This week's #DigitalPR Twitter chat on Friday at 1 pm Eastern 10 am Pacific is about the rapid growth of interest in using user-generated content (UCG) as a marketing and PR tactic.  A year ago UCG was not even on the list of preferred tactics or content types for marketers.  In the recent Content Marketing Institute report 79% of marketers said they plan to use UCG in 2016.

Could this be a response to the fact that as more and more branded content is pushed  out, engagement rates are dropping like a stone?  You can't ask for better engagement than your users and customers creating and sharing their own content about your brand.

Join us on Friday for the #DigitalPR Twitter chat Friday at 1 pm Eastern 10 am Pacific .

Our guest this week is Alicia Whalen of Hashtagio, a social user-generated content aggregator. Alicia will be answering questions about UCG:

• What it is

• Why it's become so popular as a PR tool

• How you can use it to boost awareness of campaigns

• How to drive more traffic to landing pages

She'll also be sharing some great case studies, like this one.If you've never participated in a Twitter chat before it's really easy:

1. Make sure you're logged into your Twitter account.

2. Go to www.tweetchat.com

3. Enter the hashtag #DigitalPR and you'll be placed in the chat room. It's that simple.

Follow @Alicia_Whalen_ and @sallyfalkow