How to start UGC: your first rate, agreement and invoice

You can start UGC with a phone, a few sample videos and no followers. What most beginner guides skip is the money: what to charge, what to agree before you film and how to ask for payment. This guide covers only that side, in the order you will meet it.

Do I need a portfolio to start UGC?

You need a few sample videos, but they do not have to come from paid jobs. A UGC portfolio is a short set of videos that shows a brand what you would make for them. Idukki suggests 3 to 5 spec pieces about products you already own, such as one unboxing, one demo and one talking-head review. Meet Edgar (updated December 2025) suggests 3 to 5 videos before you pitch paying clients, and says your social profile can serve as the portfolio.

Keep it simple: a brand should be able to see your work in seconds, with a way to reach you. Skip anything that costs money. Courses and templates are optional, and nothing here depends on them.

What should my first UGC rate be?

Set a rate per video before a brand asks, so you are not inventing a number mid-conversation. Count the hours one video takes (brief, filming, editing, one round of changes), choose a price you would still be happy with after that work, and write down what it includes.

Published beginner prices disagree, so treat any number as a range. UGC rates: how much to charge as a beginner compares the sources and shows how to price usage rights and extras on top. Two rules matter most at the start:

• Charge for the video and its use separately. Idukki recommends pricing the making of the content and the brand's use of it as different lines, with time-limited use (it cites 90 days and 12 months as examples).
• Do not work for exposure. If a brand offers views, commission or free product with no fee, read performance-based UGC pay first.

What should I agree in writing before I film?

Agree five things in writing, even if it is only an email thread. Meet Edgar suggests a simple email confirming scope, deliverables, timeline, payment terms and usage rights. If you want it on one page, a statement of work does exactly that. Here is a checklist you can copy:

A message that puts it together:

Thanks for the brief! Here is what I understood: one vertical video up to 30 seconds, one round of changes, delivered 5 days after I receive the product. The price is $[rate], which includes organic use on your accounts for 90 days. Paid ads or longer use is quoted separately. I take 50% upfront and the rest on delivery. Does that match?

For longer or bigger deals, the freelance contract guide lists the clauses to cover. This is practical advice, not legal advice, and a lawyer should look at big deals.

How do I check that a brand will actually pay?

Check before you film, not after you deliver. A real company, a named contact, a written offer with a fee and a willingness to pay part upfront are the basics. UGC brands that pay: how to vet a brand before you film turns these into a go or no-go score. A brand that refuses any deposit on your first job is a reason to slow down.

When do I get paid, and how do I invoice my first brand?

Invoice for each deliverable as soon as you deliver it, or send the deposit invoice before you start. An invoice is a request for payment that shows what the brand agreed to buy. Put these on it:

1. Your name or business name and contact details.
2. The brand's name and the person who approved the work.
3. The video as a line item with the price (and usage as its own line if it is charged separately).
4. The date and a clear due date.
5. How to pay.

Before your first video, put the deal in writing with the UGC contract checklist. How to invoice a brand as a UGC creator goes through an example invoice and when to send it. For when brands usually pay and which payment methods suit you, see UGC payment: when brands pay and how to get paid. If a first invoice goes unpaid, the overdue invoice email guide has wording for each step.

What mistakes cost beginners the most?

• Filming before the scope and price are written down.
• Handing over a video with unlimited use because the brand "only wants to post it".
• Accepting free product as the only payment, then having no leverage later.
• Waiting to invoice until the brand asks.
• Keeping each brand's brief, terms and payments in different places. How to keep track of UGC collabs gives a simple system.

Wondering whether AI video makes starting pointless? AI UGC vs human UGC explains what brands still pay real creators for.

Your first deal does not need to be big. It needs a fair rate, terms in writing and an invoice that goes out on time, so the second deal is easier to ask for.