What should you charge for UGC?
Set your level, build the deal, get a number. Recommended rates by experience level, informed by 100+ brand deals. A starting point for your negotiation, not a rulebook.
A realistic starting point, not a rulebook. Strong engagement or a niche audience moves it up. Anchor high, negotiate from there.
Send rates like these, beautifully → The £12 rate card template turns this into a client-ready PDF.If you’re advanced, you already know your numbers. Charge them with a straight face and put them on a rate card that looks the part.
Good to know.
- How much should I charge for UGC in the UK?
- As a rough guide: beginners charge around £100 per video, intermediate creators £150 to £200, and experienced creators £250 or more. Usage rights, extra hooks and raw files are all priced on top. This calculator puts those pieces together for you.
- What are usage rights and why do I charge for them?
- Usage rights are the brand’s licence to put your video behind paid advertising. Organic posting is usually included; paid ad usage is licensed per period, commonly 30 days included then a fee per video for 3, 6 or 12 months. If a brand runs your face as an ad for a year, that is worth real money.
- Are these rates guaranteed?
- No. They are a realistic starting point based on 100+ brand deals, not a rule. Your niche, engagement and demand can move rates up or down. Use the number as an anchor for your negotiation, not a ceiling.
Want the thinking behind these numbers? Read the full guide: What to charge for UGC in the UK.
How much does UGC cost?
The honest answer is that there is no single rate, and anyone quoting you one without asking questions is guessing. What you pay comes down to four things: how experienced the creator is, how many videos you need, how long you want to run them as paid ads, and what extras you want on top. The calculator above works through all four. This is what sits behind those numbers.
The base rate
A creator starting out is usually somewhere around £100 a video. Someone with a portfolio of brand work sits nearer £150. A creator who has been doing this full time for years, whose content you have probably seen without realising, is £250 and up.
The rate drops as volume rises, which is normal. The second video in an order costs less than the first, and the third less again, because the setup, the lighting and the thinking are already done. That discount is built into the calculator rather than being something you have to negotiate for.
Paid usage is the part people forget
This is the single biggest thing that changes a quote, and the thing most briefs leave out. Filming a video and handing it over for your own channels is one price. Running it as a paid advertisement, where it works as media rather than content, is another.
Usage is licensed for a period, normally three, six or twelve months, and it is priced per video on top of the base rate. If you come back after the licence ends and the ad is still running, that is a renewal, not a favour. Sorting this at the briefing stage saves an awkward conversation later, which is why it is a question on my contact form rather than a surprise on the invoice.
Hooks and raw footage
A hook is the opening few seconds, and it is what decides whether anyone watches the rest. Ordering extra hook variations means you can test which opening performs and run the same video several ways. It is the cheapest performance gain available and costs far less than a second shoot.
Raw footage is the unedited files. Some brands want them so their own team can recut for other placements. It is priced separately because handing over raws effectively hands over unlimited future edits.
What this is not
These are guide numbers drawn from real jobs, not a rate card you have to accept and not an industry standard. Rates vary by niche, by country and by how much a brand values the work. Use this to arrive at a sensible starting figure and to spot a quote that is wildly out in either direction.
If you are a creator, the rate card template turns these numbers into something you can send a brand. If you are a brand, start a project and tell me what you need.