User-generated content is one of the most effective ways to get your business recommended by AI platforms like ChatGPT and Google’s AI Mode. The three platforms that matter most right now are YouTube, Reddit, and Facebook groups.
At TJ Digital, we track which sources large language models cite before making recommendations. Across dozens of client audits, we consistently see these three platforms showing up. YouTube and Reddit are well-known citation sources, but Facebook groups are cited almost as often as Reddit for business-related prompts, and almost nobody is talking about it.
This article breaks down how to use each platform to increase your visibility in both AI search and traditional Google results.
YouTube Is the Top Citation Source for AI Search
Google is showing more YouTube videos in search results. Large language models cite YouTube far more than any other video platform. Recent data from Adweek shows YouTube has overtaken Reddit as the top citation source for AI search engines.
Most YouTubers aren’t focused on search terms. Search is a small percentage of total YouTube views. That means there are likely hundreds of relevant search terms with zero video competition in your industry.
How to Target Search Terms on YouTube
Simply making a video with a target search term in the title will let you show up in YouTube search, on Google’s main results page, and in large language model responses.
I recommend you or someone in your business be featured in these videos. But the easiest way to make them is to take a blog post and put it into Google’s NotebookLM.
NotebookLM’s Video Overview feature creates a narrated slideshow from your text. It reads the document, extracts key points, and generates relevant images to illustrate them. The videos aren’t amazing, but they’ve crossed the “good enough” threshold. Most small brands would be fine putting them out as a representation of their brand.
A few things to keep in mind:
- These videos tend to fall flat on a brand new channel but do well on an established one
- AI assistants will cite niche videos with under 100 views if they’re relevant to the query
- Include a full transcript or captions so LLMs can read your content
- Use descriptive titles that match the keywords from the original blog post
Does Posting to Other Video Platforms Help?
The other platforms aren’t cited nearly as often by large language models. But they can still rank in Google search results.
We had one client take up five positions on page one for one of his main search terms. His blog post, a YouTube video, two TikTok videos, and an Instagram post. If you’re making videos for YouTube, you might as well publish them everywhere else too.
How to Use Reddit for AI Search Visibility
Over 20% of Google’s AI Overviews use Reddit as a source. Large language models treat Reddit discussions as high-trust content because they contain authentic, multi-perspective conversations.
There are two ways I recommend using Reddit. Neither of them involve creating fake accounts and spamming.
Be an Active Member of Relevant Communities
If you enjoy using Reddit, just be an active member of relevant subreddits. Post helpful comments. When it makes sense, mention your brand without being overtly promotional. Once you’ve earned some karma and learned the rules, you can make your own posts.
This is completely worth it for its own sake. You’ll likely get customers directly from Reddit. But it’s not the best use of your time if you’re specifically trying to affect AI recommendations.
Comment on the Threads AI Is Already Citing
Here’s why: large language models aren’t reading every post on Reddit. If you track relevant prompts in your industry, you’ll find that LLMs tend to cite the same posts over and over again. These tend to be posts that are 6 to 12 months old.
We’ve seen this pattern across many industries. Out of 500 cited threads, 80% of citations go to the same top 10. These threads are typically at least a year old.
So you can have a much greater impact by leaving comments on the few posts that are already being cited. Mention your brand explicitly and how you could be the solution to the poster’s question.
| Strategy | Best For | Effort |
| Active community participation | Getting direct customers from Reddit | Ongoing, moderate |
| Commenting on AI-cited threads | Influencing LLM recommendations specifically | Low, one-time per thread |
Will a New Reddit Account Work?
No. Use an active account with some history. Reddit’s recent anti-spam update suspended many automated accounts and now emphasizes real participation. New accounts get ignored or flagged. History and karma matter.
The key to good Reddit posts is using real insights from actual experience, written in a tone that the community appreciates. That’s what makes it helpful rather than spam.
Facebook Groups: The Platform No One Is Talking About
I don’t know why no one is talking about this. I think they’re probably not actually tracking large language model responses.
In my experience, at least for business-related prompts, Facebook groups are cited almost as often as Reddit. In some industries, more often.
AI models are starting to cite content from public Facebook groups, especially when users ask natural-language questions. Google can index public groups if they have substantive content. That means active groups can surface in both search results and AI overviews.
My advice here is similar to Reddit:
- Mention your brand and what it does explicitly
- Post answers in a Q&A style, since that’s the format AI models prefer to cite
- Don’t be pushy. Add value first
Facebook groups alone won’t drive the bulk of citations yet. But engaging in public groups with useful, question-driven posts can give your brand incremental AI visibility that your competitors are ignoring entirely.
Why Does UGC Outperform Traditional Blog Posts?
Google’s algorithms now favor helpful content from real people over polished marketing copy. After Google’s helpful content updates, Reddit’s search visibility grew by up to 400%. It’s now among the top domains in Google US.
AI models prioritize community content because it contains authentic, diverse conversations. Upvotes and engaged comments serve as trust signals. A standalone blog post looks static and one-sided by comparison.
This doesn’t mean blog posts are dead. But a modern content strategy needs to go beyond your website. Having real people talk about your brand online is becoming more important than any single piece of content you publish.
How to Take Over Google’s First Page With Social Content
This is where all three platforms come together. By owning multiple content types targeting the same search terms, a brand can fill several first-page slots on Google and show up multiple times when LLMs are searching for recommendations.
As of July 2025, Instagram announced that all public content from professional accounts will be indexed by Google. TikTok is similarly being treated as a search engine by younger users. Both platforms can now occupy Google’s first page alongside your website and YouTube videos.
The play is straightforward. Take one piece of content and distribute it everywhere:
- Blog post on your website
- YouTube video (even an AI-generated one via NotebookLM)
- Short-form clips on TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook
- Reddit post with real insights
- Facebook group engagement
Unlike traditional SEO where you need to be the number one result, showing up in large language models is about appearing frequently across many sources. The LLM runs dozens of searches before making a recommendation. Every additional place your brand shows up increases the chances you get recommended.
How to Get Started This Week
You don’t need a content team or a big budget. Here’s what I’d recommend:
- Pick one blog post that targets an important search term for your business
- Turn it into a YouTube video using NotebookLM’s video overview feature
- Find the Reddit threads that AI models are citing for your industry. Ask ChatGPT a relevant question and note the Reddit sources it references
- Leave a helpful comment on 2 to 3 of those threads. Mention your brand naturally
- Post in 1 to 2 relevant Facebook groups answering a common question your customers ask
This takes a few hours total and can meaningfully increase how often AI recommends your business.
This article is based on AI search factor number 11 from Kevin Indig’s Growth Memo Newsletter.
If you want help building a content repurposing system that does this at scale, we offer a free digital marketing audit where we’ll show you exactly which platforms and threads matter most in your industry and what it would take to get your brand showing up in AI recommendations.