Rates
How Much Should a Food Creator Charge for UGC?
UGC pays by the content, not your follower count — here's what to charge and why it's the easiest place to start.
Short answer
Food and recipe UGC videos typically pay $100–$500 per video, and can run up to $1,000–$1,500 for polished, higher-production work with usage rights. A common starting rate is $100–$175 for a clean 30–60 second recipe video with basic organic-use rights. The key thing: UGC is content you create for a brand to run on their own channels, so your follower count doesn't matter — brands are buying the content, not your reach, which is exactly why it's the most accessible income stream for a small food account.
Why UGC is the easiest start for a small food account
With UGC, a brand pays you to make a recipe video or food photo they'll post on their own feed or run as an ad. Because they're buying the content — not access to your audience — your follower count is irrelevant. That's why creators with a few hundred followers land paid UGC work that a same-size account could never get as a sponsored post.
What to charge
- Starter: $100–$175 for a 30–60s recipe video, organic-use rights included.
- Standard: $200–$500 per video as your quality and portfolio grow.
- Premium: $1,000–$1,500 for polished, multi-shot work with broader usage rights.
Price by production effort and usage, not audience size. Add-ons that raise the rate: paid-ad usage rights, exclusivity, raw footage, extra revisions, and rush turnaround.
How to land your first UGC deals
- Make 2–3 spec videos (pretend brand deals) to show your style — this is your portfolio.
- Put "UGC creator" and a contact email in your bio.
- Pitch brands whose products you genuinely use; keep it short with a link to your samples.
- Start slightly low to build reviews, then raise rates every few deals.
Add recurring income to your one-off UGC checks
UGC pays once per video. MomRise pays you a percentage of every subscription your audience buys — recurring income that keeps coming while you keep creating. Free to join, no follower minimum.
Apply to the MomRise creator program →Frequently asked questions
Do I need a lot of followers to do UGC?
No — UGC has no follower minimum. The brand runs the content on their channels, so they're paying for the video itself, not your reach. Many working UGC creators have small personal followings.
What's a fair first UGC rate?
Around $100–$175 for a polished 30–60 second video with organic-use rights is a reasonable starting point. Raise it as your portfolio and quality improve.
What are usage rights and why do they change the price?
Usage rights define where and how long the brand can use your content. Organic-only (their normal posts) is cheapest; paid-ad usage and exclusivity cost more because they're worth more to the brand — charge extra for them.
UGC vs a sponsored post — what's the difference?
A sponsored post goes on your feed and is priced on your reach/engagement. UGC is content the brand posts on their channels, priced on production effort — so it works regardless of your follower count.