How to Become a UGC Creator

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You may have seen the acronym UGC trending online in the past few months. This trend originated on TikTok and has since generated over 290 million views on the platform under the hashtag.

The acronym stands for “User-Generated Content”. UGC is when a brand’s consumers or followers create content organically to be shared on the brand’s social media accounts. UGC has opened the door for more people to get paid for creating content. People can work with brands regardless of the amount of followers they have. Anyone can be a UGC creator!

So many are looking for a great side hustle to make extra money and this is a really good option. Based on research, I wanted to share everything I’ve learned about how to become a UGC creator. It will take time and consistency but can be a steady stream of income once you have some clients under your belt. Then you can label yourself as a full time content creator. Here is how to get started!

What’s UGC?

UGC is a type of content creation. This type of creation might sound similar to something an influencer might make but there’s an important difference. Influencers are required to grow their following before they’re able to collaborate with well-known brands. UGC creators don’t need to have a large following to work with these brands.

UGC creators aren’t obligated to show their face in the content or even post anything they create on their own social media accounts. It’s basically a shortcut into the social media world and getting paid without the struggle of generating followers on certain platforms.
I used a UGC creator to make content for my digital Money Management Workbook. This product includes worksheets and resources to help reader’s level up their finances. This creator made multiple short clips that I was able to post on all my social media accounts. You can view one of them here. 

How to Get Started as a UGC Creator

This sounds like a pretty good gig, doesn’t it? Here are some of the steps you can take to get started:

1. Identify Your Niche

The first step towards becoming a successful UGC creator is to identify your niche. Make a list of dream brands you want to eventually work with, either because you love their brands products or for any reason you choose. See if there is a common occurrence between this list of brands. What kind of products do these brands sell? Determine what category you want to work in whether it’s home essentials, skincare products, or apparel.
This will help you hone in your skill. You’ll be able figure out what you want your content to visually look like. Your niche will guide you to find ways to make your content uniquely yours.

2. Create Content

Next, establish the type of content you want to create. Will you solely take pictures? Will you make short clips? Find out what you’re most comfortable working with and start creating to launch your online business.

Before you pitch to brands, you’ll need to create content to showcase your skills. Pick a product you use in your daily routine and make content for it. This will help you build your own portfolio and perfect your content creating skills. Consider practicing on your own personal account when you first start. Post your content to receive feedback on your work. This will help you experiment with different methods, experiment features, and content artistic styles.

3. Build A Portfolio

A portfolio that showcases your work is an effective way to pitch your services to different brands. It highlights your work and will help you build long-term collaboration relationships. Many UGC creators use Canva to create a digital portfolio that can be shared through a link. Canva is an online graphic design tool you can use for free or pay for to get unlimited access to all the features offered. This will give you access to different portfolio templates that you can custom to fit your unique aesthetic. You can have access to Canva Pro for only $119.99 a year!

There are a few standard pages you should create to make a convincing portfolio. The first page of this portfolio should be dedicated to you. A brand wants to know who they’re potentially working with. You should have a small paragraph about yourself and possibly accompany it with a picture of yourself too.

The next page should be dedicated to defining UGC and how it can elevate the message of the brand. Not many brands aren’t aware of UGC and what it can do for their message. Explain what you do and why they should hire you for this service. Include the definition and a few supporting statistics behind what user-generated content can do for a brand’s reputation.

The third page should be dedicated to showing off examples of your content! These can be pictures or videos depending on what you specialize in.

The final page should have your rates of services listed. Don’t offer your services for free because it will only be harder to monetize your skills further down the line. Know your worth. As you increase your portfolio - so should your rates. Do some research to see what fellow UGC creators are earning yearly or charging hourly. This will give you a clear ballpark for what your rates should be. You can always change your rates later.

Here are a list of the potential clients you might want for your portfolio:

• Small business owners
• Brands that have used UGC creators
• Brand of the products you use everyday

Be sure to have a client management system to keep track of the brand you are promoting. I use Honeybook to keep track of my clients and prospective clients. I also love the task follow up feature. They have pretty much everything you would need to manage clients all in once place, from invoices to payments, contracts, and even more! You can check Honeybook out for yourself here. 

Once you get going you should consider getting a business bank account. Novo is a great one for newer small business owners. It's easy to use and helpful to get your business started! 

There are also great ways to manage the finances you make from your content creation! Check out my resource page for a lot of great free money management resources!

Conclusion

UGC is a great way to get started in content creation. With some patience and hard work, you may be able to make it your full time job!