---
title: "How to Become a UGC Creator: Skills, Pricing, Clients"
url: https://thebestplatform.com/blog/ugc-creator-guide/
language: en
publisher: Premiums Only LLC (the company behind hello.fan and store.fan)
updated: 2026-10-20
---

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- How to become a UGC creator: skills,…

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# How to become a UGC creator: skills, portfolio, pricing and rights

To become a UGC creator, learn to film short, natural product videos that a brand can use as its own content. Build a small portfolio of sample videos with products you already own, price each video from your time plus usage rights, put the terms in writing, and offer your work where brands look, including the UGC video listings on market.fan.

**The Best Platform** · Premiums Only LLC October 20, 2026 6 min read

Key takeaways
- UGC is content a brand posts or runs as its own, so skill matters more than follower count.
- Build three to six labelled sample videos with products you already own and use.
- Price a base video, then add extra hooks, raw footage, rush delivery and usage rights.
- Put usage, exclusivity, revisions and payment in writing before you film.
- market.fan lists UGC videos; ads.fan is an AI tool for brands, not a way for creators to earn.

### On this page

- [What is UGC, and how is it different from an influencer post?](#what-is-ugc-and-how-is-it-different-from-an-influencer-post)
- [What skills do brands pay a UGC creator for?](#what-skills-do-brands-pay-a-ugc-creator-for)
- [How do you build a sample portfolio?](#how-do-you-build-a-sample-portfolio)
- [How should you price UGC videos?](#how-should-you-price-ugc-videos)
- [What should a UGC agreement cover?](#what-should-a-ugc-agreement-cover)
- [Where can you sell UGC?](#where-can-you-sell-ugc)
- [How does ads.fan relate to UGC creators?](#how-does-ads-fan-relate-to-ugc-creators)
- [What mistakes do new UGC creators make?](#what-mistakes-do-new-ugc-creators-make)
- [Frequently asked questions](#faq)

## What is UGC, and how is it different from an influencer post?

UGC stands for user-generated content. In the creator business it has come to mean short videos and photos that a person films about a product so the brand can use them as its own content: on the brand's social accounts, its website, its product pages or in paid ads. The video looks like it came from a real customer because it comes from a real person using the product.

The difference from an influencer post is where the content lives and what the brand is paying for:

- **Influencer post**: you post on your own account, to your own audience. The brand pays for your reach and your audience's trust.

- **UGC**: you deliver the video files, and the brand posts or runs them. The brand pays for the content itself, so your follower count matters much less.

That is why UGC is one of the more realistic ways to earn from video skills before you have a large following. It is still client work with no guaranteed income, and it rewards people who treat it as a craft.

## What skills do brands pay a UGC creator for?

Brands are not looking for polished actors. They want videos that feel natural and still do a job. The skills that matter most:

- **Hooks.** The first two or three seconds decide whether anyone watches the rest. Write several opening lines for every video.

- **Clear sound and light.** A quiet room and a window often beat expensive gear. Bad audio ruins more UGC than a basic camera does.

- **Natural delivery.** Talking to the camera the way you would talk to a friend, without reading.

- **Following a brief.** Hitting the key message, the length and the format the brand asked for.

- **Simple editing.** Cuts, captions, shots of the product in use, and delivery in the shapes the brand needs, such as vertical and square.

Common formats include the testimonial, the unboxing, problem and solution, before and after, the how-to and the "three things I like" list. Learn two or three well before you offer all of them.

## How do you build a sample portfolio?

You do not need a client to start. Film three to six sample videos with products you already own and use. Vary the formats: one testimonial, one unboxing, one how-to. Keep each one short and finished, with captions, as if a brand had paid for it.

Two honesty rules apply. First, label your samples as samples: do not present them as work for a brand that never hired you, and do not use a brand's logo as if it were a client. Second, only say true things about the product. Testimonials are supposed to reflect real experience, and a portfolio built on invented praise will catch up with you.

Put the samples on one simple page with your contact details. A free [store.fan](https://thebestplatform.com/store-fan/) link-in-bio page can hold unlimited links, so it works as a portfolio link now and as a shop later if you decide to sell presets, templates or a course.

## How should you price UGC videos?

There is no standard rate card for UGC, and published "average rates" vary so much that they are not useful for setting yours. Build a price you can explain from your time and from what the brand gets:

- **Base video**: one finished video of an agreed length, with a set number of revisions.

- **Extra hooks**: alternate openings, so the brand can test which one works best.

- **Raw footage**: unedited clips the brand can cut itself.

- **Usage rights**: permission to run the video as a paid ad, for a set time and on set channels.

- **Rush delivery**: a faster turnaround than your usual one.

A labelled example with made-up prices: say you set $110 for one 30-second video with two revisions, and $25 for each extra hook. A brand that wants the video plus two extra hooks pays $160, and paid-ad usage rights come on top as a separate line. Our [creator pricing framework](https://thebestplatform.com/blog/creator-pricing-framework/) explains how to set the hourly figure underneath numbers like these.

## What should a UGC agreement cover?

UGC is mostly about rights, so get them in writing before you film:

- **Deliverables**: number of videos, length, shapes, captions and file format.

- **Revisions**: how many rounds, and what counts as a revision rather than a new video.

- **Usage**: organic posting only or paid ads too, which channels, for how long, and whether the brand may edit your video.

- **Exclusivity**: whether you can make content for competing brands, and for how long.

- **Payment**: amount, due date and what happens if the project is canceled halfway.

- **Disclosure**: if the video ever appears on your own account, label it as paid.

Treat open-ended rights, such as "all uses, forever", as something that costs much more, never as something included by default.

## Where can you sell UGC?

Most UGC creators combine a few routes: pitching brands directly by e-mail, answering briefs on freelance marketplaces, and referrals from past clients. Our guide to [brand deals for small creators](https://thebestplatform.com/blog/brand-deals-for-small-creators/) covers pitching in detail.

market.fan is another route. It is a marketplace where brands buy stories, posts, short videos and UGC from creators, and UGC videos are one of its listing types. Each listing shows its price, delivery time and included revisions, and add-ons such as usage rights or rush delivery cost extra, which fits the pricing structure above. The buyer pays through Stripe, and market.fan holds the money until they approve the delivery, or until 3 days pass after delivery with no reply. Creators keep 60% of each completed order, or 70% while their linked store.fan store is an active paid seller, and withdraw from $50.

To be clear about our interest: market.fan is made by Premiums Only LLC, the company that publishes this site, and so are hello.fan, store.fan and ads.fan. Our [market.fan guide for creators](https://thebestplatform.com/blog/market-fan-creator-promotion/) explains listings and payouts step by step.

### Get paid for your time on hello.fan
A free page where followers call you 1:1 by video, voice or chat. You set the price per minute and keep up to 70%; billing is in 15-second steps.

[Create your free page](https://hello.fan/login?creator=1&utm_source=thebestplatform.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=blog-ugc-creator-guide&utm_content=body)[Earnings calculator](https://thebestplatform.com/hello-fan/creators/#calculator)

## How does ads.fan relate to UGC creators?

ads.fan is an AI ad studio for brands. A business uploads a product and gets AI-made video ads and ad images, including a "UGC testimonial" style presented by AI-generated people. Those presenters are not real creators, and ads.fan is a tool for advertisers, not a way for creators to earn.

So where does that leave a human UGC creator? Honestly, some brands will use AI tools for quick ad variations, and you should expect that. What a person offers is different: you actually hold, use and react to the product, you can film in real places, and your opinion comes from real experience. A brand that wants real customers' voices, or ads built around genuine use, needs real people. The network also pairs the two: make an ad on [ads.fan](https://ads.fan/), then have real creators post it through market.fan. Our [ads.fan guide](https://thebestplatform.com/blog/ads-fan-ai-ad-studio/) covers what it does and what it cannot do.

## What mistakes do new UGC creators make?

- **Giving away usage rights.** Paid-ad usage is worth more to the brand, so price it.

- **Long intros.** Start with the hook, not with "Hi everyone".

- **Poor audio.** Film somewhere quiet, close to the phone.

- **No written terms.** Even an e-mail both sides confirm is better than nothing.

- **Waiting for the perfect setup.** A phone, a window and a quiet room are enough for your first samples. Our list of [ways to make money from your phone](https://thebestplatform.com/make-money/from-your-phone/) has more ideas.

## Frequently asked questions

### Do you need followers to become a UGC creator?
Not many. In UGC the brand pays for the content itself and posts or runs it on its own channels, so your follower count matters far less than with influencer posts. A clear portfolio of labelled sample videos matters more.

### What equipment does a beginner UGC creator need?
A recent phone, a quiet room, good window light and a simple editing app are enough to start. Clear audio matters most, so a small clip-on microphone is a sensible first upgrade once paid work starts coming in.

### What are UGC usage rights?
Usage rights say how a brand may use your video: organic posts only or paid ads too, on which channels, for how long and whether they may edit it. Paid-ad and long-term usage is worth more, so price it as a separate add-on.

### Can I sell UGC videos on market.fan?
Yes. UGC videos are one of market.fan's listing types. You set the price, the delivery time and the revisions included, add extras such as usage rights, and the brand's payment is held until they approve your delivery.

how to become a ugc creator ugc creator what is ugc ugc portfolio ugc pricing ugc usage rights

Published by Premiums Only LLC, the company behind hello.fan and store.fan. We recommend our own platforms — and say when another kind of tool fits you better. [How we write](https://thebestplatform.com/about/).

### On this page

- [What is UGC, and how is it different from an influencer post?](#what-is-ugc-and-how-is-it-different-from-an-influencer-post)
- [What skills do brands pay a UGC creator for?](#what-skills-do-brands-pay-a-ugc-creator-for)
- [How do you build a sample portfolio?](#how-do-you-build-a-sample-portfolio)
- [How should you price UGC videos?](#how-should-you-price-ugc-videos)
- [What should a UGC agreement cover?](#what-should-a-ugc-agreement-cover)
- [Where can you sell UGC?](#where-can-you-sell-ugc)
- [How does ads.fan relate to UGC creators?](#how-does-ads-fan-relate-to-ugc-creators)
- [What mistakes do new UGC creators make?](#what-mistakes-do-new-ugc-creators-make)
- [Frequently asked questions](#faq)

### Get paid on hello.fan

- Free page, no monthly fee
- Your own price per minute
- Keep up to 70%
- Payouts via Stripe from $100

[Create your free page](https://hello.fan/login?creator=1&utm_source=thebestplatform.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=blog-ugc-creator-guide&utm_content=body)

### The platforms

- [**hello.fan** Live 1:1 video, voice and chat with creators](https://thebestplatform.com/hello-fan/)
- [**store.fan** A free link-in-bio store](https://thebestplatform.com/store-fan/)
- [**market.fan** A marketplace where brands buy stories](https://market.fan/?utm_source=thebestplatform.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=blog-ugc-creator-guide)
- [**mytop.fan** A creator-support site with a public board](https://mytop.fan/?utm_source=thebestplatform.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=blog-ugc-creator-guide)
- [**ads.fan** An AI ad studio](https://ads.fan/?utm_source=thebestplatform.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=blog-ugc-creator-guide)

Keep reading
## Related articles

[More in The network](https://thebestplatform.com/blog/category/network/)

[The network 6 min
### How to get brand deals as a small creator, step by step
How to get brand deals as a small creator: pick a clear niche, build a one-page media kit, price posts with simple math, pitch well and deliver on time. Read the article](https://thebestplatform.com/blog/brand-deals-for-small-creators/)[The network 6 min
### How to sell sponsored posts as a creator on market.fan
Sell sponsored posts as a creator on market.fan: list stories, posts and UGC at your price, get paid through held payments and keep 60% or 70%. Read the article](https://thebestplatform.com/blog/market-fan-creator-promotion/)[The network 6 min
### AI video ads for small business: what ads.fan does and doesn't do
AI video ads for small business with ads.fan: a product photo and a few lines become video ads and ad images. 1 credit is 1 second of video or 1 image. Read the article](https://thebestplatform.com/blog/ads-fan-ai-ad-studio/)

The network
## Your time, your price.
Make a free hello.fan page in a minute or two and keep up to 70%.

[Create your free page](https://hello.fan/login?creator=1&utm_source=thebestplatform.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=blog-ugc-creator-guide&utm_content=body)[Claim your free store.fan link](https://store.fan/signup?utm_source=thebestplatform.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=blog-ugc-creator-guide&utm_content=body)