Your UGC rates should start with a base fee for one video up to 30 seconds, from $100 if you're just starting to $450 if you're in demand, then add separate line items for length, hooks, raw footage, usage rights, whitelisting and rush. Price the video as the unit and every add-on as a percentage of it, so any brief becomes a quote you can work out in a couple of minutes.
The numbers below are the ugcbios rate calculator's starting points. They are one consistent pricing structure, not a claim about what the market pays, so treat them as a position you can defend and then adjust for your niche, your results and your workload.
Start with the base fee for your experience level
The base fee covers one video up to 30 seconds with organic use only. Here is where each band starts:
- Just starting (0–10 paid videos): $100
- Growing (10–50 paid videos): $175
- Established (50–150 paid videos): $300
- In demand (150+ videos, repeat brands): $450
Pick your band by paid videos delivered. Follower count does not decide it, because a brand running your video as an ad cares about the video, not your reach. Gifted-product videos can sit in your portfolio, but they do not move you up a band.
All prices round to the nearest $5, so a quote reads $345 and not an awkward odd figure. Clean numbers also make your quote look like it comes from a system, which it now does.
If you are in the first band and have nothing to show yet, make a few sample videos first. The guide on how to build a UGC portfolio with no brand work covers that.
Adjust the price for video length
Longer videos take more scripting, filming and editing, so the fee rises with length. The multipliers are:
- Up to 30s: ×1.00
- 30–60s: ×1.15
- 60–90s: ×1.35
Apply the multiplier to your base fee, then round to the nearest $5. That gives you a per-video starting price and a matching extra hook price for every band.
Example: per-video starting prices by experience and length
| Experience band | Up to 30s | 30–60s | 60–90s |
|---|---|---|---|
| Just starting | $100 (hook $25) | $115 (hook $30) | $135 (hook $35) |
| Growing | $175 (hook $45) | $200 (hook $50) | $235 (hook $60) |
| Established | $300 (hook $75) | $345 (hook $85) | $405 (hook $100) |
| In demand | $450 (hook $115) | $520 (hook $130) | $610 (hook $155) |
Write length into the quote as a ceiling: "up to 60 seconds". Without that, a brand can buy a 30-second price and ask for a 90-second edit. If they want longer, they move to the next column.
Niche adjustments
Some niches justify a small shift. For a Growing creator at 30–60 seconds, the calculator's niche starting points are:
- Pets: $190
- Fitness, food and drink, family and parenting, fashion, home: $200
- Skincare, beauty, travel, gaming, wellness: $210
- Tech: $220
The differences are small on purpose. Your band matters far more than your niche. For formats, hooks and buyer types in your niche, check the niche guides index.
Price add-ons as percentages of the video fee
Add-ons are where a flat price turns into a real quote. Keep each one as a percentage so you never have to invent a number mid-DM.
Extra hooks
A hook is a different opening few seconds on the same video, so the brand can test variants against each other. Price each extra hook at 25% of the video fee, with a minimum of $25. The first hook is included in the video price.
Raw footage
If you are wondering how much to charge for raw footage, add 25% of the video fee. With the raw clips a brand can re-edit, cut its own versions and run them without you, so you are giving up future work on that brief. Put raw footage on its own line in the quote and state that it does not include extended usage rights.
Bundle discounts
Give 10% off for 3 or more videos in one brief, and 15% off for 5 or more. Only discount when the volume sits in a single brief with a single deadline. Three separate one-video orders over three months are not a bundle.
A copyable rate card
Here is a Growing creator's card at 30–60 seconds:
- 1 UGC video (30–60s): $200, includes 1 hook
- 3-video bundle: $540 (save 10%)
- Extra hook: $50
- Raw footage: $50 per video
- Whitelisting / Spark Ads: +$100 per 30 days
The free UGC rate calculator generates this card for any band and length so you do not have to do the arithmetic by hand.
Charge separately for usage rights and whitelisting
Posting on the brand's own organic channels is included in the base fee. Running your video as a paid ad is a different job and costs more, because the brand is turning your work into media spend.
Paid usage rights
Charge a share of the video fee based on how long the ad can run:
- 30 days: +25%
- 3 months: +50%
- 6 months: +75%
- 12 months: +100%
Calculate the percentage on the video fee after any bundle discount. Contract wording you can copy:
"Usage: paid social ads on brand-owned accounts for 3 months from first publish date. Whitelisting is quoted separately. Extensions are priced at the then-current rate."
That last sentence matters. It stops a 3-month license quietly becoming a permanent one.
Whitelisting and Spark Ads
Whitelisting, which TikTok calls Spark Ads, means the brand runs ads through your handle instead of its own. Your name and account sit on the ad, so it is priced on its own: 50% of the per-video fee per 30 days, with a minimum of $100. Sell it in 1, 3 and 6-month blocks.
The tradeoff on usage length
Short windows are an easier yes for a brand and give you a natural moment to renegotiate when the ad is working. Long windows tie up your video for longer, so they should cost more. A 12-month license at +100% is not greedy. It is the same work being used for a full year.
Add rush fees only to production
Rush fees pay you for reshuffling your schedule. They apply to production only, meaning videos, hooks and raw footage, not to usage rights or whitelisting:
- 72 hours: +25%
- 48 hours: +50%
- 24 hours: +100%
The clock starts when you have the product in hand and a confirmed brief. If the brand took a week to ship and now wants it in 24 hours, the rush fee stands. If the delay was on your side, drop it.
The formula, step by step
These steps work for any brief:
- Find your band's price for the length the brand wants.
- Multiply by the number of videos and take off the bundle discount if it applies.
- Add extra hooks at their per-hook price.
- Add raw footage at 25% of the video fee, if requested.
- Add paid usage as a percentage of the discounted video fee.
- Add whitelisting per 30 days.
- Apply the rush percentage to production only, and round to the nearest $5.
Example: Growing creator, 3-video brief, 1 extra hook each, 30 days paid usage
Say a skincare brand asks for three videos up to 60 seconds, a second hook on each, and paid ad usage for one month. This is a hypothetical brief showing how the structure adds up.
| Line item | Basis | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| 3 UGC videos (30–60s) | $200 each | $600 |
| Bundle discount (10%) | 3+ videos in one brief | -$60 |
| 3 extra hooks | $50 per hook | $150 |
| Paid usage rights, 30 days | 25% of video fee | $135 |
| Total | $825 |
Three videos at $200 is $600. Take 10% off and you have $540. Usage is 25% of that discounted $540, which is $135. Hooks go in at their normal price.
Example: Established creator, 5 videos, raw footage, 3 months usage, 1 month whitelisting
Say a DTC supplement brand sends a bigger brief:
- 5 UGC videos (30–60s) at $345 each: $1,725
- Bundle discount (15%): -$260
- 10 extra hooks at $85 each: $850
- Raw footage (25% of video fee): $365
- Paid usage rights, 3 months (50% of video fee): $735
- Whitelisting, 1 × 30 days: $175
- Total: $3,590
Example: In-demand creator, 2 long videos, 12 months usage, 48h rush
Say a brand wants two 60–90 second videos in two days, with a year of paid use:
- 2 UGC videos (60–90s) at $610 each: $1,220
- 2 extra hooks at $155 each: $310
- Paid usage rights, 12 months (100% of video fee): $1,220
- Rush delivery, 48 hours (+50% on production): $765
- Total: $3,515
Notice the $765 rush fee is 50% of the production lines only, the videos and the hooks. It is not calculated on the usage line.
Put your rates where brands will see them
Hiding your rates costs you time. You answer the same DM ten times, send a number, and find out the budget was never close. A rate card beside your portfolio filters out mismatches before they reach your inbox.
A DM sequence that works:
- Ask for the brief first: number of videos, length, and where the videos will run.
- Confirm the usage window before you name a price.
- Send your rate card and a final quote for that specific brief.
Here is wording you can copy for the first message:
"Thanks for reaching out. To quote accurately, can you confirm how many videos, the max length, and whether you plan to run them as paid ads (and for how long)? I'll send a line-item quote once I have that."
That order protects you from quoting organic-only prices for something that turns out to be a six-month ad campaign.
Next step
Run your band and length through the rate calculator, then put the card and your best videos on one free ugcbios page. You can see what that looks like in the features overview, or create your page when you are ready.
Questions creators ask
How much should I charge for UGC photos?
The ugcbios rate calculator prices video, so there is no photo starting point in it. Pick a flat per-set fee yourself, keep it below your video fee, and apply the same usage-rights percentages so paid ad use is never free.
Do UK creators price differently?
The structure is the same: base fee, length, add-ons, usage. Quote in the currency your client pays in and state it on the rate card, then check the fee against your own costs and your experience band.
Should I publish my rates or send them on request?
Publish a starting rate card and quote the final number per brief. A visible card saves back-and-forth, while the per-brief quote lets you price usage, rush and bundle size accurately.