UGC content agreement

The short version

A UGC content agreement is the contract between your brand and a creator for one job. It says what the creator delivers and by when, how many revision rounds are included, where and for how long you may use the videos, who owns them, and when and how the creator gets paid. Signing it before filming protects both sides from the usual disputes: extra revisions, unclear usage and late payment.

This template has seven parts, in the order a job happens: the parties and the job, deliverables and deadlines, revisions and approval, usage rights and ownership, payment and cancellation, the creator’s promises and disclosure, and general terms with signatures. Each part is explained in plain English below.

It’s a starting point, not legal advice. Have it checked for your country before you use it, especially for large fees, buyouts or exclusivity. The outline below is free to copy. The full agreement and a filled-in example are included with annual access.

When to use it

Send it with the campaign brief, after the creator has agreed a rate. If the creator sends their own agreement instead, compare it against these seven parts and ask about anything missing.

What’s inside

The outline covers the five terms creators ask about first. The full agreement below adds the product, approval, ownership options, the kill fee, the creator’s promises, digital likeness, confidentiality and signatures.

Part 1: parties and the job

The first part names both sides and makes the brief part of the agreement. That way, the detailed deliverables and creative direction you agreed in the brief count, without repeating them here.

How to fill it in

• [Brand legal name] and [Brand address]: your registered company details. Invoices and tax forms will need them.
• [Creator full name] and [Creator address]: the creator’s legal name, or their company’s. Ask them.
• [product] and [brief date]: the product and the date on the brief you sent. Date every new version of the brief.

What it means

The brief becomes part of the deal, but the agreement wins if they conflict. The creator works for themselves: you direct what’s made, not how they spend their day.

Part 2: deliverables and deadlines

This part lists every file you’ll receive, how the product reaches the creator and when the files are due. Be exact: this is the list you’ll both check on delivery day.

How to fill it in

• [number], [length], [aspect ratio] and [resolution]: copied from the creator’s quote and the brief.
• [number of hooks] and raw footage: list them even when the answer is zero or “not included”, so nobody assumes otherwise.
• [ship date]: give the creator at least a week between the product arriving and the first draft.
• [turnaround]: the number of days the creator needs, such as “7 days”. It protects the creator when a parcel is late, and keeps the timeline realistic.
• [final days]: such as “3”. Fast feedback from you keeps this short.

What it means

The creator delivers exactly what’s listed, and nothing on the list is “extra”. If the product is late, the deadline moves with it.

Part 3: revisions and approval

Revisions are an easy place for a UGC job to go wrong. This part limits the number of rounds, separates changes to the edit from reshoots, and sets a time limit for your feedback, so a job can’t stay open indefinitely.

How to fill it in

• [revision rounds]: usually one or two. Two suits brands with more than one person approving.
• [feedback days]: how quickly you’ll respond, such as “3”. Choose a number your team can meet.
• [reshoot fee]: often the full price of the video, since a reshoot is the whole job again. Agree it now rather than in the middle of a dispute.

What it means

You get the agreed rounds of changes. A new direction after filming is paid. A mistake against the brief is fixed free. Silence after the final delivery counts as approval. The feedback and revision request template helps you use your rounds well.

Part 4: usage rights and ownership

This part says what you can do with the videos. It’s the part with the biggest effect on price, so it must match the creator’s quote: the channels, the period, the countries, ads from the creator’s account, editing, exclusivity and who owns the content.

How to fill it in

• [non-exclusive / exclusive]: non-exclusive is the usual choice. In principle the creator could license the same video elsewhere, but it shows your product, so it has little use to anyone else. Exclusive costs more.
• [channels], [usage period] and [countries]: the same terms as the quote, such as “paid and organic social on TikTok and Meta, your website and email”, “3 months” and “the US”. See usage period.
• [usage start]: “the first day an ad runs” is fair when you won’t launch straight away. A fixed date is simpler.
• Ads from the creator’s account: whitelisting, priced as a monthly fee because it uses the creator’s account and audience.
• [extension fee]: a price for extra months, from the creator’s rate card. Agreeing it now makes a later usage extension simple.
• Option A or B: delete the one you don’t use. A buyout costs significantly more, and a time-limited license covers most social ad plans.
• [portfolio timing]: “once the Brand has posted it” or a date, if you need to launch first.
• Section 10: digital likeness protections matter to creators, and saying so plainly builds trust.
• [competitors], [period] and [fee]: exclusivity stops the creator working for competitors, so it’s paid separately. Keep it narrow.

What it means

You get permission to use the videos within clear limits, starting when you’ve paid. Anything beyond those limits needs a new agreement. The creator’s face and voice can’t be turned into AI content without their separate consent.

Part 5: payment and cancellation

This part sets the fee and when it’s paid, what happens if payment is late, and what happens if you cancel. Paying on time is the cheapest way to become a brand creators want to work with again.

How to fill it in

• [total fee] and [currency]: the agreed total. List the parts in the email or invoice if it helps, such as videos, hooks, raw footage and usage.
• [deposit]: 30–50% on signing is reasonable for new creators. It shows you’re committed.
• [payment days]: such as “14”. If your finance team pays on 30 days or more, say so before the creator agrees a price. See payment terms.
• [payment method]: bank transfer, PayPal or your payment platform. Check whether the creator needs a tax form from you first.
• VAT or sales tax: say whether the fee includes it. It depends on where you and the creator are.
• [grace days] and [late fee]: some places limit late fees, so check what applies. A late fee you never trigger costs nothing.
• [kill fee]: such as “50%”. A kill fee pays for work already done when you stop a job.

What it means

The creator gets a deposit before filming and the rest after approval. If you pay late, you can’t use the videos until you’ve paid. If you cancel after filming starts, you pay for part of the work but don’t get the videos.

Part 6: creator promises and disclosure

This part covers what the creator promises about the content itself: that it’s original, that nobody else’s rights are in it, that other people in it agreed to appear, and that claims follow your brief. It also covers disclosure if the creator posts it.

How to fill it in

• Nothing to fill in here, but read it with the creator if they ask. Each promise is something a careful creator already does.
• (c): if a partner, child or friend appears, ask the creator for a written release. See minor release.
• (d) and section 16: you supply the claims, so you carry the responsibility for them. Creators shouldn’t invent results.
• Section 17: in the US, the FTC’s Endorsement Guides apply to paid posts. Other countries have similar rules.

What it means

The creator promises clean, original content with permission from anyone in it. Claims about the product come from you. If the creator also posts the video, it’s labeled as paid.

Part 7: general terms and signatures

The last part covers confidentiality, how either side can end the agreement, which law applies, and the signatures.

How to fill it in

• [launch date]: the embargo. For an unreleased product, sign a mutual NDA before you share anything.
• [cure days]: such as “7”. It gives either side a chance to fix a problem before the agreement ends.
• [governing law]: usually where your company is based. Check it with a lawyer when the creator is in another country.
• [signatory name] and [signatory title]: someone authorized to sign contracts for your company.

What it means

Both sides keep each other’s details private. Either can end the agreement after a serious problem that isn’t fixed, but rights to content you’ve paid for continue. Changes need both signatures.

A filled-in example

Here are the deliverables, revisions, usage and payment clauses filled in for the example job used across these templates: two 30-second videos with three hooks each and raw footage, for three months of paid ads in the US. The brand, the people and the figures are made up.

The clauses match the creator’s quote and the brief: every file is listed, the usage has channels, a period and a country, and the deposit, payment date and kill fee are clear. If the ads perform well, extending usage is already priced at $60 per video per month.

Mistakes to avoid

• Asking for “all rights, forever, worldwide” by default. A buyout costs far more than a time-limited license, and most social ads don’t run for years. License what you’ll actually use.
• Starting usage before payment. Tie usage to full payment. It’s fair, and it’s what creators expect.
• No limit on revisions. Unlimited revisions make creators price higher or decline. One or two rounds, with a time limit, is enough.
• Payment terms you can’t meet. If your finance team pays in 45 days, don’t sign 14. Late payment damages your reputation with creators.
• Leaving out likeness. Creators often ask how their face and voice may be used, especially with AI tools. A clear likeness clause answers it before they ask.

Questions brands ask

Before you sign

• Every [placeholder] is replaced, and every either-or choice is made.
• The deliverables, fee and usage match the creator’s quote and the brief.
• Usage has channels, a period and countries, and starts on full payment.
• Revisions, reshoots and feedback times are set, and your team can meet them.
• The deposit, payment date and kill fee are clear, and your finance team has agreed them.
• A lawyer has checked the agreement for your country, especially for large fees, buyouts or exclusivity.