Top UGC Platforms To Find Work in 2024

UGC can be a ludicrous industry for creators — but only if you know where to look. When you’re getting started as a UGC creator, knowing how to find work can be overwhelming. 

From inbounds, to outbounds, to platforms and presences — there’s so many opportunities, and so little time. 

That is why we have created a comprehensive guide to the best UGC platforms to work with brands. From Join Brands to hashtagPaid, we’re giving the run down on the best places to find UGC brand deals.

Let’s dive in.

Where to find work as a UGC creator

If you’re a UGC creator, there are a whole host of ways that you can get work. We can break these down really simply into three categories. These include:

UGC platforms.

These are online platforms or marketplaces dedicated to connecting you to brands looking for content creators.

Generally, you’ll create a profile, showcase your content and connect with potential clients through job listings. In most cases, the platform will then handle payment and contracts to keep things easy on your side.

Best platforms for UGC creators

When we say platform, we essentially mean anywhere that facilitates work with brands. 

This might be paid collaborations, gifted jobs or just somewhere to connect — but we’re factoring in anywhere that gives you a leg up when looking for paid work.

These aren’t in any particular order, but each offer a great place to start if you’re looking to start finding work as a UGC creator.

hashtagPaid

#paid shies away from traditional models of influencer marketing. Or so it says. 

As with many influencer marketplaces, brands can use #paid to create campaign briefs describing campaign goals, the scope of desired content, and a little about the ideal creator. 

Brands can also use pay to whitelist on your account, with the app facilitating the Meta connection really easily to allow them to push ads into timelines under your account.

To apply for a brand campaign, you’ll “raise” their hand to indicate interest then write a message describing why you’re a good fit for a campaign, and what your approach would be.

Pros: One of the highest paying platforms, no minimums

Cons: Opportunities are scarce (1-2 per week)

 Examples of brands: Sephora, IKEA, Phillips

Brand Meet Creators

We’re biased here, but Brand Meet Creators is the one of the only platforms on this list designed by creators for creators. This means that unlike most creator platforms, we want to connect you with the brand and get you off our platform as quickly as possible. You can easily apply to work with brands that you love, and they’ll select whether or not they're interested. If a brand selects you, we'll start an email thread between you and it's up to you to follow through from your UGC pitch!

Control your rates, usage, and terms. 

 Pros: No barrier to entry, direct connections with brands

 Cons: Smaller D2C/startups versus well known giants, can be competitive

 Examples of brands: EHP Labs, Grand Welcome

Trend.io

Trend.io is another popular platform that connects creators with brands.

For UGC creators, Trend.io offers a way to monetize their content and collaborate with brands that they are genuinely interested in. UGC creators can set their own rates and accept or decline collaboration offers based on their preferences. The brands looking for creators are BIG players in major industries, so it’s not easy to get hired, but the platform itself also provides a range of tools and resources to help you improve your content.

A win, win.

 Pros: One of the highest paying platforms, no minimums

 Cons: Opportunities are scarce (1-2 per week)

 Examples of brands: Sephora, IKEA, Phillips

Aspire.io

Aspire.IO started as a traditional influencer platform, but has now expanded to include UGC. Although anybody can sign up to Aspire, you’ll still have to meet some criteria to be able to view campaigns. You’ll need 2,500 Instagram followers and a minimum of 350 average likes per post or 1,000 TikTok views to make the cut.

Any creator that meets the criteria (and passes a manual review to ensure posted content is suitable) gets entered into Aspire.io’s searchable database and can view brand jobs. If any take your fancy, you’ll simply enter your fee and attach a written pitch.

I will say, there are a lot more deals available to apply for if you have a larger following as you can fit into the micro-influencer niche as well as UGC, but it’s still worth setting up an account. There are a lot of gifted, brand ambassador campaigns, but there are also a lot of high paying deals (which also pay out within 8 days). 

 Pros: Easy to start conversations with brands, great for gifted collaborations

 Cons: Minimum criteria to join

 Examples of brands: Loreal, Hoover, Vichy Laboratories, Lancome, Coco & Eve

Insense

Insense is an app that is partnered with all of the big social media players. In their own words: Just imagine a place where brands meet creators and they come together to produce awesome content for the world.’ 

You can apply for jobs in various categories:

• UGC only: no posting on your own so

• UGC + paid posting: leverage your organic reach

• Influencer whitelisting: the brand will run high quality ads through your social media account

To apply, you’ll send a video to the brand that pitches your services, but it doesn’t need to be anything too in depth. It can go quiet at times, but stick with it. Creators in The Academy are finding it to be an incredible place for newbies. 

FYI: You need 1000 followers on TikTok to be automatically accepted, but if you fall short don’t worry. You can email the moderation team when you apply and let them know you are a UGC creator rather than an influencer, and they’ll manually approve.

 Pros: Pay is typically higher

 Cons: Terms and conditions give brands rights in perpetuity (aka, for life)

 Examples of brands: Opopop, Blissy, Dots for Spots

Collabstr

Collabstr is a great place to dip your toe in the water of paid collaborations. Think of it as Tinder, but for UGC creators. Brands can scroll, swipe and find the best options for them for an upcoming campaign. It’s hit and miss. How successful you are on the platform will quite frankly depend on your demographic, your niche and your quality of work. 

Collabstr do take a 15% cut (like most of the platforms on this list), but that’s always worth factoring in.

 Pros: Another place to be visible

 Cons: You can spend a lot of time on back and forth with brands

 Examples of brands: Hopper, Click Up

Popular Pays

Popular Pays is a relatively new platform that allows brands to work with boutique brands & get paid. 

It has a lot of influencer gigs, with UGC few and far between, but there are content creation jobs available. I have heard a few horror stories: content due in 1-2 days, 3 rounds of revisions including full reshoots and 4 minutes of raw footage for $500. But, I’ve also heard of some great experiences.

If you’re in the US, they have a lot of Airbnb and Hotel stays available at the moment, so it’s even better if you’re keen on getting into the travel space.

 Pros: They can take a while to get back to you on whether or not you’ve made it

 Cons: Opportunities in the travel space

 Examples of brands: Neutrogena, Getir, AngelSense, Lifesum

Join Brands

If you want to get started and just rip the band aid of your first paid project, Join Brands is the one.

It’s awash with Amazon brands and businesses with low budget, so pre-warning you’ll see $5, $15, $20 etc deals on the platform. This just won’t cut it for most creators, but if you’re new to the industry and want to earn some $ while you practice, it could be worth a go. 

Pros: Lots of jobs

Cons: Low fees

Examples of brands: Kos, Mary Ruth’s, Thrasio

Cohely

If something smells fishy about the name of the platform, that’s because it’s an incorrect spelling of coley, a sweet-tasting fish. 

Why fish? Probably because the owners like fish. Their LLC is called “Goldfish,” they call their up and coming creators “Nemos,” they keep an aquarium at the office, and they say they’ll know they’ve succeeded when they install their first shark tank. 

Who knew a UGC platform could like fish that much?

Fish aside, Cohley is a great platform for higher paying deals. Brands create campaigns and invite you to participate. When they do, they’ll need to lay out all of the campaign details so there is no confusion on what they are looking for. This makes it easier to do your job, and prevents confusion later down the line.

 Pros: One of the highest paying platforms, no minimums

 Cons: Can go quiet at times

 Examples of brands: CVS, Braun, Delonghi

Backstage

Backstage is a bit of a different one. Instead of being a UGC/influencer platform, it’s targeted more at actors. With that being said, it connects creators with casting professionals, producers, and directors in the entertainment industry. 

If brands are looking for talent to create UGC style testimonials, sometimes it’s easier to hire from a pool of ‘actors’ than influencers. You don’t need to be an actor to apply to Backstage, you just need to be confident in your ability to deliver on a UGC script.

Upwork/Fiverr

Fiverr and Upwork are popular freelance marketplaces that are another potential source of revenue if you’re looking for brand work.

Both platforms take less than a 20% cut, but deal with invoicing and payment protection, so it may be worth it if you’re just getting started. 

Remember, gaining clients on any freelance platform can be a SLOG. Don’t get discouraged by a slow start, keep pushing forward and learning from your experiences. You’ll be a Fiverr UGC expert like Mariely in no time.

 Pros: Daily opportunities

 Cons: Low paying platforms, ~dodgy~ clients, profile optimization can take a while

 Examples of brands: Independent retailers, small DTC brands.

Now… over to you

If not knowing where to find work as a UGC creator has held you back, then it’s safe to say you can hit the ground running now. And if you’re asking: 

There are so many of them, how do I choose the right one?” 

You don’t. You choose them all and see which one’s work for you. Really quickly you’ll find your favorites. 

PS. If you’re ready to take your UGC game to new heights and you want to join a community of creators that are dominating the space, you gotta check out The Academy.