How to Become a UGC Creator With No Experience (What Actually Works)

UGC creation is one of the hottest side hustles, fueled by viral success stories of creators who’ve gone from zero to full-time income. (And content like “Here’s how I made X amount of dollars as a UGC creator” also tends to perform well.)

With its low barrier to entry, anyone can jump in. 

But can you actually make money as a UGC creator? 

The answer is yes. It’s a growing field with strong demand for authentic content that drives results. 

However, success requires skill. 

This article will explain the opportunity, outline what you need to know to get started, and share best practices for success.

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Key Takeaways

• UGC creation isn’t as easy as some people claim. Although it’s a growing field, success requires developing skills, and it takes effort. 
• Be prepared for low initial earnings, but with room to grow quickly. You’ll earn a small sum per video at first, but by overdelivering, you can soon land bigger contracts and retainers. Consistent effort and quality work lead to meaningful opportunities, and high performers can rise fast, regardless of experience.
• Do not wait for experience to come to you — go out and build it. Start creating content, even if you don’t have brand contracts yet. Use your own ideas and products to showcase your skills. The more you create, the stronger your portfolio and skills will become.

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What Is A UGC Creator

A UGC creator produces content that feels authentic and relatable for brands in exchange for compensation, including cash, products, or a combination of both. 

Unlike traditional influencers, creators of UGC (user-generated content) don’t need a large social media following to make money. 

Instead, they focus on creating content that brands can use, such as organic social media posts, paid ads or website testimonials. (Creators may post content on their social channels depending on the arrangement and objectives.)

A good way to understand the difference is that influencers help spread the word about a brand by promoting it to their large following, whereas UGC creators focus on producing content that drives conversions.

That said, there is some overlap between UGC creators and influencers. 

UGC videos can drive significant brand awareness on platforms like Instagram, YouTube and TikTok, where good content can spread widely regardless of the creator’s following.

The highest-paying creators often combine the roles of UGC creator and influencer. 

They create content that resonates with a loyal audience and which has the potential to reach a larger audience through viral success. Yet they also produce content for brands that converts. 

How Much Can You Make As A UGC Creator

UGC creators don’t have a fixed salary because pay is performance-based. The better you perform, the more you can earn. 

Top creators can make six figures per month. Though rare, this figure shows the potential.

This is one of the main reasons I dislike creating faceless content, which is currently trending. Simply put, there’s much greater earning potential when you personalize your content.

Assuming a solid portfolio, beginners earn at around $10 to $25 per video. 

Early contracts often offer low upfront pay with the potential for bonuses or revenue share. 

As you gain experience and show results, you can move up to earn a few hundred dollars per video, with the potential for bigger incentives. 

You may even land retainer agreements, leading to more consistent work.

There’s also potential for freebies from brands. 

Beginners might receive free beauty or household products, while more experienced creators could earn valuable incentives, such as paid vacations. 

How Niches Work Well as a UGC Creator

While you don’t need to pick a niche immediately as a creator, what’s more important is to understand what types of brands are looking to hire UGC creators. 

This will help you tailor your skills and portfolio to meet market demand.

Kalodata, which aggregates data from TikTok Shop (read our article on how to make money on TikTok to learn more about TikTok Shop for creators), is an excellent tool for identifying profitable niches. 

Even if you don’t plan on being on TikTok, what works on TikTok often applies to Instagram and YouTube.

The top categories on TikTok Shop according to Kalodata are:

1. Beauty and Personal Care
2. Women’s Wear
3. Health, Food, and Supplements
4. Sports and Outdoor
5. Phones and Electronics
6. Home Supplies

How to Create a UGC Portfolio With No Experience

In the UGC space, a portfolio can be as simple as a handful of videos posted to your channel that brands can see. A slight upgrade that many creators use is a free Canva website that shows your product videos, a short bio, and a way to get in touch. 

Here’s how to get started creating videos:

1. Study successful UGC videos. Search for videos that perform well in your niche (views are the best indicator). Pay attention to style, tone, format, and hooks (the first five seconds that grab attention).
2. Choose products you’d promote. Pick products you genuinely enjoy and feel confident sharing with your audience. These can be products you already own. 
3. Create 3-5 UGC videos. Content types include testimonials, reviews, or how-tos to showcase the brand’s product. Study what has worked well in the space, then create your unique spin. 
4. Post the videos. Some use their existing social media, while others start fresh with a dedicated UGC channel. A separate channel is best unless you’ve been actively trying to build a social following in your niche. 

You now have a portfolio of videos to send to brands (or a way for brands to find you).

Don’t overcomplicate this step!

At this stage, brands care more about the competence and authenticity of your videos. Your follower count or prior experience doesn’t matter when they use your content within their own channels.

Where to Find UGC Brands

When just starting out, your goal is to find a brand you genuinely believe in and feel authentic promoting. 

Looking for brands that use UGC in paid marketing is a great way to begin. You can check out tools like the Facebook Ad Library, which shows a brand’s ads.

From there, look for ads that specifically have UGC creators.

Why approach it this way?

You’re unlikely to drive brand awareness as a beginner creator with a small following. 

However, a strong UGC ad can be highly profitable for a company, making this the fastest way to provide real value (and land subsequent jobs or more pay from the company you work with down the road).

The goal is to find brands seeking UGC creators who run advertising and then contact them based on that information.

Other methods for finding brands include:

1. Social Media Platforms. Browse Instagram, TikTok and Facebook to find brands using UGC. Use niche-specific keywords to search, and for extra points, check if they’re open to working with creators with smaller followings.
2. UGC Platforms. Join platforms like Billo, JoinBrands and Insense, which connect creators with brands looking for UGC.
3. Twitter Search. Use hashtags like #UGCcreator or #UGCopportunity to find brands seeking content. Or, search for “UGC creator” and sort by the latest posts.

How to Pitch to Brands With No Experience

For your first pitch, working with brands actively seeking UGC creators is best for most people (as opposed to relying on cold outreach). While we discussed where to find brands above, the next step is figuring out what to say when you’re not someone with 50,000+ followers. 

While the method of pitching will change based on the platform — for example, someone seeking UGC creators on Twitter will use a different approach than someone on JoinBrands — the principles of how to get them to work with you remain the same. 

• The best way to pitch a brand is to create a portfolio of videos and get the client to view them. 
• Your goal is to help the brand achieve its goals, so make it about how you can help them, not about you. 
• Make it a low-risk situation for the brand by keeping terms and contracts simple and not asking for much. You want to make it easy for them to say yes.

So, a sample DM might be something like, 

I’m [Your Name], and although I’m new to UGC creation, I have the skills to help your brand. I’ve created sample videos here [link to portfolio] to showcase my offerings, and I am happy to work on simple terms for my first projects. I’d love to connect!

You can reach me at [Insert Email].

Tips for Overdelvideifng to Your First Brand

Once you land a contract with a brand, your goal should be to overdeliver.

Building a strong reputation is key because your best clients are often your existing clients. Also, brand managers frequently change roles or work with multiple brands as freelancers, so delivering excellent results on one project can open doors for future opportunities. 

Here’s how you can overdeliver:

• Research what works for the brand and the industry. Study how other brands in the same space are using UGC content. Understand what resonates with their audience and incorporate similar strategies into your work.
• Submit deliverables early. Don’t wait until the last minute to submit your work. Getting your deliverables in ahead of time shows professionalism.
• Be open to feedback. Ask for feedback and be willing to implement it. Showing that you can adapt and improve based on the client’s needs builds trust.
• Create extra content. Consider sending a few additional video samples that the client didn’t request. If you see a style or approach that’s worked for other brands, offer it to them free of charge. 

After they’ve used your content, check in and ask how it performed. Sharing metrics or testimonials that demonstrate success in your portfolio will help you land future jobs. 

By overdelivering, you’re not just completing a task but building a reputation. 

One successful campaign, backed by solid results, can quickly transition you from a beginner to a full-time UGC creator.

Good luck!