# How much do UGC creators make per video? Real rates from creators

Source: https://rushilo.com/blog/ugc-creators-make-per-video
By om.assets, Rushilo. Updated 2026-10-31.

> Most UGC creators make about $100 to $300 per video for a direct brand deal, while beginners on apps and marketplaces often earn $25 to $150, and some app campaigns work out under $10. Usage rights are charged on top, commonly around 30% of the base rate per month of paid ad use. What you keep depends on deal type, rights and taxes, not follower count.

Search this question and you get two answers that do not agree. Rate guides say UGC creators charge $150 to $1,500 a video. Then you open r/UGCcreators and see people taking $25 jobs, $10 offers and app campaigns that pay less than two dollars a clip.

Both are real. **UGC pay per video depends far more on the type of deal than on how good you are.** A brand that buys one scripted ad with paid usage pays very differently from an app that wants five TikToks a day on an account you set up.

This guide splits the numbers by deal type, shows the usage rights math with real examples, and works out what you actually keep per hour after taxes. Every number has a source: creators on Reddit, the top rate guides, or the IRS.

## How much do UGC creators make per video, by deal type?

**Most UGC creators make $100 to $300 per video on direct brand deals, $25 to $150 on marketplaces, and anywhere from under $2 to about $50 per clip on app volume campaigns.** UGC (user generated content) here means short videos you film for a brand to use in its own ads or feeds, usually without posting them on your own account.

| Deal type | Reported pay per video | Where the number comes from | The catch |
|---|---|---|---|
| App volume campaign (post daily on accounts you create) | $1.67 to about $8 base, plus view bonuses | r/UGCcreators campaign reports | Base pay can change after you start |
| Marketplace gig (Billo, JoinBrands and similar) | About $70 to $80 per video | One creator's monthly breakdown | Lots of competition per brief |
| Beginner direct deal | $100 to $250 | It's Social Gi beginner guide | Need 3 to 5 solid samples |
| Typical direct deal | Median around $175 | Influee rate guide | Rights and add-ons often missing |
| Cold pitch average | About $275 | A creator who logged 1,000 pitches | 10 paid deals from 1,000 emails |
| Video plus perpetual rights | $650 to $1,700 total | r/UGCcreators usage rights thread | Brand owns it forever |

The big rate guides cluster around a median of about $175 per video (Influee) and a beginner range of $100 to $250 (It's Social Gi). Neither cites a dataset, so treat them as a reasonable range, not a survey.

## How much do beginner UGC creators make?

**Beginners usually earn $25 to $150 a video, and the ones who pitch brands directly with a good portfolio start closer to $100 to $200.** The top ranking Reddit thread for this keyword is a beginner with 30 followers who had done videos for $20 to $50 and saw others quoting $30 to $150.

That low end is normal at first, and it is a trap if you stay there. One r/UGCcreators member put it plainly: "When I started I took $25 jobs because I thought it was normal." A widely upvoted post in the same subreddit argued that "$150 is a decent minimum" for real UGC with scripting, filming and editing, and that $20 is the floor only for a trend style TikTok that takes 30 minutes from concept to posting.

Not everyone agreed. The top reply said the market is flooded with new creators, and that if your work does not stand out, "someone can now get the same quality of work done for less." Both views hold: **the $150 floor is real for creators whose samples look like ads, and out of reach for creators whose samples do not.**

If you have not filmed anything yet, start with [how to become a UGC creator with no experience](/blog/become-ugc-creator-no-experience), which covers the three samples that get a first yes.

## What do experienced UGC creators charge?

**Creators with a track record and repeat clients commonly charge $300 to $800 per video, and four figures when paid usage, whitelisting or a bundle is included.** It's Social Gi puts the tier after beginner at $300 to $800, reached after about 5 to 10 deals.

The jump is rarely about filming better. It comes from three things:

1. **Charging for rights separately.** The base fee pays for making the video; the license pays for how long and where the brand runs it.
2. **Selling packages.** Three hooks, one body and two calls to action turn one video into six ad variations. Influee lists about $50 per extra hook or CTA.
3. **Retainers.** A fixed number of videos every month at a set price beats chasing one-offs. The [UGC Creator pack](/ugc) has the retainer pitch and the rate ladder that gets you from one-off jobs to monthly clients.

## How much should you charge for usage rights?

**A common creator rule is 30% of your base rate for every 30 days of paid ad use, charged on top of the video fee.** Influee lists usage and raw footage at 30% to 50% of base, and whitelisting (the brand running ads through your account) at about 30% of base per month.

Here is the worked example from the top answer in the r/UGCcreators usage rights thread, which ranks first on Google for that question:

- Base rate: $200 for one video
- Usage: 30% of $200 = $60 per month
- Six months of usage: $60 x 6 = $360
- Total: $200 + $360 = $560

When the brand asked for the video forever, the same commenter said beginners typically charge $500 to $1,500 for perpetual rights, on top of the $150 to $200 base, so a total of $650 to $1,700.

> **Watch out:** Ask whether the brand will run the video as a paid ad or just repost it organically. As one creator in the thread said, it is a "Big difference there." Paid ads earn the brand money from your face every day they run.

Another reply was blunter: "you should never allow a brand rights to your video indefinitely." A safer default is 30, 60 or 90 day windows that the brand can renew.

## Why do some UGC campaigns pay under $2 a video?

**App volume campaigns pay a monthly base for a large number of posted videos, and the per video number can collapse once you do the division.** These deals ask you to create new TikTok or Instagram accounts and post several clips a day, with bonuses based on views.

The clearest example on r/UGCcreators: a creator applied to a campaign listed at $1,000 a month for 150 videos, filmed an approved sample, created four accounts and filed a tax form, then was told the base was actually $250 for 150 videos, about **$1.67 per video**. Other members reported the same campaign offering 75 videos for $300 (about $4 each), and a different app quoted at $1,200 a month that turned out to be $400.

The lesson from that thread: get the exact pay confirmed in writing before you film, make accounts or share tax details. "If a campaign can't put the number in an email, the number doesn't exist," one reply said.

Volume campaigns are not always bad. A short clip that takes 20 minutes and pays $8 plus bonuses is closer to [clipping pay](/blog/how-much-do-clippers-make) than to UGC ads. Just compare them on hourly pay, not the monthly headline.

## What does a real UGC month look like?

**One creator four months in, with about 3,000 Instagram followers, reported about $2,830 in her best month from 18 videos across five platforms, roughly $157 per video.**

| Source | Videos | Pay | Per video |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bounty | 7 | About $1,420 | About $203 |
| Sideshift | 4 | $740 | $185 |
| JoinBrands | 3 | $210 | $70 |
| Billo | 2 | $160 | $80 |
| Inbound Instagram DMs | 2 | $300 | $150 |
| **Total** | **18** | **About $2,830** | **About $157** |

Two caveats from the comments. The most upvoted reply called the post "an ad for bounty / cluely," and another joked about the fee she was paid to post it. Even if it is honest, it was her best month, after she signed up to every platform she could find. Plenty of creators in the same threads say they apply for weeks without hearing back.

## What do you actually keep per hour?

**Divide each deal by your real hours and subtract tax before you call a rate good.** A $150 video sounds better than a $1.67 one, but you also need to count the brief, scripting, filming, editing, revisions and admin.

Say a $200 video takes 4 hours from brief to delivery, plus one round of revisions:

1. Gross: $200
2. Hours: 4 + 1 = 5, so $40 per hour before costs
3. US self-employment tax: 15.3% on net earnings once they reach $400 a year, according to the IRS, so set aside roughly $30 of that $200, before any income tax
4. Platform fees, if the deal came through a marketplace that takes a cut

That leaves about $34 an hour before income tax, which is solid side income. The same math on a $50 video that takes 3 hours gives about $14 an hour before income tax. **The rate that matters is net per hour, not per video.**

> **Tip:** Track hours per deal in a simple sheet for your first 10 jobs. Most creators find their real time per video is double their guess, and that one number tells you when to raise prices.

## How do you set your first UGC rate?

**Pick a base rate for one short video, list your add-ons as percentages, and quote packages instead of single clips.** A simple starting structure:

1. **Base video (15 to 30 seconds):** $100 to $150 if your samples look like real ads, less only for a portfolio piece you choose.
2. **Extra hook or CTA:** $25 to $50 each.
3. **Paid usage:** 30% of base per 30 days, in 30, 60 or 90 day windows.
4. **Raw footage:** 30% to 50% of base.
5. **Rush delivery (under 72 hours):** 25% to 50% of base.
6. **Terms:** 50% upfront for new clients, a revision cap, and payment within 7 to 15 days.

Then raise rates after every 5 to 10 completed deals or when you are booked out.

## Mistakes that cost UGC creators money

**The biggest losses in the threads come from unclear rights, unwritten pay and confusing UGC with influencer work.**

- **Giving perpetual rights for a base fee.** The brand can run your video for years. Price rights separately or set windows.
- **Starting before the pay is in writing.** The $1.67 per video story started with a listing and a chat message, not a contract.
- **Treating influencer asks as UGC.** If the brand wants your followers and engagement, that is influencer marketing, and as one reply noted, it should pay more than the $100 a post many brands offer.
- **Pricing per video and ignoring hours.** Volume deals with daily posting can drop below minimum wage fast.
- **Believing every income screenshot.** Some posts promote platforms or courses. Read the comments.

## Where to go from here

**Start with a clear rate card and terms, then grow by selling rights and retainers.**

1. Film 3 to 5 samples that look like paid ads, with your face or the product in the first two seconds.
2. Write a rate card with a base fee and add-ons as percentages.
3. Pitch brands directly as well as joining marketplaces.
4. Never film before the price, usage window and payment terms are in writing.
5. Track hours for every deal and raise your rates after 5 to 10 jobs.

The [UGC Creator pack](/ugc) gives you the full lessons, the pitch and follow-up scripts, the rate ladder and the contract checklist for $19, and all 16 Money Printer packs are $39. Results vary, and no rate guide or pack can promise you deals.

## Frequently asked questions

### How much do beginner UGC creators make per video?

Beginners usually earn $25 to $150 per video on marketplaces and app campaigns, and $100 to $200 when they pitch brands directly with a decent portfolio. One r/UGCcreators member said she took $25 jobs at first because she thought it was normal. Rate guides put the beginner direct rate at $100 to $250.

### Do UGC creators make a lot of money?

Some do, most do not at first. A creator four months in reported about $2,830 in her best month across five platforms, while many others in the same subreddit say they are still waiting on a first paid deal. Treat big screenshots as a ceiling, and remember some are posted by people selling courses or apps.

### How much should I charge for UGC usage rights?

A common rule from creators is 30% of your base rate for every 30 days of paid ad use, so a $200 video with 3 months of ads adds $180. For perpetual rights, beginners on r/UGCcreators reported asking $500 to $1,500 on top of the base fee. Organic reposts are usually cheaper than paid ads.

### Is $50 a video too low for UGC?

For a scripted, edited ad it is low: r/UGCcreators sets $150 per deliverable as the floor for paid listings. For a 30 minute trend style TikTok that you post on a brand account, $20 to $50 is the range creators describe as the bare minimum. Taking one cheap job for a portfolio piece can make sense; making it your rate does not.

### Do you need followers to charge more for UGC?

No. Brands buy UGC to run as ads on their own accounts, so your portfolio, hooks and turnaround matter more than your audience. Follower count only matters if the brand wants you to post on your page, which is influencer work and should be priced higher than a plain UGC video.

### What is the best way to learn how to price UGC?

The best way is the Rushilo UGC Creator pack, because it gives you a rate ladder, usage rights pricing and contract lines in one $19 set of lessons and templates built from 138 creator threads. Pair it with a few real quotes from brands so you learn what your market pays.

### Is UGC a good side hustle?

It can be, if you can handle weeks of unanswered pitches. Startup cost is low, a phone and products you own, but income is uneven and invoices sometimes run 60 to 90 days. It suits people who can film and edit fast and pitch steadily for 10 to 15 hours a week.

## Sources

- [UGC creators how much did you charge when first starting (r/UGCcreators)](https://www.reddit.com/r/UGCcreators/)
- [Usage rights charge? (r/UGCcreators)](https://www.reddit.com/r/UGCcreators/comments/1ldz00s/usage_rights_charge/)
- [What I made as a small UGC creator this month (r/UGCcreators)](https://www.reddit.com/r/UGCcreators/comments/1th0jfl/what_i_made_as_a_small_ugc_creator_this_month/)
- [Stop accepting crazy low rates (r/UGCcreators)](https://www.reddit.com/r/UGCcreators/comments/1oo1a1z/stop_accepting_crazy_low_rates/)
- [PSA: Airlearn's $1,000/month SideShift campaign is really $250 for 150 videos (r/UGCcreators)](https://www.reddit.com/r/UGCcreators/comments/1wywpyt/psa_for_ugc_creators_airlearns_1000month/)
- [UGC Rates 2026: The Ultimate Guide With Real Numbers (Influee)](https://influee.co/blog/ugc-price)
- [How much should a beginner UGC creator charge (It's Social Gi)](https://www.itssocialgi.com/blog/beginner-ugc-rates-what-to-charge)
- [Self-employment tax (IRS)](https://www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/self-employment-tax-social-security-and-medicare-taxes)