A UGC creator is a person a brand pays to make videos, photos or reviews of its product. The brand then posts that content on its own accounts or runs it as ads. At Earn by Creating, we point beginners with no audience to UGC work first, because the brand is paying for the video itself and you do not need followers to get started.
UGC stands for user-generated content. A brand hiring a UGC creator posts the content to its own audience. You get paid for the files you hand over.
What a UGC Creator Does
A UGC creator makes product content that a brand publishes, either on the brand’s own accounts or in its ads. The brand pays for the files you deliver. Your audience size is not part of the deal, so a creator with zero followers can still take UGC work.
UGC means user-generated content. The output can be a video, a set of photos or a written review, depending on what the brand asks for.
UGC Creator Meaning vs Influencer Work
The UGC creator meaning differs from influencer work in one main way: what the brand is buying. A brand hiring an influencer pays for reach, meaning the post goes out to the influencer’s audience. A brand hiring a UGC creator pays for the video or photos, then shows them to its own audience.
| Factor | UGC creator | Influencer |
|---|---|---|
| What the brand buys | The content files | Your reach to your audience |
| Where the content runs | Brand’s own accounts or its ads | Your account |
| Followers needed to start | None | An audience the brand wants to reach |
| What sets the price | The deliverable plus add-ons such as usage rights | Varies by creator |
| Verdict | Start here with no audience | Start here once you have an audience |
If a UGC video is posted to your own account, FTC disclosure applies (covered in the FTC section below).
Steps in a Typical UGC Job
A typical UGC job runs in four steps, from the product arriving to the brand running your files.
- The product arrives. The brand ships the product or sends the brief.
- You film to the brief. You film the content to the brand’s brief.
- You deliver the files. You send the finished video or photos, plus any add-ons the brand paid for.
- The brand runs the content. The brand posts it from its own accounts or runs it as ads.
What we see beginners get wrong most often is pricing a UGC video without charging for ad usage rights. Ask how and where the brand will use the content before you quote a price.
Read the brief in full before you film.
Common UGC Deliverables
Brands name the deliverables they want in the brief, choosing from formats like these:
- Testimonial: you talk to camera about the product.
- Demo: your hands show the product in use.
- Unboxing: you give a first look at the packaging and the product.
- Voiceover: your voice plays over footage, so no face is needed.
- Photo set: you shoot product stills or lifestyle shots.
Put samples of each type you can make in a UGC portfolio so brands can see your work before they hire you.
Add-Ons Priced on Top of the Video
Add-ons are extras a brand pays for on top of the base video price. Price each one separately.
- Usage rights for paid ads. The brand pays extra to run your content as advertising.
- Raw footage. The brand pays extra for the unedited files.
- Whitelisting. The brand runs the ad from your handle.
- Exclusivity. You agree not to make content for rival brands for a set time.
- Extra hooks. You film alternate opening lines for the brand to test.
Usage rights are priced by duration, such as 30, 60 or 90 days, or perpetual.
Put the usage term and the platforms in writing before you deliver. If a brand asks for perpetual rights at a 30-day price, you can quote the longer term separately and let the brand choose.
Who Hires UGC Creators
Three kinds of buyers hire UGC creators: brands, agencies and marketplaces. Marketplaces include Billo, Insense, Trend.io, JoinBrands, Collabstr, Aspire and Cohley. Some creators also list UGC services on Fiverr or Upwork. Search interest in UGC jobs roughly quintupled in a year.
Compare them before you sign up, using our UGC platforms guide. For live openings, see UGC jobs. If you have no samples yet, start with UGC creator jobs for beginners.
What One 2026 Pay Benchmark Shows
One marketplace’s 2026 guide gives a rough idea of pay for a single UGC video. Influee puts the average single UGC video at about $150 to $212, with a median near $175. That figure comes from one company’s guide, so treat it as a benchmark rather than the market rate.
Your rate depends on the jobs you land and the add-ons you charge for. Our guide to how much UGC creators make breaks the pay down further.
FTC Disclosure and Tax Basics
UGC work brings two sets of rules: Federal Trade Commission (FTC) disclosure and US tax. FTC disclosure applies when you post sponsored content to your own account. The FTC’s Disclosures 101 for Social Media Influencers page explains how to disclose a brand relationship in your post.
Tax applies even when a brand pays you only in product. Free products you receive are taxable income. Self-employment tax is 15.3%, and it applies once your net self-employment earnings reach $400 for the year.
This is general information. Talk to a tax professional about how it applies to you.
Who UGC Work Does Not Suit
UGC work does not suit someone whose main goal is to grow a personal audience. Your videos run on the brand’s accounts or as its ads. If reach is the goal, influencer work fits better, and our influencer rates guide shows how that pay works.
It also does not suit anyone expecting a guaranteed income. Pay comes job by job, and nothing on this page promises a set amount.
Your next step is to film two or three sample videos with your phone and follow our guide on how to become a UGC creator. Then put the samples in a UGC portfolio so brands can see your work.