The question always comes up: how many followers do you need to do UGC in Italy? None. That is the structural difference with influencer work, and it is what makes this job accessible.

Why followers do not count

A brand buying UGC is not buying visibility, it is buying a file. What it assesses is the quality of the framing, the naturalness of the delivery, the pace of the edit. Follower count says nothing about those three.

If anything, not being recognisable is an advantage: an unknown face stays credible as an ordinary person, which is exactly the effect the brand is paying for.

What Italian brands actually look at

  • The portfolio. Three to six videos, focused on one niche.
  • The audio. The first rejection criterion, before the image.
  • Category fit. A beauty brand looks for someone who has already shot beauty.
  • The language. Natural spoken Italian, no translated phrasing. A requirement, not a detail.
  • Reviews and completed orders, when they exist, as proof of reliability.
  • The ability to invoice, which for companies is eliminatory.

The mistake to avoid

Delaying the start while you "grow a bit on social". It is wasted time: while you build an audience you do not need, you are not building the portfolio you do need.

The second mistake is quoting a low follower count in your profile or messages. It adds nothing and moves attention onto a criterion that does not matter.

What to do instead of followers

Shoot three or four sample videos with products you own, edit them well, state your niche and your language, publish packages with price and turnaround. Then take orders on a marketplace, where brands arrive already intending to buy, and in parallel contact twenty or thirty brands already advertising.

On UGC MATCH the profile is free and no field asks for a follower count.

Keep reading

Create your free creator profile →

Frequently asked questions

Is zero followers really possible?

Yes. The criterion is the portfolio, not the audience.

Do you need a public account?

Useful to be found, not necessary to work.

Do brands ask for statistics?

In UGC rarely. If they do, they are often looking for an influencer, not a UGC creator.

Should you build an audience in parallel?

You can, but it is not a prerequisite. Portfolio first, audience later if at all.

Sources

Checked on 27 August 2026. Thresholds and rates change: where this guide and the official source disagree, the official source is right.