In short: Seven things can go wrong when you buy UGC: a video you cannot use, rights that are unclear, a claim you cannot stand behind, footage that is not what it seems, a missing disclosure, a payment problem and people in the frame who never agreed. Each has a cheap safeguard: a written brief, rights in writing, approved claim wording, a proof shot, a stated disclosure rule, payment after approval and a written confirmation from the creator. The FTC puts the responsibility where it belongs: “Your company is ultimately responsible for what others do on your behalf.” Treat the safeguards as your routine, and choose a platform that makes them easy.
The seven risks at a glance
| Risk | Safeguard | On Usicri |
|---|---|---|
| A video you cannot use | A brief with must-include and must-avoid items; review before you pay | Charged only when you approve; a rejected video costs nothing |
| Unclear rights | A written license that names editing and paid ads | Approval and payment start a non-exclusive, worldwide license without time limit, for all media including paid ads (whitelisting is agreed separately) |
| A claim you cannot back | Approved claim wording in the brief; check the video against it | Brands may not ask for false claims; Usicri does not check, you review |
| Borrowed or synthetic footage | A proof shot; review against the real product | The creator confirms on every upload that they filmed it and that it shows real people |
| A missing disclosure | State the disclosure rule and the free-product rule in the brief | The Terms say paid promotions must be identifiable as advertising |
| A payment problem | No deposit; pay on delivery of something you accepted | No deposit; Stripe processes the payment; invoices for platform fees are in your account |
| People who never agreed | Ask the creator to confirm that everyone in the frame agreed | The creator promises that every recognizable person agreed to the uses |
Before you launch
Most risk is cheaper to remove in the brief than in the review. Say what must appear and what must not, and write the claim wording you have approved, so a creator does not improvise a promise about your product. If you send a product, say so and state the disclosure rule: the FTC says that if consumers knew the company gave the product for free, a disclosure is needed however the product was received, and that a connection should be disclosed “clearly and conspicuously”. The rules differ by country, so check the ones that apply to you. UGC disclosure rules and cosmetic claims in UGC go deeper.
When the videos arrive
Review every video against your brief before you approve it. Check the product shown against the product you sell, the words said against your approved wording and the people shown against what the brief allows. Ask for a proof shot in the brief if you want evidence that the creator had the product (see how to tell if a UGC creator is real). If something is wrong, reject it with a one-line note; the creator can then send one corrected version.
After you approve
Keep a record: the video, the creator, the date you approved it and what the license allows. A simple log is described in how to organize a UGC library. If you plan to run the video as an ad, read partnership ads, Spark Ads and whitelisting first, because some ad formats need extra permissions from the creator.
What no platform can remove
A platform can hold the payment until you decide and record who agreed to what. It cannot make a claim true, and it cannot review your advertising for you. That duty stays with the brand, which is why the review step is the most important safeguard on this page. A marketplace that is honest about that, and does not pretend to vet every video, is easier to plan around.
A ten-minute pre-flight
- One goal and one product per campaign.
- Must-include and must-avoid items written down, with approved claim wording.
- The disclosure rule stated, including for free products.
- A payout you would be glad to pay for a video that meets the brief.
- A review rule: what makes you approve, what makes you reject.
- A place to record each approved video and what it may be used for.
On Usicri
Usicri keeps the risky steps behind your decision. You see every video before you pay. A rejected video costs nothing, and your card is charged only when you approve, with no platform fee on videos approved through December 31 and a platform fee of 15% after that. On each upload the creator confirms that they filmed the video, that it shows real people and that every recognizable person agreed to the uses, and the Terms do not allow AI-generated or synthetic persons to be presented as real. Once you approve a video and the payment is collected, you hold a non-exclusive, worldwide license without time limit that covers all media, including paid advertising (section 5 of the Terms of Service); ads run through the creator’s own account, known as whitelisting, need a separate agreement. Anyone can report a video through the report form. Usicri does not check videos for authenticity or advertising-law compliance, so your review is the main control. See how it works for brands or create a free brand account.