I just wrapped a four-day trip to Miami Beach, and between the rooftop pool and a fabulous dinner at the Versace Mansion, I was also on the clock. I shot content for several different brands while I was there. Some of that was influencer content. Some of it was UGC. And if you don’t know the difference, you’re not alone, because I get asked about this constantly.
So let’s talk about UGC rates vs influencer rates, because they are not the same thing, and mixing them up costs both creators and brands money.
Here’s how. If a brand pays an influencer rate but expects UGC-style usage rights, running the footage as a paid ad for months, they’re underpaying for what they’re actually getting. If a creator quotes a UGC rate but the brand wants influencer-level reach and audience trust attached to it, the creator is leaving money on the table. Either way, someone ends up renegotiating mid-project, or worse, a piece of content gets used in a way nobody agreed to and nobody priced for.
What Is UGC?
UGC stands for user generated content. It’s A-roll and B-roll footage made for a brand, but built to look native, like something a real person shot on their phone, not a polished ad. Brands use it in their own paid ads and on their own social pages. You may never even see it posted on my account.
Think about the last time you were scrolling and saw a video that looked like it came from a friend, someone talking straight to camera about a product they actually use, filmed in their kitchen or car, no fancy lighting or studio setup. That’s UGC. It’s designed to blend in with real content instead of standing out as an ad, which is exactly why it performs so well. People trust it more because it doesn’t feel like marketing, even though it absolutely is.
For me, that means I might film several versions of the same concept in one session: a testimonial style clip, a quick demo, maybe a “get ready with me” style video where the product shows up naturally. The brand then owns that footage and runs it as ads, uses it on their product pages, or hands it to their own social team.
That’s different from influencer work, where I’m creating and posting content on my own platform, to my own audience, under my own name.
UGC Rates vs Influencer Rates
Here’s the part people get wrong. They assume UGC pays the same as influencer work because it’s still “content.” It doesn’t, and it shouldn’t.
Influencer rates are built around reach. You’re paying for my audience, my engagement, my trust with the people who follow me. UGC rates are built around production. You’re paying for the footage itself, the usage rights, and how long the brand gets to use it.
That means a UGC rate can be lower per piece of content, but the terms matter just as much as the number. Usage length, whitelisting, exclusivity, and whether the content runs as a paid ad all change the price.
Why I Have a Team on This Now
This part of my business has grown enough that I don’t handle every detail of it myself anymore. I have a team working on UGC rates, contracts, and deliverables specifically, separate from how we handle influencer partnerships.
That’s not me stepping back. That’s me making sure the business side keeps up with the creative side. If you’re a brand reaching out, that’s also why you’ll hear from my team on specifics like usage terms and turnaround.
What This Looked Like in Miami
The Miami trip was a good example of how these two worlds run side by side. I shot content for multiple brands in four days, some for their ad accounts as UGC, some as influencer posts that showed up in my own feed.
On the same day, I might film a quick, phone-style clip for a brand’s ad account in the morning, then shoot a polished post for my own page in the afternoon. Different lighting, different pacing, different goal. The UGC clip is built to blend in on someone else’s feed and do a job: sell a product, stop a scroll, feel like a friend’s recommendation instead of an ad. The influencer post is built to feel like me, in my voice, to an audience that already trusts me.
Brands sometimes book both from the same shoot day because it’s efficient for everyone, but the deliverables, the usage rights, and the invoices are handled completely separately. Same trip, same energy, two different pricing conversations behind the scenes.
And in between all of it, I still made time to actually enjoy the trip. Poolside, the beach, dinner at the Versace Mansion. Work travel doesn’t have to mean no life. I made a few new connections out there too, and I’m curious to see where those go.
Stay lovely, Cindy Rose, The Bombshell Nurse
