How much to charge for UGC: the flat fee, the bonus and the usage rights

What does a UGC deal actually pay?

Every brand deal we see is written as a flat fee plus a bonus, and the bonus rules are different for every brand. The flat fee is per video, per month as a retainer, or a one-off for the whole batch. The bonus is where the money is, and it is the number most creators never negotiate because they do not know the shapes it comes in.

On one creator's tracker right now: a $1 CPM on one brand, a $5 CPM on another, a one-off payment at 100,000 views on a third, and nothing at all on a fourth. Same creator, same month, four different ways of being paid. That is normal, and it is why a rate card with one number on it is not a rate card. Holding four of those at once is its own problem, and how to track UGC brand deals is the post about it.

The four bonus shapes brands write

Two more lines usually sit under the shape. A minimum: earn nothing under N views on that video. A cap: earn no more than $X on that video. Ask for both numbers before you agree, because a $5 CPM with a $50 cap is a $50 bonus.

The window is the part that decides the money

A bonus rule only counts views inside its window, and there are three kinds. Which one the brand means changes the payout by a lot, so get it in writing.

• Forever: every view the video ever gets. Rare, and expensive for the brand, so read the cap closely.
• First N days of the video's life: only views in the first 7, 14 or 30 days after posting. The most common shape.
• Fixed dates: only views that accrue between a start date and an end date. An older video joining a campaign brings none of its back catalogue, because the views it had at the start date are subtracted.

Does the bonus replace the base fee or sit on top of it?

Most rate sheets are written as an either/or: "$30 a video, or $150 at 50k." That means the milestone replaces the base fee on the video that hit it. Some brands mean the opposite, $30 plus $150. The two readings differ by $30 a video across the whole batch, so ask the question in those words: replace, or add?

One cut, four platforms, one fee

A brand deal usually means new accounts on TikTok, Instagram, YouTube and Facebook, and the same cut goes out on all four. The flat fee is paid once per cut, not once per post. The bonus is the opposite: a CPM is usually counted per platform, so the same cut earns on each account's own views. A creator on our tracker read $120 for a $30 cut because a tool counted posts instead of cuts. Say "per cut" or "per post" out loud when you quote, and write it on the invoice the same way.

What third-party rate cards say a video is worth

For the flat fee itself we do not publish a band, because the deals we track are private. One widely circulated 2026 rate card puts a single organic-use video at $75 to $120 for a new creator and $150 to $250 for an established one, adds $75 to $150 for 30 days of paid-ads usage and $150 to $300 for 90 days, and prices category exclusivity at 25% to 50% on top. Treat those as one publisher's numbers, not a market price, and notice that usage rights are a separate line on every one of them. If you do not have a deal to price yet, start with how to get UGC brand deals with no following.

How to write the quote

1. 01

   The flat fee

   Per cut, per month, or for the batch. Say which.

2. 02

   The bonus

   The shape, the rate, the window, the minimum and the cap, all as numbers.

3. 03

   Usage rights

   By channel and by length of time. Organic only, or paid ads, and for how many days.

4. 04

   Payment terms

   Net 15 or net 30, and which day of the month the views are read on.

5. 05

   Replace or add

   Whether the bonus replaces the base fee on the video that earned it, or adds to it.

Questions people ask

How much should a beginner UGC creator charge per video?

Third-party rate cards in 2026 put a single organic-use video from a new creator at roughly $75 to $120, before usage rights. The number that matters more is the bonus and the window on it, which is where a deal's real money sits.

What is a CPM bonus in a UGC deal?

A CPM bonus pays a rate per 1,000 views the video gets inside a window. A $1 CPM on a video with 200,000 counted views is $200. The window, the minimum and the cap decide how many of those views count.

Should I charge separately for usage rights?

Yes. Usage rights are a separate line on every rate card we have seen, priced by channel (organic or paid ads) and by term (30, 90 or 180 days). A video priced without them is a video whose ads usage was given away.