I get asked about this constantly now, usually by newer creators… is AI going to take our jobs? Should I even be trying to build a UGC business right now? I understand the fear. I’ve felt versions of it myself over the past year. But after four years in this industry, I don’t think the honest answer is “AI is replacing us.” I think it’s more complicated and, in some ways, more hopeful than that.

Here’s what I’m actually seeing.

AI is real competition for a specific kind of content, not all of it

Brands can now generate a decent-looking product shot or a stiff talking-head style ad with AI tools in minutes. If your entire value as a creator was “I can hold a product and read a script in front of a camera” then you should probably give up now.

But the videos that actually convert, the ones brands keep coming back for, aren’t the technically competent ones. They’re the ones with a real person’s specific, slightly imperfect reaction. AI can simulate a smile. It cannot simulate the thing that happens when a viewer thinks “wait, that’s exactly how I felt too.” That recognition is the entire product UGC creators are selling, and it’s the hardest thing in the world to fake convincingly at scale.

The bar for “good enough” content just went up

This is the part that doesn’t get talked about enough. Because AI can produce passable content instantly and for free, passable is no longer worth paying a creator for. Brands aren’t going to hire you to be adequate anymore. They can get adequate from a tool.

What this means practically is that generic hooks, generic reactions, and generic scripts are dying faster than they used to. I actually think this is a good thing for creators who take their craft seriously. It’s forcing a separation between people who were treating UGC as a volume game and people who were treating it as an actual skill.

AI is becoming a tool in our process, not just a threat to it

I use AI constantly now, just not to replace the parts that require me. I use it to speed up scripting, to brainstorm hooks when I’m stuck, to organize outreach and pitch tracking, to draft captions I’ll then rewrite in my own voice. None of that touches the thing brands are actually paying for, which is my face, my delivery, my specific point of view.

The creators I see struggling right now aren’t the ones using AI. They’re the ones refusing to touch it out of principle while their competitors use it to work twice as fast.

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What I think stays valuable no matter what

Trust, specificity, and a track record. A brand hiring me isn’t just hiring a video, they’re hiring the fact that I’ve done this well over a hundred times, that I understand pacing and platform nuance, and that I bring a point of view that’s mine and not generatable from a prompt. None of that is something a tool can hand a brand instead of me. It’s something I built, one partnership at a time.

Where I think this actually goes

I don’t think the UGC industry shrinks. There will be a growing pile of cheap, AI-assisted, forgettable content that brands use for volume and testing. And there will be a smaller, better-paid tier of creators who bring something a machine genuinely can’t: real trust, real reactions, and a name brands remember. My advice to anyone starting out right now isn’t to panic about AI. It’s to make sure you’re building toward that second tier from day one.

The tools are going to keep changing. What’s always going to matter is being someone worth hiring, not just someone available.

September is different. There’s something about summer ending that makes me actually want to get my life back in order. Maybe it’s leftover school-year conditioning, maybe it’s just that the air changes and my brain changes with it. Either way, every year around this time I do the same handful of things to reset, and every year they work. Nothing here is complicated or expensive. It’s just the stuff I actually do, not the stuff that sounds good on paper.

So here are some things that make me feel better…

• Turn off notifications for social media

• (trust me you don’t need the reminders)

• Turn off group chat notifications

• Intentionally block out time for yourself ie. solo walks, gym, reading

• Read your book before bed instead of scrolling

• Take your supplements

• Clean up your camera roll

• Unfollow accounts that make you feel bad or shop

• Review subscriptions

• Check your spending

Happy September!

I get some version of the same message a few times a week: “I’ve been thinking about trying UGC but I don’t know if I could actually do it.” And every time, my honest answer is the same. You probably can. And it might be one of the more fun career decisions you ever make.

I say this as someone who did not plan any of this. I had a corporate job. I got laid off. UGC was not the five-year-plan, it was the thing I fell into because I needed something and it turned out to be good at needing me back. Four years and 100+ brand partnerships later, I’d choose it again in a heartbeat, and I think a lot more people would love it if they gave themselves permission to try.

Here’s my honest pitch.

1. You don’t need to be an influencer, and you don’t need a following

This is the single biggest misconception keeping people on the sidelines. UGC isn’t about follower count. It’s about being able to make content a brand can use, for their own ads, their own pages, their own marketing. Some of my highest-paying deals have come from an account with a completely unremarkable number of followers, because the brand wasn’t paying for my audience. They were paying for the content itself. That changes the whole game for who gets to play.

2. The barrier to entry is lower than almost any other creative career

You don’t need a film degree. You don’t need a studio. You don’t need thousands of dollars in gear. I started with a phone, natural light from a window, and a willingness to try things that felt a little awkward at first. The learning curve is real, but it’s a curve you climb by doing, not a gate you have to get past before you’re allowed to start.

3. It rewards being a real, specific person

Corporate work, for me, rewarded blending in. UGC rewards the opposite. Brands want your actual voice, your actual sense of humour, the way you actually talk about a product when you like it. The more specifically yourself you are on camera, the better the work tends to be. That’s a strange and genuinely fun thing to get paid for.

4. It’s flexible in a way that fits real life, not just Instagram life

I am a mother. I am currently planning a wedding. My schedule is a genuine mess most weeks. UGC has flexed around that in a way a 9-to-5 never could, I choose which deals to take, when to film, how much I take on in a given month. It’s not a fantasy of “work from your laptop on a beach,” it’s a much more useful thing: work that bends around a full, complicated life instead of demanding the life bend around it.

5. The ceiling is higher than people assume

There’s a version of UGC where you make a little extra money on the side, and that’s a completely valid way to do it. There’s also a version where it becomes a full, sustaining career, where rates go up, brands come to you, and the work itself gets more interesting the longer you do it. I’ve lived both versions. The second one is possible for more people than think it is.

6. You will feel like an amateur before you feel like a professional, and that’s normal

My first few pieces of content were rough. I look back at them now and genuinely laugh. That’s not a reason not to start, that’s just what starting looks like. Every single person doing this well right now has an equally rough beginning somewhere in their camera roll.

If you’ve been circling the idea of trying UGC, treating it as too late, too saturated, or not for “someone like you”, I’d gently push back on all three. I felt exactly that way once, sitting with a layoff and no real plan. The plan turned out to be: start anyway, badly, and let it get better. It always does.

People ask me this more than almost anything else: how do you keep up with the volume? Multiple videos a week, sometimes multiple a day, and every single one needs a script that doesn’t sound like a script.

The honest answer is that I stopped treating scripting like writing a long time ago. I treat it like solving a puzzle with four pieces. Once I knew what the pieces were, the time it took me to write dropped from an hour of staring at a blank page to something I can genuinely do in under 15 minutes, brief to final draft.

Here’s exactly how.

I start with the hook, not the product

The biggest mistake I made early on was opening scripts with the brand or the product. “Hey guys, today I’m trying out this new serum.” Nobody cares yet. They haven’t earned the right to know what the product is.

Instead, I open with a moment, a problem, or a reaction. Something like “I did not expect this to actually work” or “my husband asked why I was crying over skincare.” The hook has one job: buy me three more seconds of attention. I write this line first, every time, before I know anything else about the script.

I build around a single feeling, not a list of features

Brands will hand you a deck full of bullet points. Anti-inflammatory. Dermatologist tested. Clinically proven. If you try to hit all of them, you end up with a script that sounds like a label read aloud.

I pick one feeling I want the viewer to have by the end of the video, and every line has to earn its place by serving that feeling. Relief. Surprise. Nostalgia. Curiosity. If a feature doesn’t support that feeling, it gets cut, even if it was in the brief. This is the step that actually saves the most time, because it gives me a filter instead of an open-ended blank page.

I write like I talk, then read it out loud

I never write a script the way I’d write an email. I say it out loud first, sometimes into my phone, and then I write down what I actually said. If a sentence sounds like something I’d never say to a friend, I cut it or rework it right there.

This is also my only editing pass. I read the whole thing out loud once, timer running, and I fix anything that trips me up. If I stumble on a word, so will the viewer’s attention.

I end with a reason to keep watching or believe me

The close is short. Either a punchline, a callback to the hook, or a plain statement of why this actually mattered to me. I don’t do hard sells in the caption of the script itself, that’s not the job of this last line. Its job is to make the video feel finished instead of trailing off.

Why this works better than “winging it”

I used to think structure would make my content feel less authentic. It’s the opposite. Having a repeatable shape means I spend my energy on the parts that actually make a video good, the hook and the feeling, instead of reinventing the wheel every single time. Fifteen minutes isn’t a brag, it’s just what’s left over once you remove all the decision-making from the process.

If you’re newer to UGC and scripting still eats your whole afternoon, start by writing just the hook and the ending first. Everything in between gets so much easier once you know where you’re starting and where you’re landing.

I’ve signed over 100 brand contracts at this point, and I can tell you exactly which ones still make me wince when I think back on them. Not because the money was bad. Not because the content flopped. But because I signed something I didn’t fully understand, and I paid for it later.

Nobody hands you a red-flag checklist when you start doing this. You learn it the hard way, one uncomfortable email thread at a time. So here’s mine.

“Usage rights: unlimited” with no time frame attached

This is the big one. If a contract says the brand can use your content “in perpetuity” or just doesn’t specify an end date at all, that’s not an oversight - that’s the default, and it benefits them, not you. Unlimited usage means your face and your work can show up in paid ads two years from now, and you’ll never know, and you won’t see another dollar for it.

Organic usage (posting to their own social channels) is one thing. Paid usage - running your content as an ad, boosting it, putting it behind media spend - is a completely different value exchange, and it should come with its own line item and its own time frame. If a contract lumps “organic and paid” together with no distinction, that’s your cue to ask for clarity before you sign anything.

Vague deliverables

“1-2 videos showcasing the product” tells me nothing. Is that one 30-second video or two 90-second videos? Vertical or horizontal? Raw footage or edited? Do they need a hook in the first three seconds or can I build it my own way? I’ve learned to push back on any deliverable that isn’t spelled out to the point where a stranger could execute it exactly as I would.

Vague deliverables aren’t just annoying - they’re where scope creep lives. A loosely worded contract gives a brand room to ask for “just one more version” indefinitely, because technically, you never defined when you were done.

No revision limit, or an unreasonable one

If a contract doesn’t cap revisions, you are, in theory, agreeing to revise forever. I always want to see “up to two rounds of revisions” or similar, in writing, before I start filming. Anything beyond that gets billed separately, and I say so upfront, not after the third round of notes rolls in.

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Payment terms buried or missing entirely

I don’t sign anything that doesn’t tell me exactly when I get paid, not “upon completion,” which can mean anything, but a real number of days from delivery or invoice. Net 30 is standard. Net 60 or 90 is a brand telling you, politely, that your cash flow is not their problem. You’re allowed to negotiate this. I do, every time it’s longer than 30 days.

Exclusivity clauses that don’t come with exclusivity pay

Some contracts ask you not to work with competing brands for a set period, sometimes 30 days, sometimes six months, sometimes indefinitely with no end date specified at all. That’s a real ask. It limits your income. If a brand wants exclusivity, that needs to be reflected in the rate, and the time frame needs to be spelled out, not left open-ended.

Whitelisting or spark ads without separate compensation

Whitelisting lets a brand run ads directly from your handle - meaning it’s your name, your account, and your credibility attached to their ad spend. This is not the same as them reposting your content from their own page, and it should never be included for free “as part of the deal.” If I see this term, I treat it as its own negotiation, not a bonus add-on.

What I do now

These days, I read every contract twice before I respond - once for the big picture, once specifically hunting for the things on this list. I’ve started asking brands for a redline period as a standard part of my process, not something I request apologetically. And if a brand pushes back hard on reasonable clarity - on usage windows, on revision caps, on payment terms - that tells me something too.

A good contract isn’t adversarial. It’s just clear. The brands worth working with long-term have never once been bothered by me asking for that.

If you’re sending content to brands without a contract, you’re leaving yourself completely exposed. I’ll be honest, for smaller deals I haven’t always used one. But the truth is you should have a contract for everything, no matter how small the job or how trustworthy the brand seems. Here’s why, and exactly what to put in yours.

Why a contract matters more than you think

The most common reason creators avoid contracts is because they feel awkward or overly formal, especially when you’re just starting out and grateful for any deal that comes through. But a contract isn’t about distrust - it’s about clarity. It sets expectations on both sides before any work is done so there’s no confusion, no back and forth, and no one getting taken advantage of.

I’ve been lucky. In my years as a UGC creator I’ve never had an issue with not being paid. But I know creators who have, and without a contract, they had nothing to stand on. A signed agreement is the difference between a frustrating situation and a legal one. Don’t wait until something goes wrong to wish you had one.

What to include in your UGC contract

You don’t need a lengthy legal document. A clear, straightforward contract that covers the key terms is all you need. Here’s what should always be in it:

1. Your rate and payment terms: state your fee clearly, the total amount, what it covers, the currency, and when payment is due. Net 30 is a common payment term. Also include any late payment terms so there are consequences if they miss the deadline. This is the section that protects you from chasing invoices for months.

2. Deliverables: be specific about what you’re creating. How many videos, length, format. The more specific you are here the less room there is for a brand to come back asking for something that wasn’t part of the deal.

3. Due dates: include the timeline for delivery on your end and the timeline for feedback on theirs. This keeps the project moving and prevents a brand from sitting on your content for weeks before giving feedback and then rushing you at the end.

4. Revisions: always cap your revisions. One or two rounds is standard. Without a revision limit a brand can keep sending you back to make changes indefinitely, and that’s your time and energy with no additional compensation.

5. Usage rights: this is one of the most important sections and one that gets overlooked most often. Usage rights determine how, where, and for how long a brand can use your content after delivery. Get this in writing every single time. A brand that plans to run your content as ads for six months needs to be paying for that privilege, and without a contract there’s nothing stopping them from doing it for free.

6. Copyright protection: this one is close to my heart and something every UGC creator needs to understand. When you film a video you make creative choices, the music, the edit. Those choices belong to you. A contract should clearly state that the brand cannot hold you liable for copyright infringement related to creative elements you selected in good faith as part of the content creation process. Brands cannot turn around and sue creators for music choices or other creative decisions made during production. Your contract should explicitly protect you from that. This isn’t a hypothetical - it’s a real risk and one that a simple clause in your agreement can protect you from entirely.

Where to get a UGC contract

You don’t need to write one from scratch. There are UGC specific contract templates available on Etsy and from creators in the space that cover all of the above and are written in plain, easy to understand language. Look for one that’s specifically designed for UGC creators rather than a generic freelance contract — the usage rights and copyright language matters and a generic template may not cover it properly.

Once you have a template you like, customize it to fit your business, have someone you trust review it, and use it every single time.

The bottom line

A contract protects you, but it also protects the brand. It creates a clear record of what was agreed to so both sides know exactly where they stand. The brands worth working with blink an eye at signing one, and if a brand pushes back on a basic contract, that tells you everything you need to know about how the working relationship will go.

You’ve worked hard to build your UGC business. Protect it.

I started on UGC platforms and agencies

My first brand deals didn’t come from a perfectly crafted cold pitch. It came from joining the platform Brkaway. I was one of their first creators and grew with the agency. It allowed me to work with some incredible brands right off the gate: BushBalm, Olly, BeautyCounter, Grace & Stella. If you’re just starting out, this is genuinely one of the easiest ways to get your foot in the door.

I showed up on TikTok and Twitter

Alongside the platforms I created a TikTok and Twitter account and started actively looking for work there. The UGC creator community on both platforms is incredibly active and brands post opportunities constantly.

The move that made the biggest difference was searching #ugcjobs regularly on Twitter. Brands and agencies post job listings directly in that hashtag and you can apply right there, either by commenting on the post or sliding into the DMs with a quick pitch and your portfolio link. It’s casual, it’s fast, and it works. Some of my early deals came directly from a DM that took me five minutes to send.

Being visible on these platforms also meant that brands could find me. Which brings me to something important I learned along the way.

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Inbound worked better than outbound for me

I put a lot of energy into outbound outreach early on - building long lists of brand emails and sending pitch after pitch. And it did work, eventually. But what I noticed over time was that inbound leads - brands coming to me after finding my content or profile - converted better and felt easier.

That doesn’t mean you should skip outbound. It means you should make sure you’re out there and findable. Post content that feels natural to you, show up consistently, and make it easy for brands to see who you are and what you create. The outbound hustle gets you started but the inbound momentum is what builds a sustainable business.

I tweaked my pitch emails constantly

One of the biggest lessons from those early days was learning how to actually pitch. My first emails were too rigid, I’d lead with my rates before I even understood what the brand needed. Over time I figured out a much better approach.

Instead of opening with a rate card I started asking questions. What are you looking for? How many videos do you need? What type of content - organic, ads, both? Once I understood the scope I could tailor my pitch and my pricing to actually fit what they needed. That shift changed everything. My response rate went up and the deals I was closing felt like better fits on both sides.

A pitch email isn’t a transaction. It’s the start of a conversation. Treat it that way.

I took on work for cheap… and then I stopped

Here’s the honest truth about building a portfolio from scratch: sometimes you have to do work that doesn’t reflect what you’re worth yet. In the beginning I took on a lot of jobs for low rates or even free in exchange for creative freedom and strong samples. It felt uncomfortable at the time but it built the foundation everything else was built on.

The key is knowing when to stop. Once my portfolio was strong, once I had enough examples across different niches and formats to show a brand exactly what I could do, I held my rates. No more discounting out of fear, no more underselling to land the deal. The portfolio gave me the confidence to stand firm and the proof to back it up.

Do the work to build the foundation. Then charge what you’re worth and don’t look back.

What experience actually teaches you

Looking back the thing I’d tell myself most is this: you get better by doing. Every video you film, every email you send, every brand you work with teaches you something. Your pitches get sharper. Your content gets stronger. Your instincts about what a brand needs get more refined.

You can’t shortcut the reps. But you can be intentional about learning from each one. Tweak what isn’t working. Double down on what is. And trust that the creator you are at deal ten is going to be significantly better than the one you were at deal one.

That’s not a flaw in the process. That is the process.

One of the most common questions I get from new UGC creators is some version of “how much should I charge?” It’s also one of the most anxiety inducing parts of getting started. You don’t want to price yourself out of the deal but you also don’t want to work for next to nothing. Finding that sweet spot takes time but it starts with understanding what actually goes into your rate.

Here’s how to think about it.

Understand what you’re actually selling

Before you set a number, get clear on what UGC actually is as a product. You’re not just making a video. You’re concepting, filming, editing, and delivering content that a brand is going to use to make money. That has real value and your rate should reflect it.

There are also different deliverables to consider. A single raw video is priced differently than a fully edited video. A package of three videos is priced differently than one. And usage rights, meaning how long a brand can use your content and where, can significantly increase your rate on top of the base creative fee.

Know what you’re delivering before you quote anything.

UGC rate benchmarks to know

Rates vary depending on your experience, niche, and the brand you’re working with, but here are general benchmarks to give you a starting point:

For a single fully edited UGC video, newer creators typically charge anywhere from $150 to $300. Creators with a solid portfolio and some brand experience generally fall in the $300 to $500 range. Experienced creators with strong results and a niche authority can charge $500 to $1,000 or more per video.

Packages are common — three videos, five videos, or a monthly retainer — and they tend to be more attractive to brands because they get consistent content at a slightly better rate. Retainers are also great for you because they mean predictable income every month.

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Factor in usage rights

This is where a lot of new creators leave money on the table. Usage rights are separate from your creative fee and refer to how a brand can use your content after delivery.

Organic usage: meaning the brand posts your video on their own social channels, is typically included in your base rate or available for a small add-on. Paid usage: meaning the brand runs your video as a paid ad, is a different story. Ad usage can double or even triple your rate depending on the duration and platform.

A common structure looks something like this: base creative fee plus a usage rights fee for paid ads, priced per month or for a set period like 30, 60, or 90 days. The longer the usage period, the more you charge.

Don’t give away ad rights for free. If a brand wants to run your face in their ads they should be paying for it.

Don’t price based on fear

This is the big one. Most new creators underprice because they’re scared the brand will say no. Here’s what I want you to remember: a brand that drops you over your rate was never going to be a long term partner anyway. The right brands will see your value and pay for it.

Pricing low doesn’t just hurt your income, it hurts the industry. When creators consistently undercharge, it drives down rates for everyone. Know your worth, price accordingly, and hold your ground.

That said, there is room to be flexible when you’re first starting out and genuinely building your portfolio. Taking on a lower rate in exchange for creative freedom or a strong testimonial can be a smart short term move. Just make sure it’s a conscious choice, not a fear-based one.

How to raise your rates

Your rates should grow with your experience. Every brand deal you close, every strong piece of content you create, and every result you help a brand achieve is evidence that you’re worth more.

A good rule of thumb is to revisit your rates every few months and ask yourself if what you’re charging still reflects the value you’re delivering. If you’ve been consistently booked out, that’s a clear sign it’s time to raise them.

When you do raise your rates? You don’t owe anyone an explanation. Update your rate card and move forward. New clients get your new rates. Existing long term clients can be grandfathered in for a period if you choose, but that’s entirely up to you.

The bottom line

There is no perfect rate. There’s a rate that reflects your current experience, the deliverables you’re offering, and the value you bring, and that number should grow over time.

Start somewhere, charge with confidence, and don’t be afraid to ask for what you’re worth. The brands worth working with will meet you there.

If you’re not using AI in your UGC business yet, you’re leaving time on the table. I’m not talking about replacing your creativity or making your content feel robotic, I’m talking about using it to handle the stuff that slows you down so you can spend more time actually filming.

1. Write your pitch emails in seconds

Pitching brands is one of the most important parts of building a UGC business, and also one of the most time consuming. AI tools like Claude can help you draft a polished, professional pitch email in under a minute. I like Claude the best!

All you have to do is give it some context. Tell it who you are, what niches you create in, which brand you’re reaching out to, and what makes you a good fit. It will generate a clean, concise email that you can personalize and send. You still bring the human touch - the specific reason you love the brand, the personal detail that makes it feel genuine. But the structure and the hard part of starting from a blank page is done for you.

This is a game changer when you’re pitching multiple brands in a week.

2. Generate video scripts and hooks

The hook is everything in UGC. If you lose someone in the first two seconds, the video doesn’t matter how good the rest of it is. AI is incredibly useful for generating hook options and full video scripts when you’re staring at a product and have no idea what to say.

Give it a prompt like: “Write me three hooks for a UGC video about a hydrating face serum targeting women in their thirties.” Within seconds you’ll have options to choose from, tweak, or use as a jumping off point. You can also ask it to write a full 30 or 60 second script in a conversational tone that sounds like something you’d actually say.

The key is to always rewrite it in your own voice before you film. AI gives you the skeleton, you bring it to life.

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3. Write your content captions and descriptions

If you’re posting your UGC content on TikTok or Instagram to build your presence, coming up with captions for every post gets old fast. AI can generate caption options, suggest hashtags, and even write keyword-rich video descriptions that help your content get discovered.

Try prompting it with: “Write five TikTok captions for a UGC creator posting a skincare routine video. Keep them short, conversational, and relatable.” You’ll get a handful of options in seconds and can pick whichever one fits best. What used to take ten minutes now takes one.

4. Use it to brainstorm content ideas

Every creator hits a wall sometimes. You have a product in your hand and zero inspiration for how to make it interesting. This is where AI becomes your brainstorming partner.

Tell it the product, the target audience, and the platform and ask for ten video concepts. You don’t have to use all of them - you just need one good idea to get you moving. You can also ask it things like “what pain points does this product solve” or “what would make someone stop scrolling for this product” to get your creative brain going in the right direction.

AI is endlessly patient and never out of ideas. Use that to your advantage.

5. Streamline your invoices and client communication

The business side of UGC, invoices, follow up emails, revision requests, usage rights conversations, it can feel overwhelming, especially when you’re just starting out. AI can help you write professional responses to brands, draft revision feedback, create invoice templates, and even help you figure out how to word an awkward client situation.

Not sure how to follow up on an invoice that hasn’t been paid? Ask AI to write a polite but firm follow up email. Need to push back on a revision request that goes beyond your contract? AI can help you find the right words without burning a bridge.

It won’t replace good business sense but it will help you communicate like a pro even when you’re figuring it out as you go.

The bottom line

AI is a tool, not a replacement. Your personality, your face, your creativity, and your authentic voice are what brands are paying for. No AI can replicate that. But the behind the scenes work that eats up your time? That’s exactly what AI is built for.

Start with one of these five things this week and see how much time you get back! 💫

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When a brand receives your pitch, the first thing they’re going to do is click your portfolio link. What they find in the next thirty seconds determines whether you get a response or get ignored. A strong UGC portfolio doesn’t need to be elaborate, it needs to be clear, easy to navigate, and let your videos do the talking.

Here’s exactly how to build one from scratch.

1. Start with a template you love on Etsy

Head to Etsy and search “UGC portfolio template.” There are dozens of affordable, well-designed options made specifically for creators. Find one that matches your aesthetic and open it directly in Canva - most Etsy templates come with a link that pulls it right in.

One thing to look for when choosing your template: make sure it flows vertically as one long scrollable page, not as a multi-page document. A portfolio with separate pages is frustrating for someone reviewing it quickly. Brands want to open your link and scroll, that’s it. Keep it seamless.

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2. Structure it in the right order

The flow of your portfolio matters. Think of it like telling a story about who you are and what you can do.

Start with an about section at the top. Keep it short - a few sentences about who you are, what you create, and what niches you specialize in. This gives the brand immediate context before they see anything else.

Next, feature the brands you’ve worked with. Even if your list is small right now, seeing recognizable logos builds instant credibility. If you’re just starting out, you can skip this section and let your sample videos speak for themselves.

Then move into your video examples, which is the heart of the whole thing.

Hint: I look up UGC creators that are killing it and I search for their portfolios and follow their flow and template :)

3. Organize your videos by niche and format

This is where most beginner portfolios fall flat, they just dump videos in without any order and leave the brand to figure it out. Instead, categorize your content so it’s easy to scan.

Organize by niche first: beauty, hair, clothing, food, home, lifestyle — whatever categories you create in. Then within each niche, try to show range in your format. Include a mix of talking to camera, voiceover, product close-up, and both ad-style and organic-feeling content. This shows brands that you’re versatile and that you understand the difference between content that’s meant to convert and content that’s meant to connect.

The goal is for a brand in any category to look at your portfolio and immediately see themselves in it.

Tip: make sure your videos aren’t on auto-play on canva. This is annoying!

4. Keep your contact info visible and don’t overstuff it

Put your email address at the top of the portfolio and again at the bottom. Brands shouldn’t have to hunt for how to reach you - make it effortless.

You can include testimonials if you have them, but honestly the videos speak for themselves. A glowing quote is nice but a compelling video is better.

And resist the urge to make your portfolio exhaustive. More is not more here. A focused, tight portfolio with eight to ten great videos will outperform a bloated one with twenty mediocre ones every single time. Edit ruthlessly and only include work you’re proud of.

Add other videos you love on your social platforms!

5. Make your URL look professional

This is a small detail that makes a big difference. If you can connect your portfolio to a custom domain, even something simple like yournameugc.com, it signals that you take your work seriously. Canva allows you to publish your portfolio as a website, and domain names are inexpensive to register. It’s one of those things that takes twenty minutes to set up and immediately elevates how you’re perceived.

If a custom domain isn’t in the budget yet, make sure your Canva link is at least clean and shareable. Avoid sending anyone a link with a string of random characters at the end if you can help it.

The bottom line

Your portfolio is a living document. Update it as you grow, swap out older videos for stronger ones, and add new brand logos as you land partnerships. The version you build today doesn’t have to be perfect — it just has to be good enough to get you in the door.

Get it done, get it out there, and let your work speak for itself.

One of the most common things I hear from people who want to get into UGC is some version of “I’ll start when I have better equipment” or “I need to set up my space first.” I get it, I thought the same thing. But the truth is, the barrier to entry for UGC is much lower than most people realize, and waiting until everything is perfect is just fear in disguise.

Here’s what you actually need to get started.

Shop UGC kit.

Your phone

That’s it. Seriously. The camera on a modern smartphone is more than enough to create high quality UGC content. Brands aren’t expecting cinema-grade footage, they want content that looks and feels authentic, like something a real person made. Because that’s exactly what converts.

Film in natural light whenever you can. A window in the morning or afternoon does more for your video quality than any ring light you could buy. If you want to level up eventually, a small clip-on lens or a simple tripod are worthwhile investments down the line - but they are not requirements on day one.

A few products you already own

You do not need to go shopping. Look around your house right now and I promise there are at least five products you could make content about today. Your moisturizer. A supplement you take every morning. A baby product you swear by. A coffee brand you’ve been using for years.

Start with what you know and what you genuinely like. Authentic enthusiasm for a product is impossible to fake, and brands can tell the difference.

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Good lighting

Natural light is your best friend and it costs nothing. Shoot near a window, face the light source, and you’ll be amazed at the difference. If you’re filming in the evening or in a darker space, a basic ring light, you can find them for under $30, will do the job. Lighting is the one area where a small investment makes the biggest visible impact on your content.

A clean, simple background

You don’t need a Pinterest-worthy home. You just need a corner that isn’t distracting. A clean wall, a tidy shelf, a simple countertop — any of these work. The product and you should be the focus, not what’s happening behind you. Take thirty seconds to clear the clutter before you film and you’re good to go.

A portfolio

Before you pitch a single brand, you need somewhere to send them. A portfolio doesn’t have to be complicated - a simple Canva document with a short bio, your content niches, two or three sample videos, and your contact information is genuinely all you need to start. Canva and Etsy has templates that look clean and professional. This is your first impression, so keep it clear and intentional.

If you don’t have brand videos yet, make some with products you own. Treat them like real briefs. Film them, edit them, and use them as samples. No brand needs to know they weren’t paid partnerships, what matters is that the quality speaks for itself.

A willingness to just start

This is genuinely the hardest thing on the list. Not because it takes skill, but because starting before you feel ready is uncomfortable. The creators who succeed in UGC aren’t the ones with the best cameras or the most polished portfolios on day one. They’re the ones who filmed something imperfect, sent it anyway, and kept going.

You already have more than you need. The only thing left is to begin.

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First, what even is UGC?

UGC stands for user-generated content. Brands pay creators like you and me to make authentic, relatable videos and photos featuring their products. Think unboxings, tutorials, honest reviews, and lifestyle content. The key word is authentic, brands aren’t looking for polished, over-produced ads. They want content that feels real because that’s what actually converts.

You don’t need a following to do this. You’re not posting as an influencer. You’re creating content that brands use on their own channels. That distinction is everything.

Step 1: Look up UGC examples on TikTok

Before you create anything, spend some time doing research. Search “UGC creator” or “UGC example” on TikTok and just watch. Pay attention to the structure of the videos - how they open, how the product is featured, how long they are, and what the hook sounds like in the first few seconds. You’ll start to notice patterns quickly. This is your free education, and it’s all right there.

Step 2: Create videos using products you already have

Here’s where people get stuck: they think they need to buy products to make content. You don’t. Walk around your house and look at what’s already there. Skincare on your bathroom shelf. A coffee brand in your kitchen. Baby products if you’re a parent. A supplement you actually take.

Pick two or three products and film simple, honest videos about them. Show yourself using the product, talk about what you like, and keep it natural. Aim for 30 to 60 seconds. These don’t need to be perfect - they need to feel genuine. That’s the whole point.

Step 3: Build a portfolio on Canva — for free

Once you have a few videos, you need somewhere to put them. Canva has free portfolio templates that are clean, professional, and easy to customize. Create a simple one-pager that includes a short bio, your content niches, a few sample videos or screenshots, and your contact information.

This is what you’ll send to brands. It doesn’t need to be fancy, it needs to be clear and make it easy for someone to understand who you are and what you create.

My UGC portfolio.

Step 4: Start a TikTok and post your work

Even if you’re not trying to build a massive following, having an active TikTok gives brands somewhere to look you up. Post your sample content, use relevant hashtags like #ugccreator and #ugccommunity, and engage with the UGC community. You’ll learn a lot just from being in the space, and visibility matters when brands are vetting creators.

Step 5: Look for UGC jobs

You’d be surprised how many brands are actively looking for UGC creators. Start by searching “UGC jobs” or “UGC” on TikTok and Twitter — brands post there regularly. You can also check platforms like Brkaway, Cohey, and Fiverr to find paid opportunities while you’re building up your direct outreach game.

Step 6: Reach out to brands you actually love

This is the step most people skip because it feels intimidating but it’s the most powerful one. Make a list of brands you genuinely use and love. Then find their marketing or partnership email (I always use ChatGPT to find emails) and send a short, simple pitch.

Tell them who you are, what you create, and why you’d be a great fit for their brand specifically. Attach your Canva portfolio. Keep it to a few sentences — you’re not writing a cover letter, you’re starting a conversation.

The brands you already believe in are the easiest ones to create for, and that enthusiasm comes through in the content.

You don’t need to have it all figured out to start

The biggest thing holding most people back from UGC isn’t lack of skill - it’s waiting until they feel ready. You don’t need a ring light, a professional camera, or a media kit on day one. You need a phone, a few products, and the willingness to hit record.

Start messy. Refine as you go. The side hustle you’ve been looking for might already be sitting on your bathroom shelf.

For years, I had this dream quietly running in the background. I wanted to be a full-time UGC creator. I’d built up real experience, worked with brands I genuinely loved, and knew I had something to offer. But I stayed put in my corporate job, because the fear was louder than the dream. What if I don’t make enough? What if it doesn’t work? I let “what if” keep me comfortable and stuck at the same time.

Then the decision was made for me.

The layoff I didn’t see coming and couldn’t have planned

When it happened, my first instinct wasn’t relief. It was panic. The safety net was gone. The steady pay check, the predictability, the identity I’d wrapped around a job title - all of it, overnight.

I realized I’d been waiting for a sign, and this was it, just not the gentle nudge I’d imagined. It was a shove.

I stopped asking what if it doesn’t work and started asking what if it does?

What happens when you go all in

I genuinely believe this: when you pour your whole energy into something, you make things possible that fear told you were out of reach. Not because the path gets easier… it doesn’t, but because you stop hedging. You stop holding part of yourself back as insurance.

Going full-time as a UGC creator forced me to show up completely. I pitched harder, created better work, and built relationships with brands that actually aligned with what I care about. The results followed.

Building a career while raising a tiny human

Here’s the part nobody tells you about the corporate world until you’re in it: it is not built for parents. The hours, the expectations, the early daycare pick up - none of it bends for you.

My daughter is 13 months old. She is the most demanding, most wonderful little person I’ve ever met. And I get to be present for her in a way I genuinely couldn’t have been before.

UGC gives me something a 9-to-5 never could: I choose my hours. I can shoot content during her nap, take a brand call after bedtime, and be fully here the rest of the time. That flexibility isn’t a perk… it’s everything when you have a little one.

Sometimes the door has to close for you to walk through it

I know not everyone who gets laid off feels lucky. The grief is real, the uncertainty is real, and I’m not here to paper over any of that. But if there’s something you’ve been wanting to build, something you’ve been quietly dreaming about while staying in the “safe” lane, maybe losing the safe lane is the thing that finally gets you there.

So if you have also been laid off recently, take it as a sign. You got this!

I share what it’s really like building a UGC career and raising a baby at the same time — the wins, the chaos, and everything in between. If that sounds like your kind of content, subscribe below.

Here’s the thing: the outfit is never the star of the show. The product is. But what you wear still matters because the wrong choice distracts from your face, clashes with the product, or just doesn’t translate well on screen.

So here’s my actual go-to filming wardrobe. Simple, comfortable, and it works every time.

Click to shop these picks.

Neutral, relaxed, and camera-friendly. Nothing too busy, nothing that pulls the eye away from your face or the product. Think of your outfit as the supporting actor, it needs to show up and look good, but it should never steal the scene.

These looks are also comfy, which is important to film in and also look like the videos are coming from a friend. I think when people dress sloppy, the videos are sloppy. Ya know?!

Happy shopping! 💫

I remember the exact feeling of filming my first UGC video. I truly had no idea where to being and what to film. I spent hours filming, re-filming, editing, second-guessing, and finally just sending it off with my heart racing like I was jumping off a cliff.

Four years, 100+ brand deals, and a full-time income later ‚ I have a lot to say about that girl and everything she didn’t know.

So here it is. The honest, unfiltered version of what I wish someone had told me on day one.

1. You’re not charging enough. You never were.

This one hurts to write because I left so much money on the table in my first two years. I was so grateful to be working with brands that I would have accepted almost anything. $50 for a video? Sure. Free product only? Okay, fine.

Here’s the truth: brands have budgets. Real ones. And when you charge less than you’re worth, they don’t think you’re a deal, they think you’re a beginner. Pricing is part of your positioning.

The moment I started charging more, I started attracting better clients. That’s not a coincidence.

2. Your portfolio matters more than your following

This was the biggest mindset shift I had to make. UGC is not influencer marketing. Brands are not paying for your audience ‚ they’re paying for your ability to create content that converts.

A 500-follower creator with a stunning, well-lit skincare video that looks like it belongs in a paid ad will always beat a 50k creator with shaky, poorly lit content. Every time.

Invest in your craft before you invest in growing your platform.

3. Not every brand deal is a good one

Early on I said yes to everything. And I mean everything. Brands that weren’t aligned with me, products I hadn’t tried, timelines that were impossible, contracts with crazy revision clauses.

I was so focused on building my portfolio that I didn’t stop to think about what I was actually building or how it would feel to create content I didn’t believe in.

Your name is on every piece of content you make. Be selective. It’s okay to say no.

4. Systems will save you

At some point, saying yes to more brands means drowning in emails, deadlines, contracts, and deliverables ‚ all at once. I didn’t have a system for any of it in my first year and it almost broke me.

Now I have a client tracker, email templates for every stage of the process, and a content calendar I actually stick to. It took me way too long to put this in place and I genuinely think it’s the reason I’ve been able to do this full time without burning out.

5. The industry changes fast. Stay curious.

The way I was pitching brands in 2022 doesn’t work the same way in 2026. The platforms brands want content for have shifted. The formats that convert have evolved. What worked six months ago might be stale now. I mean Yapper videos nows won’t be a thing next year.

The creators I’ve watched fall off are the ones who found something that worked and refused to adapt. The ones who are thriving ‚ including me on my best days‚ are the ones who stay curious, keep testing, and aren’t precious about their process.

6. Community is everything

I spent my first year treating other UGC creators like competition. I was wrong.

The opportunities I’ve gotten through creator friendships, referrals, collabs, brand introductions, advice that saved me from making expensive mistakes, have been some of the most valuable things in my business. Full stop.

Find your people. Support them genuinely. This industry is big enough for all of us.

If you’re just starting out, I see you. And if you’re somewhere in the middle trying to figure out how to level up, I see you too.

This newsletter is where I share all of it: the wins, the lessons, the real numbers, and the bts of building a UGC business that actually lasts.

You’re in the right place 💫

So when I eventually crossed to the other side, I had an advantage most creators don’t get. I already knew the game… I just needed to learn how to play it as a creator instead of a brand.

But honestly? It started way more accidentally than that.

It was 2022. I was on TikTok, just exploring, completely obsessed with the app. And then one day I came across a video of a girl who was making content for brands. Not as an influencer. Not with a massive following. She was creating content brands actually used… in their ads, on their websites, across their socials.

I was immediately interested. I could do that!

I slid into her DMs. I asked her how she did it. And instead of ignoring me, she started sending me brands to work with.

Just like that, it clicked. This was it.

Four years later, I’ve worked with 100+ brands across beauty, apparel, and fashion. I went from figuring it out in my living room to doing this full time… building a business around content I’m genuinely proud of.

And now I’m here, on Substack, because I want to share everything I’ve learned along the way.

The stuff brands don’t tell you. The stuff creators don’t post about. The real side of building a UGC business. The rates, the pitches, the wins, the slow months, the strategy behind the content, and all the bts moments in between.

I love social media. I love smart marketing. And I love watching creators realize they don’t have to figure this out alone.

If you’re a creator trying to go full time, a brand trying to understand UGC, or just someone who loves the behind-the-scenes of the content world, you’re in the right place.

I’m so glad you’re here. 💫

My portfolio: ugcemilyjane.com