- Find creators in your own comments and tags first. People who already like the product need no convincing.
- Judge them by their videos, not their followers. Clear speech, good light, an honest manner.
- Write a one page brief: the buyer, the angle, two openings, must show, must not say.
- Agree in writing on the fee, the deadline, one round of revisions, where the video may be used and for how long.
- Send the product early and ask them to use it for a week before filming.
- Ask for raw footage as well as the edit, if the agreement allows, so you can cut new openings.
- Post it and read the retention. Note which creator, angle and opening held attention; what counts as a Reels view explains which numbers to trust.
- Brief the next batch from what worked. Keep the creators who delivered.
A UGC service for brands that need more than one face.
We run UGC production for brands: we brief, cast and edit creator video for your social media accounts and your ads. Real people, your real product, a written agreement on usage rights, and creators paid by you directly with no markup.
What it is
What UGC means now.
UGC stands for user generated content. It used to mean what customers posted on their own: a photo of the order arriving, a review filmed in a kitchen. Brands noticed that it could be more convincing than their studio work, because it looked like a recommendation and not like an advert.
Today a UGC service usually means something slightly different: video made by independent creators, to a brief, for the brand to post on its own channels and run as ads. The creator does not need an audience. They need to be good on camera and honest about the product.
Both kinds are useful, and they are handled differently. This page covers how we source and produce creator content, and how we collect real customer content with permission.
UGC, influencer marketing, customer content.
Three things get sold under one name. They cost differently and they do different jobs.
TypeWho makes it, where it runsWhat you pay forBest for
UGC creator contentA creator films to your brief. It runs on your channels and in your ads.The video and the right to use it.A steady supply of ad creative and organic video with different faces.
Influencer marketingA creator posts to their own audience.Access to that audience, plus the content.Reach and trust in a specific community.
Customer contentA real customer films or photographs their own purchase.Usually nothing, sometimes a thank you. Always written permission.Proof. Nothing else is as believable.
Founder and staff videoYour own team, from a shot list.Time.The core of the account. Creator content supports it and does not replace it.
Each batch
What the UGC service includes.
Five videos per batch at $650, delivered about two weeks after the brief is agreed, depending on how quickly the creator and the product find each other. Creator fees are paid directly by you, with no markup from us.
- A UGC strategy for the quarterWhich angles to test, for which products, in what order, and how many videos each test needs.
- A creative brief per videoThe angle, the opening line, the three things that must be shown, the one claim that must not be made, length and format.
- Creator castingPeople who match your buyers in age, setting and manner, chosen from their past work and not from follower counts.
- AgreementsDeliverables, deadline, fee, usage rights, revisions and disclosure, in writing before the product ships.
- Product logisticsYou ship the product. We track who has it and when footage is due.
- Review and revisionsWe check every video against the brief and against what may legally be said about the product.
- EditingCuts, subtitles, on screen text and several openings per video, exported for Reels, TikTok, stories and ad placements.
- A usage logWhich video may be used where, and until when, so nothing runs past its license.
- Performance fed backWhich creators, angles and openings performed in organic posts and in ad campaigns, so the next batch is briefed from evidence.
UGC strategy starts with the brief.
A brief that says "be authentic" and nothing else gets video that says nothing in particular. Ours fits on one page and answers these.
Part of the briefWhat it saysWhy
Who is watchingOne buyer, described as a person: what they tried before, what they doubt.Creators talk differently to a person than to a demographic.
The angleOne reason to care: a problem solved, a comparison, a routine, a first impression.One video, one idea. Several angles mean several videos.
The openingTwo or three first lines to choose from, and what is on screen while they are said.The first seconds decide whether the rest is seen; nine ways to open a Reel covers the openings that hold.
Must showThe product in use, the detail that matters, the result.Otherwise you get a person talking about a box.
Must not sayMedical, financial or performance claims the product cannot support.A claim in a creator's mouth is still your claim.
FreedomThe creator's own words, setting and order of points.A script read aloud sounds like a script. That is what kills UGC.
UGC usage rights, in plain words.
This is where brands get into trouble months later. Every agreement we draft answers these five questions.
QuestionWhat to settle
Where may the content be used?Organic social, paid ads, website, email, marketplaces. Each is a separate permission, and ads usually cost more.
For how long?A fixed term or in perpetuity. A term is cheaper and needs the usage log, so nothing keeps running after it ends.
May it be edited?Cut downs, subtitles, new openings, combining clips from several creators. Say so in the agreement.
May it run from the creator's handle?Partnership ads on Meta and Spark Ads on TikTok need the creator to authorize them, usually for an added fee and a set period.
Is it exclusive?Whether the creator may work with a direct competitor during the term. Exclusivity costs extra and is often not needed.
We are not a law firm. For high value campaigns, regulated products or anything involving minors, have the agreement reviewed by your own counsel.
Disclosure and honesty.
UGC content works because people believe it. That is a reason to be strict about it.
What we require
Creators use the product before they film, and say only what they found. When a creator posts paid or gifted content on their own account, it is disclosed with the platform's paid partnership label and in plain words. Advertising regulators, including the FTC in the United States, expect that, and so do viewers.
What we refuse
Scripts that invent a personal story. Actors presented as customers. Fake reviews and fake before and after results. Claims about health, income or performance that the product cannot support. If a brief needs any of these to work, the problem is the product or the offer.
Real customer content, with permission.
The most convincing content a brand can post already exists, on its customers' phones. Collecting it is a routine, not a campaign.
- 01Ask at the right moment.A card in the parcel and a message after delivery, asking for a photo or a short video and saying where it might appear.
- 02Get permission in writing.A reply that says yes, kept on file. A tag or a mention is not a license to repost or to advertise with.
- 03Credit the person.By handle, unless they prefer otherwise.
- 04Ask again before using it in ads.Paid use is a separate permission, and some customers will say no. That is their right.
- 05Remove it on request.At once, without discussion.
Where UGC video goes to work.
One batch of UGC footage is cut for several placements, which is how a small production budget reaches scale. This is what each one needs.
PlacementWhat works thereWhat we deliver
TikTok and Reels, organicFirst impressions, routines, answers to a comment, comparisons.Vertical video with subtitles, two or three openings to test.
Paid social adsA clear problem, the product, the result, one call to action. Music in ads has to be cleared for business use, as finding popular TikTok songs explains.Several lengths, several openings, files named so results can be traced per creator and angle.
StoriesShort reactions and quick demos with a product link.Cut downs in sequence, with room for stickers.
Product pages and emailThe product in a real home, on a real person.Muted loops and stills pulled from the footage, where the rights allow.
Running the ads themselves is a separate service, paid social. Posting the organic cuts is part of Instagram management and TikTok marketing.
A UGC agency, a platform, or doing it yourself.
All three can produce good UGC for brands. They differ in who does the thinking, and in how well they scale.
RouteHow it worksGoodWatch for
A UGC platformA marketplace. You post a brief, creators apply, the platform handles payment.Fast, wide choice, clear pricing.You write the brief, pick the creators and judge the result. Rights terms are the platform's, so read them.
A UGC agencyThe agency briefs, casts, manages and edits.Strategy, production and quality control are done for you by one team.Markups on creator fees, and rights that stay with the agency. Ask about both.
Doing it yourselfYou find creators on TikTok and Instagram and message them.Cheapest, and you build direct relationships.Time, chasing deliveries, and agreements made in DMs that settle nothing.
Do it yourself
Your first five creator videos, without an agency.
This is the process we use, in the smallest version that still works.
Who the UGC service is for, and who it is not.
A good fit
A DTC or ecommerce brand with a physical product that can be shipped and shown in use. A brand running paid social that needs fresh ad creative every month. A team whose founder cannot be the only face of the account forever.
Not a fit
Products that cannot be shipped to a creator. Regulated categories where we cannot check the claims. Brands that want scripted testimonials, or reviews from people who have not used the product. Local businesses, where your own staff and customers are the better cast.
Questions
About UGC content.
What is a UGC service?+
A UGC service produces creator made video and photos for a brand to use on its own channels and in its ads. It covers the brief, finding and contracting creators, reviewing what they deliver, and editing it for each placement.
What is the difference between UGC and influencer marketing?+
With UGC you pay for content and the right to use it, and it runs on your channels. With influencer marketing you pay for access to the creator's audience, and it runs on theirs. The same person can do both, under different terms and fees.
How much does UGC content cost?+
Our fee is $650 per batch of five videos. Creator fees vary with experience, the length of the video, the usage rights and whether ads are included. We show you each creator's fee before you agree, and you pay them directly.
Do you add a markup to creator fees?+
No. You see what each creator charges and pay them directly. Our fee covers the briefs, casting, management and editing, and it is stated separately.
Who owns the videos?+
The agreement decides. Most creator agreements grant the brand a license to use the video in named places for a named period, and the creator keeps the copyright. Full ownership can be negotiated and costs more. We never hold the rights ourselves.
Can we use UGC videos as ads?+
Yes, when the agreement includes paid usage. Running the ad from the creator's own handle, as a partnership ad on Meta or a Spark Ad on TikTok, needs their authorization as well.
Do creators have to disclose that they were paid?+
When they post on their own account, yes: with the platform's paid partnership label and in plain words. Content that runs only on the brand's own channels is already understood as the brand's advertising.
How do you choose creators?+
We choose UGC creators by their past videos: clear speech, natural delivery, good light, and a setting that matches your buyers. Follower count does not matter, because the content runs on your account and not theirs.
Do creators follow a script?+
They follow a brief: the angle, the opening, what to show and what not to claim. The words are their own. A script read to camera is easy to spot, and it removes the reason to use a creator at all.
Can we repost content our customers tagged us in?+
Ask first and keep the reply. A tag is not permission to repost, and it is certainly not permission to advertise with. Asking politely costs nothing, and a customer who says yes has given you proof you can use.
How many videos do we need?+
For a paid social campaign, enough UGC to test several angles and replace tired creative every few weeks. For an organic account, a few creator videos a month next to your own footage. We size a batch after the free audit.
Do you use AI generated people or voices?+
No. The value of creator content is that a real person used the product and said what they thought. A generated face making that claim is a fake testimonial.
Start with the audit.
The free audit shows where creator content would help the account, and where your own team on camera would do better.