What it is, why it converts, what it costs and how to launch a first campaign with no agency and no subscription.
What it is, concretely
A video filmed by a real person, in a real place, with their phone, delivered to the brand as a file. It is not published by the creator: the brand runs it, on its own accounts, in advertising, on its product pages. So this is not influence, it is production.
Why it converts better than classic advertising
Six reasons, all observable.
The format does not break the reading of the feed.
The domestic look triggers less suspicion.
The message comes from somebody who resembles the buyer.
Demonstration replaces argument.
The cost allows several versions to be tested.
And the video answers objections the product page ignores.
The types of video you can order
Seven formats, from the most common to the most specific.
The demonstration in real use.
The unboxing with a check.
The before and after.
The nuanced testimonial.
The answer to an objection.
The comparison with the current habit.
And the questions and answers format.
How to find creators with no agency
Six methods, from the fastest to the slowest.
Filtering a marketplace by category and language.
Recruiting among your current customers.
Seeing who already posts in your category.
Going through specialised communities.
Answering the creators who contact you.
And calling back those whose results already suited you.
What it costs
Seven items to add up, not just the video price.
The production price, per video or per batch.
The usage rights, invoiced separately.
The distribution budget, dealt with above.
The internal time for briefing and review.
The cost of videos never run.
The platform or agency fees.
And the possible replacement of a creator.
Writing a brief that produces good videos
Seven blocks, never more.
The objective and the distribution platform.
The product and the key messages, ranked.
Hook ideas, given as suggestions.
The list of what to do and what to avoid.
The deliverables, format and length.
The usage rights, written down in full.
And the delivery date, with your own feedback turnaround.
Usage rights, the point everybody forgets
Four questions determine what you are buying: what you receive, where it runs, for how long, and whether the creator can work for a competitor. A price quoted without those four answers means nothing, and it is the most frequent source of disputes after delivery.
How to measure without telling yourself stories
Six indicators, none of them views.
Three-second retention.
The click rate in advertising.
The acquisition cost, the only final judge.
The page's conversion rate.
The creative's lifespan.
And the cost per video actually run.
What not to do at the start
Six mistakes that come back almost every time.
Ordering a single video.
Running with too small a budget per creative.
Changing two variables at once in a test.
Forgetting the advertising rights.
Judging a creative before two weeks.
And confusing a spent creative with a failed one.
Where to start, concretely
Seven decisions, in this order.
Decide the distribution budget over four weeks.
Deduce how many creatives to order.
Write a single promise.
List three different angles.
Choose three distinct creators.
Order, with the rights written into the quote.
And change nothing for two weeks.
What to prepare before ordering
Six elements, ready before the first message.
The list of permitted sentences.
The objections to remove, ranked.
The person who approves, with their turnaround.
The tracking table for the creatives.
The file naming convention.
And the target release date.
How long it takes to receive a video
Six markers, counting everything.
One to three days to ship the product.
Two to five days for the shoot.
Two to four days for the edit.
One to two days for your feedback.
One day for the corrected version.
And a margin before the release date.
What the platform takes on
On UGC MATCH, joining is free and there is no subscription: the brand pays at ordering, the funds are not released straight away, the video is delivered in a private space, and payment goes out on approval. The platform retains 10% of the price on the creator side, who therefore keeps 90%, and charges the brand a 6% service fee, with a minimum of 1.50 EUR.
One last marker: this format is not judged video by video, it is judged batch by batch. Order three creatives, run them at equal budget, and let two weeks decide for you.
The price, with figures
Rates vary by the creator's experience, the format, and usage rights. In 2026, expect roughly €80-€300 for a testimonial video, more for complex formats or extended ad rights. On a marketplace where creators set their own prices, you see the rate before you order, zero surprises. For a full breakdown of price ranges, see our dedicated article on what a UGC creator costs.
A useful rule of thumb: don't pay for length, pay for the ability to convert. A 20-second video that sells beats three minutes that bore.
The brief template, block by block
The quality of your UGC is 80% your brief. A good brief fits on one page and includes:
| Brief element | What it has to say |
|---|---|
| The product and the angle | What you're selling, and the one unique benefit to spotlight. |
| The hook | The first 3 seconds decide everything. Give 1 or 2 hook ideas. |
| The key message | The single thing to take away. |
| The call to action | What the viewer should do next. |
| Tone and examples | 2 or 3 reference videos are worth ten paragraphs. |
| The constraints | What to show, what to avoid. |
The clearer the brief, the fewer rounds of revisions. Our UGC brief guide lays out a ready-to-use template.
Usage rights, case by case
Ordering a video doesn't automatically give you the right to run it in paid ads forever. Clarify this before you order:
- Organic usage: posting on your own channels. Often included.
- Paid ad rights: using the video in Meta/TikTok ads. Often billed as an add-on.
- The duration: 6 months, 1 year, unlimited.
On a structured platform, these terms are set at the moment of ordering, which heads off disputes. Settle the rights question in the brief, never after.
Measuring the return on your campaigns
Don't judge a video by its view count, judge it by what it brings in. The metrics that matter:
Retention rate
Do people watch to the end? A video that loses half its viewers in three seconds has a hook problem, not a product problem, and recutting the opening is cheaper than reshooting.
Click-through rate in ads
Watching is not wanting. CTR tells you whether the video made anyone act, which is the only thing separating entertainment from advertising.
Cost per acquisition
Compare it against your other creative, not against an industry average. The only benchmark that means anything is what you were already paying.
Conversion rate on the landing page
A video can be doing its job while the page undoes it. If the traffic converts worse than your usual, the problem moved downstream.
The right method: order several videos with different angles, test them in ads, keep the winners, and recut them. UGC is a game of volume and iteration, not one perfect shot.
Your first orders, step by step
If you're launching your first UGC campaign:
- Define one clear goal (conversion? awareness?).
- Order 3 videos with different angles rather than a single "perfect" one.
- Write a one-page brief with hooks and examples.
- Test in ads, measure, keep the winners.
You can browse creators, see their rates, and place a secure order right now, it's free, with no subscription.
