UGCStarsThe short version
Brands buy UGC as content, not as reach. They pay you for a video they can post on their own accounts or run as an ad, and your follower count barely matters. What matters is whether the video makes someone stop scrolling and understand the product.
Most briefs ask for a handful of familiar formats: testimonials, unboxings, problem and solution videos, before and afters, tutorials and day in the life videos. Learn those six and you can answer most briefs you’ll see.
The brand is usually buying more than one finished video. Extra hooks, raw clips and the right to run your video as an ad are where much of the value sits for them, so they’re also where you can charge for your work.
UGC vs influencer content: who owns the audience
The difference comes down to whose audience sees the video. An influencer post goes out on the creator’s own account, to the creator’s followers. A UGC video goes to the brand, and the brand decides where it runs: its TikTok, its Instagram, its ads, its website.
That changes what the brand is paying for. With an influencer, the price follows the audience: how many people follow them, how engaged they are, who they are. With UGC, the price follows the video: how long it is, how many versions there are, and how the brand will use it.
| UGC video | Influencer post | |
|---|---|---|
| Who posts it | The brand, on its own accounts or as an ad | The creator, on their own account |
| Whose audience sees it | The brand’s followers, or whoever the ads target | The creator’s followers |
| What sets the price | The work, the number of versions and the usage rights | Audience size, engagement and the work |
| Do followers matter | Rarely. Many UGC creators have small accounts | Yes. They’re a big part of what the brand buys |
| What the brand receives | Video files, often with extra hooks and raw clips | A live post, plus stats from the creator’s account |
| How long the brand can use it | As agreed in the usage rights | Usually the post itself, plus any reposting rights agreed |
Some jobs mix the two. A brand may ask you to post the video on your own account as well, or to let them run ads from your handle. That’s still fine to take on, but it’s a different job with a different price, and the pricing guide covers how to charge for it.
Where your videos end up
Knowing where a video will run tells you how to film it. A video for a product page needs to explain the product calmly. A video for a paid ad needs to grab attention in the first second, because the viewer didn’t choose to watch it.
- The brand’s organic social posts. TikTok, Reels and Shorts on the brand’s own accounts. These feel closest to normal creator content.
- Paid social ads. The same platforms, but the brand pays to show your video to people who don’t follow them. This is where hooks matter most, and where brands test many versions against each other.
- Ads from your account. With TikTok Spark Ads or Meta partnership ads, the ad shows your name and handle. The brand needs your permission, and it’s usually priced separately.
- Product pages and marketplaces. Short demos and reviews on the brand’s website or product listings, where a shopper is already deciding.
- Email and landing pages. Clips or stills from your video used in newsletters and campaign pages.
If a brief doesn’t say where the video will run, ask before you quote. The answer changes both the price and how you film it, and the brand email templates include a reply that asks for exactly this.
Six formats you’ll see in briefs
Most UGC briefs are built on a few formats. Each one has a job in the brand’s marketing, and knowing that job helps you film it well.
| Format | What it shows | Typical length | What the brand uses it for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Testimonial | You talking to camera about why you use the product and what changed | 20–45 seconds | Trust: a real person vouching for the product |
| Unboxing | Opening the package, first reactions, what’s inside | 15–40 seconds | Gifting, launches and premium packaging |
| Problem and solution | A familiar problem, then the product solving it | 20–45 seconds | Paid ads, because the problem works as a hook |
| Before and after | The same thing before and after the product, in the same light | 15–30 seconds | Visible results: cleaning, skincare, hair, home |
| Tutorial | How to use the product, step by step | 30–60 seconds | Product pages and fewer returns from confused buyers |
| Day in the life | The product fitting naturally into your routine | 20–60 seconds | Lifestyle positioning and organic posts |
You’ll also see comparison videos, voiceover-only videos, hands-only videos and product photos. They follow the same idea: show the product clearly and give the viewer a reason to care. The script templates have a ready structure for each of the six formats above.
What makes a video usable in an ad
A video can look good and still be unusable. Brands reject footage for reasons that have nothing to do with talent, and most of them are easy to avoid once you know them.
In the first three seconds
- Start with the hook, not a greeting. “Hi guys” is time the viewer spends deciding to scroll.
- Show the product early, or show the problem it solves. A viewer who doesn’t know what the video is about leaves.
- Start mid-action where you can. Movement in the first second holds attention better than a still frame. The hooks guide has 30 examples.
On screen
- Film vertical 9:16 unless the brief says otherwise.
- Keep your face, the product and any text out of the safe zones: the bottom of the screen and the right edge, where app captions and buttons sit.
- Remove other brands, price stickers and anything personal from the frame.
- Light your face and the product evenly. The lesson on lighting and sound shows how with a window and a phone.
In the sound and the words
- Your voice must be clear, without echo or background hum.
- Don’t add popular music unless the brief asks for it. Commercial tracks often can’t be used in ads, so deliver a version without music.
- Say only what you can stand behind. Claims like “cures acne” or “lose 10 pounds in a week” can get an ad rejected and may break advertising rules. Stick to what you noticed and the claims the brand gives you.
In the files you send
- Send a clean version without burned-in captions or watermarks, unless the brief asks for captions.
- Name the files so the brand can tell them apart, such as “Brand_Testimonial_HookA.mp4”.
- Deliver in the resolution the brief asks for. 1080p is enough for most social placements.
Why raw footage and hook variations matter
Brands that run ads rarely run a single version. They test several openings against each other and keep spending on the one that performs best. That’s why so many briefs ask for hook variations: the same video with a different first three seconds.
Raw footage works the same way. With your unedited clips, the brand’s editor can cut new versions for different platforms, lengths and audiences without booking another shoot.
| You deliver | What the brand can make from it |
|---|---|
| One 30-second testimonial | One ad |
| Three hook variations for it | Three versions to test against each other |
| A 15-second cutdown | A shorter version for placements that favor short videos |
| Raw clips: B-roll, close-ups, extra takes | New edits later without a reshoot |
Every extra version a brand makes comes from your work, so hooks and raw footage are worth pricing as add-ons. The pricing guide has example prices. Filming them costs you little extra time when you plan them before the shoot.
What usage rights mean for you
Usage rights are the permission you give the brand to use your video: where, for how long, and in which countries. You keep making the content. The rights decide what the brand can do with it afterwards.
- Organic use means the brand posts the video on its own accounts. Most creators include this in their starting rate.
- Paid usage means the brand pays to show the video as an ad. It’s worth more to the brand, so it costs more, usually priced by how long the ads run.
- Ads from your account (whitelisting) use your name and handle as well as your video. Price it separately.
- A buyout or perpetual license gives the brand the video with no end date. Price it well above a time-limited license, or don’t offer it.
Always agree the channels, the duration, the countries and whether the brand may edit your video before you film, and get it in writing. The article on charging for UGC usage rights goes deeper, and the simple UGC agreement has a clause you can use.
Before you take your first brief
- Ask where the video will run: organic posts, paid ads or both.
- Ask how long the brand wants to use it, and in which countries.
- Check which of the six formats the brief describes, and plan your shots for it.
- Plan your hook variations before you film, not after.
- Confirm whether the brand wants raw footage, and price it as an add-on.
- Agree the number of revision rounds and the delivery date in writing.