UGC budget calculator
Work out how many UGC videos you need from your own ad numbers, then see what they cost on Usicri: the payout you set, the platform fee that applies today, and the total.
1. How many videos do you need a month?
Only needed if you run paid social ads, where an ad wears out and has to be replaced. For a product page or email, a handful of videos is enough to begin with; skip to step 2.
2. What will they cost on Usicri?
How the number is worked out
Videos, edits and ads are different numbers: one creator video can become several ads with different hooks and cuts, so the videos you buy are usually fewer than the ads you run. Step 1 follows the method Make Influence describes for working out your own number instead of using a fixed one: find how long an ad lasts, count your live slots, work out how many ads you must replace each month, apply your hit rate, then count how many creator videos supply that. “Weeks ÷ 4” is the conversion used in our worked example, where 8 weeks is 2 months.
Step 2 multiplies one video’s charge by the number of videos. One video’s charge is the payout plus the platform fee set today, rounded to the cent, which is how a real approval is charged.
Made by Usicri, a UGC marketplace, so step 2 shows Usicri’s prices. Other platforms price differently; see UGC platforms compared.
Questions
Is the number of videos a forecast?
No. It is arithmetic on the numbers you enter. Vendor benchmarks differ and none is a universal standard, so use your own results: start with a small round, look at which videos worked and adjust.
Do I have to buy that many videos?
No. On Usicri you choose how many videos a campaign is for, you are charged only for videos you approve, and you can raise the limit later. The campaign closes to new submissions once you have approved that many.
What does the cost include?
The payout per approved video and the platform fee. It does not include shipping a product to creators, which you arrange with them directly, or any editing you do yourself.
Do creators get less than the payout?
No. Creators receive the full payout you set. The platform fee is added on top, on your side.
Sources
- Make Influence: How many UGC creatives to test each month (the method in step 1)
- Billo: How many ad creatives do you need? 2026 benchmarks for DTC brands (benchmark ranges by ad spend, a vendor’s view)