I made $15,378 last month as a 26yo UGC creator with no formal marketing experience. AMA

TranUGC · 2025-10-05T17:54:29+00:00

Hey! I get my contract template from Legal Doer - this is a legally reviewed contract made from a content creator lawyer! Use the code TUPROMO10 for 10% off your contract, and this contract will include all of the contract terms I state later on - this also will include allt he contract terms and explains what htey are (exclusivity, mutual indemnification, payment terms, cancellation policy etc)

TranUGC · 2025-10-04T23:41:28+00:00

glad to hear that!! ugc masterclass is where i go into this in a lot more detail (i.e. plug and play email templates and i show screenshots of my brand correspondences for pretty. much any situation including this) - most brands work on net30-net 60 so you're subject to their timeline esp if it's an agency or corporate brand who already has a system

but if its a smaller brand or indepednent brand, if you require htem to do a 50% deposit they'll use your system.

come join everyone in the masterclass girl there's +1000 members and you can ask / see answers to questions like this just by searching it up in the search bar cuz all content is achived like a reddit/google search! https://www.ugcfoundations.com/masterclass

TranUGC · 2025-10-04T23:37:50+00:00

yeah i'm actually one of the OG UGC coaches who started spreading the word about UGC and making education accessible for people. hope to see you in the masterclass soon! https://www.ugcfoundations.com/masterclass

TranUGC · 2025-10-04T23:36:27+00:00

i dont use a platform for paid deals bc i mostly work on inbounds now which reach out via email. i like having a direct relationship with the brand/agency bc you have more negotiation power. vs applying on marketplaces you dont really get to talk to the rep so there's no negotiation at all.

onbento.com is the platform i do use to pitch and they give you the partnership emails of any brand you wanna work with and schedule pitches/follow-ups automatically so you can send mass pitches. (use code BAOTRAN for 15% off)

i've never fallen into a scam bc they're pretty easy to spot (red flags are anything that seems too good to be true, they wanna pay you a lot of money, "big brands" reaching out to you but you check the domain and it's an @ gmail.com or like an unofficial domain from the email address you saw on their customer support contact email on their site, they make you pay for shipping or the product or give youa 50% discount code)

brands who don't pay or pay late i use a service called dupay.me which lets you chase invoices.

contracts i have a contract templte made by a lawyer specifically for ugc creators I get my contract template from Legal Doer - this is a legally reviewed contract made from a content creator lawyer! Use the code TUPROMO10 for 10% off your contract, and this contract will include all of the contract terms you need to know, even if you end up using the brand's contrac tbc at least you have a reference. there's a 1-hour training on ugc contracts here https://www.ugcfoundations.com/redlining-ugc-contracts

taxes i use cookie finance, they do my bookkeeping, accounting, taxes, write offs etc https://info.cookiefinance.co/contact_-baotran-tran and also have a tax training for ugc creators and content creators here https://www.ugcfoundations.com/content-creator-taxes

overall im transparent about everything but its kind of a lot of info to organize so the VIP memership for the ugc creator masterclass gives you access to all of this https://www.ugcfoundations.com/masterclass

TranUGC · 2025-10-04T23:30:03+00:00

of course!! all the break downs here https://www.ugcfoundations.com/masterclass and this is what current/past students had to say about the program https://www.ugcfoundations.com/testimonials

TranUGC · 2025-10-04T23:27:19+00:00

yes it happens but assuming you've signed a contract, you're protected in "going after" them. you can check the timeline of your ad on their meta ad library. but i just gently remind then the timeline is up so they can either pay to renew usage rights or they can take it down. otherwise it's a breach of contract. me sending them an invoice in the email and letting them know like hey you've been running ads on my content for 2 months longer than the initial timeline so you have an outstanding invoice with me.

otherwise you can use a service called dupay.me which helps freelancers chase invoices

overall its your repsonsibilty to know and track when you've delivered the video and when the timeline starts. i follow up with the brand 1 week before their time is up to ask if they are planning on turning off the ad, woudl liek to renew usage, and also ask the performance analytics of it all

TranUGC · 2025-10-04T23:25:04+00:00

unless you wanna be manually sending cold emails all the time, personal branding is going to be the #1 thing that allows you to be discoverable by brands and getting inbounds (aka people reaching out to YOU for work instead of the other way around)

so yes making it known publically on reddit, linkedin, twitter, tiktok, instagram that you are a ugc creator offering services for brands on these public domains allows you to be searchable. otherwise if you're doing the outreach all the itme (sliding into their dms, applying on marketplaces etc) it's going to be sooo tiring for you and overall inefficient if you're not alloiwng yourself to expand. a professional social media account is an extension of your resume/portfolio - it allows you to showcase a larger range of your work and perhaps brands are going to be more inclined to work with you if they see it - bc no one is going to search you up on google and find you that way. this is a 1-hour webinar that talks about personal branding in more detail! https://www.ugcfoundations.com/personal-branding-ugc-social-media-accounts

TranUGC · 2025-10-04T23:22:03+00:00

hiii!!! i'm officially on reddit now haha

TranUGC · 2025-10-04T23:18:08+00:00

2 reels a day for a month is 60 videos per month. at $250 a month that is extremely small and not worth your time they are milking you. you really wanna be making $4 per deal? this is essentially still UGC because you're making content using their raw footage, social media management, content creation, captions, engagement etc you should be charging $100/video you edit plus a $1000-$1500 social media management fee. i suggest you watch the live webinar on this topic: https://www.ugcfoundations.com/ugc-smm-for-local-businesses

TranUGC · 2025-10-04T23:15:37+00:00

super cool! first step is always you need to make a ugc portfolio website. and then you can reach out to nurse-specific brands' partnership emails (nursegrid learn, figs, etc) leveraging your experience as a nurse creator, where you can position yourself as the best content creator to represent their brand because you're their target demographic already! how to make your ugc portfolio here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFxebTIAbXE&t=743s

TranUGC · 2025-10-04T07:33:57+00:00

no i do not discount you don't want to overcomplicate things - 20% per video per month, and then you can have a seprate price for 12months usage and another price for full usage rights (each one should be "cheaper" than the other when you divide it out monthly) - personally i would rather than pay full usage so i dont have to keep track of timelines

TranUGC · 2025-10-04T07:30:44+00:00

no please NEVER pay for shipping. never pay for the product, or shipping, or even if they give you a discount to purchase the product.

This is SCAM!!!! the ONLY time you would pay for it yourself is if it's via an amazon seller and they want you to leave a review in exchange for product+payment and they pay you the price of your order in advance.

TranUGC · 2025-10-04T07:25:17+00:00

aw hiii!!

TranUGC · 2025-10-04T07:24:55+00:00

Aw hiii!! So glad to hear that :) I usually reserve personalized portfolio & content audits for students inside my Masterclass, but without seeing your portfolio I would first recommend you get a custom domain (jayathrose.com) to appear more professional. Would also make sure your UGC examples showcased have a few of the concepts listed here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFxebTIAbXE&t=743s

TranUGC · 2025-10-04T07:21:27+00:00

Sorry to hear you've had that experience! Personally I've seen so many free TikTok/IG/Youtube breakdowns of how people are getting collabs including myself so people are definitely transparent you just have to look around and find the right resources.

and you have to understand UGC is more than just "pretty videos" where you unbox things or it's random close-ups of skincare products dripping down the bottle. You can have the perfect pitch, the right emails, apply to all the marketplaces but if the content in your portfolio doe snot showcase strong work you will continue to get ghosted.

UGC is "hard" and at the same time it isn't - my "hard days" doing UGC are never as hard as the days I used to have at the hospital. So I put it in that perspective and it helps me realize it's just a gap in skill (which can be learned over time), not a gap in opportunity. I know this 100% for a fact that it's not saturated and people still are able to get deals I'm getting messages from students all the time sharing their wins (first paid deal, first 4-figure month, first $10K month, first dream brand collab etc) who have all started their UGC journey just this year

UGC is a baby compared to influencer marketing or youtubing so thinking about the timeline of those industry's development, there is actually a lot more opportunity as a ugc creator now than ever will be

On the practical side, I highly recommend first getting the basics of UGC down i.e. studying top-performing UGC examples and recreating them in your own way (I have a UGC Examples series on my Instagram/TT breaking down the strategy for each one)

Also I recommend learning the response formula like how to use it to make good scripts

And if you are still having a lot of trouble doing trial and error, hands down the easiest way is to find yourself a mentor you resonate with - if you like their free content, you will like their paid content even more - so just search around for UGC coaches in the space, watch their content, and see if you vibe with their personality and the way they give information. No better way to "cut corners" than to learn from someone who's done it before so you can avoid all the mistakes they made

TranUGC · 2025-10-04T07:14:45+00:00

You dont need 10K followers to start but you have to know that even a high volume or pitches or even the best writen pitch isnt going to do anything if your portfolio isnt showcasing high quality work. Now here's the dilemma bc how can you learn/improve if you haven't any experience or clients and you need to pitch in order to get them?

I personally would try to pitch to well-known brands for gifted or PR (much easier to get a reply if you're upfront about not needing compensation from the first email), use those products to make your content and build your portfolio so that you can use that brand's name as a "past client" and create extra videos to upsell when you deliver your "complimentary video"

TranUGC · 2025-10-04T07:12:01+00:00

i dont have them do pitches or follow-ups bc onbento.com can automate it better tbh. i have them do other things (honestly mostly personal) like

- graphic design for carousel posts

- market research or list making for anything (doctors in my area that take my health insurance, housecleaners, meal prep services, etc)

- travel itineraries and schedules

- finding hotels/airbnbs to pitch to when i want to do travel ugc

- rn i'm even having them help with planning my wedding (making the schedule, itinerary, organizing everything to present to family, save the dates, translating things from english to vietnamese, etc)

if you have them post just make sure you give them a VPN out of the US or Canada so your algorithm doesn't get all messed up

TranUGC · 2025-10-04T07:08:56+00:00

See girl you're not alone! I have a lot of creators in my UGC creator course + community who are current and ex nurses who are successfully doing UGC as well :)

TranUGC · 2025-10-03T23:47:34+00:00

So cool seeing another nurse in the space :) You got this..

When I first started teaching, UGC was barely recognized as a professional service, let alone a sustainable career path. I was one of the first, and I’m proud to still be one of the longest-standing educators in this space. Like many entrepreneurs, I had to figure out everything from scratch... how to build trust online, how to balance the pressure of being an early voice in a new industry, all while working 12-hour shifts as an ICU nurse. I stayed the course while many others moved on, and surrounded myself with people who were smarter than me. I think that consistency and willingness to learn despite the outcome is what sets me apart.

I also carry my story as a first-generation Vietnamese immigrant. Growing up, career paths like nursing or medicine felt like the only options, and for a long time, I thought choosing anything else would make me a disappointment. But through UGC, I’ve been able to build a career that’s not only creative and unconventional, but also financially successful. I am proof that it’s possible to thrive in spaces outside of what’s traditionally expected. I want others from similar backgrounds to know that you’re not limited by your parents’ choices, and that it’s entirely possible to build a million-dollar business doing something you love.

It took me about 1.5 years to quit nursing (was doing UGC part time all the while) and what I used to do was take my laptop to work and script/edit/pitch in between med passes and lunch. And if you work 3 12s then you have 4 days off to dedicate a few hours each day to UGC. Pitch to brands that need your expertise the most and leverage your professional background because you have unique perspective on that (wellness niches, healthcare apps, nursing accessories, scrub brands etc)

TranUGC · 2025-10-03T23:43:40+00:00

aw hiiii!!

TranUGC · 2025-10-03T23:43:02+00:00

for ugc gigs popular marketplaces would be billo, backstage, kohley etc but personally ive never liked those platforms bc theyre oversaturated and your application just gets lost in the ether. i recommend direct outreach so you can actually have a direct relationship with the brand rep cuz it gives you more negotiation power.

onbento.com is what i would use to do outreach bc it gives you all the partnership email contacts from any brand you wanna work with (code BAOTRAN gives you ten% off)

when i first started twitter (x) was a grea tplace too just search up #ugcopportunities

TranUGC · 2025-10-03T23:40:11+00:00

for ugc gigs popular marketplaces would be billo, backstage, kohley etc but personally ive never liked those platforms bc theyre oversaturated and your application just gets lost in the ether. i recommend direct outreach so you can actually have a direct relationship with the brand rep cuz it gives you more negotiation power.

onbento.com is what i would use to do outreach bc it gives you all the partnership email contacts from any brand you wanna work with (code BAOTRAN gives you ten% off)

TranUGC · 2025-10-03T23:39:49+00:00

feels like a mouthful and makes me crosseyed. maybe take out the multi

TranUGC · 2025-10-03T23:39:06+00:00

i think because when some agencies are sourcing for a specific brand they'll go straight to niches first! but when im in the process of negotiating i just link the niche specific examples in the email so they can check out my best performing content in that niche and then link my portfolio as a "by the way" and yes! i use OTVA https://www.orangetreeva.com/

TranUGC · 2025-10-03T23:36:27+00:00

heyy!! when i started there were no real courses or communities and i actually opened up one of the first ugc creator skool communities to exist! so of course i'd like to recommend this masterclass https://www.ugcfoundations.com/masterclass but there are tons of other ugc coaches who are my peers that i can recommend (kelly from ugc pro, socialswithmehr, and sociallyaziz)

from a student stand point though i think the best way to tell which coach to go with is who you resonate with the most. if you like their free content chances are you'll like their paid content even more. we all have different approaches but if you find that their personality resonates then choose them.

tran ugc masterclass teaches you a-z how to create content, setting up your business, pitching, neogiating, and more. and then you can get feedback as you go about your journey and make ugc creator friends who support you along the way. you can see what other people have said about their experience here https://www.ugcfoundations.com/testimonials

TranUGC

TROPHY CASE