UGC Creators: Here’s How to Set Your Rates

PPC.io estimates average UGC content rates sit at $212 (about £155 or AU$302) for a single video, but that’s not much to go on. Where is the content going? How long can a client use it? Is this a single project or an ongoing arrangement? These are all factors capable of driving UGC creator rates up or down, and that’s before considering your own level of expertise and notoriety. 

It’s a small wonder that becoming a UGC creator frequently involves second-guessing and stressing over where to set your rates. We can’t tell you exactly how much to charge (it’s your business, after all), but our rundown of industry averages for base costs and extras can help guide your own UGC rates in Australia and the UK.

Credit: PeopleImages/Shutterstock

UGC rates may not be set in stone, but we can give you some guidelines based on averages collected by UGC creators and marketers. 

UGC creator Alyssa Ryker researched multiple portfolios and websites to determine the following average UGC influencer rates for video content.

• Beginner: $50 to $100 (about £37 to £73 or AU$71 to $143)
• Intermediate: $150 to $250 (£110 to £183 or AU$214 to $356) 
• Advanced: Over $300 (£219 or AU$428) 

UGC guru Millie Adrian gives industry averages of:

• $150 (£110 or AU$214) for organic UGC videos 
• $250 (£183 or AU$356) for paid UGC videos

The team at Influencer Hero dug a little deeper to find average UGC rates across popular social media platforms. 

TikTok 

TikTok’s focus on vertically recorded videos shot largely on smartphones without particularly complex editing means UGC rates are relatively low. Influencer Hero gives an average rate of $100 to $400 (£73 to £292 or AU$143 to $570) for a 15- to 30-second video. 

Instagram

Videos require the most production and editing time, followed by Stories and then standard photos. Average UGC influencers reportedly charge:

• $30 to $200 (£22 to £146 or AU$43 to $285) for photos
• $75 to $250 (£55 to £183 or AU$107 to $356) for photo Carousels
• $25 to $150 (£18 to £110 or AU$36 to $214) for Stories
• $50 to over $500 (£37 to £365 or AU$71 to $713) for videos

YouTube 

Influencer Hero estimates anywhere from $200 to over $1,000 (£146 to £730 or AU$285 to $1,425) for long-form videos since “UGC influencers require more time to record and edit, otherwise they won’t stand out on the platform.” 

YouTube Shorts, which require considerably less time to produce and edit, have a rate between $30 and $150 (£22 to £110 or AU$43 to $214). 

Cross-platform 

Short-form vertically shot videos may be posted simultaneously by the client across TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube, significantly increasing their visibility. Such cross-platform content usually costs between $150 and $500 (£110 to £365 or AU$214 to $713).

Your own experience, portfolio quality, and abilities help determine your position as a rookie, intermediate, or advanced UGC creator. They all impact how much you’ll be paid, but those aren’t the only variables when it comes to your base rate. 

Content complexity

Added time or expertise should demand a higher rate. Jovita Grigaliūnaitė of Billo highlights, for example, “detailed scriptwriting, advanced transitions, or polished edits” as elements that can increase standard rates. 

Niche 

Clients pay for your expertise as well as your content. If your knowledge and expertise revolve around a lucrative, specialist area, the base rate may increase. 

“Niche heavily plays into rate setting, with fashion and tech influencers often topping the UGC creation cake,” according to solopreneur experts Xolo. 

Organic

Clients use UGC as either organic content or paid ads. 

• Organic content: Posted on their own channels, relying on organic traffic largely from their current audience.
• Paid ads: Run as ads (such as Facebook ads or TikTok ads), relying on paid traffic and targeting new audiences. 
• In general, paid UGC costs more than organic. Adrian quotes an industry average of $100 (£73 or AU$143) more for a paid vs. organic UGC video.

Follower count

“UGC rates are based on deliverables, not follower count – unlike influencer rates, which depend on reach and engagement,” Katja Orel writes for UK-based influencer platform Influee. 

The size of your following isn’t as valuable for UGC as it is for people hoping to become an influencer, but it may be posted from your channel (more on that below) or linked to your profile. If so, a higher follower count should up the rate. 

“If that creator is recognizable in your space, they will demand a premium,” PPC.io tells their clients. “That’s because people will recognise them in your content and adverts, so there’s simply added value there.”

Credit: 13_Phunkod/Shutterstock

The averages quoted above refer to base rates – what you charge for a single product without any extras – but UGC pricing often transcends that baseline. Here are a few more considerations to keep in mind next time you’re searching for UGC jobs or negotiating contracts. 

Usage rights

Creators typically retain ownership of UGC. What brands pay for is the right to use that content, and usage rights define exactly how long they can do so. Adrian estimates average usage rights at three months. 

If a brand wants to use your content for longer, you can charge them a little more. Marketing entrepreneur Kristian Larsen notes that UGC creators often charge 30% to 50% of the base rate for extended usage rights, and Adrian recommends 10% of the base rate per month for organic UGC or 10% to 20% for paid. 

Raw footage

Raw footage is everything captured before the edit: pauses, bloopers, first takes, and so on. “Think of it as the raw materials a brand can later use to cut their own content,” Lydia Thomas writes for After Hours Creator Club. “From their perspective: raw footage = flexibility + lower cost per asset. From your perspective: raw footage = upsell opportunity.” 

PPC.io indicates that creators charge between 30% and 50% of base rate for raw footage. 

Bundle rates 

Offering discounts for multiple videos sweetens the deal for brands while giving creators a steadier supply of commissions. Influee reports typical bundle discounts at: 

• 5% to 10% for two videos 
• 10% to 15% for three or four videos
• 15% to 25% for five or more videos 

Variations

UGC videos generally start with engaging hooks to capture your attention and close with a call to action (CTA) encouraging you to take some sort of action. Extra hooks and CTAs let clients test multiple versions of the same video. You can include a certain number in your base rate, and then offer variations for a little extra. 

Larsen estimates that creators charge around $50 (£37 or AU$71) per variation. 

Rush fees 

If clients ask for content to be delivered ASAP, you may charge a rush fee to accommodate the tight turnaround. Superscale co-founder Lukas Minnebeck suggests adding 25% to 50% to the base rate for 24- to 72-hour turnarounds, or slightly more during weekends and holidays. 

Whitelisting 

Whitelisting (sometimes called “creator licensing”) means UGC runs as paid ads through the creator’s account rather than (or as well as) the client’s. “This format merges the trust of influencer content with the targeting precision of paid ads,” Peter Nettesheim writes for Influencer Hero. 

Nettesheim reports brands paying an extra 30% to 100% of the base fee per month and recommends offering creators a 10% commission on sales made through those posts.