What is whitelisting in UGC and how much to charge for it

You finished the video, the brand loved it, and then the email says: "Can you also give us whitelisting access?" Or on TikTok: "Can you send the Spark code?" Most beginners either say yes for free or panic and quote a random number.

Neither is necessary. Whitelisting is a normal, priced add-on in UGC deals, and there is a simple formula most creators use. This guide explains what you are actually handing over, what creators on Reddit and the rate guides report charging, and how to write the quote so the brand says yes.

What is whitelisting in UGC?

Whitelisting is when a brand runs paid ads from your social account instead of its own. The ad shows your name, your profile picture and your handle, and the brand pays for the ad spend and picks the targeting.

Brands want it because an ad from a real person looks like a recommendation, not a commercial. Your job as the creator is to grant access on the platform and price that access separately from the video itself.

The terms you will see:

• Whitelisting: the general name, from the old practice of adding a brand to an allowed list on your account.
• Partnership ads (Meta): the current Facebook and Instagram version. You connect the brand to your account and it runs ads with your handle.
• Spark Ads (TikTok): you generate an authorization code for a specific video, and the brand uses that code to boost the post from your account. TikTok's help center says the authorization duration can be customized to the campaign.

How is whitelisting different from usage rights?

Usage rights let the brand run your video as an ad from the brand's account. Whitelisting lets it run ads from yours. Both are paid add-ons, and they stack.

One r/UGCcreators reply put the difference well: usage is the brand reposting your video as an ad, while whitelisting is the brand spending its budget against your name and your audience. That is more risk to you, so it is worth more.

If you need a refresher on base rates first, see how much UGC creators make per video.

How much should you charge for whitelisting?

Start at 30% to 50% of your base video rate, per video, for every 30 days of access. Raise it for longer windows, both platforms, exclusivity or a brand that is clearly spending big on ads.

Here is what different sources report, as of November 2026:

The ranges are wide because guides are written by different people for different creators. For a beginner with a $150 to $300 base rate, $75 to $150 per video per month is a defensible opening number, and you can negotiate from there.

Price per video, not per bundle

A detail almost every guide skips: each whitelisted video is its own license. One r/UGCcreators reply explained that if a brand wants three videos whitelisted for 90 days, that is three fees, not one bundle price. Bundling three videos for the price of one tells the brand you do not know what you are selling.

Adjust for the brand's ad spend

Flare suggests tying the fee to how hard the ads will run: around $150 a month when the brand spends up to $5,000 a month, $300 when it spends $5,000 to $25,000, and $500 or more beyond that. You will not always know the spend, but you can ask, and the answer tells you a lot.

Worked examples: what the quote looks like

Use simple arithmetic and show it. Brands accept a number more easily when they can see where it came from.

1. Small Meta deal. Base video $200. Whitelisting at 40% for 30 days: $200 x 0.40 = $80. Total: $280.
2. Three videos, 60 days. Base $250 each ($750). Whitelisting at 30% per video per month: $250 x 0.30 x 2 months x 3 videos = $450. Total: $1,200.
3. Spark code on a TikTok you already posted. No new filming. Code for 90 days at about $100 to $150, in line with Statusphere's average and the r/UGCcreators reply. Total: $100 to $150.
4. Both platforms, 90 days, one video. Base $300. Whitelisting at 40% per month for 3 months = $360, then doubled for two platforms as Flare recommends = $720. Total: $1,020.

One creator on r/UGCcreators said a $600 deal for one video plus a 90 day whitelist was the moment they realised they had been undercharging. Price the whitelist on purpose, not as an afterthought.

A quote template you can paste

Thanks, happy to add whitelisting.

Video (1 x 30s, 2 hooks): $250
Whitelisting on Instagram and Facebook, 30 days from launch: $100
Total: $350

Access ends on [date]. Extensions are $100 per additional 30 days.
I approve ad copy before launch. Access can be revoked if terms are broken.

The UGC Creator pack has the full rate ladder and more pitch and contract templates if you want the complete set.

What should go in the contract?

At minimum: the platforms, the start and end date, the number of videos, the fee per window and your right to revoke. Without a hard end date, whitelisting tends to quietly become free forever.

Put these lines in writing, even if it is just an email the brand replies "agreed" to:

• Platforms: Meta only, TikTok only, or both.
• Window: 30, 60 or 90 days, starting on the launch date, with the end date written out.
• Videos covered: list them. New videos mean new fees.
• Ad copy approval: you see the caption and headline before it goes live, since it runs under your name.
• Brand responsibility: the brand is responsible for its product claims and ad content.
• Revocation: you can remove access if the window ends or terms are broken.
• Exclusivity: if they want you to avoid competitors, Flare suggests adding 25% to 50% per excluded category.

Tip: Never agree to "perpetual" or "unlimited" whitelisting at your normal rate. One r/UGCcreators reply noted that brands can run a video for years and make far more than you were paid. If they insist on forever, quote a separate perpetual fee.

How do you grant and remove access?

On Meta you approve a partnership ads connection; on TikTok you generate a Spark code for one video. In both cases, the access should end when the paid window ends.

1. Agree the fee and window in writing first, and invoice before or at launch.
2. On Meta, accept the brand's partnership request inside your Instagram or Facebook settings, limited to the agreed posts where possible.
3. On TikTok, open the video's ad settings, turn on ad authorization, generate the code and set the duration to match what was paid.
4. Put the end date in your calendar.
5. On the end date, remove the partner or stop the authorization, then check that ads are no longer running from your handle.

TikTok's help center notes a video must be un-authorized as a Spark Ad before it can be deleted from your account, so do not delete the post as a way of ending access.

What mistakes do new creators make with whitelisting?

The big one is giving it away free because the brand asked casually. The rest follow from not writing things down.

• Treating it as part of the video fee. It is a separate license. Creators on r/UGCcreators repeat this more than any other advice on the topic.
• No end date. "Renewable, never open ended" was the exact phrasing one reply used.
• One price for many videos. Each video is its own license.
• Expecting gifted deals to pay. In a thread about a commission only collab, the top reply was blunt: a company that got you to work for free is unlikely to pay for a code now. Price whitelisting into deals from the start, and treat gifted work as portfolio building.
• Forgetting holidays. One creator suggested charging more when the brand wants to run ads through peak seasons, when the ads earn the most.
• Saying yes to account access. Whitelisting never needs your password. If a brand asks for login details, say no.

Watch out: Not every "UGC" job is real UGC. Commission only and account posting offers are common on the subreddits and job boards. Our guide to the best UGC platforms for beginners covers where paid briefs actually come from.

Is whitelisting worth offering as a beginner?

Yes, if you price it and cap it. It is often the easiest money in a deal, because there is no extra filming, and it shows brands you understand how ads work.

It is not for everyone. If your account is your personal page and you do not want ads under your name, you can decline and offer paid usage instead, where the ads run from the brand's account. Plenty of UGC creators never whitelist at all. If you are still building your first portfolio, read how to become a UGC creator with no experience first. Results vary a lot by niche, brand and how you negotiate, so treat every number here as a starting point, not a promise.

Where to go from here

1. Set your base video rate and write it down.
2. Decide your whitelisting rate: 30% to 50% of base, per video, per 30 days.
3. Save the quote template above with your numbers filled in.
4. Add the contract lines to your standard reply.
5. Calendar every end date and revoke access on time.

If you want the full system, the UGC Creator pack gives you 23 lessons across 6 modules with the rate ladder, pitch scripts, usage rights and whitelisting pricing, and contract checklists for $19, or all 16 Money Printer packs for $39.