most authentic storytellers. Research shows people trust them 3x more than companies, and their posts drive 8x more engagement than official channels.

Employee advocacy is your employer brand’s secret weapon. Here are 5 creative (and slightly fun) ways to put your people front and center.

1. Employee Spotlight Programs : Real People, Real Stories 

Employee Spotlights are no longer the old “Meet the Team” Q&A or “Heres Jane, she likes coffee and hiking’. Today, they’re powerful storytelling tools that humanize your brand and show the real humans behind the job titles. In fact, 83.6% of employees say recognition impacts their motivation, so why not make that recognition part of your employer branding strategy?

How to make it work: 

• Showcase diverse roles, backgrounds and career paths 

• Ask real questions like “What project are you most proud of?” or “How has this company supported your growth?” 

• Take a page from Marriot’s playbook with formats like “Five Question Friday”, letting employees tell their own stories , and no corporate script required

Why it works: Mix it up. Blog interviews dig into the details, while short video clips capture personality. Think recognition + authenticity = Employer brand gold . 

2. Social Media Takeovers : Culture in Real Time 

If you’ve ever scrolled past another ‘We’re hiring!’ post and felt nothing.. You get why social media takeovers work. Give employees the mic for a day to show what work actually looks like. It’s raw, unscripted, and instantly relatable. 

How to set it up:

• Choose employees who are natural storytellers and reflect company values 

• Run takeovers for a day: show day in the life moments, team banter, project highlights, or even remote work setups 

• Companies like Eneco do this brilliantly, using Instagram to show everything from office culture to working from home 

Why it works: Takeovers show culture in action. They’re human, sometimes funny, occasionally chaotic, and that's exactly why people trust them. 

3. Employee Generated Content (EGC) : Scaled Advocacy 

Imagine turning your whole team into a content engine. Think of employee generated content (EGC) as advocacy at scale. Instead of one-off posts, you’re empowering employees to consistently share insights, milestones, and behind the scenes moments that build your employer brand image organically. 

Content Ideas that click:

• Work Anniversaries, career milestones, expert insights or promotions 

• Behind the scenes snippets of projects or team celebrations 

• Values- in- action moments, like volunteering or team celebrations 

• Companies that highlight both personal and professional wins 

The numbers speak: Companies that encourage EGC see a 27% engagement boost in engagement and a 19% lift in sales within the first year. And since 75% of job seekers check your brand before they apply, authentic employee stories are the best ad money can’t buy.

4. Recognition & Awards 

Recognition doesn’t just make employees feel good, it makes your brand look good too. And these programs are nothing news, but add a social sharing layer and suddenly they double as culture marketing. Think beyond the ‘Employee of the Month’ plaque. 

Creative Examples: 

• Hilton court of cleanliness celebrates housekeeps with flowers and music 

• Comcast NBBCUniversal’s Xchange, where thousands kudos and appreciation notes fly around weekly

• Progressives Big Wish programme, which gives employees the chance to nominate colleagues for non-performance gifts, content that screams ‘we care; 

Why it matters: When recognition moments hit social media platforms, they show potential candidates what you value, and that's far more persuasive than any job ad.  

5. Video Testimonials & Day-in-the- Life Content

If a picture is worth a thousand words, a video in recruitment marketing is worth a million. Video Testimonials and “Day in the life” content help candidates imagine themselves at your company. 80% of people say video gives them a better understanding of a job. 

How to make them shine:

• Skip the corporate polish : Self-shot iPhone clips often beat studio productions

• Show Reality: Coffee runs, team huddles, Project wins, or even the occasional tech fail

• Intel does this well, mixing personal interests and work stories for a well rounded human touch 

The Golden Rules for the Best Practices

No matter which of these strategies you use, keep these golden rules in mind: 

• Set clear guidelines: Protect your people and your brand with simple policies, but don't over-script. Authenticity > Perfection 

• Make it voluntary: Advocacy should never feel forced. Remember, 81% of millennials want to advocate for their company, but only if it feels genuine. 

• Support your employees: Provide training, templates, or even just a nudge or recognition to help employees feel confident sharing 

• Measure Everything: Track engagement, reach candidate quality and employee satisfaction. What gets measured gets improved. 

Conclusion

Putting employees at the heart of your employer branding strategy isn’t just a nice add on, its the future of talent attraction. From spotlights and takeovers to employee generated content, recognition programs, and video storytelling, these approaches give candidates exactly what they want.. the unpolished, authentic view of your culture

The bottom line? People don’t want to hear from your logo. They want to hear from your people. When employees become your loudest cheerleaders, your employer brand stops being a campaign and starts being a culture. 

👉 Want to see how employee-led content can take these strategies to the next level? That’s exactly what PLOY was built for.