Beauty products are one of the top items consumers are buying directly on social media, coming second only to clothing. I asked our PR and growth experts:

With evolving shopping features and commerce tools, which engagement behaviors are proving to be the strongest predictors of purchase intent?

How has the approach to measuring engagement success shifted in 2025, and what specific content strategies are driving saves and shares rather than just viral moments?

Utilizing user-generated content on platforms such as Instagram and TikTok continues to be one of the most popular methods for boosting sales. How are brands successfully encouraging customers to create conversion-focused content rather than just vanity posts?

And these are the experts' insights.

• Creators are adapting new calls to action
• Saves are pure gold for purchase intent
• Vanity posts don’t sell
• Raw, real routines win.
• Long lasting engagement is becoming more valuable
• Incentives for user-generated content
• "Save for later" moments of content
• Track content that gets revisited or re-shared

Creators are adapting new calls to action

Emily Reynolds-Bergh, Owner at R Public Relations

"Video and product saves are a major indicator of conversion. Social media professionals have moved away from tracking vanity metrics like followers and likes; instead, they pay special attention to interaction rates and audience demographic data. In order to encourage conversions through UGC and other types of content, creators are adapting new calls to action, like, “I saved this in my Amazon Storefront” or “I linked to this in TikTok Shop.”

Saves are pure gold for purchase intent

Jasmine Charbonier, Content Marketing Strategist at JasmineCharbonier.com

"Let me share what I've learned from my own beauty content journey. The game has totally changed — likes mean almost nothing now. My most profitable posts actually get way fewer likes than my viral dance videos, but they drive serious sales.

I noticed saves are pure gold for purchase intent. When someone saves my detailed product demo or ingredient breakdown, they're basically creating a shopping list. Last month, I did a 60-second video breaking down my $200 skincare routine — only got about 2k likes but 15k saves. That post generated $12k in affiliate sales.

One thing that shocked me is that comments asking specific questions (like "does this work on sensitive skin") convert way better than generic praise. I started tracking this in my analytics and found that posts with 20+ specific questions in comments drove 3x more clicks to product links.

The shift in measuring engagement success:

The metrics that matter now are totally different from when I started. These days, I'm laser-focused on watch time and save rate. For beauty content specifically, I've found that if someone watches my tutorial all the way through (not just the first 3 seconds), they're about 5x more likely to buy.

My best-performing content format is now what I call "education-first" — detailed how-tos, ingredient science, and honest reviews. Sure, they don't go viral like transformation videos, but they build serious trust. I do these 3-minute detailed reviews where I show close-ups of texture & application. They get shared like crazy in DMs (which you can't even track in regular metrics).

The really interesting shift I've seen is that content that gets shared to close friends (vs just reshared publicly) converts incredibly well. When someone sends my product review to their bestie, that's basically a personal endorsement.

Converting UGC into sales:

Here's what's actually working for me right now: Instead of asking for generic before & after posts, I give my customers super specific prompts. Like "Show us your 60-second morning routine featuring [product]" or "What's your favorite way to mix & match these shades"

I learned this trick after one of my posts flopped — I'd asked for general reviews and got boring, staged photos. But when I challenged people to show their real bathroom shelf organization with my products, it went nuts. The authentic, messy reality performed way better than perfect flat lays.

The key is making it stupidly easy for customers to create content that actually sells. I send them a quick video template, specific angles to shoot from, and exactly what to mention. My conversion rate jumped from 2% to 8% when I started giving these detailed content guides to customers.

And here's something most people miss — I incentivize shares over creation. When someone shares existing UGC to their story, that often drives more sales than new content. So I run monthly contests for best product routine shares, not just new posts. This strategy helped me hit $25k in sales last month from UGC alone."

Vanity posts don’t sell

Meyr Aviv, Founder & CEO at iMoving

"While we’re in logistics, we obsess over buyer behavior and we’ve seen this: saves now signal intent more than likes ever did. In 2025, conversion starts with micro-commitments. For beauty brands, that means UGC that shows the “before-after” and the "how."

According to Statista, 60% of Gen Z shoppers buy directly from social media, but they trust peers, not polished brands. Vanity posts don’t sell practicality. The future of revenue? Raw, real, and replicable content."

Raw, real routines win.

Alejandro Meyerhans, CEO at Get Me Links

"We’ve seen beauty brands boost conversions by 38% when shifting from likes to “saves” as their core KPI. Saves signal true buying intent. In 2025, it’s no longer about viral reach, it's about relevance replay. Our most successful clients prioritize comment-driven content that sparks UGC challenges with direct calls to action.

Per Statista, 52% of beauty purchases on social media now stem from peer-led recommendations. The old influencer post? Too polished. Raw, real routines win. The algorithm rewards authenticity and your sales will too."

Long lasting engagement is becoming more valuable

Dr. Chad Walding, Chief Culture Officer & Co-Founder at NativePath

"Consumers are becoming more engaged with shoppable content, particularly on platforms like Instagram and TikTok. The best indicators of purchase intent are interactive components such as polls, comments, and live Q&As. When brands create content with room for actual interaction, like asking questions via product demos or 'swipe up' features, users feel more engaged and are more likely to act. When brands share product previews or tutorials in their stories, consumers engage more often and ultimately convert.

Looking ahead to 2025, engagement success measurement is shifting away from merely counting likes and shares to evaluating saves and shares as indications of intent. Saveable and shareable content is typically value-based in nature; "how to", behind the scenes, or educational posts often met with save or share. This is a huge shift and demonstrates that the measure of relevant and long lasting engagement is becoming more valuable than anything "when we went viral" placement. All brands are now more concerted in building true relationships with their audience and creating value as opposed to a one-time firework moment.

Brands are leveraging UGC (user-generated content) by linking it to the purchase process. Instead of simply encouraging vanity posts, successful brands provide a clear incentive for users to post their experience ranging from a discount off your next purchase to the user's post featuring on the brand's profile. Brands want UGC to drive conversion, prompting customers to post reviews, unboxings, or tutorials demonstrating product benefits. Certainly, many beauty brands are encouraging customers to create content utilizing their unique branded hashtag, and ensuring that the post is directly related to their purchasing decision as opposed to simply posting for likes."

Incentives for user-generated content

Wes Wakefield, Founder & CEO at Pro Coffee Gear

"In 2025, actions such as saves, shares and DM’s are more predictive of people’s intent to purchase than likes or comments alone. It has made consumers more receptive to content they find useful or valuable, and thus engaging. Brands are moving toward value-driven strategies, providing how- tos, tips, and behind-the-scenes content to keep audiences engaged over the long term.

In terms of user-generated content, brands are inviting customers to post their genuine experiences instead of vanity posts. It’s about humanizing the content; bringing it back to something that has a tether to real life. Incentives to create posts, whether challenges or rewards for interesting content, help conversions by transforming user content into valuable marketing tools, and help create a stronger connection with the audience."

"Save for later" moments of content

Andrada Bercaru, PR Associate at Otter Spirit

"In 2025, we’re seeing a clear evolution in what counts as meaningful engagement. Metrics like saves, shares, and product tag taps are proving to be far more indicative of purchase intent than likes or even comments. Particularly in beauty, where consumers tend to research, compare, and emotionally connect before buying, a save is the new add-to-cart. Shares (especially via DMs) are also powerful, signaling trust and word-of-mouth value.

For content strategy, there really is a trend toward engagement with informed decision-making at its root. "Save for later" moments of content, i.e., tutorials, before/afters, or side-by-side comparisons, are trumping viral fads when it comes to converting. These types of formats are teaching, revisitable, and they give the users the incentive to come back.

On the UGC front, the biggest unlock has been guided contribution. Instead of leaving it open-ended, brands are offering customers with prompts like: "What was your first impression after trying this product?", "Show us your morning/night/daily routine.", "Use this trending sound to tell us about your glow-up moment."

Not only is it more user-friendly — it yields contextual, highly reusable storytelling across channels. And when that UGC is then highlighted on PDPs, in email chains, or reused for promotions, it constitutes a cycle of authenticity and social confirmation that's hard to overcome.

Even little touches like adding a "starter kit" of caption inspo, hashtag tips, or sound pairings can turn a passive user into a content creator with little effort."

Track content that gets revisited or re-shared

Lindy Boag, Director at Secret Weapons

"In 2025, we stopped chasing vanity metrics. The strongest predictors of purchase intent now come from intentional engagement—saves, shares, and comment threads where people tag friends or ask for product links. At Secret Weapons, we’ve found that when a reel sparks conversation and ends up in a saved folder, it’s primed for conversion.

Instead of judging success by views or likes, we track content that gets revisited or re-shared, which drives repeat impressions and brand recall. Especially in beauty, users are craving authenticity and trusted peer reviews. So, we design content that’s less about performance, more about proof-before-and-afters, short demos, or honest day-in-the-life routines with our products.

To encourage conversion-ready user-generated content, brands must give customers a creative prompt, not just a free product. For instance, we invite our community to share their “glow-up moment” or “what’s in my bag” with our products, and reward them with reposts, affiliate codes, and spotlight features. This transforms them from passive fans to active brand storytellers.

In short: stop scripting virality. Build community, reward creativity, and listen to your saves—they’re the new shopping cart."

#PRontheGO