In short: A UGC creator is paid to make customer-style videos that brands use on their own channels — not posts for your own audience. That is why you can start with no followers. The path: pick a niche, gather a basic kit, film a few sample videos, put them on a simple portfolio page, apply for your first paid work, and price each job as a fee for the video plus a separate charge for how the brand may use it.
What a UGC creator actually does
Influencers are paid for distribution: they post on their own account and the brand borrows their audience. UGC creators are paid for content: they film a video to a brief and hand it to the brand, which decides where it runs — ads, product pages, email or its own social feed. Because you are not selling access to an audience, guides on the subject are unanimous that follower count is largely beside the point. What a brand needs to see is that your videos are clear, believable and easy to use.
Step 1: Choose a niche you can film credibly
Start where you already have products and knowledge. Beauty, skincare, fashion and personal care are natural fits for a beginner: you probably own products in these categories, you know how you use them, and short demonstration and review videos are the standard formats. Being specific helps — “skincare for sensitive skin” or “everyday workwear” gives a brand a clearer reason to pick you than “lifestyle”.
Step 2: Put together a simple kit
You do not need to spend much. A recent smartphone, daylight (a window works), a cheap tripod or something to prop the phone, and clear audio are enough to start. Good light matters more than a good camera — especially for beauty, where colour accuracy affects whether a video is trusted.
Step 3: Film three to five sample videos
Brands cannot book a creator they cannot preview, so make sample (“spec”) videos before you have a client. Use products you already own and show range:
- an unboxing or first-impression video,
- a product demonstration (how it is used, how it looks),
- a talking-head review in your own words.
Film vertically, keep each one short, and open with a clear first line. One guide even warns that over-produced footage tends to perform worse than natural-looking footage, so do not overthink the editing. Label sample work honestly as sample work — never present it as something a brand commissioned. More in how to build a UGC portfolio, and for ideas UGC video ideas and hooks for beauty and fashion.
Step 4: Build a portfolio brands can open in seconds
A link beats an attachment. Put your best three to five videos on a single page with a one-line description of each, a short intro about what you make, and a way to contact you. Do not send a folder that needs downloading.
Step 5: Find your first paid work
Beginner guides describe three routes, roughly in this order:
- Marketplaces where brands look for creators — the lowest-friction start, because the brief, price and payment are set out for you. On Usicri, open campaigns show the payout, the number of spots left and whether the product is provided.
- Brands whose products you genuinely use — get in touch with a relevant sample video attached.
- Small direct-to-consumer brands whose video ads you could improve.
Expect your first jobs to be smaller, sometimes a product plus a modest fee. What builds a business is delivering on time to the brief and turning one job into repeat work.
Step 6: Price the work properly
Charge per deliverable, and treat usage rights as a separate price component: limited use on one platform is the base, broader paid-ad rights and longer terms cost more. Published beginner ranges sit at roughly $50–$400 per video, but they vary a lot — see the 2026 UGC rates guide for where each figure comes from. Read what a licence covers before you agree (UGC usage rights explained).
Step 7: Know the rules from day one
- Disclosure: if you publish paid or gifted content on your own channels, it has to be clearly labelled as advertising. → UGC disclosure rules
- Claims: say what you actually experienced; do not add benefits the brand has not given you. → Skincare and cosmetic claims in UGC
- Your own paperwork: earnings from content are usually taxable and may require you to register as self-employed. Rules differ by country, so check what applies where you live.
Common beginner mistakes
- Believing you need followers before you can start.
- Agreeing to unlimited, all-media rights without pricing for them.
- Over-editing videos so they no longer look natural.
- Not reading the brief and reshooting the same thing twice.
- Letting a time-limited licence quietly lapse instead of offering a renewal.
Getting started on Usicri
Joining is free and creators keep 100% of every payout. Create a creator account, browse the open campaigns, pick one that fits and upload your video. You confirm when you upload that you filmed it yourself; the brand approves or declines it and tells you why if it is a no. Approved earnings are paid out to your bank account or debit card through Stripe once they reach 20 USD.
A word on expectations: there is no guaranteed income in this work. Earnings depend on the campaigns available, the price each brand sets and the quality of your videos.