I signed up for the Brands Meet Creators Academy so that you don’t have to.
If you’re in the UGC industry, you’ve almost certainly come across Mike Rama and his agency turned creator platform, Brands Meet Creators. They connect UGC creators with brands, for free.
So far, it’s been going well. Hundreds of brands have posted jobs on the marketplace, and thousands of creators have applied for them.
Over the last year they have now pitched the Brands Meet Creators Academy as the place for creators to level up. But with everyone and their mom seeming to sell a UGC course in 2024, I wanted to see whether or not the hype around this particular one was worth it.
Here’s everything you need to know about the Brands Meet Creators Academy.
DISCLAIMER: I paid for the academy in full, this review is not sponsored by Brands Meet Creators and Nick didn’t pay me to say that he deserved a raise.
What Is The Brands Meet Creators Academy?
Hosted on Skool.com, think of the Brands Meet Creators Academy (BMCA) as a one-stop shop to help you increase your income as a creator. BMC Academy is sold as the place to learn the latest and greatest strategies to scale your income as a creator.
But it’s pitched to be more than just a course.
Not only do they have a standard video course and more templates than you’ll know what to do with, they have bi-weekly Q&A calls and a community that actually engages. The entire academy is designed to be one big support group for creators who are serious about making real money from UGC.
Whether or not it works, is another thing.
What Does It Include?
Long story short, everything.
〰️ Short and to the point UGC trainings: These are around 10-20 minutes long and fluff free. Short, sweet and actionable.
〰️ Templates, templates, templates: If you need a template, you can almost guarantee it’s here and free.
〰️ 2 live Q&A sessions every week: Not sure how to negotiate that recent inbound, ask. Not getting any inbounds, ask.
〰️ Monthly training with experts: Every month they host industry leading experts for specific talks. From the Amazon Influencer Program to Airbnb, there’s something for everyone.
〰️ Verified status on the Brands Meets Creators platform: This gets you to the top of the list when you apply for jobs on BMC, meaning your application gets seen first.
The core academy modules cover everything from portfolio to pitching and how to create content that converts. Thereafter, you can unlock additional modules that cover the fancy stuff: different streams of revenue, email outreach, Linkedin automation, and how to hire virtual assistants.
Brands Meets Creators Academy Review: The Good
Having delved into the academy, I can comfortably say that I’d recommend the Brands Meet Creators set-up over any other UGC guide I’ve purchased (and I’ve paid for a lot of guides). The content is not entry-level, but with course teachers on hand to answer any questions beginners can be easily guided through. The real value is for those who have had a few deals and understand UGC, but need that extra help getting to the next level.
If you’re earning a few hundred a month but want to earn a few thousand, this is the ‘course‘ for you.
A few of the stand out features include:
Nick Vitello
Most people know Brands Meets Creators as Mike Rama. Or at least, I did. I assumed it was very much a one-man band and he would be at the forefront of every touchpoint in the academy. As it turns out, 95% of the core academy modules are hosted by Nick Vitello, a UGC creator.
This turned out to be a really happy surprise. Nick’s easy to watch, very measured with his thoughts and clearly understands the industry well. He was able to provide some incredible content that I’ve never seen anywhere else. You can watch him tackle a 24 minute brand discovery call with a tough client, read his email back-and-forths and sit in as he turns a one-off deal into a 4-figure monthly retainer during a follow up call.
It’s real clients, real insights, and actionable approaches you can learn from.
Mike can sell the big picture, but Nick can teach you how to get there. Give the man a raise!
Community
How many times have you joined a UGC Facebook group, or a WhatsApp mastermind, only to realize it’s ✨tumbleweeds✨? A community isn’t worth anything unless members are engaged, and right now, BMCA seems to have found the sweet spot.
These aren’t brand spanking new creators asking the same questions, you can learn from just lurking.
Q&A sessions
Time is money, and UGC coaches often charge a bomb for their time. Consulting. Coaching. Whatever way you dress it up, you’ll be upwards of $100 per hour for someone to answer your questions. Or, you could hop on to a Q&A session with an academy coach twice a week and use them as your own personal sounding board. If you can’t make them live (or that feels a little bit too nerve wracking to start with) they post the replays, so you can catch up with other people’s questions or submit them in advance.
Emphasis on digital products
I think this might be my favorite part of the BMC Academy.
We all know that the top creators are not monetising through UGC alone. They just aren’t. It’s digital products, courses and affiliate income, and that’s a valid way to earn money. Rather than shy away from that, BMC embraced it.
Digital downloads are a taboo subject in the UGC world, but there’s no getting away from the fact that if you have an audience of UGC creators, you could be leaving money on the table. The academy has a module dedicated to teaching you how to pick it up.
And Now…The Bad
With that being said, even the best and most thought out courses have sticking points.
BMC Academy is no different.
Teething Problems
The academy seems to have gone through a few iterations, and this has left a few tell-tale footprints across the academy. In the course library, aka the classroom, you’ll find Brands Meets Creators 2.0 and Content For Legacy Members, both of which are locked modules.
This would be fine, but when searching the classroom for keywords or specific topics you’ll find these locked modules in the search results, which isn’t the best experience.
Points System
What’s important to note about The BMC Academy is that it’s not passive. You’re not faced with 90 hours of training footage that you start and don’t ever finish. It’s not a PDF you can work through in a night.
In order to access everything, you need to get points. To get points, you need to interact. 1 like on a post or comment in the community = 1 point.
This is supposed to make things less overwhelming. You’re given the core lessons initially (~30 hours of video training) instead of the entire whack off the bat. You also get comfortable asking questions and interacting in the community.
Personally, I found it disheartening when I first opened the classroom to see most lessons were locked.
However, it’s actually really easy to get points and it forces you to interact with other members in the community. This could be as simple as answering someone else’s question, or posting your own.
For reference, my introductory post got me 11 likes and a new course to crack on with. They do add up easily, but if you’re looking for a guide and nothing else, this isn’t it.
Dodgy Module Order For New Creators
If you’re a brand new creator joining the academy, the order of the content matters.
At the moment it looks a little something like this:
For experienced creators, this order makes sense. And it allows you to take advantage of their lucrative affiliate scheme. For newer creators, this is more of a distraction.
If you’re new to the game, the last thing you need to be doing is thinking about creating a digital download or joining an affiliate scheme while you’re learning the basics. Move this course to after Linkedin and it makes more sense.
🔥 TRAIL BLAZERS: If I was to describe the BMC Academy as anything, I’d say trailblazer. Most education programs in the UGC world repurpose and repackage what’s already out there. That’s essentially what we do here. I’m not telling you anything new, or groundbreaking, but Mike and his team are different. The sole purpose is to help you make more money, and that isn’t always by traditional UGC. They aren’t afraid to go against the grain if it will help you make more money.
How Much Does It Cost?
The academy is $100 per month.
This can be cancelled at any point, but it’s not cheap if you’re a brand new creator who isn’t earning from UGC yet. If you are earning, it’s a write off that might just be worth its weight in gold if you utilize it properly. They also run offers periodically – as of now, it’s just $30 for your first month.
So, What’s The Verdict?
The verdict is overwhelmingly positive.
👶🏽 If you’re a new creator: jump on at $30 per month in January — throw yourself in for 30 days. Take every lesson, utilize the free templates and get one-on-one time with people who have done it all before. If, at the end of 30 days, you don’t think UGC is for you, cut and run.
👵🏾 If you’re an experienced creator: make the most of the feedback. One of the hardest parts of UGC is feeling like you’re going it alone. The group is actively rewarded for participating, and this means people answer your questions. They give feedback, they talk and their happy to critique (constructively).
