The two meanings of "UGC"
The word started with customers: reviews, tagged photos and videos people post about a brand on their own. They hold the copyright on those posts. A business that wants to reuse one has to ask first, and a tag is not permission.
Today, "UGC creator" usually means something else: someone who makes content on request, shot to look like a real person filmed it on a real phone. That is the kind this page covers. A business asks, a creator makes it, and the files are handed over.
Examples of UGC for a local business
Illustrations of the kind of thing businesses ask for, not results from Muchsy:
- A menu walk-through: three dishes filmed on the table, one short clip each.
- An unboxing: hands opening a parcel and showing what's inside, for a shop that ships.
- A get-ready at a salon: the chair, the tools and the finished look, without a voice-over.
- A before and after: a room, a bike, a pair of shoes, a haircut.
- "Three things I'd order here": a quick list clip, shot at the counter.
Who publishes: UGC or a post on the creator's channels
The whole difference is who presses "post". Everything else follows from that.
| - | UGC (content files) | Post on the creator's channels |
|---|---|---|
| Who publishes | The business | The creator |
| Do followers matter? | No | Yes, and a minimum can be set |
| What the business gets | Files it can reuse within the agreed rights | Reach, once |
| Usage rights | Set on the offer: organic or ads, 30 days to unlimited | Don't apply to the post itself |
| Done when | The business approves the files | The live post link is checked |
| Disclosure | Usually the business's own advertising (see below) | The creator adds #Ad |
| Gifted, paid or both | Yes | Yes |
One collab can ask for both: the creator posts and hands over the files. A follower minimum only ever applies to the post half. The longer comparison is in UGC vs influencer collabs.
For businesses: how to get UGC
Say what you want
On the offer form, tick "Content files for your own use (UGC)". Say how many photos or clips you need and where they will go: your feed, website, menu board or ads. Tick "Raw files included" only if you will edit the unedited footage yourself.
Gifted, paid, or both
A gifted collab means the creator gets your product or service in exchange for the content. Paid means a cash fee for the work. You can also offer both. Any money moves directly between you and the creator, and Muchsy never holds it. Be fair: a gifted collab has to be worth someone's afternoon. More on how that trade works in gifted collabs, explained.
Any offer can also carry a word-of-mouth discount, so you see which creator actually brought customers in.
In person, shipped, or remote
In person: the creator comes to you and a QR voucher is scanned at your counter. This is the local option, and it is the right one when you want your own place on camera. Shipped: you post the product, and their deadline starts when they confirm it arrived. Remote: the brief is enough, and the deadline starts when you accept.
Reviewing the files
You approve the files or ask for changes, at most twice. After the second request you approve or cancel, and cancelling counts against nobody. If you never answer, the collab can complete in the creator's favour after seven days without a reply.
The buttons, step by step, are in Remote collabs, UGC and getting paid. You can also browse creators who make UGC.
UGC usage rights, explained once
The creator owns the copyright by default. What a business gets is a licence: permission to use the files somewhere, for some length of time.
- Organic: the business posts the files on its own accounts and website.
- Paid ads: it runs them as ads from its own account. Organic rights don't cover this.
- Whitelisting: ads run from the creator's account, with their permission. Muchsy has no field for this. If you want it, agree it in Messages as a separate permission.
On Muchsy, a UGC offer states the scope (your own posts and website, or "Paid ads too") and the term: 30, 60 or 90 days, 6 or 12 months, unlimited, or Other (to be agreed), with a one-line note saying what the business has in mind. The offer can also say "Raw files included", meaning the unedited footage comes too, not only the finished edit. All of it is copied onto the collab when it is accepted, like the price, and shown to both sides. Muchsy records the agreement. It does not enforce it.
Two pieces of advice, one for each side. Businesses: ask for what you will really use, because a year of organic use is enough for many shops. Creators: don't give away unlimited ad rights on a gifted collab, because that is the clause with real money in it.
What affects the price of UGC
There is no fixed rate. A few things push the price up:
- Paid-ad rights. Running the files as ads is worth more than posting them on the business's own accounts.
- A longer usage term. Unlimited use is worth more than 90 days.
- Raw files. The unedited footage comes on top of the finished edit.
- More clips or versions. Each extra clip, cut or format is more work.
- The creator's experience. A strong portfolio earns a higher fee.
Locally, many first jobs are gifted collabs: the business offers its product or service, and the creator decides whether that is worth their time. On Muchsy, each offer states what it gives and what it is worth, so the creator decides before applying.
For creators: making UGC with no followers
You don't need an audience
A business buying files is not buying reach, because nobody sees the content as one of your followers. On Muchsy, a UGC-only profile needs no follower count. If you give one, it is shown; if you don't, no number appears at all.
Show your work
Your profile has a Work gallery: up to 6 photos and 3 clips of up to 60 seconds, each with an optional link to where it was published. Three samples of things you own, shot on your kitchen counter, are enough to start. How to get a first UGC job with no followers covers the samples and the application note.
Find offers, and deliver
Each offer says what it gives (gifted, paid or both) and which rights it asks for. Those terms are copied onto the collab when you are accepted. You can send the files as a link (Drive, WeTransfer, Dropbox), by email or another way. Files never pass through Muchsy, and a link is the version anyone can check. On a paid remote collab, send a watermarked preview first, get it approved and paid, then send the finals. When you're ready, see open UGC offers.
When UGC needs #ad
Who publishes decides it. This is general information, not legal advice.
- The creator posts on their own channels, gifted or paid: they disclose it with #Ad, #Pub or #Partenariat. #Gifted alone is not enough when a post was owed. Canada's Ad Standards disclosure guidelines (2025 edition) count a free product as a connection that must be disclosed.
- The business posts the files on its own account: viewers already know a brand's post is promotion. One exception: don't present a gifted or paid creator as an independent customer review. The US FTC calls that deceptive (16 CFR 255.5). Credit the creator ("Filmed by @…") or use the platform's partnership label.
- Ads run from the creator's account (whitelisting): these look like the creator's own post, so use the paid-partnership label.
Post a UGC offer
Say what you want, what you give and where the files will go. Creators apply, and you choose.
Free to post. Muchsy never handles your money.
Questions
›Do I need followers to make UGC?
No. The follower minimum only exists for posts. A UGC-only offer has none, and a UGC-only profile doesn't need a count.
›How much do UGC creators get paid?
It depends on the ad rights, the usage term, raw files, the number of clips and the creator's experience (what affects the price). Locally, many first jobs are gifted collabs, and every Muchsy offer states what it gives before you apply.
›Who owns UGC files?
The creator keeps the copyright. The business gets a licence for the use and the term agreed on the offer.
›Can a business run UGC as ads?
Only if the rights say "Paid ads too". Ask for it up front. Creators usually charge more for ad use, especially with no time limit.
›Can a UGC collab be gifted?
Yes: gifted, paid, or gifted + paid. The offer says which before anyone applies. More on gifted collabs.
›Can I make UGC for a business in another city?
Yes. Shipped and remote collabs exist for exactly that. The deadline starts when the parcel arrives, or when you are accepted.
›How are the files sent?
As a link, by email or another way, never uploaded to Muchsy. A link is the safest choice if there is ever a disagreement.
›What if the business doesn't like the files?
It can ask for changes twice, then approve or cancel. A cancellation at that point counts against nobody.
›Are raw files included?
Only if the offer says "Raw files included".
Free to post. Muchsy never handles your money.