How much should a beginner UGC creator charge?

Most beginner creators charge $150 to $300 for a single edited 15 to 30 second video, content only. Charging $50 to $100 while you build a portfolio is fine as a short ramp, but treat it as temporary, not your real rate.

What should I add for usage rights?

If a brand wants to run your video as a paid ad, add about 25 percent of the base rate, or a flat $150 to $300 for a 30 day window. Longer windows cost more. The license is often worth as much as the video itself.

What is whitelisting and how much is it worth?

Whitelisting is when a brand runs paid ads from your own handle. Because it uses your account and audience trust, price it separately, commonly $150 to $300 per month on top of the content and usage fees.

UGC Pricing

How much should you charge for UGC?

Q: What if a brand only offers free product?

Gifted collaborations can be worth it very early on to build a portfolio, but a product is not payment. Once you have a few solid pieces, ask for a rate. If a brand can afford to ship product and run ads, it can afford to pay creators.

Short version: most creators charge by experience tier, and the biggest money you can leave on the table is not the video rate. It is the license. Here is what people actually charge in 2025, and how to think about it.

A plain-English pricing guide from Hookline. Numbers are what creators report charging, not fixed rates.

The quick answer

Just starting No portfolio yet, still learning to edit

$150–$300

Intermediate Solid portfolio, reliable turnaround

$400–$1,000

Pro / specialist Proven results, a niche brands pay for

$1,000+

Per single edited 15 to 30 second video, content only. Photos run about $150 to $200 each. Everything else stacks on top.

The mistake that costs beginners the most

Almost every new creator quotes one number for "a video" and stops there. That number is only the content fee: the brand gets a video to post organically. The moment they want to do anything more with it, that is a separate line, and it is where the real money is.

Think of it as two things you sell. One is the video. The other is permission to use it. A brand paying to run your video as an ad for a month is getting far more value than an organic post, so it should cost more.

Paid usage rights
Run your video as an ad, 30 days+25% or +$150–$300
Whitelisting
Brand runs ads from your handle+$150–$300 / mo
Exclusivity
You can't work with their competitorspremium on top
Raw, unedited files+$50
Rush delivery+$75

None of this is greedy. It is standard. Brands expect a licensed rate to be higher than a content-only one, and quoting them together signals you know how the business works. I broke down the usage and whitelisting math in more detail in a separate guide on usage rights pricing, since it deserves its own page.

A real example

Say you are an intermediate creator. A skincare brand wants three videos, and they want to run all three as ads for 30 days.

3 videos x $450 base$1,350

Paid usage, 30 days (+25%)$338

Bundle courtesy (round down)−$88

Project total$1,600

The content-only version of that same job is $1,350. The license added $250 for two lines of an email. That is the difference between knowing your pricing and guessing at it.

How to raise your rates

Rates move when your leverage moves, not on a calendar. Three things that actually let you charge more:

Show results, not just clips. A creator who can say "this drove a 3x return for a brand" is worth more than one with a pretty reel. Ask brands for permission to reference performance.

Own a niche. Being the go-to creator for one category (supplements, home, beauty tech) lets you charge specialist rates instead of competing with everyone.

Quote packages, not one-offs. A three-video bundle with usage baked in raises deal size and gives the brand a reason to commit. It is the simplest lever most creators ignore.

Price your next deal in 30 seconds

Plug in your rate, add usage and whitelisting, and get a clean number to send back.

Open the Rate Calculator → Build a rate card →

Common questions

What if a brand only offers free product?

Gifted collabs can be worth it very early, purely to build a portfolio. But product is not payment. Once you have a few strong pieces, ask for a rate. A brand that can ship product and run ads can afford to pay creators.

Do I charge per video or per hour?

Per deliverable, almost always. Brands buy videos, not your time, and per-video pricing rewards you for getting faster instead of punishing it.

How do I answer "what are your rates?" without scaring them off?

Give a range tied to scope: "Single videos start at $X, and most brands do a three-video package with usage for around $Y." It anchors the conversation and filters out brands with no budget.

These figures reflect what UGC creators reported charging in 2025 across creator communities and pricing guides. They are directional, not fixed rates. Your niche, results, and the brand's budget all move the number. Use them as a starting point and adjust with the Rate Calculator.