I am the queen of the side hustle and UGC has been such a fun and easy way to make some quick money!
What is UGC?
UGC stands for User-generated Content. Brands hire regular people and content creators to record videos (or other types of content like images and reviews) for them to use on their social channels. This content looks like what you might see on an influencer’s feed. The difference is that instead of an influencer organically posting about a product they love, the content is created by a person paid by the brand to emulate that look. UGC comes across as more authentic than an advertisement with actual actors.
The good news is that you don’t have to have a social media following to create content for brands! You are never obligated to post anything on your own social channels, they just take the content and use it how they see fit for their own social media.
Where to find UGC jobs?
The majority of the jobs I get cast for are from Backstage. I filter the job postings by real people and content creators and make sure to have NO on site jobs checked on the location tab. I am only interested in the work from home content creation.
When I apply, I make sure it’s either for a product or niche that I would actually be interested in to keep it authentic. For example, I recently skipped on applying for a job that was about people with hurt knees and another one that was about a woman who lost her spouse in a war. I can’t relate to those, so I would not do my best work for those clients.
Sound like something you might like to try? This link gives you a major discount. It easily pays for itself in 1 job. I try to do 2 or more of these a week.
What Do you have to actually do?
The brand will send you a script or a general outline of how they want the video. Some are more specific than others. I use a teleprompter app for the jobs with an actual script which makes it even more simple. It could be an unboxing video, reading testimonials, reviewing a product or just delivering a variety of lines for them to choose from.
As more and more people find out about these jobs, it’s getting a little more competitive. I still find it very easy to get cast for jobs, but I get turned down for a ton too. This is a great time to get started!
What is the pay for UGC?
It varies quite a bit. I only apply for paid jobs, but if you want some practice to get started, take a few free jobs just to play around with it. You will be comfortable in no time!
I have been paid anywhere from $100 for reading a few lines to $1000 for 1 minute of content where I was given general guidelines but had control of how it turned out overall.
What do I need to get started doing UGC?
All you need is a phone to record video. These items however, are very helpful and take your content up a notch!
I’m a big fan of this side hustle!
There are so many ways to make extra money on the internet these days and UGC content is definitely worth a try!
