The UGC market is wide open right now. Brands of all sizes are looking for creators to produce authentic, scroll-stopping content. The opportunity is there, but it doesn’t come to those who wait. 

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Hey! I’m Sage, the Jr. Community Manager at Planoly. If you’re just getting started in your UGC career, I’d recommend checking out my posts on how to build a UGC portfolio and how to create high quality UGC before diving in here. This post picks up where those left off: once you have the skills and the work to show for it, how do you actually start landing brand deals?

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Like with many things, the hardest step in building a UGC business is starting. Here’s how to do it.

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How to Promote Yourself

Let’s clear up a common misconception: you do not need a following to create UGC. UGC, or user-generated content, is content created by everyday people that brands license and repurpose across their own marketing channels. UGC is often confused with influencer content, which relies on the creator’s audience to increase reach. Brands hire you for your ability to create great content, so a large following is not essential. 

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That said, having a presence on social media can definitely work in your favor. Posting online makes it much easier for the right brands to find and trust you.

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What to Post

Behind-the-scenes content

• Show your filming setup, recording process, and how you batch shoot content.

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UGC Examples

• Treat your feed as your portfolio and showcase some of your best work.

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Explaining Strategies

• Break down the strategy behind the content you’re creating. This positions you as someone who understands the market, not just how to film. 

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Create How-To Content

• Show your process for recording and editing videos to position yourself as an expert on the topic.

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Finding Brand Deals

While posting on social media is a great way to gain visibility, if you’re a new UGC creator, you can’t just wait to be discovered. Discovery is the result of months of consistent visibility, a strong portfolio, and word-of-mouth referrals. When you’re starting out, you’ll need to put yourself directly in front of brands.

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Find Your Niche

Before you start reaching out to brands, you’ll need to figure out what kinds of brands you want to work with. If you try to pitch to everyone, you’ll stand out to no one.

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Brands want to see that you understand their product and customer, so pick a niche that naturally falls within your interests. Your niche can range anywhere from beauty and wellness to home and technology. The more specific you are with who you want to work with, the easier it is to create pitches that properly cater to those brands. 

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Outreach

Once you’ve determined your niche, you can begin cold outreach to brands. The best brands to reach out to are the ones you genuinely care about. Look for brands that:

• Fit naturally within your niche (wellness, tech, beauty, food, etc.)
• Are already running UGC-style ads (check the Meta Ad Library to see what brands are running as ads)
• Are growing but not yet massive. Think brands with 10-40k followers that are pushing out new products or launching in new stores, but may not be a household name yet.

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How to Write a Pitch

Your pitch itself should be treated as a piece of content. Brands can tell immediately whether you put thought into it or copied it directly from a template. The goal in writing your pitch shouldn’t just be to explain who you are, but to make the brand feel like you already understand their audience and product. 

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The Anatomy of a Strong Pitch

1. Open with them, not with you.

• Reference something you love about the brand, an ad you noticed from them, or a gap in their current content that you could fill. Don’t just copy and paste the exact same template every time, customize your message to match the voice of the brand.

2. State what you do briefly

• Keep it simple with something like: “I create short-form video content for skincare brands built for paid ads.”

3. Show proof of your work

• Link to your portfolio or a specific piece of your work that fits their niche (such as content surrounding similar products). Also share any relevant performance data if you have it.

4. Keep it scannable

• If they have to scroll to finish reading your pitch, it’s too long. Keep it to about four paragraphs or less.

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Side note: If you’re reaching out to a brand through social media, make sure you’re following them. When a message says “I’m a huge fan of your brand” but the sender isn’t even following the account, it makes the pitch seem inauthentic. 

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Following Up

Not every pitch will get an immediate response. As someone who manages partnerships, my inbox can get flooded and pitches can get lost in the mix. If you don’t hear back from a brand within a week or two, you can send a brief check-in to ensure your message didn’t get buried. Something like: “Just bumping this up in case it got buried!”

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If you don’t hear back after following up, a partnership might not be aligned. Remember: one follow-up is professional, but three in a week is not. 

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Pricing

When you’re just starting out, it can be difficult to figure out how to price your work. Rates can vary greatly depending on the size of the company and the industry you’re working within, but here is a baseline to work from:

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• Single video (15-30 seconds): $100-$300 for newer creators. $400-$800+ as you gain experience and clients
• Packages (3-5 videos): Offer a slight discount for volume
• Retainers: Monthly recurring work is the most stable income model. Offer a larger discount and pitch these once you’ve proven your value to a brand through a first project.

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You have what it takes to start a UGC business, you just have to start. Build your presence online, reach out to brands, refine your pitches, and raise your rates as you gain clients. 

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The hardest part isn’t learning the skills, it’s taking the first step before you feel completely ready. You won’t land every pitch and your first few videos might not be your best – and that’s okay. Every creator who’s built a career out of UGC started as a beginner and figured it out as they went. Now, it’s your turn to do the same.

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