How to become a UGC creator: portfolio, pitch, price

Learning how to become a UGC creator is mostly learning to think like an advertiser. Brands are not buying your face or your feed. They are buying short videos that make people stop and buy. This guide covers the portfolio, the pitch and the price, for solo creators and small agencies alike.

How to become a UGC creator with no followers

A UGC creator makes short, casual-looking videos for a brand to post or run as ads. The brand owns the account and the audience; you supply the content. Typical work:

• A hook, a quick demo and a reason to buy, in 10 to 30 seconds
• Several hooks for the same video so the brand can test them
• Raw clips the brand's editor can cut into new ads

Because you are not posting to your own following, you can start with zero followers.

How do you build a UGC portfolio?

Brands decide in seconds, so your portfolio should answer one question: can you sell a product like mine?

1. Choose a niche. Skincare, pet products, kitchen gadgets, fitness gear. A focused portfolio reads as expertise.
2. Make five to eight sample ads. Use products you already own, or products from brands you want to work with.
3. Vary the format. Include a talk-to-camera review, a hands-only demo, an unboxing and a problem-and-solution ad.
4. Host it on one simple page. A link-in-bio page or a shared folder is enough. Put your best video first.
5. Add a line under each video saying what the brief was and what you were trying to achieve.

What the finished video looks like

Made with the Get ready with me template from one mannequin photo of the dress, in a few minutes, with no filming or editing. See the exact steps and details we used.

The quickest way: make it with SuperReels

Filming every sample takes days. SuperReels is the best choice for creators and small agencies who need sample ads for many products quickly, especially for formats you cannot film yourself.

1. Pick a template. The creator demo template shows an AI presenter using the product at home. For a selfie review feel, try the selfie spokesperson template.
2. Upload the product photo. Add a few details in plain words: what it is, who it is for, the main benefit. There is no prompt to write.
3. Generate. The cost is shown first, and a finished 9:16 video of 10 or 15 seconds arrives in a few minutes, with the product close to the photo.
4. Add it to your portfolio, labelled as AI. Videos carry no watermark and commercial use is allowed.

This lets you pitch a brand with a sample made for its own product, which is far more persuasive than a generic reel. Be open about it: tell the brand the sample is AI-made, and offer to film the real thing or deliver AI versions as part of the deal. See more on the UGC video page.

How to get UGC deals

1. Make a shortlist of brands already running UGC-style ads in your niche.
2. Write a short pitch. One sentence on who you are, one specific ad idea for their product, and a link to a sample.
3. Send it to a person, not a generic inbox, where you can find the right contact.
4. Follow up once after a week, with a new idea rather than a reminder.
5. Use creator marketplaces as a second channel, but keep pitching directly too.

How should you price your work?

Rates vary widely by niche, experience and usage, so set a structure rather than copying a number.

Price item	What it covers
Base fee per video	Concept, filming or generation, one edit
Extra hooks	Alternative first seconds for testing
Paid ad usage	The brand running your video as an ad, for an agreed period
Raw footage	Unedited clips for the brand's editor
Revisions	Rounds beyond the one included

Put the usage terms in writing every time. A video posted once on a brand's page is a different product from one running as a paid ad for six months.

Start small, collect results from your first clients, and raise prices as your portfolio grows. When you are ready to build samples, browse the mockup library for every format.