What Is A UGC Creator (and How To Become One)

Imagine creating content your audience devours up the second it hits your social feed. And getting to create and manage your own schedule. 

Sounds nice, right? 

Well, a user-generated content (UGC) creator might be your thing. 

It can be a creative side gig. Or a 6-figure business. And you don’t even need to have thousands of followers.

Read on to learn everything you need to become a UGC creator.

What is UGC?

User-generated content is content created for a brand by consumers. It comes in various formats—images, videos, text, reviews, testimonials, and podcasts. Consumers share UGC on social media, blogs, review websites, and more.

Here’s an example of a UGC video created by a social media user who shot his mountain bike ride on his GoPro. The company shared this UGC content with its audience of over 20 million and even tagged the creator.

 

What is a UGC creator?

A UGC creator is a person who’s paid to create user-generated content. They create content (images, videos, reviews, and more) to promote brands in an authentic and relatable way.

While most UGC creators promote physical products, they can also recommend apps or services. 

You might be thinking: “Wait, isn’t that what influencers do?”

Well, not exactly.

UGC creator vs. influencer: What’s the difference?

The main difference between a UGC creator and an influencer is that UGC creators are paid for the creativity and quality of their content, while influencers are hired for their loyal and engaged audiences.

Sure, Kim Kardashian might create decent content, but the brands paying her to promote their products are doing it because she has an engaged audience of over 350 million on Instagram alone. She’s an influencer, not a UGC creator.

UGC creator	Influencer
Doesn’t necessarily have a large audience	Has an audience of followers and subscribers on one or more platforms
Gets paid to create content for brands	Gets paid to promote brands’ products and services to their audience
UGC rates depend on the creator’s experience, content quality, content type or length, and more	Influencer rates depend on various factors and, most importantly, audience size.  Influencers can range from nano to mega-influencers depending on the number of followers they have

Why do brands hire UGC creators?

User-generated content is taking off. In less than 10 years, it’s expected to make up 78% of online content.

There are two main reasons why.

1. It’s cost-effective

User-generated content is much more affordable than creating branded content or partnering with influencers. 

A brand photoshoot can cost several thousand dollars, with expenses for renting a venue, hiring professional photographers, models, make-up artists, and more. Similarly, working with an influencer can easily cost over $1,000. 

UGC videos typically start at $100. This allows brands to create more content while keeping costs low.

Many UGC creators take less than a week to create content. So, a brand can work with multiple UGC creators and produce content much faster than working on it in-house. 

2. It’s authentic, and it sells

UGC creators are regular people—their content feels authentic, like a recommendation from a friend. That’s what makes it such a powerful tool for convincing consumers and driving sales.

Let’s compare that to today’s views on influencers.

The influencer era started in the late 2000s when consumers grew increasingly aware of celebrity endorsements’ lack of credibility. These days, consumers know that being an influencer is a well-paid job. Naturally, they started to doubt whether influencers provided unbiased opinions. 

Plus, influencers with glamorous lifestyles often don’t feel relatable.

Examples of UGC creators and content

Let’s go through some examples of UGC. These will give you an idea of what UGC creators do.

Here are videos promoting a Wi-Fi login product, a stock newsletter, a soda drink taste, and a mobile games app. 

As you can see, many types of businesses can incorporate UGC into their content strategy. 

And also—there’s no one profile of who can be a UGC creator. Here’s what Katie Barber, a social brand manager with more than 10 years of experience, says about hiring UGC creators:

“Brands look for people who represent their customer base well. Oftentimes, I will work with someone with lower-quality videos and a smaller following because they represent an issue close to our customer’s hearts, such as menopause.” 

How to become a UGC creator in 3 simple steps

UGC includes different types of content, but in this guide, we’ll focus on short-form UGC videos. 

Why?

If you’re on social media, you’ve probably noticed that short-form videos are everywhere. Brands love them and will continue to invest in them because they bring the highest return on investment compared to other content formats. That also means creating video content gives you the biggest earning potential. 

So, let’s dive into the simple guide to becoming a UGC creator.

Step 1: Learn to create UGC videos

First off, you need to learn how to create videos that sell. 

Think those perfectly edited, flawless, and curated videos you see all over Instagram rake in the dough? Think again. Aesthetic and perfect content doesn’t always sell as well as authentic and raw content from creators.

Here’s how to create it.

Prepare a script

Creating a short yet impactful video is hard—but it doesn’t have to be. 

A few elements you can include in your videos:

• Hook: Users need about three seconds to decide whether to watch a short-form video. A strong hook will keep them engaged until the end. Browse short-form videos across different social media sites and make notes of the hooks that grab your attention. Also, don’t forget to add visual hooks for all the users browsing videos without sound on.
• Pain points: Who’d buy the product or service you’re promoting? And why—what pain points are they trying to solve? Understanding and speaking about these allows you to connect with the viewer.
• Solution: How does the product or service solve the pain points? How is it better than other options on the market? If you have direct experience, share it. Telling a story works wonders in building trust and selling.
• Call to action: This is where you encourage the viewer to take action. It could be “Check the link in the comments,” “Start today,” or “Buy 1 get 1 free this Cyber weekend.”

If you’re stuck on creating the script, you can get some creative inspiration from the top TikTok ads. 

AI tools like ChatGPT and Claude are great tools for helping you write a draft of your script, create different versions of it, or assess which ideas are most engaging.

Check out the example below to see what prompt to use and what answers to expect from ChatGPT.

Shoot UGC videos

After you’ve planned the content, it’s time to create it. If possible, film in 1080HD at 60FPS to get quality footage that allows flexibility during editing. 

Make sure you’ve got good lighting. Natural light works just fine, but if the lighting in your home isn’t great, you can get an affordable ring light.

To keep the video interesting, include different shots: 

• On-camera voiceover: Talking in front of the camera makes the video feel personable and engaging.

• B-roll footage: Supplemental visuals that overlay or replace your shots in front of the camera visually support the narration. They can be shots of the product in action, close-ups of features, or lifestyle scenes.

Edit your videos

Start with some basics of video editing and learn more as you go. You don’t need much because you’re hired to create relatable content, not TV-style ads. Just learn a few things to help you tell a story and sell more effectively.

You can use free apps (Canva, VLLO) or built-in video editors in social media apps like TikTok and Instagram.

At this point, you might want to add some background music. Make sure it’s royalty-free to avoid any copyright issues. You can use in-app music to jump on popular trends, but there are some limitations—the client may not be able to re-use the video across other platforms. To keep things simple, browse royalty-free music from free sources such as Pixabay Music, and Mixkit.

Step 2: Craft a portfolio

Once you’ve learned (and practiced) creating UGC videos, it’s time to put together a portfolio. The goal is to intrigue and gain the trust of potential clients.

But first, let me get one common misconception out of the way:

You don’t need to buy anything to create your portfolio. 

Instead, make photos and videos about products or services you already use. This will help you create genuine content because you’re speaking from your experience as a real customer.

Next, let’s see what you need to include in your UGC portfolio:

The first two are must-haves. The rest are nice-to-haves that can help strengthen your portfolio. 

Now, let’s explore where and how you can create your portfolio to make the best impression on potential clients.

You have plenty of free options, like a free Canva template or designing a simple one-page site in Google Sites or Carrd.

If you’d like multiple pages, a custom domain, or cool interactive options such as embedding your Instagram feed on your site, you’ll need to look into some paid website builders. Popular options include WordPress, Squarespace, and Wix.

Step 3: Work with brands

So your portfolio is ready? Great! Let’s show it to potential clients and start working on paid UGC. There are a few ways you can get clients. Let’s explore your options below.

Reach out to brands

Connecting directly with a brand might be scary and time-consuming. But it’s the most profitable way to work with UGC clients because you’re not paying third parties.

Here’s how to go about it.

If a UGC creator is promoting a brand, it probably means the brand has a budget for user-generated content. Find these brands by searching for “#ugccreator” on Instagram or TikTok. 

Use the content that comes up to find different UGC creators’ profiles. 

Once you land on a UGC creator’s page, browse their posts and start making a list of potential brands to reach out to. 

Repeat the same steps for different UGC creators’ profiles, and you’ll have a list of dozens of brands you might want to work with. If you keep seeing the same brands over and over, prioritize contacting them since this is a sign they’re actively collaborating with UGC creators.

While you can send DMs to every brand, it’s more professional to email them. To find the right contact person, visit each brand’s LinkedIn profile.

Go to the “People” section, and search for relevant keywords such as “social media” and “influencer.” This will show you the people who handle the brand’s social media accounts or influencer marketing partnerships.

Choose one person who seems to be the best fit. 

Next, use a LinkedIn scraper—like the Findy Chrome extension—to find their business email.

And send them a personalized pitch like this one:

It took me less than 5 minutes to create this email with a little help from ChatGPT. I asked it to throw in a nice pop culture reference and keep the tone semi-casual. You can adjust the copy depending on the brand you’re contacting and the audience they market to.

Bonus hyper-personalization tip: Paste some copy from the brand’s website into your AI content writer and ask it to mimic the brand voice in your email.

Sending emails at a scale and managing replies can quickly get messy. Creating different folders and using tools like Clean Email to organize your inbox and delete irrelevant emails can help you stay on top of your communications.

Join UGC, freelancer, and influencer platforms

You can join UGC platforms and connect with brands that are already looking for UGC creators. Freelancer or influencer marketplaces also have a variety of UGC opportunities.

This approach is less profitable than working directly with brands because most platforms take a percentage of your earnings. On the flip side, landing clients is much easier and faster, so it’s a great option for UGC creators who are just starting out. You’ll have an opportunity to get paid while building your portfolio and have a consistent flow of gigs. 

Here are some of the most popular platforms:

UGC platforms	Influencer platforms	Freelancer platforms
Billo.app	TRIBE	Fiverr
Insense.pro	Collabstr	Upwork
JoinBrands	impact.com	Freelancer.com
Vidsy	Grin
Cohley	Upfluence
Trend.io	IZEA
HypeAuditor
AspireIQ
Skeepers

You can join several platforms at once to get access to more offers and more work.

Let’s look at two of the most popular platforms for beginner creators to give you an idea of how UGC platforms work: 

Billo.app 

Brands cover the costs of the products and shipping, and creators upload their videos up to five days after receiving the product. Billo pays $35 for testimonials, $70 for social media ads, and $90 for unboxing videos, although these can vary depending on video length. You’ll receive your pay every two weeks through PayPal.

Join Brands 

Creators need to buy the products they’re reviewing and get reimbursement for them after the job is done. But pay attention to the reimbursement fees for different gigs—some brands may not cover tax or shipping costs. Creators receive 80% of what the client pays. Usually, the money will be available for withdrawal seven days after submitting your content.

Build an online presence

Staying active on social media gives you an opportunity to “get discovered” by brands (rather than you contacting them). 

This approach takes the most time and doesn’t always bring results. But having an online presence helps you build your personal brand and demonstrates you’re actively creating content.

Pro tip: Don’t just repurpose your personal profiles. Create new accounts for your UGC creator business. Add your email to your bio to make it easy for brands to contact you. 

Also, connect your social media accounts to your portfolio so brands can easily move from one place to the other. 

Let’s say you have an Instagram account for your UGC business. Include a link to your portfolio in your bio like @niomismart below.

And embed your Instagram wall on your portfolio site.

When sharing content on your UGC social media accounts, avoid these two common mistakes:

1. 1. Posting personal content. You want your account to be focused on delivering one message—that you can create content that sells. Adding in personal updates will take away from that message.

1. 1. Targeting other UGC creators. Posts talking about how much you make as a UGC creator or how you find clients might help you sell to other creators. But they don’t show brands how you can help them.

 

When you’re not working on paid UGC, you can create sample content for brands you’d like to collaborate with. Add a watermark with your social media handle to bring leads to your profile even if it gets reshared. 

You’ll also find some UGC creator job openings on social media channels. On X, you can type “UGC creator needed” (or other relevant keywords) in the search bar and scroll through agencies and brands looking to hire. 

Similarly, you can look for UGC jobs on LinkedIn for different locations and apply for these offers.

How much do UGC creators make?

Being a UGC creator can be lucrative if you do it right. While some UGC creators do it as a side gig and make decent money, a full-time UGC creator can bring in more than $10,000 per month. 

But how much you make depends on different factors, like:

• • The quality of your content

• • If you’re making UGC full-time or as a side gig

• • Whether or not you’re working with brands directly

• • The type and length of content you create

• • If the brand will post the content on their feed or run ads on it

• • Whether you’re expected to share the content on your social accounts

While beginners might make $50-$90 for a 15-second video, many UGC creators charge a few hundred dollars for the same. 

Here are some ideas on how to build a steady income flow: 

• • Offer package deals (3-5 videos, video-photo combos)

• • Diversify client sources (email, UGC platforms, marketplaces)

• • Secure monthly retainers with repeat clients

Is UGC the right career for you?

You know what it takes to become a UGC creator and how much you can make. 

Now let me tell you a quick way to decide if this is the right career for you. 

Pick a product in your house and try to create a short promotional video for it. Plan the script, shoot your content, and edit it. 

Did you enjoy that process?

If you didn’t, chances are UGC is not for you. As a UGC creator, you’ll need to make such videos every day (maybe several times a day). 

If you did, keep going. A few more videos, and you’ll have a portfolio of content to get your first paid assignments.

Author bio

Evelina Milenova is the SEO and Growth Manager at Opinion Stage. She has worked on social listening and crisis management projects for companies such as Ferrero Group, Nissan, and Merck. Evelina shares her insights on SEO and content marketing on her LinkedIn page.