Setting your UGC rates comes down to three moves: price a single video based on your current portfolio and experience (not your ambition), package your offer so brands can compare and order in one click, and raise your prices in small steps as reviews come in. Getting paid safely adds one more layer: work through escrow so the money is reserved before you film, and, if you're doing this regularly, register as a French auto-entrepreneur or a Brazilian MEI so you can invoice legally and aren't caught off guard at tax time. This guide covers the pricing method in detail, then walks through what auto-entrepreneur and MEI actually require in practice.

How much should you actually charge as a UGC creator?

Price against your current proof, not your target income. A workable starting scale:

  • Zero to a handful of orders: a single testimonial video in the €50 to €120 range. The goal at this stage is reviews and a track record, not maximizing revenue per video.
  • A solid portfolio and consistent 5 star reviews: €120 to €250 for a standard testimonial, more for scripted or multi scene formats.
  • A strong niche reputation and repeat brands: €250 and up, plus separate pricing for paid ad usage rights, which is where experienced creators earn the most per video.

For a full breakdown of typical ranges by format, niche, and market, see our UGC pricing guide. And if you're only just getting started with zero orders behind you, our guide on becoming a UGC creator with no followers covers building your first portfolio before you worry about pricing at all.

Building packages that actually sell

A single flat rate makes brands negotiate. Clear packages make them order. A structure that works for most creators:

  1. A single video package, your base offer, priced to be easy to say yes to.
  2. A 3 or 5 video pack, at a lower per video price, for brands who want to test multiple angles at once. This is usually your best selling package, since testing several videos is the approach that tends to perform best in ads.
  3. A paid ad usage add on, priced separately from the base video, covering the right to run it as a Meta or TikTok ad for a set duration (commonly 6 or 12 months).

Naming your packages clearly ("1 testimonial video", "3 video pack + captions", "video + 6 months ad rights") removes friction: a brand should be able to read your packages and know exactly what they're buying without messaging you first. You can look at how established creators structure their own packages by browsing profiles on UGC MATCH for a sense of what a clear, competitive package actually looks like.

When and how to raise your rates

Raise your price after milestones, not on a calendar. Reasonable triggers: your fifth completed order, your first 5 star review in a new niche, or a noticeable jump in inbound requests relative to your availability. Move in increments of roughly 10 to 20% rather than doubling overnight, which tends to price you out of the next tier of brands before you've built the reputation to justify it. If you specialize in a niche where demand runs ahead of supply, such as beauty or fitness content, you can usually push rates up faster than in a more saturated category.

Getting paid safely: escrow before you film

The single change that removes the most risk from this work: never start filming until payment exists, reserved, somewhere you don't control directly. On a marketplace with Stripe based escrow, the brand's payment is captured the moment they place the order and held until they approve your delivered video, at which point it's released to you. You are never chasing an invoice after the fact, and the brand can't simply disappear once they have the file. This is worth insisting on even for a first order with a brand that seems trustworthy, since trust is not a substitute for a structural guarantee.

Auto-entrepreneur in France: what you actually need

If you're based in France and take on UGC work regularly rather than as a one off, registering as a micro-entrepreneur (commonly still called auto-entrepreneur) is generally the simplest legal setup for a solo creator. In broad terms, this status means:

  • Registration is free and done online, through the official INPI/URSSAF formalities portal, and gets you a SIRET number, which you generally need to issue a valid invoice.
  • Social contributions (cotisations sociales) are calculated as a percentage of what you actually earn, so you don't owe anything on a month with no orders. Rates and thresholds are set by URSSAF and do change, so always check the current figures on the official site before relying on a specific number.
  • There's an annual revenue ceiling for the service category UGC work typically falls under. This ceiling is adjusted periodically, so check it directly rather than relying on last year's figure.
  • Below a certain revenue threshold, you're generally exempt from charging VAT, and your invoices should carry the corresponding legal mention. Confirm the exact wording and current threshold with URSSAF or an accountant, since this changes from time to time.

This is a general overview, not tax advice for your specific situation. If your income from UGC becomes a meaningful part of your revenue, a short paid consultation with an accountant familiar with micro-entrepreneur status is a worthwhile investment.

MEI in Brazil: what you actually need

If you're based in Brazil, MEI (Microempreendedor Individual) is the equivalent low friction status most solo UGC creators use to work legally. In broad terms:

  • Registration is free, done through the official Portal do Empreendedor, and gives you a CNPJ, which lets you invoice as a business rather than as an individual, something international and larger brands often specifically require.
  • You pay a fixed monthly amount (the DAS) that bundles your social security contribution with a small municipal or state tax, rather than a percentage of revenue. The exact amount is adjusted periodically by the government, so check the current figure rather than assuming last year's applies.
  • There's an annual revenue cap for MEI status. Brazilian UGC creators earning consistently above that cap generally need to migrate to a different business category (commonly ME). The cap changes periodically, so verify the current figure through the official Portal do Empreendedor.
  • You may need to issue a nota fiscal for certain clients, particularly brands paying from outside Brazil or larger companies with their own compliance requirements. Not every brand will ask for one, but having the ability to issue one removes a common blocker to landing bigger clients.

As with the French section above, this is a general overview. Rules and thresholds shift, so confirm current figures with an accountant or the official government portal before treating any number here as fixed.

Mistakes that cost creators money

  • Pricing without packages, which forces every brand into a negotiation instead of a quick order.
  • Never raising rates after building a track record that clearly justifies it.
  • Skipping registration once UGC work becomes a real income source, which can create problems at tax time and blocks you from working with brands that require a proper invoice.
  • Delivering before payment is secured, whether informally or through a platform without escrow.
  • Bundling paid ad usage into the base price, which quietly underprices your most valuable right.

Your action plan

  1. Set an honest starting rate based on your current portfolio, not your goals.
  2. Build 2 or 3 clear packages, including a separate paid ad usage add on.
  3. Only work through channels that reserve payment before you film.
  4. If UGC becomes regular income, register as an auto-entrepreneur (France) or MEI (Brazil) and confirm current thresholds with an accountant.
  5. Raise your rates after each real milestone, not on a fixed schedule.

Getting your pricing and paperwork right early means you can focus on the part that actually grows your income: better videos and repeat brands.

Set up your creator profile and packages on UGC MATCH →

Frequently asked questions

What should a beginner UGC creator charge for their first video? A common starting point is €50 to €120 for a single testimonial video, rising as you build reviews and a track record of completed orders.

Do I have to register as auto-entrepreneur or MEI to do UGC work? It depends on your country and how much you earn. If UGC work becomes a regular source of income rather than an occasional one, registering is generally required to invoice legally, and it protects you at tax time. Check current thresholds with an accountant or the official portal in your country.

How do I avoid working for free if a brand doesn't pay? Only work through a platform or arrangement where payment is held in escrow from the moment the brand orders, and released to you once they approve the delivered video, rather than trusting a promise to pay after delivery.

Should paid ad usage cost more than a normal video? Yes, generally. Organic posting rights and paid ad usage rights (whitelisting) are different products with different value, and pricing them separately protects your income as brands increasingly want to run UGC as ads.