If you’re a UGC creator, you need to approach your business more like you approach your Starbuck order.
Picture the scene. You walk into Starbucks and order a regular latte, expecting it to be amazing, but it falls a bit short. It’s good, but not great. It’s missing something: the add ons. A pump of vanilla, a splash of oat milk, and a drizzle of simple syrup: suddenly, that ordinary latte is a morning-changer.
A UGC deal is a lot like that latte.
When you deliver a single concept for a brand, you get a ~$250, the brand gets one concept that they have to run with. It’ll do the job, but it won’t often bring delight, to your or to the client.
Now consider the add ons. Imagine sprinkling additional hooks, providing variations of CTA, and tossing in some raw, unfiltered footage to bring authenticity to the mix. Suddenly, the brand has not just one, but multiple concepts to run with and you get paid a whole lot more.
Upsells are a no-brainer for everyone, as a UGC creator, you just need to understand how to position them. Let’s dive in.
Why Upsell?
Diving deeper, upselling is just a sales technique used to encourage customers to purchase additional services. The primary purpose of upselling in UGC content creation is to provide your clients with a personalized and relevant experience that aligns with their preferences and needs.
And it benefits everyone in three ways:
〰️ Increasing Revenue: You can’t do a five figure month on single concept ugc rates. Upselling has a direct impact on your revenue, without drastically increasing the time. Consider how long it takes to add raw footage into your Google Drive, versus land and deliver another single concept.
〰️ Maximizing Client Value: Upselling enhances deliverables. That’s it, that’s the tea. Brands get better content than they can use more effectively, and therefore should generate more income.
〰️Fostering Customer Loyalty: Upselling isn’t solely focused on short-term gains. When executed thoughtfully, upselling can lead to improved client satisfaction. By guiding them towards the upsells that genuinely address their requirements, clients come back for more.
So, what could those needs be?
UGC Upsells
Multiple Concepts
Has the brand already gone through various testing phases to nail down what does, and doesn’t work for them in terms of ads? If not, this presents an opportunity for you to upsell multiple concepts. They may have to come looking for an unboxing video, but could leave with an unboxing video, a testimonial and a green screen. In order to do this, you need to be able to present what is currently working in their industry and why you think it might be beneficial to them.
If it’s not going to be beneficial to the client, don’t upsell.
Hook/CTA Variations
As a creator, upselling additional hooks and calls-to-action (CTA’s) is a powerful strategy to maximize the value of your deals.
Hooks are one of (if not the) most important parts of a UGC concept. The wrong hook might kill an ad before it ever gets started. Similarly, CTAs can drive engagement, conversions, and ultimately, greater ROI for the brand.
By presenting a package that includes the original deliverables along with additional hooks and CTAs, you can not only add value but also showcase your commitment to delivering a well-rounded campaign that can be A/B tested.
Typically, creators charge an additional $50 per hook or CTA.
Usage Rights
When brands collaborate with creators, they require the usage rights for the content.
Usage refer to the permission granted by the creator to the brand to use their content for marketing purposes. To ensure transparency, brands need to disclose their intentions regarding content usage and specify the duration.
A creator may include 6 months usage rights as standard as part of their base fee. A brand can utilize this footage across that 6 month period, but thereafter, they don’t have the right to use the footage.
If they want to use the footage forever, you, as the creator, have the right to charge more.
For usage rights, you can charge 30-50% of your base rate for a specified duration.
Raw footage
No surprise here, UGC raw footage is a gold mine for both brands and creators alike. With raw footage, brands can create 5-10 variations of the same ad and test each to see the effectiveness. If they were to have to pay for each of these variations from the creator, it would quickly add up.
For raw footage, you can charge 30-50% of your base rate.
Whitelisting/Spark Ads
Whitelisting involves allowing a brand to launch a paid social advertising campaign through your (the UGC creators) account, rather than a brand account.
From a brand’s point of view, UGC whitelisting works on a number of levels – the main one being customer trust.
Customers tend not to listen to ads they see from brands. But they always listen to relatable people. This is the same reason UGC works so well.
For whitelisting, you can typically charge 30% of your base rate per month.
Rush Order
Time is money and if a brand wants something quickly, you can charge them an additional fee for it. This only works if you have delivery times outlined clearly on your portfolio or brand onboarding documents. You can’t rush a timescale that hasn’t been communicated.
For rush orders, you can charge 25-50% of your base rate.
Script Reads
A UGC script read is, by definition, what it sounds like. A client provides a pre-written script for you to read either on-camera or as a voice-over. For most clients, you’ll record a direct to camera video running through their provided copy.
For some, you’ll act only as a voice actor and provide only the audio file — there are clients out there who are specifically looking for this content and it makes sense. UGC mashup videos are performing extremely well as paid ads, and a dedicated voice over for these can work wonders. Generally, the UGC script you’ll be filming will either be voice-overs for ads, or videos for landing pages and the post-purchase funnel. This makes it a perfect upsell if you’re the face in the ad.
Organic Concept
Trends on social media have the power to go viral within hours, making trend-led creations a powerful tool in a UGC creator’s arsenal. As a UGC creator, staying up-to-date with the latest trends is essential to creating content that resonates with your target audience. Embracing popular trends and offering them as organic content for relevant brands is a great way to make extra money.
For organic content, you can charge $100-250 per video.
How To Upsell Your UGC Deals
More often than not, you’ll initially upsell pre-contract.
When a potential client is inquiring, you’ll take the time to understand what their goals are for this content. Do they want to run ads? Are they looking to increase engagement organically? Drive sales? Depending on the desired outcome, you’ll recommend the upsells that best fit.
If they are looking for direct conversions, offer additional hook/CTA variations and recommend they run them through your account as a Spark ad. Provide case studies and stats that demonstrate why these would be useful.
Depending on the brand, it might just be a straight up no, and that’s fine.
Especially if you’ve never worked with a particular client before, adding on additional deliverables before they’ve ever even received the first batch might be a no-go.
If this is the case, all is not lost. Here’s how I like to approach the upsell process:
Step 1: Film Extra Content
While filming for a brand, go beyond their specific requirements and capture additional content. Save the extra footage, including the raw footage, for later use.
Step 2: Watermark the Content
Once you’ve edited the videos the brand requested, add a watermark to the extra videos. This simple step ensures that the brand cannot use them without your permission. Most video editors, like CapCut, allow you to easily add overlay or semi-transparent text. Include a phrase like “not for commercial use” or “draft” to protect your work.
Step 3: Offer to Sell the Extra Content
When delivering the required videos to the brand, take the opportunity to inform them about the additional footage you captured. Offer to sell them the extra videos, complete with the watermark, for an additional cost. Don’t forget to mention that the raw footage is also available for their consideration.
Maximize Your Revenue
Upselling can feel a little icky until you realize that the extras make the collaboration better for everyone. Remember, no one wants a boring old latte. Go that extra mile to understand what the brand is looking for and educate yourself on how you might be able to deliver that in a better and more efficient way. Once you know, sell it.
