# UGC vs Influencer Marketing: Differences and When to Use > UGC vs influencer marketing: how they differ in audience, cost and rights, and when to use each. Hire either on Octoclip at a fixed price per video. Source: https://octoclip.io/ugc-vs-influencer-marketing Updated: 2026-10-17 --- Free to post a job # UGC vs influencer marketing: which one do you need? UGC is a video made for **your accounts and ads**. Influencer marketing is a post on **the creator’s own account**. On Octoclip you can hire for either, at a fixed price per video. [Post a job free](https://octoclip.io/signup/brand) - Free until you hire - Fixed price per video - You approve every video Updated 17 Oct 2026 **01** In short ## What is the difference between UGC and influencer marketing? UGC is a video a creator makes for a brand to use on its own accounts and ads, and the creator’s audience does not matter. Influencer marketing is a post the creator publishes to their own followers, so audience size matters. On Octoclip you can hire a creator for either, as a UGC video or a creator post. - **Octoclip is**: A marketplace where brands post jobs for UGC videos or creator posts and hire real creators directly, at a fixed price per video. - **Octoclip is not**: An influencer database, an agency or a pay-per-view clipping tool. **02** The guide ## How to choose between UGC and influencers. Five questions that decide it. 1. **Where should the video appear?** On your own accounts and in ads: hire UGC. On the creator’s account, to reach their followers: hire a creator post. 2. **Does audience size matter?** For UGC, no. Only the video matters. For a creator post, the audience is part of what you pay for, so set a minimum on the job. See [micro influencers](https://octoclip.io/micro-influencers). 3. **Do you want to run it as an ad?** Both can run as ads. A creator post can be boosted as a [Spark Ad](https://octoclip.io/spark-ads) or a [partnership ad](https://octoclip.io/partnership-ads), and a UGC video can be uploaded to your own ad account. 4. **How many creative variations do you need?** UGC suits testing: several creators, several hooks, one brief. Creator posts suit reach on a chosen audience. 5. **Set one price per video** Either way you pay a fixed price per approved video that you set. Creators see it before they apply. See [TikTok influencer marketing](https://octoclip.io/tiktok-influencer-marketing). **03** Two ways to work ## UGC videos or creator posts: which do you need? Each job is one type. You set the price per video, and creators see it before they apply. ### Creator post Job type The creator publishes on their own TikTok, Instagram or YouTube, to their own audience. You get the live post to repost and run as an ad. - **Where it lives**: The creator’s account, live at least 90 days - **Followers**: Matter. You can set a minimum - **Best for**: Reach on the creator’s own audience ### UGC video Job type The creator sends you the file. You publish it on your own accounts, on your site and in your ads. - **Where it lives**: Your accounts and ad library - **Followers**: Don’t matter. Only the video does - **Best for**: Video files for your own accounts and ads **04** How it works ## How to hire either one on Octoclip. Free until you hire. You only pay when a creator accepts. 1. Free **Post a job** Type, price per video, volume, deadline and the brief, with the must-include points every video is checked against. 2. Free **Review applicants** Creators apply with a note. You see their profile, connected account and record on Octoclip. 3. Free **Send offers** The contract is generated from your job’s terms. Hire one creator or twenty from the same brief. 4. **Hire and approve** When a creator accepts, you pay and they start. You approve every video before the creator is paid. When money moves 1. **You post and review** €0 2. **A creator accepts** Payment secured 3. **You approve a video** Creator is paid [Post a job free](https://octoclip.io/signup/brand) [See the whole flow](https://octoclip.io/#s-how) **05** Pricing ## How much do UGC and influencer posts cost? Free to post a job. You only pay when you hire, at the price per video you set. - **€0**: **to post a job** As many jobs, applicants and teammates as you need. Reviewing and sending offers is free too. - **Charge**: **Pay when you hire** Charged when a creator accepts your offer. You see the full amount before you send it. - **Price**: **Fixed price per video** Never tied to views. You set it, and creators see it before they apply. An example 10 UGC videos at €100 each Paid to creators **€1,000** - **Monthly fee**: €0 An example, not a price list: you choose the price and the number of videos, and you see the full amount before you send an offer. **06** Compare ## Hiring creators on Octoclip, and the other ways to do it. How Octoclip compares with an influencer platform, an agency and doing it yourself. *Octoclip compared with an influencer platform, an agency and doing it yourself* | What you get | Octoclip Post a job free | Influencer platform Databases and subscriptions | Agency Retainer fees and shortlists | Doing it yourself DMs, spreadsheets, invoices | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Creators apply to your job | Yes | No: You search a database | No: They pick for you | No: You message one by one | | You choose who works with you | Yes | Yes | No: From their shortlist | Yes | | One fixed price per video | Yes: Set by you, seen before they apply | No: Negotiated each time | No: Set by the agency | No: Negotiated each time | | No monthly cost | Yes: €0 until you hire | No: Usually a subscription | No: Often a retainer fee | Yes: Your time instead | | Contracts and payouts handled | Yes | No: Often extra | Yes | No: By you, one by one | | Ad rights in every contract | Yes: Spark Ads and partnership ads included | No: Agreed case by case | No: Agreed case by case | No: Agreed case by case | **Weighing a UGC platform?** See Octoclip side by side with each one. [Compare platforms](https://octoclip.io/compare) **07** Avoid these ## Four mistakes when choosing between UGC and influencers. - **Paying for reach when you need creative** If you want videos to test as ads, followers add nothing. Hire UGC and spend on the video. - **Judging a creator by followers alone** For a creator post, look at delivery too: on-time and approved-first-time videos show who is dependable. - **Paying for views** Views depend on the algorithm. A fixed price per approved video keeps your cost known. - **Skipping the rights** Agree where the content can run before filming. See the [UGC contract template](https://octoclip.io/ugc-contract-template). ## About this guide **Written by Octoclip.** Published 6 Oct 2026, updated 17 Oct 2026. ### Sources The review, revision and payment rules on this page are Octoclip’s own, set out in the [terms](https://octoclip.io/terms). Usage rights are set in each job’s terms and shown on the contract. FAQ ## UGC vs influencer marketing, answered. What brands ask before they post: price, rights and review. **A person answers.** Can’t find your question? Write to us and someone at Octoclip replies. [Talk to us](mailto:info@octoclip.io) ### What is the difference between UGC and influencer marketing? UGC is content made for the brand to use on its own accounts and in ads, and the creator’s audience is not the point. Influencer marketing is content posted to the creator’s own followers, so audience size matters. ### Is a UGC creator the same as an influencer? No. A UGC creator makes videos for a brand to use, and does not need a large following. An influencer publishes to their own audience. One person can do both, and on Octoclip you choose which a job needs. ### Which is better for ads: UGC or influencers? UGC suits testing creative, because you can hire several creators on one brief. Influencer posts suit reaching a chosen audience, and can be boosted as ads. See [UGC ads](https://octoclip.io/ugc-ads) and [Spark Ads](https://octoclip.io/spark-ads). ### Is UGC cheaper than influencer marketing? On Octoclip you set the price per video for either, so the cost is the amount you choose. See [UGC rates](https://octoclip.io/ugc-rates). ### Can I use influencer content in ads? Yes. The contract both sides accept lets you use approved content in paid ads, including Spark Ads and partnership ads. Ask for the ad code or approval in your brief so the creator knows before they apply. ### How much does it cost? Posting a job, reviewing applicants and sending offers are free. You set a fixed price per video and pay only when a creator accepts your offer. The full amount is shown before you send the offer. ### Do I need followers to make UGC? No. A UGC creator is chosen for the video, not for their audience. You can set a minimum audience on a creator post job. ### Can I use both? Yes. Many brands hire UGC creators to produce videos to test as ads and creator posts to reach an audience, each as a separate job on Octoclip. ### Will either one get me results? Nobody can promise that for your product. Octoclip does not sell or guarantee downloads, installs or views. You pay a fixed price for each approved video. ### What if a video doesn’t follow the brief? You can ask for one revision per video, pointing to the must-include point it missed. The creator has 3 days to resubmit. If you don’t review a video within 5 days, it is approved. ### When is a creator paid? Their payment is secured when they accept, before any work starts, and released for each video you approve. **A person answers.** Can’t find your question? Write to us and someone at Octoclip replies. [Talk to us](mailto:info@octoclip.io) More on Octoclip ## More guides and tools. [All guides and tools](https://octoclip.io/resources) [Guide Micro influencers Hiring micro and nano creators for TikTok, Instagram and YouTube at a fixed price per video. Read the guide](https://octoclip.io/micro-influencers) [Guide TikTok Spark Ads Run a creator’s own TikTok post as your ad, with one code. Read the guide](https://octoclip.io/spark-ads) [Guide Meta partnership ads Put your ad money behind a post on a creator’s account. Read the guide](https://octoclip.io/partnership-ads) [Free tool TikTok ads cost TikTok’s minimum budgets, and a calculator for impressions, clicks and cost per click. Open the tool](https://octoclip.io/tiktok-ads-cost) ### Guides for brands - [UGC ads](https://octoclip.io/ugc-ads) - [UGC creators](https://octoclip.io/ugc-creators) - [AI UGC vs real UGC](https://octoclip.io/ai-ugc-vs-real-ugc) - [Micro influencers](https://octoclip.io/micro-influencers) - [Influencer marketing](https://octoclip.io/influencer-marketing) - [TikTok influencer marketing](https://octoclip.io/tiktok-influencer-marketing) - [TikTok Creator Marketplace](https://octoclip.io/tiktok-creator-marketplace) - [Find influencers](https://octoclip.io/find-influencers) - [TikTok Spark Ads](https://octoclip.io/spark-ads) - [Meta partnership ads](https://octoclip.io/partnership-ads) - [What is UGC?](https://octoclip.io/what-is-ugc) - [UGC examples](https://octoclip.io/ugc-examples) - [UGC rates](https://octoclip.io/ugc-rates) - [UGC contract template](https://octoclip.io/ugc-contract-template) ### On Octoclip - [All guides and tools](https://octoclip.io/resources) - [UGC prompts](https://octoclip.io/prompts) - [Octoclip for brands](https://octoclip.io/) - [Open jobs](https://octoclip.io/jobs) - [Octoclip for creators](https://octoclip.io/creators) Free to post a job ## Hire UGC creators or influencers. See who wants to work with you before you pay anything. [Post a job free](https://octoclip.io/signup/brand) [Sign in](https://octoclip.io/login) **Posting a job is free.** You’re charged only when a creator accepts. [Post a job free](https://octoclip.io/signup/brand)