In short: A UGC rate card is a one-page list of your base price, your add-ons and what each one includes. Keep the base simple (one video, one use, a set number of revisions), and price everything else separately: usage rights, whitelisting, raw footage, extra hooks, rush delivery and extra revisions. Guides publish ranges for each add-on, but they disagree, so treat them as starting points and write your own numbers. A copy-and-paste template is below.
What a rate card is
Elev8or’s guide defines a rate card as “A one-page list of your base, your add-ons, and what each includes.” Toptal puts the same idea as making clear what your base rate covers and what costs extra. It saves you from inventing a price on every call, and it protects you from the most common problem in UGC: a brand that assumes the first price covers everything. Why prices vary so much is explained in what UGC creators charge and the real costs in how much a UGC creator can earn.
The base rate: keep it narrow
Toptal says a base rate typically covers one agreed deliverable, standard filming and editing, one round of minor revisions and normal turnaround. It reports that most UGC creators charge about $150 to $500 for a standard short-form video, with many rates around $200; other guides publish other ranges. JoinBrands, for example, gives an overall range of $200 to $3,000 per piece. State what the base includes in plain words: length, format, platform, what use is allowed and for how long.
Add-ons and the ranges guides publish
These are figures printed by the guides named, not standards. They conflict: one guide prices paid-ad usage per month, another as a block, so compare them with your own costs.
| Add-on | Published range | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Paid-ad usage, per month | 20–30% of base | Toptal |
| 12 months of digital ads | +50–100% of base | Toptal |
| Expanded rights (all paid channels, 6–12 months) | +25–40% of base | JoinBrands |
| Unlimited, perpetual rights | +50–100% of base | JoinBrands |
| Whitelisting or Spark Ads, per month | About 30% of base; or 30–100%+ of the content fee | Toptal (Influee); Xolo |
| Raw footage | 30–50% of base | Toptal (Influee) |
| Extra hook or CTA | $50 each | Toptal (Influee) |
| Extra revision round | $50–$200 per round | JoinBrands |
| Rush delivery (48 hours) | +25–50% of base | JoinBrands; Toptal |
| Industry exclusivity (3–6 months) | +30–50% of base | JoinBrands |
JoinBrands says most creators include one or two revision rounds in the base price. On rights, its advice is to clarify usage upfront, not mid-project. For how whitelisting works see partnership ads, Spark Ads and whitelisting.
Packages
Elev8or’s guide describes three shapes and gives no dollar figures for them:
- Single video: base rate, organic use, one hook.
- Test pack: the same video with three hooks and 30 days of paid usage, priced below the sum of the parts.
- Bundle: three videos at a small discount against three singles, with usage rights priced as one block.
JoinBrands says volume deals, for example 10 videos over three months, are usually 10–15% off the per-piece rate. Elev8or advises keeping discounts small, because heavy discounting “often teaches a brand to wait for deals”. For ongoing work it suggests quoting a monthly price for the set and listing what is included; the monthly route is covered in ways to make money as a UGC creator.
Template: copy and fill in
Replace the brackets and delete what you do not offer. Keep it to one page.
[Your name] — UGC rate card
Prices in [currency]. Valid until [date].
Base video: [amount]
One vertical video, [20–40] seconds, for [TikTok / Reels / product page], filmed and edited by me, with captions. Includes [1] round of minor revisions and delivery within [5] working days of receiving the product and brief. Organic use on the brand’s own channels for [30 days].
Add-ons
Paid-ad usage: [amount] per month, per platform.
Extended organic use ([90 days / 12 months]): [amount].
Whitelisting or Spark Ads: [amount] per month, per platform.
Raw footage: [amount].
Extra hook or call to action: [amount] each.
Extra revision round: [amount].
Rush delivery ([48 hours]): [amount].
Exclusivity in [category] for [period]: [amount].
Packages
Test pack: one video with [3] hooks and [30] days of paid usage — [amount].
Bundle: [3] videos, usage priced as one block — [amount].
Monthly set: [number] videos a month — [amount] a month.
Terms
Usage rights and dates are confirmed in writing before filming. Payment: [on delivery / [x] days after invoice]. Product shipped to me before filming. Cancellation: [terms].
How to answer “what’s your rate?”
Elev8or advises against a flat number with no definition, or “whatever your budget is”. Instead, reply by confirming the brief, sending the base rate with its definition, listing the add-ons that apply with prices and terms, stating turnaround and included revisions, and asking for start and usage dates. Twine’s checklist for brands makes the same point from the other side: it says a clear, itemized quote beats a single round number. The contract points to confirm are in the UGC contract checklist.
Common mistakes
- A base price with no stated use, so the brand assumes it covers ads.
- No end date for usage, so the license quietly becomes unlimited.
- Giving away raw footage, extra hooks or rush work for free.
- Discounting a lot to win the job.
- Forgetting what is taken from your payout on a platform; see how UGC creators get paid.
On Usicri
Usicri works differently from a direct deal. The brand sets one payout per video, and you see it, the open spots and whether a product is provided before you start. There is no add-on menu: the license is the same for every campaign. An approved, paid video gives the brand a non-exclusive, worldwide license without time limit that covers advertising (section 5 of the Terms of Service), while ads through your own account are not included. So compare each payout with what your rate card would charge for the base video plus unlimited use, and take only the campaigns that are worth it to you. You keep 100% of the payout, and approved earnings are paid out through Stripe once they reach 20 USD. Keep your rate card for clients you work with directly. See open campaigns.