How do UGC creators get paid?

What payment structures can a UGC deal use?

A UGC deal can pay per video, per bundle, on retainer or in product, with usage rights and raw footage priced as extras.

Each structure answers a different question about a UGC job: what you are making, where and for how long the brand can run it, and who edits it. Read the brief with those three questions in mind before you quote, because the deliverables decide which structure fits. The steps in marking up a brand brief help you separate what is fixed from what you get to choose, and the same markup tells you what to price.

How do usage rights and raw footage change what you charge?

Usage rights and raw footage give the brand more than one finished video, so price each as a separate line.

Before you quote usage, ask three things: where will the video run, for how long, and will it be used in paid ads? Write the answers into the agreement word for word. If the brand asks for more usage after delivery, quote it as a new line, because your original fee was set for the original terms. Ask whether the brand wants raw footage before the shoot, not after, because it changes how you film: you need clean takes without talking over cuts or transitions.

• Base fee: one edited video with [NUMBER] hooks, delivered by [DATE]: [AMOUNT].
• Usage: [WHERE], for [NUMBER] months from first post: [AMOUNT].
• Raw footage: all usable clips from the shoot, delivered with the edit: [AMOUNT].
• Extra revision round beyond the one included: [AMOUNT].

When should you turn down a product-only deal?

Turn down a product-only deal when the brand wants usage rights, raw footage, several videos or a deadline, because those are paid work.

A product-only deal can make sense early on, when you would buy the product anyway and want a real video for your portfolio. Check it against this list before you say yes.

• You can post the video yourself and show it to other brands. If you cannot, you get nothing you can use.
• The brand gets no usage rights. If it wants to run the video as an ad, that is a paid deliverable.
• There is one video and no fixed deadline. Rushed or repeated work is labour, not a swap.
• The product is something you would use honestly. You will only say what you noticed, so it has to be worth filming.

If a brand fails that list, decline politely and leave the door open: Thanks for thinking of me. For a video with usage rights my fee starts at [AMOUNT], and I'm happy to send a full quote if that fits your budget.

Should you ask for a deposit before you film?

Ask for a deposit when the job is large, the brand is new to you, or you have to buy props or travel.

A deposit commits both sides before you spend time and money on a shoot. Split the fee into part upfront and the balance on delivery, and put both dates in writing. For a retainer, agree whether you invoice at the start or the end of each month, because that decides whether you are ever working ahead of payment. You can copy this line into your quote: I take [AMOUNT] upfront to book the shoot, with the balance due within [NUMBER] days of delivery. I'll send the deposit invoice as soon as you confirm.

What should go on a UGC invoice?

A UGC invoice should list who you are, who pays, what you delivered, each priced line, the payment date and how to pay.

• Your name, contact details and a unique invoice number, so both sides can refer to it later.
• The brand's legal name and the contact who approved the work.
• Each deliverable as its own line: videos, hooks, usage, raw footage, revisions. Match the wording in your agreement.
• Any deposit already paid, subtracted from the total.
• The due date and your payment details, exactly as you agreed them.
• A reference or order number if the brand's finance team asks for one. Ask your contact before you send, so it reaches the right person first time.

If you are unsure which tax details belong on an invoice where you live, ask someone qualified rather than guessing.

What do you do when a brand pays late?

Send a polite reminder the day after the agreed date, attach the invoice again, and quote the payment terms you agreed in writing.

• First reminder: Hi [NAME], a quick note that invoice [NUMBER] for [AMOUNT], for the videos delivered on [DATE], was due on [DATE]. I've attached it again. Could you confirm when it will be paid?
• If there is no reply after a week, send the same message again and copy in the finance contact, because your usual contact may not handle payments.
• Hold any new deliverables until the overdue invoice is paid, and say so plainly so it reads as a process, not a threat.
• Keep every message, the agreement and the invoice together, so you can show exactly what was agreed if anyone asks.

Getting the fee, deposit and due date in writing before you film gives you something concrete to point to if payment is late. Keep that agreement in the same folder as the brief and the invoice, so it is ready before you need it.