If you're active on social media then you will have come across the term UGC. Your feed is full of UGC creators are making tens of thousands of dollars a month online.
But what is UGC, and how can you get involved?
If you’re curious about how you too can start making money from your content, you’ve come to the right place. We’re going to take a deep dive into all things UGC, outline some very different types of UGC and their creators, and show you how to become one.
Oh, and we’re also going to throw in a few cheat codes along the way - there are ways you can dive head-first into the UGC business and make money right from day one, so stay tuned.
What is UGC?
UGC stands for User-Generated Content, and refers to any sort of media created by individual creators to help a brand sell products and services. UGC content is usually organic in nature, and without any incentive from the brand’s audience.
An easy example to really pin down UGC is an Amazon review with attached photos or even video. That’s created by a real customer using their own, self-shot media and honest thoughts, and represents a basic but extremely accurate form of UGC.
What you’ll see extends into different types of content such as unboxing, full product reviews, demos, testimonials, and so on.
Read more about how business owners can use UGC in this guide.
What is a UGC creator?
A UGC creator is someone who creates content by capturing video or taking images of a company’s products. There is usually some added narration (either spoken or written). UGC creators are typically given the brand’s products or services for free. While some creators starting out accept free products as payment, many UGC creators are paid a fee on top of that.
In the past, brands would produce multi-million dollar adverts on TV and in publications. Now, many companies find it far more effective to tap into the authentic, lo-fi sort of content that UGC creators produce and today’s audiences take far more seriously.
Authenticity is crucial and so brands are looking to create it, and UGC creators provide it - to the point that many brands are happy to work solely with a selection of nano-influencers or UGC creators with zero following rather than link themselves to celebrities. Their audience relates to a TikToker far more than big-name celeb.
What’s the difference between content creators and UGC creators?
There’s a very fine line between digital content creators and UGC creators, and there's definitely some overlap between the two.
That being said, the key difference between the two sorts of creator is that UGC creators are fully focused on the brands that they’re hired by and are creating content for.
UGC creators may not even have a following of their own, and their ultimate objective is to follow the brand’s brief and create authentic - often unpolished - content that shows the brand’s product or service in a real-life setting. A lot of the time these creators are not even attempting to endorse or promote the product or brand.
It's this angle that separates the two. While UGC creators are posting on behalf of a brand, content creators are more for building their own brands and fulfilling their own objectives. Top content creators also tend to have far more resources to throw at the content, with more hardware and software to create and polish the media - UGC is all about that “smartphone selfie” look and feel.
Examples of UGC creators
There are tons of UGC creators out there, and you'd be surprised to know just how many brands are using UGC.
This, for example, is what the TikTok account of Starbucks looks like:
Some of the videos on this page are professionally produced by the brand themselves, but most of what you see is UGC. So, let’s take a look at a few examples of different UGC creators:
1. Piper Phillips
This video is on the first row that you just saw on Starbucks’ TikTok channel earlier. Piper doesn’t just do UGC - she has a TikTok of her own with over 89k followers - but this video was one she sold to Starbucks. Now, Starbucks has posted it on their channel to tie in with the story she’s telling, rather than explicitly endorsing the product.
The brand is front and centre in the video, and the story is one that lots of Starbucks customers - and potential customers - can relate to. Plus, the production quality is there to see, and the video’s been edited expertly.
If you’re able to follow this sort of script and hit the same checkpoints for brands that you’re interested in, there’ll be no stopping you as a UGC creator. Plus, Tiktok’s a great platform to make money off of once you learn how.
TikTok courses to help you go viral and make money
2. Aj Banks
The image above shows an Instagram account, and given the number of followers you see there (over 70k), it’s no surprise that the posts rack up quite the number of views.
But what if we also said that the animated video on the right has earned Aj Banks thousands of dollars?
Welcome to the power of UGC with Whop’s Content Rewards. We’ll touch on how all of it works later, but to put it simply, this particular UGC creator is finding UGC jobs quicker and easier than ever before, and is absolutely printing money every day.
You might even spy daily earnings and lifetime earnings (in about half a year) in the still on the left, which is nothing to sneeze at. Two or three hundred dollars a day from UGC is solid side-hustle territory, and if those earnings stay consistent, could easily replace the average full-time job.
3. Serena Williams
UGC creators don’t need to be unknowns or smaller creators. In this Instagram example, Pampers are using UGC from none other than tennis legend Serena Williams to underline the pull of their brand.
Let’s face it, you probably don’t have Serena’s level of fame. That being said, she’s a great example of how UGC can also work for creators with significant influence and follower counts - the brand’s taking full advantage, and definitely paying her a pretty penny.
If you’ve got plenty of followers, you can offer brands the option of posting the UGC you do for them on your channel or account, thereby letting them leapfrog off your popularity - for a price.
4. Kevin Dang
Kevin Dang is one of a new breed of digital entrepreneurs, and as his profile suggests, he’s mastered many lucrative online business models and is using them to create a significant income.
One of these is UGC, and while that’s not front and center on his profile, the math adds up - he’s got the resources to put into creating content, and a half-million-plus follower count means a huge audience ready and waiting for whatever he drops.
No surprise, then, that the cash comes rolling in whenever Kevin picks out and completes Content Rewards on Whop. You don’t need such a strong following to make money from UGC, but it certainly helps.
Check out today’s hottest UGC Content Rewards here
5. Tim Urban
This is Tim Urban’s YouTube channel, and if you know how the platform works you’ll see that he doesn’t have enough subscribers to get monetized even with 81 videos posted.
However, as he notes on his bio, he’s more popularly known as Takomo Tim because he creates a lot if not most of the UGC YouTube content for Takomo Golf, a direct-to-consumer brand.
That’s the Takomo Golf channel, and you can probably see Tim’s glorious mane on most of those thumbnails. All of that content very much follows the algos when it comes to top YouTube golf videos, and none of it is in-your-face promotion of Takomo’s products although they are very much mentioned, pictured, and featured within the content.
If the UGC you create for a brand is just that good and picks up a cult following, you too could essentially become the face of a brand on some of its online channels just like Tim.
6. Lia Griffith
If you’ve spent a little time online looking at the hobby space or handmade crafts, it’s a safe bet that you’ve spied Lia Griffith’s work at least in passing.
She made a name for herself with things like paper flowers and creations in delicate felt, showing them off with extremely high-quality still photography as well as short video. This mix made her the perfect UGC creator in this niche, and her gallery is a brilliant example of the sort of portfolio worth aspiring to if you want to make UGC of your own.
Not every niche is quite as conducive to such visually appealing and creative craft, the point remains - quality will always stand out.
7. Julie (Beauty with Ju)
Makeup and cosmetics are a massive niche for UGC creators, and Julie is one of them. The biggest creators might not say outright that they're in the business of UGC, but the profile above showcases an effective approach - she's optimized her page so she's easily found, her portfolio's visible at first glance, and her contact details are easily accessible.
As Julie's profile shows, you can make UGC work for you in different ways, and her Instagram page is a great example to follow if you want to go down the road of putting yourself out there and letting brands come to you.
8. Brandon Diau
Content creator and footballer? No, you don’t have to be CR7 to make that combination work. Brandon Diau has built his content around documenting his journey toward becoming a professional footballer (or soccer player, depending on which you prefer) which makes it genuine and relatable.
It doesn’t hurt that soccer is the most popular sport in the world, which means a huge market for businesses, and there’s already tons of ways to do UGC beyond the basic unboxing of boots and balls.
Brandon’s content is worth highlighting, though, because it’s got both the wins and the losses, the dreams and the sacrifices, and showcases the highs as well as the lows of his life’s journey.
9. Ben Fjeld
Okay, who doesn’t love a trick shot video? Whatever the platform, it’s impossible not to stop scrolling for a moment when you see this sort of thing come up. Can they? Can they? Yes, they can!
Ben Fjeld is one among many creators in this niche, and he’s especially good at highlighting products in a creative yet relatable way. Retention’s good too, since nobody’s looking away once they’ve started watching, and brands love this sort of fun, memorable content to associate their products with.
Half the battle in UGC is finding a niche, as it is with anything - and if you haven’t started your UGC journey yet, it’s worth scouting around a few different niches to see what sort of niche gives you the best opportunities in UGC and beyond.
The best niches for affiliate marketing
10. Liza Koshy
UGC creators come in all sizes, but they all started somewhere - Liza Koshy is bona fide internet royalty now, but she started her online career over a decade ago, posting short comic videos on a now-defunct platform called Vine.
Her content’s always been funny and relatable, a perfect combination for top-notch UGC, and she did plenty to drive and foster engagement even as she grew - by the time Vine closed she’d accumulated 7 followers, and in the following year became the fastest creator to high 10 million subs on YouTube.
Koshy has done some incredible things in her career to date - we’re talking stuff like interviewing President Barack Obama, acting in and producing several films and series including her own sitcom, and hosting the preshow of the Golden Globes. However, all of it started with UGC.
How to become a UGC creator
One of the best things about becoming a UGC creator is that the barriers to entry are extremely low, and it costs nothing to get started. But, there are a few things you need to do to in order to be successful:
Choose a niche
This is one of the most important parts of the process, and it’s also easy to do. You can start by picking an industry you’d like to work in, ideally one that you know a lot about.
To connect with the audience in your chosen niche, it helps to live and breathe it - after all, in your UGC, you’re going to have to walk the walk and, even more importantly, talk the talk, meaning all of that industry’s lingo or jargon.
You can also look at a selection of dream brands you would love to work with, and check out their social media channels to see how much UGC they’re already doing. If they’ve got a lot of different faces and voices out there already, you’ve got every chance of being added to the roster.
This research phase can be important, because it’ll give you an understanding of the UGC landscape and how different brands and industries are using it - and that’ll inform you as to what sort of content you might be most successful with.
Learn how to edit
UGC creators who have turned it into a full-time business either have a full-time editor or take on freelancers for this job, but if you’re just starting out, you’ll have to edit your content yourself. It can be painstaking work but it’s not as hard as it looks, and given the lo-fi feel of UGC, you don’t need all the bells and whistles.
You can learn every trick in the book online for free from a variety of sources, and just searching for a video tutorial or two on basic video editing on the platform or app of your choice should turn up plenty of results. Plus, there’s plenty of good video editing software out there for free, helping you to keep costs down.
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Get recording gear
This one’s easy, because in many cases, all you’ll need is a smartphone. That said, you probably should check out the different types of microphones that creators use - different types of mics can work for different types of content, and lapel mics can be extremely effective for the most common types of UGC.
You can also think about investing in a professional camera if you want your recordings to be just right - lo-fi and authentic doesn’t necessarily mean blurry or badly recorded.
Create a portfolio
This one’s big, because a brand generally isn’t going to take you on without seeing your work first.
Even if you don’t have any paid UGC content under your belt, there’s nothing stopping you from just going ahead and creating some. Tie this into your niche - if you want to do lifestyle UGC, pick up some stuff you have lying around and start filming.
If you want to get into the gaming niche, start recording some game sessions and see what you can cut it into. There’s nothing stopping you from creating a portfolio right away, and you’ll build skill and experience as you go.
Network with brands
If you don’t get in contact with brands you’ll never be able to work with them, so take every opportunity you can to network. Whether it’s personal connections, platforms like LinkedIn, or some other source, mine your access to brands in your niche for all you’ve got. With your portfolio in hand and a compelling case prepared, you might get lucky when you pitch.
Don't want to cold-pitch yourself? That's fine. There are websites that connect brands with UGC creators, so get yourself and your portfolio listed.
The top UGC platforms on the internet
Build an online presence
Building an online presence for yourself is another great way of getting noticed and putting your portfolio out there for the world to see, so a YouTube, Instagram, or TikTok account of your own could be an excellent strategy. That’ll also start helping you to build an audience, which can then factor into the deals you make with your clients.
And hey, you might decide to adopt one of those platforms as a money-making side hustle and not just a portfolio for your UGC! If you want to know more about how to do so, check out our guide to monetizing a YouTube channel or take a peek at these links:
The easiest way to become a UGC creator and make money fast
If the previous section makes UGC sound like a bit of a grind, don’t worry. A lot of that stuff’s really worth doing, but who says you can’t make heaps of cash from UGC while you’re levelling up?
The answer, quite simply, is Whop’s Content Rewards. Visiting the link will show you a page like this:
What you’re looking at are hundreds of brands putting out calls for UGC, with clearly defined budgets and no requirements when it comes to how many followers you have and so on - just create UGC on the specified platforms, and claim your rewards by showing them how many views you got.
You don’t need to be an influencer, have a portfolio, own expensive gear, or really anything else - if all you’ve got is a smartphone and a desire to earn some cash, head to Whop’s Content Rewards page, click on some of those offers, and make your content following the guidelines they set out before sharing the content’s link to get paid.
A lot of the UGC Content Rewards you’ll see listed offer additional benefits too, such as a percentage of revenue your UGC drives.
If you do it right, Content Rewards can help you bring in tons of dough - but you already knew that thanks to some of the UGC creator examples we showed you earlier.
Top tips for becoming a UGC creator
1. List yourself everywhere
We already mentioned the importance of getting yourself listed on different creator platforms and creating content accounts for yourself, but it’s worth underlining.
You might also be surprised to find out that traditional job boards and freelancer portals are also opening their gates and adding categories like “UGC creator”.
It's a safe bet that big brands looking for a TikTok UGC creator or a YouTube UGC creator are searching on platforms like Fiverr and Upwork as well as all of the emerging UGC platforms for creators.
2. Work on your pitch
Until you reach a certain plateau in the content creation business and the dynamic flips on its head, you’ll still have to reach out to brands and pitch them rather than have them come to you.
If possible, try and do your homework on the brand that you’re pitching to, customize your pitch to them, and ensure that you focus on the value you provide and the story they can tell with you at the helm.
3. Understand the market
UGC isn’t a passion project or a hobby - your aim is to draw fairly from the marketing budget that companies have put aside for the purpose. So, as part of your research into your niche and the broader market, try and get a handle on what the industry rates are like, and how you can price your content.
You might even find content from other UGC creators sharing their rates and tips on getting brand deals in online social media communities.
4. Pick the right brands
Going after the right brands is crucial - just as you’re attaching your face and voice to the brands you work for, getting picked up by them in the first place can be challenging if you target the wrong ones.
Smaller, more disruptive brands tend to be a better bet for UGC than traditional big names, but the brand’s customer demographic matters too. If your research suggests that a brand targets social media users, you’re in luck - besides, big brands know the value of UGC today, and are coming around to it fast.
Find paid UGC work today on Whop
Whop’s Content Rewards have completely changed the UGC landscape for creators by making it possible to find paid work right from day one, and you don’t need to have any experience or even social media experience of your own.
Just head to Whop’s Discover page and click on ‘show all Content Rewards’, then filter by UGC and browse to your heart’s content - you’re sure to find a content reward from a brand you like the look of, in a niche that suits you.
Just check the details so you know exactly what they want in terms of platform, requirements, and any assets that can be used, and get creating! Submit your UGC within an hour of publishing it, and drop the link and your original content in. The more views you get, the more you’ll get paid.
If you want to really take your UGC game to the next level, people who have been there and done that are often the best source of wisdom to learn from. The easiest way to find mentors, experts, and other UGC creators like you is via Whop's social media communities - you can join them to learn all of the tips, tricks and insider secrets of the UGC business.
FAQs
What is a Roblox UGC creator?
Roblox has its own UGC program, where users can create in-game accessories and sell them to other users. These people are known as Roblox UGC creators.
How to become a UGC creator?
All you need is a smartphone. Start doing video based on your niche, and build up a portfolio of content using which you can pitch to the brands of your choice. Having an online presence and listing yourself on different platforms can help too.
How many followers to monetize UGC?
You can actually make money from UGC without a single follower. In UGC, you’ll simply create content for a brand, and they’ll post it on their socials to be consumed by their audience. Your having an audience or being a recognizable face, or posting it on your channels too, is a bonus.
