What is a UGC creator? How UGC work differs from influencer work

A UGC creator is a person who makes short videos or photos for a brand, in the style of a normal customer. The brand then posts the video on its own account or uses it in ads, so the creator does not need a big audience. An influencer is paid mainly to post to their own followers. In both cases, you agree the rights and the label in writing.

Published 19 October 2026 · Written by the Celebrity Assistant team

This guide is for artists, actors, models and creators in Thailand who are good at making videos and want to earn from it, even with a small account. It is also for small brands that want videos which look like real customer posts. If you are not sure how this kind of work is paid, labelled or agreed, that is completely normal. The term is new for many people, and this guide explains it in simple steps.

What is UGC?

UGC means user-generated content. At first, the term meant posts that normal users made about a product without being paid, for example a customer who films a new phone. Today, the term also covers videos that brands pay creators to make in the same simple style.

When you search for “UGC”, you may also find results about games. Some games use the same letters for items that players make. This guide is only about UGC in marketing: videos and photos made for brands.

What is a UGC creator, and how is it different from an influencer?

A UGC creator is paid for the video itself. An influencer is paid for the video and for showing it to their own followers. That one difference changes almost everything else.

	UGC creator	Influencer
Needs a big audience	No, the brand cares most about the video	Yes, the brand pays to reach the followers
Where the video is shown	Often on the brand’s account or in the brand’s ads	On the influencer’s own account
What the brand pays for	The video and the right to use it	The video, the post and the reach
Label	Needed when you post it on your own account for something of value	Needed on every paid post
Good for	Creators with good video skills and a small account	Creators with followers who trust them

Where brands use UGC videos

A brand can use your video in three common ways. It can post the video on its own account. It can use the video in its ads. Or it can run an ad from your account with your name, which Meta calls a partnership ad.

For partnership ads, Meta says that advertisers “need permission from the partner whose handle the ad will include”. You can give permission for specific posts, which Meta calls content-level, or for your whole account, which Meta calls account-level. Meta also says that creators can take back these permissions at any time. On TikTok, the TikTok One platform includes a Content Suite that helps brands find creator videos that mention them and use those videos as Spark Ads. TikTok says this is in global beta.

How to start as a UGC creator, step by step

1. Make three sample videos

Choose three products you already use, like a drink, a skin cream or headphones. Film a short video for each one: what it is, how you use it, and why you like it. Good light, clear sound and a strong first few seconds matter more than an expensive camera.

2. Put your samples in one place

Make a simple page or a shared folder with your videos, your name, the languages you speak, and how to contact you. Brands want to see your work fast, so keep it short.

3. Choose the kinds of products you know

You make better videos about things you really use. If you are a singer, music gear, headphones and drinks may fit. If you are a model, fashion and beauty may fit. Stay away from products you would not use yourself.

4. Contact brands with a short message

Write two or three lines: who you are, what kind of video you can make for them, and a link to your samples. Small and new brands can be a good place to start, because they also need videos for their own accounts and ads.

5. Agree everything in writing

Before you start filming, agree these points in writing:

• Usage rights: where the brand may use the video (its account, ads, website), and for how long.
• Your name: whether the video shows your name or account, and whether the brand may run partnership ads from your account.
• Changes: how many rounds of changes are included.
• Files: whether you send the raw clips or only the final video.
• Payment: the amount, when you get paid, and whether a free product is part of it.
• Exclusivity: whether you can work for similar brands at the same time.

When a UGC video needs a label

If the brand only posts the video on its own account or in its own ads, the video is the brand’s ad. If you also post it on your own account and you got something of value for it, the platform rules ask you to label it.

• Facebook and Instagram: Meta defines branded content as content influenced by a business partner “for an exchange of value, such as monetary payment or free gifts”. It must be posted with the branded content tool, and you tag the brand with its permission.
• TikTok: creators “must turn on the commercial content disclosure setting” when a post promotes a brand, product or service.

Meta also says that creators cannot accept anything of value to post content “that does not feature themselves or that they were not involved in creating”. So you can post your own UGC work with a label, but you should not get paid just to post a video that someone else made.

Ways for creators to earn from videos compared

Way	Cost	Speed	What you do	What you get	Good for
UGC videos for brands	Your time and some simple gear	Finding your first jobs can take time	Make samples, contact brands, film and deliver	Payment per video, without needing a big audience	Creators with good video skills
Paid partnership posts	Your time	Depends on your followers and your area	Agree a post with a brand and label it	Payment or products for posting to your followers	Accounts with followers who trust them
Partnership ads from your account	Your time	When a brand asks	Give a brand permission to run ads with your name	Your face and name in a brand’s ads	Creators who already work with a brand
Selling your own music, shows or merch	Your time and your costs	Slow at first	Make and promote your own work	Fans who come back for you	Artists with their own projects

If you do not want to wait, you can see our work on your own account first, with a free trial. Start the free trial

For brands: how to work with UGC creators

Write a short brief: the product, who you sell to, the main message, the length and the format. Then let the creator speak in their own words, because the natural style is the reason you chose UGC. Agree usage rights, changes and payment in writing before filming starts. If you want to run ads from the creator’s account, ask for partnership ad permission. Test a few videos in small ads, and keep using the ones that work best.

Common mistakes in UGC work, and what usually helps

• No written agreement on usage. A brand may use your video for years in ads. What usually helps instead: write down where and how long the video may be used.
• Videos that look like TV ads. Brands choose UGC for the simple, real style. What usually helps instead: film like you would for a friend.
• Forgetting the label on your own account. A free product counts as value. What usually helps instead: use the branded content tool or the TikTok disclosure setting every time.
• Waiting for a big audience first. UGC work does not need a big follower number. What usually helps instead: start with three good samples now.

Your next step

You can start UGC work today with three sample videos and a short message to a brand. Brands hire UGC creators for their videos, and a bigger number on your account does not make a brand hire you. If you also want to plan the growth of your own account as an artist, our Build your own social media plan page lets you answer a few questions, and we suggest a plan and explain why. You do not pay anything until we both agree. Our page about services for creators and public figures shows what we offer for creators. You are always welcome to ask us anything on LINE.

The shortcut: see it work on your own account first

Everything in this guide works, and it costs nothing. It also takes time, and that is completely normal.

If you want your account to look established sooner, we can help on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube. The published rules of these platforms do not allow paid followers, likes or views, so we want you to know this before you decide. Nobody logs in to your account, and your order is private and confidential.

Try it first: our free trial is a small order on your own account, with no card and no password.

Start the free trial See Build your own plan

You are always welcome to ask us anything on LINE.