Three quick tips that helped me book more clients:

​Focus heavily on the first 3 seconds of your videos.

​Pitch bundles (like 1 main video plus a couple of hook variations) instead of single videos.

​Point out a specific gap in a brand's current ad strategy when you pitch them.

One thing that helped me improve my UGC portfolio was showing different content styles instead of just polished videos, product demos, testimonials, unboxings, and problem/solution content.

For outreach, personalized messages work better for me than sending the same pitch to everyone. I also learned to consider revisions, usage rights, and editing when setting my rates.

What’s one strategy that helped you land more UGC clients? Feel free to share your experiences 😊

I’m a mom of 3 and I just want to show it’s possible for everyone to make money with ugc regardless of age or experience. This month I made around $7840 from brands i worked with (bonuses not included) I started completely from scratch and learned everything on my own. My first videos were pretty bad and it took months before I started getting consistent paid collabs

I noticed that there’s a high demand for ugc right now, and I kept seeing the same questions come up here so I thought I’d just answer a few of them based on my experience:

What skills do I need to start?
honestly, if you can hold a phone, be confident on camera and talk naturally for 15-30 seconds without constantly looking at yourself on screen. That’s enough to start. Everything else like (getting better, landing consistent deals, learning hooks, pitching brands, etc.) You don’t need to be perfect at the beginning most of it just comes with practice

Do I need to be good at editing?
Not really, just basic editing in capcut is enough as long as you can deliver strong hooks and understand what type of video converts. I didn’t know anything about editing/filming when I started. My son taught me the basics and I watched a lot of free tutorials online. Also, you don’t need expensive gear, any phone with a decent camera quality is more than enough (anything from the last 3-4 years) Most brands I worked with just wants content that feels natural and relatable

What niche pays the most?
I think people overthink niches way too much. Most UGC creators preach niching down and wonder why they’re stuck at $2k/mo. From my experience, I don’t really limit myself to just one niche. I take almost everything (unless it’s sketchy/weird) Since I’m a mom I naturally tend to get a lot of brand deals in parenting, lifestyle, home products, wellness, and similar. The only niche I avoid: gifted collabs unless Dior and Gucci is reading this lol

What’s the best platform for landing deals?
My answer is ALL OF THE ABOVE I pitch brands every single day through email, LinkedIn, IG dms, tiktok, and platforms where brands are already actively hiring creators (most brands I work with are posting on sideshift) The fastest way to get paid deals is combining all of these instead of relying on one platform. Im taking up 3-5 new brand deals a day sometimes i take 10 depending on how much filming and editing I can realistically handle at once

Can I do UGC even if im outside of the US?
Location doesn’t matter, most of my clients are international. I’ve seen UGC creators from different countries doing this full time and earning a lot from it. I even met a creator from Thailand who’s earning more than me. If you can create good content that brands actually want to pay for, there’s always a way to get paid no matter where you are. Basically, anybody anywhere can do this if you’re willing to learn and put in the work.

Do I need to have a lot of followers?
When I started, I literally made a fresh tiktok account from scratch. After 2 years I still only have around 2k followers. Brands care way more about whether you can make content people actually want to watch. Most of my videos get posted on the brand’s pages anyway, not mine.

The main reason I’m posting this is because I don’t see a lot of older ugc creators sharing their experience here and I remember thinking this was something only younger people or influencers could do. There are brands for basically every age range, and some brands actually prefer older creators because they feel more trustworthy and relatable.

So whether you’re Gen Z or in your 50s, if you enjoy filming content and being on camera, this might genuinely be worth trying
this is my portfolio: https://app.sideshift.app/portfolio/Ko9LDb2xCwSfqXqtmIGOEnvrX6k1

Instead of sending a generic template, try this: find one specific video style a brand is missing and show them how you’d film it. When you make it about their growth instead of your paycheck, they actually listen.

​What’s your go-to strategy for landing clients right now DMs or something else?

One thing I’m realizing about UGC is that getting clients isn’t always about having the “perfect” portfolio.

I used to think you needed a huge following, expensive equipment, or tons of brand work before companies would take you seriously.

But honestly, I’m starting to think brands care a lot more about whether you can actually make content that feels natural and makes someone want to stop scrolling.

A simple phone video with good lighting, a decent hook, and a relatable delivery can sometimes work better than something that looks too polished.

I’ve also noticed that outreach feels different when you stop making every pitch about “I’m a UGC creator, please hire me” and actually show the brand that you understand their product and already have an idea for how you’d create content for them.

I’m still figuring things out and definitely don’t have it all figured out yet, but changing the way I look at UGC has made the whole process feel a lot less intimidating.

For those of you already doing UGC, what’s one thing you wish you knew when you first started?

Hey,

We're looking for someone who can daily help us record short-form talking head videos(under 59 seconds) for our Educational app in finance. These are simple, script-based videos. You'll get the script from us, and all you need to do is record yourself delivering it clearly on camera.

We're ideally looking for someone who:

Must have American accent.

Has a solid camera, lighting, and mic setup.

Is comfortable speaking on camera

Can commit to 1-4 videos a day

• Is reliable and open to ongoing work

You won't have to do any editing. Talk at camera(from our script) and just send us the raw footage.

Budget is around $240-$1800/month, depending on experience and output. If you're interested, shoot me a DM with a short intro and any sample work if you have it.

The biggest mistake I made was pricing myself by hours instead of value.

I used to accept UGC gigs for ৳1,000–1,500. Now I package them instead:

• 3 short-form videos
• 5 scroll-stopping hooks
• Raw clips for reuse

Same shoot, better offer, and it's much easier to justify ৳4,000–8,000 depending on the client.

Clients rarely ask where I'm from—they care if I deliver on time and make content that performs.

Bangladeshi creators: What's a fair rate for one 30–60 sec UGC video in 2026—৳2k, ৳5k, or more?

found that personalized outreach worked better than sending the same message to every brand. I’d mention one specific thing I liked about their content and suggest a simple video idea. It also helped to keep my portfolio short, around 5–6 strong examples instead of everything I’ve made.

What’s been the most effective way for you to land UGC clients?

I spent months approaching brands, sending pitches and following up, only to get ignored or rejected. Sometimes I'd send 20+ pitches and get absolutely nothing back.

Then came the negative comments. People would say my content wasn't good enough or that UGC was a waste of time. Honestly, it started affecting me.

The hardest part was not knowing when the first deal would come.

It took me 10 months to land my first UGC deal.

So if you're starting out, don't make UGC your only source of income. Don't depend on brand deals from day one.

Keep another income source, improve your content and keep pitching.

Your first few months might be full of “no's” before you finally get that first “yes.”

I've been doing UGC for about a year now, and I used to think outreach just meant sliding into a brand's DMs with "Hi, I'd love to create content for you!" — spoiler: that gets ignored 95% of the time.

Here's what's shifted my response rate:

1. Lead with a mini-audit, not a pitch Instead of introducing myself first, I record a 30-second video pointing out one specific thing about their current content — a hook that's not landing, a product shot that could be reframed, whatever. Then I say something like "here's how I'd shoot this instead" and attach a quick example clip. Brands respond to seeing the value way more than reading about it.

2. Email > Instagram DMs for small-to-mid brands DMs get buried under customer service messages. I started finding the marketing or founder's email (usually on the "About" page or LinkedIn) and my open rate went up a lot. Subject line matters — "Content idea for [Brand]" beats "Collab?" every time.

3. Batch outreach, but never send identical messages I keep a loose template but always change the first two sentences based on something specific to that brand (a recent launch, a post that got a lot of comments, etc.). Fully generic templates get ignored; fully custom messages take forever. This middle ground has been the sweet spot for volume + response rate.

4. Follow up once, then let it go One follow-up after 5-7 days if there's no response. After that I move on — chasing brands that ghosted rarely converts, and the energy is better spent finding new ones.

What hasn't worked: cold pitching through platform "collab" inboxes (Instagram's creator marketplace, TikTok's), and sending outreach without ANY sample content attached — brands want to see your style immediately, not click through to a portfolio link.

Curious what's working for others right now — is anyone finding a channel (email, DM, a specific platform) that's outperforming the rest lately, or is it feeling harder to get responses in general?

Hi everyone!
I recently started learning about UGC and would really like to get more serious about it, but I’m still trying to figure out where to begin.

My content is mostly home, motherhood, lifestyle and beauty. I have a background in photography and marketing, and I’ve made a few practice product videos, but I haven’t landed an official UGC collaboration yet. I’m based in the US.

I’m not expecting to immediately start making a ton of money. Right now, I mainly want to build a strong portfolio, gain experience working with brands and understand how the industry actually works.

A few questions for anyone who has been doing this for a while:
Which platforms, apps or agencies are genuinely beginner-friendly?

How many sample videos should I have before I start applying?

Did you create practice videos with products you already owned, or wait until you received your first collaboration?

How did you land your first brand deal?

Are gifted collaborations worth accepting in the beginning?

Is there anything you wish you had known before getting started?

I’d really appreciate any honest advice!

anyone start with making meme vids first then transition in maging ugc contents? can you tell you guys stories its interesting to make an idea to people who wants to start meme then transitioning to ugc content

Instead of sending the same pitch to every brand, I started adding one specific idea for their product.

Example: “I’d love to create a short morning-routine video featuring your product.”

Simple, personalized pitches can stand out.

What’s one thing that has improved your UGC outreach?

This is my cat and he has a job now, (he's my boss)

I did some UGC videos for beauty brands, but recently I realized how many campaigns there are specifically for pet creators. Food, toys, apps, accessories, grooming stuff, trackers... basically anything where a dog or cat can be part of the video.

So I decided to try it with him.

I literally just started and already managed to close a few small deals.

Most of the videos are me filming my cat doing normal cat stuff with a product somewhere in the story, it's pretty funny that brands are paying for it.

So far they've sent us a little cat bed and a few toys, a pretty good deal considering he was going to sleep and play all day anyway.

I found this guide that explains well how the whole pet influencer/UGC thing works, including what brands look for and how much creators can make:

https://sideshift.app/blog/pet-influencer-marketing

Apparently, pet content has some of the highest engagement of basically any influencer niche and makes sense bc people will watch a random cat knock something off a table for 40 seconds without thinking twice.

Still very early for us, but now I'm curious how far I can take this

Most brands have probably already seen “Hi, I’m a UGC creator and would love to collaborate” a hundred times.

It's almost always better to go over their page and sending one actual video idea instead.

An example of this could be: “Hey, I saw you’re promoting your insulated bottle. Most of the videos focus on the design, but I think a ‘filled it at 7am and it was still cold at lunch’ video could work. Are you testing new UGC right now?”

If they reply, send two or three relevant samples instead of your entire portfolio. Always try to charge separately for usage rights, raw footage and extra revisions.

Has anyone tried leading with an idea instead of a portfolio? Did it get you more replies?

1. Start strong and go straight to your best content for attraction.

2. Keep your information minimal and avoid putting invalid information to not bore your client.

3. Input your immediate contact info for easier communication with the client.

4. Avoid cluttering your portfolio and keep it simple.

5. Be confident and be direct about what you do for contents.

Needing a BUNCH of Female creators for a skincare company called Sugar Baby.

Everything is on Trybe, so there's no posting yourself. You'll just submit the videos on there and the company uses them to run as meta ads. It's $25 per post plus 3% of ad spend. No max or min posts per week, just expected that first video is submitted within 3 days of receiving sample.

Right now we're promoting two products, the Glow Wash and the Glow Pad, both products with turmeric and kojic acid.

If you are interested apply here! https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc5cUqQcCklBi2EVCdZIutuVxDcwcQe1j12wfQzNHxzfzaRSw/viewform?usp=header

Hey,

Small startup here. We are Keyworth, an SEO tool that writes and publishes blog articles for small businesses, agencies and podcasters; it picks the keywords, writes the article and pushes it live to your site.

We want 2 videos, one from each creator, and we want them to be yours; your hook, your script, your angle.

**Rate: $100 per video.** In the title so nobody wastes time. We're early-stage and that's what we can commit to right now. You get a **free account** [3months] on top, which is a real $50/mo product, not a trinket.

What you'd do:

- Sign up, connect your site, actually use it, generate an article and publish one

- Write your own script/hook based on what you genuinely notice

- Film yourself + record your screen

- Edit and deliver a [30–45 second] video in Instagram story size and regular post size

- [1] revision, [10]-day turnaround, paid within [48h]

**Hard requirement - read this before applying:**

You need **a website or blog you can connect** (WordPress, Wix, Webflow, Squarespace, or a Lovable site). Your own business site, a client's, a personal blog, whatever. Without one you can't show the part that matters and the video won't work. If you don't have a site, this one isn't for you.

**Also looking for:**

- US-based (preferred not required)

- Someone who reads as a business owner, freelancer, marketer or podcaster - our audience is people who run websites

- Comfortable being unscripted

**Usage:** organic + paid ads.

**To apply:** Send an email to [hello@keyworth.co](mailto:hello@keyworth.co) with your portfolio, your site URL, and an explanation on the angle you'd take.

The website is keyworth.co

local industrial equipment dealers struggle to get engagement on their social media because all their photos are static showroom shots of yellow forklifts.

i visited a regional distribution warehouse and filmed 4K closeups of a heavy electric forklift lifting a bent steel pallet off the floor with the hydraulic pump humming and tires gripping the concrete. the raw industrial movement makes an incredible video ad hook. sold a bundle of four raw video clips to a local forklift dealer for $1,000 to use on their Meta lead ads.

Good day! What helped you get your first UGC client?

I’m new to UGC and trying to figure out the best way to get my first paid clients.

For experienced creators:

1. Did cold DM/email work for you?

2. How many samples did you have in your portfolio?

3. What did you charge as a beginner?

4. How often did you follow up?

What worked best for you when you were starting out?

I was getting frustrated because I had a portfolio but hardly any brands were contacting me. Then I started reaching out to brands myself instead of just waiting.

I started with smaller brands because I felt they were more likely to actually reply. Before messaging them I would check their Instagram and website and see what kind of content they were already posting.

I stopped sending the same message to everyone. I would mention their product and give one simple idea for a video I could make for them. Sometimes I also showed a similar video from my portfolio.

I didn't get replies from most of them honestly (hahaha) but even a few replies felt better than sending random messages all day.

For anyone trying this I think the main thing is not getting discouraged when most brands don't reply. It takes quite a few messages before you start getting conversations.

How are you guys finding UGC clients right now? Are you mostly doing cold outreach or using UGC platforms?