# How to Become a UGC Creator: A Step-by-Step Guide > How to become a UGC creator, step by step: what to film first, how to find paid jobs and how much UGC creators make. Free to join Octoclip. Source: https://octoclip.io/how-to-become-a-ugc-creator Updated: 2026-10-17 --- Free to join # How to become a UGC creator, step by step. UGC creators are paid to film short videos for brands. To become a UGC creator, **film a few samples**, apply to jobs that show their price, and get **paid for each approved video**. [Join free](https://octoclip.io/signup/creator) How it works - Free to join - No followers needed for UGC - Paid per approved video Updated 17 Oct 2026 **01** In short ## Who can become a UGC creator? Anyone who can film a clear, honest short video can become a UGC creator. Brands pay for the video itself (a demo, a first try or a review) and post it on their own accounts and in their ads, so you don’t need a large following. You need a phone, good light and a few sample videos. - **Octoclip is**: A marketplace where brands post paid video jobs and creators apply, at a fixed price per video. - **Octoclip is not**: An agency or a paid course. It never pays by views. **02** The guide ## How to become a UGC creator in six steps. From your first sample video to the brands that hire you again. 1. **Pick what you want to film** Choose two or three kinds of product you already use, such as skincare, apps or food. Brands look for creators who fit their product. 2. **Film three to five sample videos** Use products you own. Film vertically, in good light, with the product in your hands and a clear first three seconds. The [UGC examples](https://octoclip.io/ugc-examples) guide lists the formats brands brief most. 3. **Put them in a simple portfolio** Keep your samples where a brand can open them in one tap, and label them as samples. The [UGC portfolio](https://octoclip.io/ugc-portfolio) guide shows what to include. 4. **Apply to paid jobs** Brands post [open jobs](https://octoclip.io/jobs) on Octoclip with the price per video, the dates and the brief. Apply with a short note to the ones that fit you. Applying is free. 5. **Read the terms, then film to the brief** Before you accept, check the price, the number of videos, the deadline and how the brand may use the video. Tick every must-include point in the brief before you send. Anatomy of an offer Five things to check before you say yes. 1. **The price per video** Set by the brand and shown on the job. It never depends on views. 2. **The number of videos** How many you film for this hire. 3. **The deadline** When the videos are due. 4. **How the brand may use it** Where the video can run, written on the contract you accept. 5. **The must-include points** The brand checks your video against them. Tick each one before you send. **An example offer.** You see the price and the terms before you accept, and your pay is secured before you film. 6. **Deliver on time and do it again** Every video you deliver on time builds your record on Octoclip, which brands see when you apply. The [brand deals](https://octoclip.io/brand-deals) guide covers what comes next. **03** Two kinds of job ## Two kinds of UGC job. Each job is one kind, and shows its price per video before you apply. ### Creator post Job type You publish the video on your own TikTok, Instagram or YouTube, to your own followers, and send the brand the link to the live post. - **Where it lives**: Your account, live at least 90 days - **Followers**: Matter. Some brands set a minimum - **Good for**: Creators with an audience who like it ### UGC video Job type You film the video and send it as a Google Drive link. The brand posts it on its own accounts and runs it in its ads. - **Where it lives**: The brand’s accounts and ads - **Followers**: None needed. Only the video counts - **Good for**: Starting out, with any number of followers **04** How it works ## How to become a UGC creator on Octoclip. Free to join. Your pay is secured before you film. 1. Free **Apply** Pay, dates and what to make are on every job. Applying is free and commits you to nothing. 2. Free **Accept** Get an offer, read the terms, say yes. The brand pays first, so your full pay is secured before you film. 3. **Film and send** Send a UGC video as a Google Drive link, or post a Creator post and send its link. Tick each must-include point first. 4. **Get paid** The brand reviews within 5 days, or your video is approved for you. Each approved video is paid to your bank. When money moves 1. **You join and apply** €0 2. **You accept an offer** Pay secured 3. **A video is approved** Paid to your bank [Join free](https://octoclip.io/signup/creator) [See one job, start to finish](https://octoclip.io/creators#s-story) **05** Ideas to film ## Sample videos to film first. Four formats brands brief most. Film each one with a product you own. - Demo **Show it in use** The product doing its one thing, from the first use to the result, in under thirty seconds. - First try **An honest first reaction** Open it, try it and say what you think, filmed in one take. - Review **Three things I like** A short list straight to camera, each point shown, not only said. - Before and after **The change, side by side** How it was before and how it is now, with the product in between. **06** Pay ## How much do UGC creators make? Each brand sets its price per video and shows it on the job. Octoclip takes nothing from it. Octoclip takes no cut from the price on the job. - **0%**: **Octoclip commission** Joining, applying and accepting offers are free, and Octoclip takes nothing from your pay. - **Secured**: **Secured before you film** When you accept an offer, the brand pays first. Only then do you start. - **Price**: **Fixed price per video** Shown on the job before you apply. It never depends on views. An example 3 UGC videos at €120 each Your pay **€360** - **The job’s price**: €360 - **Octoclip commission (0%)**: €0 An example: each brand sets its own price per video. Payment fees for sending the money to your bank come off each payout. - Pay shown on every job - Secured before you film - Paid per approved video - One revision, only for the brief **07** Compare ## Ways to get paid as a UGC creator. How Octoclip compares with pitching brands yourself, gifted collabs and UGC agencies. *Octoclip compared with pitching brands yourself, gifted collabs and a UGC agency* | What you get | Octoclip Free to join | Pitching brands yourself DMs, emails and rate cards | Gifted collabs Free product for content | UGC agency Rosters and shortlists | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Brands post jobs you can apply to | Yes | No: You find and message each brand | No: Usually by invitation | No: The agency picks who works | | The price is on the job before you apply | Yes: Set by the brand, never tied to views | No: Negotiated each time | No: Product instead of pay | No: Set by the agency | | Pay secured before you film | Yes | No: You invoice after the work | No: No pay | No: Paid on the agency’s terms | | No commission on your pay | Yes: Octoclip takes 0% | Yes | No: No pay to begin with | No: Often a cut or a margin | | Contract and payout handled | Yes | No: By you, one by one | No: Often no contract | Yes | **The pay is on every job.** You see it before you apply, and Octoclip takes no cut from your pay. [Find paid jobs](https://octoclip.io/jobs) **08** Avoid these ## Four mistakes new UGC creators make. - **Waiting for followers** Brands post UGC videos on their own accounts, so your follower count doesn’t matter. Start with samples. - **Filming everything for everyone** A few samples in one or two niches tell a brand more than twenty unrelated videos. - **Skipping the brief** Brands check each video against the must-include points they wrote. Tick every one before you send. - **Working without terms** Agree the price, the deadline and how the video may be used before you film. See the [UGC contract template](https://octoclip.io/ugc-contract-template). ## About this guide **Written by Octoclip.** Published 12 Oct 2026, updated 17 Oct 2026. ### Sources The pay, review and revision rules on this page are Octoclip’s own, set out in the [terms](https://octoclip.io/terms). Each brand sets its own price per video. FAQ ## Becoming a UGC creator, answered. Straight answers about the pay, the work and the rules. **A person answers.** Can’t find your question? Write to us and someone at Octoclip replies. [Write to us](mailto:support@octoclip.io) ### How do I become a UGC creator with no experience? Film three to five sample videos with products you own, put them in a simple [UGC portfolio](https://octoclip.io/ugc-portfolio), and apply to jobs that fit you. Brands judge the video, and every job you deliver on time builds your record. ### Do I need followers to become a UGC creator? Not for UGC videos: the brand posts your file on its own accounts and in its ads, so followers don’t count. Creator posts go on your own account, which you connect, and some brands set a minimum. ### How much do UGC creators make? There is no set salary: UGC creators are paid per video, so what they make depends on how many jobs they take and what each one pays. On Octoclip each brand sets its own price per video and shows it before you apply. The [UGC rates](https://octoclip.io/ugc-rates) guide explains what moves the price. ### Who can join Octoclip as a creator? Anyone 18 or over can join Octoclip as a creator. You need a phone that films well, and, for Creator posts, a TikTok, Instagram or YouTube account to connect. ### Does it cost anything to join Octoclip? No. Joining, applying and accepting offers are free, and Octoclip takes 0% of your pay. Payment fees for sending the money to your bank come off each payout. ### What equipment do I need? A phone that films in good quality, daylight or a simple ring light, and a quiet room. Clear sound and a steady shot matter more than an expensive camera. ### What is the difference between UGC and influencer work? In UGC work you are paid for the video, which the brand posts. In influencer work you are paid to post to your own audience. See [UGC vs influencer marketing](https://octoclip.io/ugc-vs-influencer-marketing). ### When do I get paid? Your full pay is secured when you accept an offer, before you film. Each video is paid once the brand approves it, or automatically 5 days after you send it if the brand doesn’t answer. ### What if the brand asks for changes? A brand can ask for one revision per video, and only for a must-include point from the brief. You have 3 days to send the new version. ### Can UGC be a full-time job? For some creators it is paid work alongside another job, for others a full-time business. It depends on how many jobs you take and what they pay. Octoclip does not guarantee jobs or earnings: brands choose who they hire, and you are paid a fixed price for each approved video. **A person answers.** Can’t find your question? Write to us and someone at Octoclip replies. [Write to us](mailto:support@octoclip.io) More on Octoclip ## More guides for creators. [All guides and tools](https://octoclip.io/resources) [Guide Content creator jobs Where to find paid video work for brands, what it pays and how to apply. Read the guide](https://octoclip.io/content-creator-jobs) [Guide UGC portfolio Which sample videos to film, where to host them and what brands look for. Read the guide](https://octoclip.io/ugc-portfolio) [Guide Brand deals How to find paid deals without cold DMs, and what to check before you say yes. Read the guide](https://octoclip.io/brand-deals) [Open jobs Find paid jobs Brands post jobs with the price per video, the dates and the brief. Applying is free. Find paid jobs](https://octoclip.io/jobs) ### Guides for creators - [Content creator jobs](https://octoclip.io/content-creator-jobs) - [UGC portfolio](https://octoclip.io/ugc-portfolio) - [Brand deals](https://octoclip.io/brand-deals) ### Linked from this guide - [UGC examples](https://octoclip.io/ugc-examples) - [UGC contract template](https://octoclip.io/ugc-contract-template) - [UGC rates](https://octoclip.io/ugc-rates) - [UGC vs influencer marketing](https://octoclip.io/ugc-vs-influencer-marketing) ### On Octoclip - [All guides and tools](https://octoclip.io/resources) - [Octoclip for creators](https://octoclip.io/creators) - [Open jobs](https://octoclip.io/jobs) - [Octoclip for brands](https://octoclip.io/) Free to join ## Your first UGC job starts here. Set up in two minutes, apply to the jobs you want, and get paid for each approved video. [Join free](https://octoclip.io/signup/creator) [Find paid jobs](https://octoclip.io/jobs) **18 or older.** Sign up with Google or your email. [Join free](https://octoclip.io/signup/creator)