What should you send a brand with a UGC pitch?
Send a brand one portfolio link, one sample that matches its kind of product, and one written hook idea for its product, then offer rates when they ask. Everything else can wait. A small, matched package is quick to judge, and it shows you have looked at what the brand sells.
What belongs in the package you send with a pitch?
The package is three things: a portfolio link, one matching sample and one hook idea written for the brand's product.
Choose each piece for this one message, so it answers a different question the person reading has about you. The sample answers whether you can make their kind of video. The hook idea answers whether you have thought about their product in particular. The portfolio link answers whether you can do it more than once. Anything that does not answer one of those questions is weight the reader has to carry.
| What to send | When to send it | Why it earns its place |
|---|---|---|
| One matching sample | In the first message | Shows you can make this kind of video, for this kind of product |
| One hook idea | In the first message | Proves you looked at what the brand sells |
| Portfolio link | In the first message | Lets them see range if the sample lands |
| Rates | When they ask, or once a job is on the table | A price needs a scope before it means anything |
| Extra hooks or a full script | After they reply with interest | Shows depth once they are ready to read it |
Which sample should you send with a UGC pitch?
For this one message, pick the single sample closest to the brand's product and the kind of video you are pitching.
Match on two things in this order. First the product category, so a kitchen brand sees you with something on a counter. Then the format, so if you are pitching a problem-and-fix video, the sample is one too. When nothing matches on both, pick the one that matches the format, because a format shows how you think while a category only shows what you owned. If you have no close match at all, film one before you pitch, by turning a video that already worked into a script for that kind of product.
Send it as a link that plays in a browser without signing in, and check the link from a private window before you send it. A link that asks for access is one more step between the reader and your work.
How do you write the hook idea for the brand's product?
Write one opening line you would actually say on camera about their product, plus one sentence on what the viewer sees.
A single hook is easier to judge than a page of ideas, and it gives the reader something to picture in seconds. Build it from a moment the product's buyer already knows, not from what the product claims to do. For a reusable water bottle, that could read: The one thing I refill before I even open my laptop. Then add the shot, such as: open on a hand filling the bottle at the kitchen tap, then carrying it to the desk before sitting down. Keep result claims out of the line, because you have not filmed anything yet and the brand's own rules may ban them.
If you want a second option, change the angle rather than the wording, for example a question in place of a statement. Question hooks shows how to build one that does not sound like a quiz. The full email around it, with the subject line and the ask, is laid out in how to write a UGC pitch email.
When should you share your rates with a brand?
Share rates when the brand asks or a real job is on the table, because a price only makes sense next to a scope.
A number in a first message can get judged before the reader knows what it covers: how many videos, how many hooks, raw files or not, and how long they can use it. Hold it until you know those things, then send it with them. When a brand asks up front, you can still answer straight away. One way to word it: Happy to share rates for [PRODUCT]. For one video with [NUMBER] hooks, my rate is [AMOUNT]. If you need raw files or paid usage, I can add those as separate lines.
What should you leave out when you pitch a brand?
Leave out anything that is heavy to open, unrelated to the brand or about you rather than their product.
- Large video files as attachments, because they can bounce or sit unopened. Send a link instead.
- A full rate sheet, because it prices work nobody has asked for yet and fixes your number before you know the scope.
- Every sample you have made, because the reader has to sort them to find the one that fits. Let the portfolio link hold the rest.
- Videos you made for another brand, unless the brand you made them for has said you can share them. Check your agreement with that brand if you are unsure.
- A finished script or filmed video of their product, because it gives away the work before there is a deal. A hook idea is enough to show the thinking.
Before you send, read the package once as the brand would. If any piece takes more than a moment to understand, cut it or move it behind the portfolio link. Then send it to the right person, using the routes in how to find brands that hire UGC creators.
Write your next UGC script with lynxr
Paste a public TikTok or Instagram link on the homepage and lynxr works out the format — hook, beats, turn, close — and writes it as a script for the brand you make content for. How lynxr writes scripts shows each step. Free to start: 3 scripts a week, no card.
More questions about Finding UGC brand deals
- How do you find brands that hire UGC creators? — Find UGC brands by looking for ones that already post creator-style videos, then checking which of them sell products you use or could film well.
- How do you write a UGC pitch email to a brand? — A UGC pitch email gives a brand one specific video idea for its product, links to your portfolio as proof, and ends with a single clear ask.
- All questions about Finding UGC brand deals — finding brands and pitching them.
Keep reading
- How to find a video worth remaking in your niche
- A UGC script template that holds up
- Questions and answers — about lynxr, and every topic UGC creators ask about.