travel ugc creator

Sunshine Seeker

Dream ◇ Create ◇ Travel

Popular categories, how to become a travel content creator: step-by-step guide.

By: Charlotte · Last updated 31. July 2024 · In: Blogging , Social Media

Are you wondering how to become a travel content creator? Then you’re in the right place!

In 2012 I was on the waitlist for Instagram to become available for Android, and in 2015, I decided I needed to come up with a way to make money online to create more freedom to travel. I knew instantly that I wanted to become a travel content creator .

There weren’t many professional Instagrammers to learn from at the time, nor were brands used to working with influencers, so I made a lot of mistakes in the beginning.

Since then, however, I have worked as a creator for 8+ years and on the other side, for a tourism board. And that means I know a thing or two about how to become a travel content creator and what brands and tourism boards look for when working with creators.

🌟 Skip the guesswork and grab all my personal templates in the Travel Creator Toolkit !

Article overview

Are content creators and influencers the same?

Passive income as a creator, 1. research and learn, 2. plan for monetization, 3. find your secret sauce, 4. niche down, 5. pitch & build relationships, 6. build your portfolio, 7. work on your mindset, 8. consistency is key, remember to pin for later 😉, what is a travel content creator.

A content creator is someone who produces creative and engaging content for various media platforms, such as Instagram, blogs, podcasts, YouTube, etc. And a travel content creator is, of course, a content creator who focuses on content in the travel niche.

The role of a content creator involves a range of tasks, including generating ideas, researching and writing content, creating videos and shooting photos, editing and proofreading, managing social media accounts, analyzing data to measure the success of our content and reporting results to brands.

A content creator is necessarily not the same as an influencer. These days you can create UGC content for brands that you don’t post on your socials at all. You are also a content creator if you run an informative blog that people visit if they have a certain question.

An influencer, on the other hand, is a person who has built a large following on one or more platforms. They use their influence to promote products, services, or ideas to their followers and can have a significant impact on consumer behavior.

Why become a travel content creator?

Before we look at my step-by-step guide to becoming a travel content creator , I wanted to quickly touch on why. Because, while working and earning money online as a content creator is a lot of fun, it is also a lot of hard work.

Pitching , no responses, endless hours of editing , reporting on results, engaging, building relationships, getting up early and staying up late to catch the perfect light, etc. So you have to want it to be able to stay with it when it gets hard.

Make sure this is something you really want to do, and that you have a passion for photography, video and/or writing. Try it out with some places close to home before you quit everything to head out on the road. Maybe a hotel in your hometown could use some fresh content?

When you are sure this is for you and you play your cards right, you get to explore the most amazing places while receiving email notifications like this:

As you can see, in addition to brand partnerships, you can also set up passive income streams that more or less run on automation while you are sleeping or are out having fun.

And that’s exactly what I want you to experience. The feeling of location and financial freedom. So your office also can look like this someday. It might look like I was in Japan…

Or somewhere in Africa…

But this was actually my office in Norway yesterday. For the last couple of months, I’ve been traveling in my home country, learning to appreciate what I’ve taken for granted for so many years. The incredible beauty that Norway has to offer . So yesterday my mom came to see me south in Kristiansand, and we went to the zoo.

Normally I wouldn’t recommend animal attractions, however, Kristiansand Zoo does incredible work with the conservation of some of the world’s most endangered species. So I’m happy to promote it.

I still had a course update to finish, so I spent a couple of hours working in the most beautiful surroundings and then enjoyed the rest of the day with my mom. Something I would not have been able to do on a regular Wednesday if I was stuck in a 9-5.

Norwegian: Hvis du vil lære mer om passiv inntekt, sjekk ut min norske side her .

7 steps: Become a travel content creator

Now, let’s get to the juicy part. If I had to start over as a travel content creator knowing what I now know, this is exactly what I would do.

What do you actually want to say and do? Do you want to create a blog in addition to Instagram? Or are you focusing on TikTok? The first thing you should do is make a plan.

While I would normally say, just get started and adjust as you go, I do think some initial research can set you up for success.

Learn as much as you can before you start, but put a timeframe on it. Don’t spend years planning and looking for free advice as I did, I wasted so much time.

Take advantage of living in a time where we have all the knowledge in the world at our fingertips, and get it done as quickly as possible. Maybe you spend one month taking in all the information you can and then use your intuition to choose which path to take.

There’s lots of free content around, however, I started seeing results when I invested in myself. I truly believe that the transformation is in the transaction. After completing 79 courses these are the very few I recommend:

• Six-Figure Blog Builder by Create and Go : Covers everything you need to know about making money online through a blog and social media with affiliates and digital products.
• 6 months to 50k : This course helped me almost triple traffic to Sunshine Seeker, even though I already knew SEO. If you want to have a travel blog as part of your monetization strategy, there’s no one better to teach you than Nina Clapperton.
• The Travel Creator Toolkit : This is my baby, a collection of all the resources I have used over the years to make money as a travel content creator.

Build an email list

Have you ever heard the saying, the money is in your list? That’s also true for  travel content creators , which is why I highly recommend you start growing an email list from the start.

You can get shut out of your social media and your website can get hacked at any time, your list of people who have chosen to interact with you is the only thing you truly own.

You can create a freebie to grow your list using my free Canva ebook template .

🌟 The reason why I am where I am today, able to travel wherever I want whenever I want, is because of this course . And that’s not an exaggeration! You literally learn everything from setting up your website to building traffic and selling products. Remember that the more passive income you can create in addition to working with brands, the more freedom you’ll have.

Make a monetization plan. My number one tip is that you diversify your income from the very beginning. In addition to influencer partnerships, think about how you can make money through UGC, ads, affiliates and maybe selling digital products. 

When I started, I made money through affiliates before I made anything from brands. You can easily share affiliate links for products in your niche through stories, link in bio, YouTube descriptions, newsletters or on your blog. You can also add affiliate links to tools and resources inside your freebies.

If you want to become a creator in the travel niche, your first stop should be  Travelpayouts , an all-in-one travel monetization platform.  

Inside Travelpayouts, you’ll find  my two best converting affiliates, GetYourGuide and Viator , along with many other major travel brands, such as Booking.com, TripAdvisor, DiscoverCars and Agoda.

There’s a single wallet for withdrawing money, so you can get paid faster. The minimum payment threshold is only $50 USD to get paid via PayPal, monthly. 

Gone are the days of waiting months to get paid and unanswered emails from customer support. In 2023 alone, Travelpayouts paid $17M worth in affiliate rewards to its partners. So why shouldn’t you get a piece?

And the best part is that you have all your analytics in one place, instead of having to log into a ton of different dashboards. I wish Travelpayouts existed when I got started, it would have saved me so much time.

So start thinking about what kind of products and experiences you can include in the content you want to create.  Remember that you get a complete affiliate guide for creators inside my Travel Creator Toolkit.

You can now also get a $100 bonus when you get your first 100 bookings through Stay22 . They helped me triple my income from hotel affiliates, see how in my Stay22 review .

What do you know/do better than 8 out of every 10 people? That is what’s going to earn you a lot of money.

Do you draw or paint? Start an Instagram where you draw the destinations you visit. Film behind the scenes of your painting, the destination vs. the painting, etc. I can see so many pieces of content created out of one painting. Someone might already be doing this, I don’t know, but you get my point, right?

Find your uniqueness and highlight it!

Do you love fashion and plan the perfect outfit to fit in with every destination? Do you have a unique photography or videography style that stands out? Do you dance your way through the world? Are you a history buff with a lot of knowledge of historic places?

Use what sets you apart from everyone else for everything it’s worth!

And when you find your secret sauce, niche down. This is something I regret not doing when I first started. You don’t have to stick to one narrow niche forever, but it is so much easier to grow in the beginning when you focus on one thing. As I mention in my free pitching guide , brands are more likely to work with micro-influencers with a clear niche.

Your niche can be a specific destination, weekend guides in Europe, ethical animal attractions, travel with a handicap, street food, you name it. When you create a presence or an audience within a specific niche, you have a much larger chance of getting a yes from brands in that niche.

Just think if a yoga brand was considering working with a general travel influencer with 100,000 followers or a yoga travel micro-influencer with 10,000 followers. They know that most of the followers of the yoga influencer are most likely interested in yoga. However, they have no clue how many of the followers of the larger influencer are interested in yoga.

And when you grow, you can broaden your niche.

Must read >> 23 amateur blogger mistakes you are probably making

Start looking for brands that you would like to work with and put together a list. You can use the pitch tracker in my Travel Creator Toolkit or just Google Sheets.

• Pro tip: Whenever I see one of my fellow travel creators doing a paid collaboration, I always check it out to see if it’s a good fit with my audience as well. Remember that it’s easier to get a yes from brands who already see the value of partnering with creators.

Follow and engage with these brands on Instagram, only genuine engagement of course. If you already own one of the products or have used a service and have some great content, post it and tag them to show what you can offer.

Then start pitching. And this is a numbers game, when I first started I sent out 10 carefully tailored pitches every week. You can get one of my pitch templates for free when you sign up above or at the bottom of this page, or you can get all my pitch examples in the toolkit. Remember to also check out my complete pitching guide for micro-influencers .

And start building your audience as soon as possible. My number one advice is to let your followers get to know you through stories. People are more likely to buy from you and support you when they feel connected to you.

Remember that you don’t have to be an influencer with a huge following to work as a travel content creator. You can create UGC content, you can reach out to brands, hotels and destinations to help with their overall online presence, you can take over their Instagram, etc.

It all comes down to how you can help the brand do something they can’t easily do themselves. So think about how you can offer value to the brand and your audience.

UGC content

User-generated content, UGC, is all the rage right now. Think of it as our digital age word-of-mouth marketing. It is original, brand-specific content created by customers and published on the brand’s social media, website or used as ads.

I’ve seen a lot of smaller creators earn more money creating UGC than huge influencers with hundreds of thousands of followers.

I recommend pitching a package of videos for the brand to use as ads with a few different hooks so they can test to see what works best. That means you film one middle part of the video and maybe three different intros and outros with different hooks and “calls to action” that will catch the attention of their different customers. Then the brand can edit the videos together as they please.

NEW! There’s now also a beginner’s guide to UGC in the Travel Creator Content .

Before you leave home or quit your job, build up your portfolio. You can showcase your skills without having worked with any brands. Maybe you have taken some incredible photos or videos on a previous holiday? Maybe you have done some barter partnerships without getting paid? It doesn’t matter as long as it shows what you can offer!

In the beginning, I put everything together in my media kit (you get five different templates in the Travel Creator Toolkit ). From the media kit, you can link to any online portfolio like a travel blog, Instagram, TikTok, etc.

When I had a few paid partnerships under my belt I created a case study that I sent out together with my media kit. The case study outlined the brief, the content I created and the results I achieved. This is when I started to see some real traction and after a while brands started reaching out to me first.

Remember that all the people you pitch are different just like you and I, so they will be looking for different things. The best thing you can do is just to start somewhere to see what works in terms of pitch copy, media kit, case studies, etc. in your niche. Remember that clarity comes from action not thought!

I believe that success in any area of our lives comes down to 80% mindset and 20% action, so I work on mindset first with all my clients. Be sure to read about my 8 best strategies to cultivate a success mindset as a creator.

Because you will hear “no” more than you will hear “yes” in the beginning, don’t take it personally. Sometimes the brands have spent their marketing budget for the quarter and sometimes it’s just not a good fit. That’s all part of being a travel creator.

You might also realize you have some money blocks when you have to ask about a campaign budget or send an invoice. So work on your money mindset from the very beginning. There are lots of free resources on YouTube, I also talk about it in the Travel Creator Handbook in the Travel Creator Toolkit .

For me, journaling also really helped to get to the bottom of why I felt resistance to pitching and asking for money. And I still use affirmations every day.

Ask yourself, is the fear greater than your desire for location and financial freedom? Would you regret not just going for it? What do you have to lose?

Don’t keep yourself from following your dreams just because you are embarrassed to be seen at level one. Remember that those who are now on level 100 once started exactly where you are. The only difference between you is that they went for it!

It also doesn’t hurt to speed up the process by manifesting your dream brand partnerships. I manifested a campaign with the tourism board of one of my dream destinations. It’s not a coincidence that my dream tourism board was one of the very first to reach out to me.

Also, prepare for some interesting experiences on the road. Travel doesn’t always go to plan and that’s just how it is. You can check out my take on the advantages and disadvantages of digital nomad life here.

Consistency in your posting schedule, the value you provide and the look of your content are essential as a travel content creator.

You don’t have to post several times a day on all the channels to grow. The most important thing is that your content offers some kind of value. Why should people care about what you post? Mini-travel guides in the caption have done really well for me recently.

Also, I have found the sweet spot for me, between growing and not getting burnt out, is to post 4 reels and 2 carousels a week on Instagram. Plus 4-7 stories six days a week. Then repurpose this on Facebook, TikTok, Pinterest and shorts if you’re on YouTube.

The Travel Creator Toolkit

Want to skip months of trial and error? Get everything I have used to create my travel content creator business . In addition to what you see above you also get a month’s worth of captions, my pricing guide, case study template, best pitching practices checklist ++

You also get lifetime access to the toolkit and all updates for free (I update and add to it regularly).

Take it from someone who has been a travel content creator since before it even was a thing, and made a lot of mistakes; don’t waste time. Time is the most valuable resource you have, just think where you could be a month or even a year from now if you get started today!

About Charlotte

Charlotte is the passionate traveler and online business coach behind Sunshine Seeker. She started working as a content creator on Instagram in 2014, before social media was even a thing, and as a travel blogger in 2015. Over the past 14 years she has explored 45+ countries and lived in Oslo, Kraków, Bali and Lombok. Every month she helps more than 50,000 people plan their adventures and learn how to create more freedom by working online.

You’ll Also Love

19. December 2023 at 07:24

Wow! Your guide for people who want to make travel content is amazing! It gives a really clear plan for success. I like how it talks about making money in different ways, finding what makes you special, and getting to know brands. The toolkit suggestions and tips on staying positive are really helpful too. Thanks for sharing this great guide! It’s super motivating for anyone who wants to be a successful travel content creator!

26. December 2023 at 12:58

I’m happy you find the guide helpful, Xeni! Thank you for commenting 😀

20. January 2024 at 10:02

Thanks for this!

20. January 2024 at 14:16

Thanks for stopping by 🙂

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

A first-timer’s guide to Cartagena Spain cruise port

Join the travel creator club.

Sign up to receive one of my favorite Lightroom presets + my tour/product collab pitch template!

By clicking "SEND" you confirm that you want to join our mailing list and that you have read our Privacy policy .

I’m social…sort of!

Join me on Instagram

• Privacy Policy
• Affiliate Disclosure
• Terms & Conditions

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Copyright © 2024 Sunshine Seeker

Spellbound Travels

helping you explore the world

How I Accidentally Became a Travel Content Creator – Ultimate Guide 2024

*This post was last updated December, 11 2023*

When I moved to Australia in 2016 to spend a semester studying abroad, I had no idea that in just over 5 years, I would be a travel content creator. Before I got to Australia I travelled a bit through Thailand , Singapore and Bali with a friend and was immediately hooked. There was something about being in a foreign place, and hearing different languages and accents that excited me. I also loved the thrill of not knowing who I’d encounter and the stories I’d have to share with friends and family.

If you feel the same way about travel and are always after a new adventure, you might be looking for ways to get into content creation. So even though I somewhat accidentally became a travel influencer, I always intended on finding a job that would allow me to travel. After some trial and error, I found a few avenues that worked and today I’m here to provide you with the ultimate guide to becoming a creator/blogger/influencer as well!

Table of Contents

How I Became a Travel Content Creator

Before I jump into the steps you need to take to become a creator, let’s back it up for a second. While you can certainly choose to be a content creator as a career path these days, I – like many other creators, kind of fell into it. Yes, I had already been travelling for a few years and was blogging here and there but I was also lost.

I’d travel as often as I could and would fund my travels by working alllllll summer long while I was in university. When I say I worked all the time, I’m not kidding. I worked the front desk of a gym in the mornings, would come home for a quick nap and then work 4/5 pm – close (1/2 am) at a restaurant. Then I used all of that money to pay for university but also to study abroad in Australia , go to Iceland for a week, travel around Europe with friends for a month, do a working holiday visa in Australia for a year and then travel for 3 months straight around New Zealand , the Philippines and Sri Lanka on my way home.

I kept coming back to my gym and restaurant job in between and after I graduated because I still wasn’t quite sure how to make travel a career. When 2019 rolled around, I had started taking my blog more seriously and had rebranded from ‘Dreaming of Elsewhere’ to ‘Spellbound Travels’. By the end of the year, I had planned to teach English in Vietnam and had even secured a job there. So I packed up and travelled through Hawaii and a bit more of Australia before landing in Hanoi, Vietnam at the start of February 2020.

Becoming a Creator During the Pandemic

By now, you can probably guess where the story takes a turn. The pandemic got in the way of my plans – as it did for everyone else in the world – and I reluctantly came back to Canada by the end of March 2020. At that point, I had no job, wasn’t eligible for government relief money and needed to get out of my parent’s house.

I somehow landed a job at a well-established hotel chain, doing their social media management. While I was thrilled to have a job in the travel sector, I wasn’t loving the day-to-day corporate life and wanted more. I had already started making some TikToks for fun and started to take things more seriously once I saw a video about freelance writing. I began writing for different clients and simultaneously making videos for a growing audience on TikTok. A few months later, I already hit 50K followers and realized I didn’t have to stay at a job I hated.

And guess what – you don’t have to either!

Actionable Tips for Becoming a Travel Content Creator

Now that you know a little more about your journey, let’s get into the good stuff! These tips contain everything I wish I knew when I got started as a creator so you can get started on the best possible foot. Follow these steps and there’s no reason why you shouldn’t find success.

Following Your Passions

Travel came to me at a time when I had no idea what I wanted out of life. Other than writing, it became the one thing that consumed me entirely. I don’t even want to know how many hours I’ve spent researching travel information, writing blogs, posting on Instagram and eventually TikTok before I started to see any success. Long story short – you need to be passionate about what you’re doing because if you’re not, you’ll likely give up before you find any success.

I’d recommend writing out a list of all the things you’re passionate about and seeing how you can pair that with travel. Since I’ve always loved writing and was working remotely while travelling, it made sense to start giving tips for digital nomads . I even created an ebook with my best tips for getting started as a digital nomad , including finding a remote job, choosing a place to live and work from, making friends, dealing with taxes, etc.

Find What Makes You Stand Out

It seems like everyone wants to be a travel content creator or travel influencer on Instagram, TikTok or YouTube these days. With so many people chasing the same dream, you need to think about what’s going to make you stand out in a crowd. I used to struggle with knowing how to stand out or what I could provide my audience that was different from what everyone else was doing.

Eventually, I discovered that a lot of people were coming to me for content that was specific to certain locations I’ve spent a good amount of time travelling through or living in. While living in Toronto , I showcased cool hikes and provincial parks close to the city. In Cape Town, I showed the best spots to watch the sunset, great cafes to work from etc. I’ve slowly realized that ‘standing out’ often boils down to not being afraid to be yourself. Authenticity resonates and if you share things you’re genuinely interested in while thinking about what your audience wants to see, you’ll be on the right track!

Don’t get me wrong, I still struggle at times. I can get caught up with what’s trending instead of staying true to my own voice. It’s when I decide to show up face to face with the camera (or usually my phone) and talk about travel and the things that interest me most, that I get more eyes on my content. This is something I’m constantly reminding myself to do because social media is all about engagement. Answer people’s questions, share your hot takes and be helpful.

Provide Value

View this post on Instagram A post shared by travel blogger 🌙 amy (@spellbound.travels)

One thing I see a lot of people doing wrong when they want to be a travel content creator is just posting what they feel like posting. I was guilty of this for a longgggg time and it wasn’t until I started providing value to my audience that I started to see my accounts grow. I had to start thinking about using the caption to provide information people won’t get just anywhere, as well as creating video content that served a purpose.

My videos that perform best (other than the occasional trendy one) are ones that answer questions or are educational in some respect. Provide value with each post instead of pushing out a bunch of content that won’t really stick. And remember, value doesn’t necessarily = educational. Depending on your personality, value could be entertainment or inspiring as well.

Look at my Instagram post above to see how I’ve provided value by sharing places you can’t miss in Budapest!

Consistency is Everything

If you want a career with travel, you have to recognize that it’s truly a numbers game. Now that doesn’t mean you should necessarily be posting multiple times a day. Instead, work out a schedule that you know you’ll be able to keep up with. You might need to play around with different options until you find what works best for you. For the longest time, I was posting on Instagram maybe 3 times a week (photos only) and now I try to post Reels every day. If I miss a day, I do my best to forgive myself (because I’m not a robot after all).

Make sure whatever you’re doing, you repurpose content. When I’m posting Reels every day, I’m actually taking the content directly through TikTok and using SnapTik to save the video without the watermark. Later, I share the exact same video on Pinterest to get even more traffic! After posting Reels every day for a month or two, I saw a HUGE jump in followers which positioned me as an authority figure when pitching my services to brands and locking in more lucrative brand deals.

YouTube Shorts

YouTube Shorts have been around for a little while now but I only started utilizing it a few months ago. I’m currently on the journey on growing a YouTube channel and trying to become a travel content creator on YouTube and am at nearly 1000 subscribers (as over Dec. 2023). I’m not going to lie to you, YouTube takes a LOT more effort than TikTok or Instagram to grow with long-form content because everyone has a horrible attention span these days.

BUT, YouTube is consistently paying creators well so it’s a good avenue to pursue if you’re in it for the long haul and really enjoy creating content. YouTube Shorts have helped grow my channel more than any long-form video I’ve posted and the best part is that you can just repurpose any content you’ve made for Instagram or TikTok.

I’m no expert here at the moment but I’ll keep you updated on my YouTube journey into 2024 and when I get monetized!

Photography & Videography

Now I don’t consider myself a photographer or videographer by any means BUT I’ve definitely learned how to take better photos and videos over time. If you don’t have experience with photography or videography, hop on YouTube and take notes from those who are doing it well. Once you have some inspiration, you’ll need to practice and as you continue to travel your content will progress!

You can always start out with an iPhone and eventually upgrade to a DSLR for photos but video content on a phone is fine. Eventually, you’ll learn how to pose, how to get other people to take photos for you or do self-portraits with a tripod. Believe it or not, I only recently acquired a tripod 😳 and most of my travel photos are taken by new friends I meet at hostels (with a little training).

If you’re hoping to become a travel content creator, good content is important. You don’t need to be perfect from the start but put in a little effort to make your content stand out!

Don’t be Afraid to Pitch to Brands

For the longest time, I was under the impression that travel influencers had big brands, hotel chains and more flooding their inbox. While this is true for the big players and for those with years of experience, that probably won’t happen for a while. I spoke to a food content creator with over 300K on Instagram and even she told me that she spends a lot of time pitching to brands.

Before you get discouraged, you should also view pitching to brands as a numbers game. It’s likely that you’ll get 50 ‘nos’ before you get 1 yes. While that can seem a little daunting, you can take each rejection as a step closer to working with a brand you love!

Here’s what you should do when pitching to brands:

• Make a list – Who do you actually want to work with? If it’s a hotel in a specific area, search for all of the hotels and attach their social channels and website.
• Get a direct contact – I usually use Instagram to DM those brands to ask for their email. I send a small paragraph explaining who I am and the type of services I can provide them with.
• Tailor the pitch – Once you’ve locked down an email, it’s time to do some more in-depth research. While I have a general pitch saved, I never copy and paste. I take the bare bones of my general pitch and change it to suit the brand I’m hoping to work with. Tell the brand what ideas you have in mind for a collaboration, link previous samples of work and attach a media kit as a PDF.
• Create & update your media kit – Your media kit is essentially a portfolio of work, containing specific stats such as engagement, views, etc. You can create one for free on Canva . Remember to update it regularly before sending it out to new brands as your audience size and engagement change!

And if you’re still looking for a little help with pitching to brands, my DM/email sc ript will show you EXACTLY what you should be doing to get responses and lock in deals this month.

Stalk Your Competitors

Okay, don’t take this one literally. When I say stalk, I mean gently stalk them online. You should always keep an eye on what other people in your field are doing. I often take notes on other travel creators, looking at what type of content is performing well for them, how they approach storytelling and the value they provide their community.

This is incredibly useful when you’re looking to pitch to brands to start getting paid partnerships. I don’t always know who I want to work with and it can be tough to create a long list of dream clients but that’s where the stalking comes into play. By looking at creators who have a similar size audience to yourself (or slightly larger), you know that if you pitch to that brand, there’s a good chance they’ll want to work with you too!

One thing to keep in mind is that you shouldn’t constantly compare. This can really f*ck with your mental health when you don’t feel like you’re where you should be. If you find yourself getting stuck in a negative headspace, unfollow the people that are triggering you.

Make TikTok Your Best Friend

@spellboundtravels Wait until you see the most underrated 😍 #travelawards #travelgirlsgo #girlslovetravel ♬ Run Boy Run – Woodkid

By now we all know that video content is a MUST. Sure, Reels are great but in my experience, TikTok has a better reach. With that being said, some TikToks will perform better on Instagram as a Reel so you should always repurpose your content. You’ll want to dedicate a few hours (at least) each week to finding trending sounds and video ideas and keep them as a note you can reference later.

TikTok has the ability to skyrocket your travel content career if you’re willing to give it a try! Work on being as authentic as possible and finding a few different video styles you enjoy making. It’s great if you’re able to show your face and speak directly to your audience. Use the Q&A and reply to comment feature to engage and build up your community.

Check out my TikTok here for some inspo!

One of the best ways to make money as a travel content creator is through UGC (User Generated Content). This is when you create 15-60 second videos for brands and businesses to use on their social channels. UGC has been all the rage lately because you ‘technically’ don’t need a large following to start. I put quotes around technically because it definitely helps to have a large following when trying to get brands to pay you for UGC.

If you’re just starting out as a travel creator and don’t have a large following, you can still do UGC. It might be a little more challenging to get businesses on board but if you can put together a few sample videos that perform well, you can slowly build up a portfolio.

I truly believe that mindset is everything. You have to believe that your success is inevitable. If you’re struggling to maintain a good mindset, it might help to journal, and create specific goals and vision boards so you can picture what you want. I’ve recently been creating monthly vision boards for my screensaver on my laptop and it reminds me of what I’m trying to achieve!

If people that you’re close to don’t think it’s possible and are feeding you negative energy, look at it as a chance to prove them wrong someday. Use that negativity as a driving force and motivation to make your dreams come true.

Anyone Can Be a Travel Content Creator

I hope this blog showed you that just about anyone can be a travel creator if they want it bad enough! Sure, it’s going to take some work and yes, you’ll probably have to be patient but if you want to make it happen, it’s possible. If you have any questions about content creation or just travel in general, feel free to DM me on Instagram and I’ll do my best to get back to you quickly!

I’ll be back shortly with a new blog but in the meantime, you can follow my adventures as a full-time traveller and digital nomad on  Instagram ,  TikTok  and  YouTube! 

Cheers, 

Amy xx 

📌 P.S. Like this post or found it helpful?  Consider buying me a coffee  or share it with a friend 👇🏼

Share this:

7 thoughts on “ how i accidentally became a travel content creator – ultimate guide 2024 ”.

• Pingback: How to Get a Cheaper Airbnb: 7 Tactics to Get a Discount - Spellbound Travels

love your website and your contet. you’re an ispiration for me 🙂

Awe thank you! I really appreciate it 🥰 I’m always around if you have any questions

What program do you use to edit your photos?

I use Lightroom to edit!

this was so helpful thank you!

No problem! Glad you found it helpful 🥰

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Discover more from spellbound travels.

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Type your email…

Continue reading

• Brand Work , Travel UGC

How To Start UGC for Airbnb: A Conversation With Chelsea Greber

• by Kirk Axley
• Published March 13, 2023

Is it just us, or do a lot of UGC creators seem to be shifting from product to travel?

Today, we’re sharing an incredible conversation between Brands Meets Creators founder Mike Rama and UGC creator Chelsea Greber that can help you do just that.

Travel UGC is quickly gathering steam, and Chelsea is a trailblazer in the Airbnb space.

Having started with product UGC, she’s now made the move to travel space and makes a full-time income helping Airbnb owners create content that can transform their listings.

But how does she do it? If you’ve been wondering how to get your first UGC Airbnb booking, strap in. 

It’s a long interview. So here’s the quick summary:

• Book a night at a local stay, or just go to a hotel to create content to build your portfolio. Depending on where you are, you could potentially visit a hotel without every having to stay overnight. 
• Under promise and over deliver. If you’re starting out, give the hosts as much as humanly possible. Drone footage, raw footage, images and organic social posts.  Give the client what you can to secure that glowing five-star review and testimonial.
• Be careful with who you message on Airbnb. Don’t use the words ‘Instagram’ or ‘Tiktok’ and include extra spacing in your email and portfolio link to get through the strict rules.

And without further ado, here’s the interview in its entirety.

Let’s rewind and hear about how you got into UGC. How did that process work for you? 

It’s actually a funny story and it happened really quickly. I was always in and out of dropshipping. I had this pet brand, with like 30 items in the store. I came across a TikTok about UGC creators and I was like wait, I can do this for my pet brand. So that’s exactly what I did. It flopped, but I then took the content I created. I put it into a portfolio and got into the UGC Twitter space.

I started posting knowledge and started you know just creating more content around literally what I had in my house and from there I was getting clients.

That’s so cool. So you started off dropshipping making the content for yourself then you realize you could do it for other people. Tell us how this jumped to Airbnb.

So I have always known that I don’t want to create content for physical products. I love traveling and I’m wondering how I can bring UGC into the travel space. I was going to an Airbnb soon in the future, and I was like wait, I could create content and offer that as a service, and build my portfolio. I pitched my services and I got a ton of yeses especially on the west coast there’s a ton of experience based airbnbs here so it ended up being quite easy for me especially since I had California close by um but just pitching my services on how I can create content for them and kind of make their experience be more booked it was like a no-brainer for them and 

So did you start with just trading content for a free stay or has it been paide?

When you first start out it’s just like product UGC. You have to take those gifted collaborations, you have to get the experience, in order to put that on your portfolio and then eventually pitch those services and get better at them. In the beginning it was all just gifted stays in exchange for a ton of content. I was offering five to six videos on my own social media profiles, story feed posting, 15 to 30 raw footage videos. I was offering so much but it gave me the practice. It seems like a lot of work but if it’s something that you want to grow in you need that practice and that portfolio to end up charging later on in the future.

Before we’re even pitching them, how are you finding the Airbnbs?

So it seems generic, and I’I look at stays near me that don’t have a ton of ratings. They’ll be much newer, their photos aren’t that great or if they do have good photos — do they have social media marketing? I check the calendar I’m looking to see how much they’re booked out. If they’re already fully booked out and their photos are great, odds are they don’t need you coming. But if you find one that just hit the market and doesn’t have any bookings yet, their photos are from their iPhone with a crazy edit on, those are the people that you pitch to.

You tell them the value that you can provide them. For me, I was offering to give them exposure to my social media, so I was using my following as a benefit. You can also use them by saying like or pitch to them by saying you’re going to create this content and they can use it for marketing. Instead of paying hundreds, maybe thousands of dollars, for a photographer or videographer to come and take content a UGC creator can edit and film content that is right for them right.

Are you pitching them directly through Airbnb through the app? Have you run into any issues with Airbnb?

If you write out the full Instagram word it tells you you can’t send that so I put IG and Tick Tock. You also can’t send a link so when I send my email I include additional spaces, and the same with my portfolio. I’ll just put spaces between the dot coms. I’ve never witnessed or been in the experience where I’ve been blocked or banned — but it does happen. In these cases, it’s normally because they are sending the same generic pitch to so many people. In that first message, you should be highlighting some of their pain points. Like hey I think these pictures could be better. 

Are you including all your email and your portfolio all in that message up front or is it more just short and sweet like let’s get to the point?

So for me personally, I said that I was starting a travel series on Tick Tock. That was my value, I was offering so free exposure. I’m also offering what I deliver for free in the beginning so I offer this and this and that and then at the end I’m like let me know if this is interesting to you or if you’re interested and I can send you my portfolio and a mood board and then we can chat further. It’s short and sweet because if you send a long pitch they’re going to read that first sentence and then give up. The conversation typically then goes to email or you take it somewhere else off of Airbnb. It’ll just depend on the host.

Have you found that they’re mainly looking for more photos for their actual Airbnb listing or is it like they want reels for social media?  

It depends on the host. Some of them literally don’t care, they’re just like yeah come, they just want more bookings, they don’t care how you do it. Most of the time they just want to see your content and want to see that you’re posting it and just want that exposure so not all the time is it for marketing purposes.

I have dealt with one that wanted the content so that they could post it on their Instagram account to show that there’s people staying there. 

So after you got a couple of these under your belt I’m assuming you went ahead and did a separate uh Airbnb portfolio or travel portfolio?

So I do have a travel portfolio. It just has everything travel so it’s very split up but you can get to both portfolios from each other so it’s very easy access so that way a host of you know they can see this and then like a client like a brand company hotel maybe sees my ugc they can go to my shop portfolio.

Do you have any advice for a UGC creator who’s looking to get more partnerships with Airbnbs? 

I would seriously recommend going to either a hotel stay or an Airbnb nearby that’s cheap. Book a stay or like find a hotel nearby that you can just go into and film in without staying overnight. For example in Vegas it’s a lot easier because you can just walk into a hotel and film, it’s not like that everywhere, but if you just find somewhere that you can go in and perfect your craft. Take a ton of content. Some people that go viral creating travel content have one eight second clip and it’s them walking into an Airbnb showing it like that’s it and just a trendy audio. It’s not it’s not something where you need to like take 30 hours a day, it’s just booking an Airbnb or booking a hotel and creating aesthetic or trendy transitional content and then trying it. Trial trial trial and see what works and what doesn’t. If you get a viral video you can use that to your advantage when you’re pitching.

In terms of what’s next for you, I know you said you want to start traveling, what’s the plan for the next few months?

I’m actually in the process of creating a YouTube channel documenting all of this. It’s another deliverable to offer, and you can get paid more money with a blog, and a YouTube channel. That’s the route I’m going as well as still working with UGC. I have a few clients that are retainer physical products that I can take everywhere with me.

If you’re looking for more information about travel UGC , we’ve got everything you need to know about getting started as a UGC creator in the Airbnb space. Take it in, and get pitching. You’ll be the leader of the UGC travel pack in no time.

Further reading

• UGC Rates: Everything You Need To Know
• 6 UGC Pitch Email Templates To Land Your Dream Clients
• Top UGC Platforms: 18 Places To Find Work
• How To Make A UGC Portfolio: The Ultimate Guide

Table of Contents

You'll also like..

UGC Ad vs UGC Organic: What’s The Difference

How To Make The Most Out Of Q4 (When You’re Late To The Game)

How to land your first UGC brand deals with 0 experience

Top UGC Platforms: 14 Places To Find UGC Work + a guide for brands

The Ultimate Guide to User-Generated Content for Travel & Tourism Brands

Read this eBook to learn:

• What is UGC?
• Why should travel and tourism brands use UGC?
• Ways to use UGC
• Getting rights to images and videos
• Best practices for getting photo rights
• How CrowdRiff manages UGC rights

Travel is such a visual experience. When we visit a new destination, stay at a new resort, or experience a new attraction, we take photos to preserve our memories.

We then want to share those experiences with our friends and families through the visuals we capture. That might be why today, more than ever, travelers are sharing photos and videos of their travel experiences across social media networks.

Today, user-generated visuals like these have more influence over a traveler’s decisions than any other content type. That’s why we built CrowdRiff: to help travel brands, resorts and hotels, attractions, airlines, and other travel brands discover the best visuals, and deliver them throughout their marketing to inspire and attract more visitors.

In this eBook, we share tips on how your brand can put user-generated content (UGC) to work as part of a successful marketing strategy. We also offer examples from leading brands and practical advice on acquiring the rights to UGC. We’re proud to say that many of the inspiring images in this eBook are UGC; they’re sourced from social media, and rights-approved through CrowdRiff.

We hope this resource gives you a better understanding of what CrowdRiff does, and the value we can bring to your brand. Enjoy!

Related content

Short-Form Video Editing Tips for Destination Marketers

2024 Trends Report: Marketing Trends and Predictions for DMOs

Create IG Stories & Reels that Convert.

Building Bridges with Indigenous Tourism

Smaller Budgets. Massive Impact.

How to Keep Your Visitor Guide Relevant to Today’s Traveler

CrowdRiff Creators: Destinations’ End-to-End Creator Solution For Short-Form Video Storytelling

The State of Social Media in 2023

Sustainable Tourism: How DMOs Can Create an Inclusive Sustainability Strategy

Innovation in European Travel Marketing: 6 DMOs to Get Inspired by

Social Media Best Practices

A Step-by-Step Guide to Measuring and Improving the ROI of Your Website Visuals

From Dreamer to Explorer: How to Become a Travel Content Creator

Imagine having the world as your office. Wouldn’t it be great? If the thought of leaving your 8 to 5 PM job to become a travel content creator sounds like a plan, you’re on the right track!

This guide will be your map and best ally to turning your travel passion into a profitable and successful career. So, let’s spill the details on how to make it happen!

Get a full year of unlimited downloads!

What’s on this bucket list ✈, what is a travel content creator, 1. pick a niche and sub-niche to specialize in, 2. create a personal brand for yourself, 3. select your platforms to establish your online presence, 4. produce consistent and top-notch content, 5. learn how to monetize your content to find a profitable way of living, 6. network and collaborate with travel partners and other creators, and that’s a wrap.

A travel content creator is someone who specializes in producing content for various platforms, including apps, blogs, and videos, with a strong focus on travel.

Whether it’s sharing personal travel experiences, offering tips, or showcasing different destinations, you can turn your passion into a source of income by creating travel content.

As a travel content creator, your main tasks will involve:

• Researching and developing new content ideas within the travel industry.
• Crafting and proofreading content for blogs, social media, video scripts , podcasts, infographics, and more.
• Editing and creating eye-catching graphics, photos, and videos.
• Producing audio content, whether in the form of podcasts or voiceovers.
• Managing and maintaining active social media accounts and a travel-focused blog.
• Analyzing content performance and metrics to gain insights into its effectiveness.
• Exploring opportunities for monetization to generate a sustainable income. We’ll delve deeper into this later on. 😉

🌟 Main Goal

Your primary objective is to provide value (through content) by inspiring, informing, entertaining, educating, and engaging with people who share a love for travel.

Your role involves creating highly engaging content, whether through the written word, audio, or video, to help others plan their trips, discover new destinations, make informed travel decisions, and contribute to promoting tourism and exploring diverse cultures worldwide.

💡 Related Concepts to Look At

You might wonder if a travel content creator is the same as a travel blogger or influencer. While they’re closely related, there are some key differences. Let’s take a closer look at each:

Travel Blogger

Typically, a travel blogger specializes in creating written travel content through a blog or website. In this format, the author shares their views and provides insights into travel experiences, tips, destinations, recommendations, stories, itineraries, reviews, and more.

Travel Influencer

On the flip side, a travel influencer primarily focuses on social media platforms like Instagram, TikTok, or Pinterest to create content. Their main goal is to influence people through their travel experiences and promote products/services related to accommodations, airlines, tourism boards, and cities.

😉🎒✨Love traveling? Then check our 2024 custom travel accessories list to find a fun and profitable niche for your print-on-demand store all year round.

Zero to Pro: 6 Steps to Becoming a Content Travel Creator

To be successful, you need to play your cards right. When you do it right, it’s very likely that by this time next year, you could find yourself working from the stunning landscapes of Australia or crafting captivating content about Ireland. The key to achieving these dreams is planning and having a structured approach.

So, love traveling and want to live from it: ✅ checked. Now, let’s move on to the next steps.

The first step in your exciting journey as a travel content creator starts here, yay! This is the most important step since all your content and work opportunities will revolve around it. 

In other words, your niche and sub-niche will determine what kind of travel content creator you will be. 

Here are some of the most popular travel niches. Read on and choose wisely; later, you’ll become the go-to guru for this niche. 😉

✨ Luxury Travel

As its name suggests, this niche focuses on top-notch travel experiences. From luxury destinations, 5-star hotels, and resorts to Michelin-starred restaurants, exclusive transportation, and activities.

Some of its sub-niches include luxury cruises, high-end resorts, and gourmet dining. So, if you’re ready to enjoy a luxurious life while traveling, this is your niche!

🚶 Solo Travel

When it comes to solo travel content creators, they’re undoubtedly brave souls! If you choose this niche, get ready to explore the world on your own, uncover hidden gems, share tips on staying safe, and discover yourself along the way.

Sub-niches within this category include solo female travelers, adventure seekers, and budget travelers.

🤑 Budget Travel

These content creators are money-saving gurus, proving that traveling and exploring the world on a small budget is possible. Including low-cost destinations, accommodations, transportation, and activities. Who said world exploration can’t be accessible to everyone?

The main sub-niches within this budget travel category are backpackers, travelers specializing in hostels, and budget-friendly places. So, if you’re under a tight budget, this might be the great niche to start in. 

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Family Travel

Unlike solo adventurers, these awesome content creators are like the real-life “Cheaper by the Dozen” squad! Following the “better together” mindset, they focus on crafting content and discovering destinations, activities, and accommodations that cater to every family member—considering that safety and fun are their top priorities. 

Within the family travel niche, you’ll find various sub-niches, including specialists in traveling with kids, single parents, and multigenerational families.

🤠 Adventure Travel

Are you a thrill-seeker at heart? Look no further! This is the niche to choose for all the adrenaline enthusiasts out there. These intrepid travelers fully embrace life by seeking adventurous destinations and unforgettable experiences.

The most popular sub-niches in this category focus on extreme activities, outdoor adventures, and sports.

🍉 Food Travel

Are you a foodie with a passion for travel? Then, the food traveler category is tailor-made for you! Food travel content creators specialize in exploring a world of flavors, whether it’s through street food or fine dining, while also uncovering culinary traditions and unknown food paradises.

If you’re ready to savor the best of both worlds, you can choose from these sub-niches: street food, gourmet dining, or wine routes.

🌱 Eco-Friendly Travel

We know that travel can leave a mark on our planet. But there’s this travel niche for those who love travel and focus on Earth preservation. This proves you can explore the world while being a responsible Earth steward.

Within this category, you’ll discover green sub-niches—for example, wildlife conservation, sustainable tourism, and eco-friendly adventures.

🤓 Cultural Travel

Art and culture enthusiasts who love traveling, this one’s for you! This type of travel focuses on discovering the world through culture, art, people, traditions, and historical landmarks.

In this niche, you’re not just exploring the world but delving into more than just its physical beauty. You get to create content that’s not only engaging but also incredibly informative, revealing the hidden facets of the world’s most popular destinations. 

Plus, within the sub-niches for this category, you can opt for specializing in historical sites, cultural immersion, and arts or traditions.

🦁 Wildlife Travel

Now it’s time to see the world in real life and admire the beauty of the wildlife. These travel content creators have a strong passion for animals and nature. It’s common to find them exploring national parks, going on safaris, visiting wildlife sites, and simply discovering the natural wonders of our living planet. 

To become an expert, dive into the Safaris, Underwater life, and Birdwatching sub-niches.

🧙‍♂ Supernatural Travel

If you’re seeking a spooktacular job while exploring the world, this niche might be the perfect fit for you. It specializes in paranormal experiences, including exploring abandoned houses, cemeteries, public places, and more enchanted spots worldwide. 

💑 Couple/Romantic Travel

Calling all DINKs (dual income, no kids) who are in love with love! They often specialize in adventures and dreamy romantic destinations for couples. For instance, The Alcalloughbys are a world expedition couple sharing breathtaking destinations. 

🌴Location as a Sub-Niche Too!

Seeing the array of travel niches and sub-niches gives you a lot of possibilities to choose from.

So, after reviewing the most popular travel niches and sub-niches, you might know the best category for you as a travel creator. But hey, there’s more (about sub-niches), and it’s all about location! 

For example, if you’re a solo female traveler, you could be zooming in on all things Southeast Asia or exclusively exploring the wonders of the US. Or even start in your city and live life like a tourist. 

The possibilities are endless, but it’s essential to understand what you want and make it clear from the beginning for you to make everything easier. 🙌

Once you’ve picked your niche and sub-niche, it’s time to start touching down some concepts related to you as a travel brand.

🕵🏼Identify Your Target Audience

Understanding your audience is the core of your success as a travel content creator! Therefore, to connect with your viewers and craft content that truly resonates with them, the key is creating buyer personas representing your target audience. 

Start by asking yourself essential questions about your audience. For example, their age, location, lifestyle, personality, interests, habits, needs, and preferred online platforms. You can even go a step further and create detailed personas, giving these “characters” names and faces to make them feel real. 😉

This in-depth audience analysis is the secret sauce that will help you create content that meets their specific needs and desires, making your content engaging and valuable . After all, your audience is a big part of your growth as a travel content creator. 

⭐ Develop Your Brand Identity

Let’s talk about building your captivating brand identity as a travel content creator! Think of it like this: your brand identity is what sets you apart, makes you irresistible, and keeps you relevant in the world of travel content. 

✏ So, grab your notepad and get ready to establish your:

💡 Value proposition. What makes you different from other travel creators in the same niche or sub-niche you are? For this section, you must look for other travel creators and identify their strengths and weaknesses. This will give you an idea and help identify gaps or uncovered needs in the selected travel niche market. Also, apply our above steps about niches and target audiences, as they’ll be your guiding stars.

🌟 Personality . As you’re the travel content creator, you’d need to list the three adjectives you want to be associated with. Additionally, consider what will be the tone of your brand. Your brand’s tone sets the stage for your content. Whether casual, humorous, or respectful. 

🏷️ Your brand’s name. Here’s where you get creative! Your brand name can be your name, last name, or even a clever play on words. Just make sure it’s short, memorable, and not taken.

🌈 Visual identity. This is probably one of the most fun parts as we’re going to develop your visual style, AKA travel graphics. Here is all about color schemes , font pairings , your logo , and other assets for your brand. For instance, your Instagram aesthetic , Pinterest pins, travel itineraries, your travel portfolio – you name it!

Luckily, our talented Placeit by Envato team of designers has designed templates for travel content creators like you to make this easier than ever.

Take a look at some travel templates that you’ll love.

🌍 Take your inspo up a notch with this travel marketing guide for content creators! Learn how to create the best strategy for your brand and boost your social media. 🚀✨

Browse More Travel Templates

When you’re starting this exciting journey, one of your key moves is to select the online platforms where you’ll shine.

We all know the temptation to sign up for every available platform can be real 🫣, especially when you’re just starting. But we advise focusing on just 2 to 3 social media channels. 

So, what should you keep in mind when making this choice? Here’s the scoop:

• Where your audience is. Find out where your potential fans hang out and what platforms they prefer to consume travel content. 
• The type of content that is most consumed these days . During the last few years, short and snappy vertical videos have been all the rage. Does that ring a bell?
• Where your potential network, collaboration, and business partners are. It’s essential to identify in which social platforms there’s every likelihood that business partners and travel content creators are to make alliances with them.

Therefore, if we were starting from scratch, we would choose two stellar choices (focused on video content). However, you should never discard a blog to boost your reach. 😉

It’s the king of short vertical videos, especially popular among Gen Z. Additionally, you can find new leads and reach a broader travel audience using this platform.

Many travel content creators swear by Instagram for building relationships. Travel brands commonly promote their destinations, accommodations, and other travel services on this platform, making contacting them through direct messages easier. Instagram is also your go-to platform for building an online presence and nurturing your travel community.

🌏 Pro Tip: Before reaching out to travel brands, make sure you stand out from the crowd by actively engaging with their posts through likes and comments. We’ll dive deeper into this topic later. 

A big part of starting and evolving as a travel content superstar is undoubtedly creating content, also known as your golden ticket. But here’s the thing: it has to be top-notch to make people flock to you.

So, the previous steps will guide you to know what kind of content you should create. But hey, we get it – as a beginner, figuring out what to post online can feel a bit overwhelming. But here are our top recommendations: 

• Get inspired by other content creators
• Explore travel trends and insights
• Collect and document information from various sources about your selected niche, sub-niche, and target audience

✏ If you’re still a bit lost, here are some ideas to post content entirely related to travel:

🤿 Ideas for Posting Content

• Social media VS reality
• A day in your life as a travel content creator
• Restaurants on Earth that feel unreal
• X things in my suitcase
• Hidden gems in (location)
• Come shopping with me in a (country) market
• Traveling from (origin) to (destination)
• Top spots to explore in (destination)
• Maps and travel tips for (your niche target audience)
• Bucket list destinations in (city/town)
• The real side of exploring (spot)
• How to spend (x days) in (destination)
• (City/town) during (season)
• x things you should know before visiting (country)
• You arrive in (location), and this is your view
• x weeks itinerary in (destination)
• What ($number/money) per night gets you in (location)

So, no more roadblocks when it comes to generating content ideas! 😉

⚡Quick Tips:

• Consider your target audience and your passion for travel.
• Think about what you’d like to see as someone who loves to travel.
• Remember that you’re pursuing your dream to make your travel passion profitable, so create content you enjoy and inspire you on this journey.

🛟Life Savers When Recording and Editing Videos

Also, consider these recommendations if you’re a UCG creator and need to edit your videos. These travel video recording and editing tips will save you a lot of time and stress:

🎤 Talk to the Camera and Show Your Personality. What better way to infuse your personality than by showing yourself and speaking directly to the camera? This helps your audience feel more connected to you.

🪩 Integrate Trends (But Don’t Make It All About Them). Trends are fantastic, but they shouldn’t be the sole focus of your content strategy. Mix things up, including informative, educational, funny, relatable, and inspiring content.

📽️ Learn How to Edit Videos and Capture Great Shots. A common mistake made by newbies is filming only from left to right or vice versa. Additionally, to add variety, try capturing moments like sipping wine, enjoying delicious pasta, recording ocean waves, and incorporating this dynamism into your videos. Finally, avoid long pauses to keep your audience engaged.

🤫 Reduce Background Noise. Another critical consideration is eliminating background noise from the beginning, which can disrupt your video’s impact. You can also include a pleasant soundtrack or add a voiceover message.

✏ Polish Your Writing Skills for Captions and Copy . Video creation also involves honing your writing skills, whether you’re adding text to your videos or crafting captions for your social channels.

With these tips, you’re all set to level up your video game and keep your audience returning for more. Check out some real-life examples:

@alexandranraiss Finally getting around to posting about my once in a lifetime, bucket list trip to Tanzania. #africansafari #safari #tanzania🇹🇿 #tanzaniasafari #bucketlist ♬ sonido original - KiaraMarBalto

@izathindwaofficial What you get in Sapa, Vietnam for as low as $16 per night ! 📍 @viettrekking.sapa , Vietnam Rooms starting at $16 per night each boasting incredible mountain and rice field views! If you needed a reason to visit sapa then here it is. *this exact room is the bungalow Mountain View room for $100/night* #sapa #vietnamtravel #beautifuldestinations #beautifulhotels #vietnamhotel #sapavietnam #vietnamtravelers #fyp ♬ original sound - izathindwaofficial

💣As vertical videos take the world of TikTok and Instagram by storm, keep reading How to Make Instagram Reels That Reel-Ly Go Viral to level up your travel content on this app.

🧳Essential Tools to Include in Your Suitcase

Creating content is such an adventure! Your witty mind is your trusty guide to brewing up those fantastic ideas. And when it’s time to add that extra touch of style and professionalism, don’t hesitate to team up with some helpful outside resources. Here are your must-use: 

Your favorite design tool from now on! At Placeit, you can find a wide array of gorgeous and aesthetic travel-oriented design templates. Including logos, mockups, videos, and, indeed, designs for social media. 

The best part is that all our templates are crafted by professional designers who have done their work by diving into the travel world to bring you exactly what you’re looking for – whatever it may be!

Unpack These Travel Templates

🎬 vsco and capcut.

When it comes to giving your images and videos that extra special touch, these online editors are here to make this task easier. And the best part? They’ve got a bunch of cool templates (including trends) to make your graphics look aesthetic.

🔛 Wetransfer

Your future ally in the making! While you’re still building your online presence and gaining followers, keep Wetransfer in your back pocket. This free tool lets you send large files, such as videos, documents, presentations, or portfolios, to your clients.

🔗 Linktree or Beacons.ai

These tools allow you to create a unique link for your travel content creator account. This way, your instagram bio looks cleaner while concentrating all the resources you need. For instance, links to your portfolio, affiliate links, digital products, coaching calls, ebooks, and more. 

AI tools are all the rage right now and can be a powerful idea to equip you with content and collaboration ideas for your travel posts. And even help you write your pitch when you’re trying to approach the travel brands or tourism boards you want to work with.  

🎙️ Teleprompter

This advanced tool works like a floating app to read lines when filming a UGC video. Say goodbye to the stress of memorizing every single line and focus on what matters the most. 

Finally, remember that this travel content creation journey involves developing and honing your skills. Whether it’s writing, editing, designing, or managing platforms, these skills are vital for creating top-quality content and strengthening your online presence.

📌 Last Tips on Travel Content Creation

• Aim to post between 1 to 3 times per day, but always prioritize quality.
• Take a moment to sit down and brainstorm the type of content you’d love to share. Organize it into categories to add delightful variety to your travel content. This not only keeps your content fresh but also simplifies the organizing process for you as a creator.
• Finally, ensure you use relevant hashtags and SEO on platforms like Instagram . This way, you’ll attract the right kind of visitors who share your passion for travel. As your follower count starts to grow, remember to interact with them. Building a tight-knit and beautiful travelers’ community involves listening to their feedback, answering their questions, and creating content that excites them to see.

Wondering how to turn your passion for travel into income? Well, here’s the scoop: diversifying your income sources is a game-changer. However, if you’re immersing yourself into this travel content creation world, consider that it might be possible to earn 0 dollars; that’s why the above steps are extremely important to build a successful travel career.

Plus, remember, even as you become a travel pro, you’re not going to be traveling all the time. So here are some ways to make money from traveling as a content creator.  🤩

🤑 Sell Digital or Physical Products

A great way of passive income is by selling digital or even physical products on a virtual store that contains all the resources to offer to your target audience. Some good examples can be:

• Online Courses
• Portfolio Templates
• Printable Templates
• Travel Ugc Pitch Templates
• Tourism Board Lists

💡Note: They call it ‘passive income’ for a reason! You can be scaling a mountain in Bali, and these content gems or physical products can fly off the virtual shelves without you lifting a finger.

🏄 For diving fully into this topic, keep reading Mastering How to Sell Digital Products: A Comprehensive Guide

🤩 Get Into Affiliate Marketing

Amazon favorites, for instance, are a sensation among the online community in the travel industry, especially on sites like TikTok. So, if your niche involves travel gadgets or must-haves for those long journeys, you can recommend these products through a link and earn a commission for talking about the products you love.

The good news is that many travel and non-travel brands have affiliate programs to help you earn money. Including Placeit with our affiliate program . 😉

🤑 If this sounds interesting, don’t miss out on our guide on How to Get Started With Affiliate Marketing

🚀 Through Social Media

In today’s world, social media platforms are much more than just places to share content. They’re a great ally when it comes to getting some dollars from it, and of course, thanks to your job as a creator. Whether you’re a travel content creator, travel blogger, travel influencer or UGC creator. 

✨How to make money off Instagram : Turn your passion into profit by collaborating with brands, getting sponsored, opening your Instagram shop, and monetizing with video ads. The opportunities are endless!

⚡ How to make money on Twitch : Take the stage as a Twitch affiliate or partner, sell merchandise, seek donations, and go after sponsorships. Your Twitch journey as a travel content creator awaits you! 

🌟 What about YouTube : On YouTube, you can earn from brand ads that appear during video views, join the new YouTube Creator Fund, and become a YouTube partner. 

💡Lastly, regarding making money on TikTok : You can get direct traffic to your online store, use TikTok shopping to promote your products, or create engaging branded content.

In the following step, we’ll reveal two more ways, so stay tuned! 🚀⤵

This step is a cornerstone in building your presence and unlocking a world of opportunities in the travel industry. 

Here, you can have the chance to connect with other creators and reach out to industry professionals, hotels, airlines, and travel brands. So, be sure to follow the steps we’ve outlined above and also the next ones:

@fleur.vonk Learn yourself the skill called (ugc) content creation and eventually the hotels will even reach out to you 🌞✌🏼🛫 #contentcreator #travelcontentcreator #ugccreator #ugcjourney #ugcexample #airbnbcontentcreator ♬ Prada - cassö & RAYE & D-Block Europe

✈ Travel UGC Opportunities

This is a fantastic opportunity for aspiring travel content creators like you! User-generated content (UGC) can be text, video, or images and helps brands promote their products, often incentivizing sales. 

In the online world, real people frequently upload authentic videos of themselves trying out or showcasing products from brands they love. The difference is that this content can be freely shared, either for the joy of recommending a product to their audience. Or to earn extra cash, receive free items and services.

This approach is highly popular because sometimes brands can’t create such content in-house and seek talented content creators who align with their purpose, values, and brand fits. Even if you start from free, you gain visibility and the attention of the brands and travel boards you want to work with.

🤩Did you know you can land a sponsored hotel collaboration even with just a few thousand followers? The real secret lies in the value you bring to the table. And often, the quickest way to get noticed is by becoming a user-generated content (UGC) creator and crafting top-notch content.

🤝 Brand Deals or Brand Collabs

And finally, the most juicy and gratifying way to live life as a travel content creator: partnering with your dream travel brands for sponsorships and collaborations.

This is the ultimate goal, where you, as a creator, work closely with a specialized travel brand to create content that promotes destinations, accommodations, transportation, activities, or anything related to the travel niche. Like UGC, you can receive monetary compensation, complimentary stays, or a combination of both.

✨ Therefore, to achieve this way of monetizing, you’ll need to:

🌴 1. Create a Beautiful and Professional Travel Portfolio

Surprisingly, many travel content creators overlook this crucial tool, yet it’s essential when pitching to hotels, tourism boards, and travel brands.

Your travel portfolio will include information about yourself as a content creator. But mainly, it’ll focus on providing real travel examples of your trips and some statistics of the properties or brands you’ve worked with. 

Now, you might be wondering, ‘But what if I haven’t even started yet?’ Here’s the secret – even if you’re starting from scratch, you can create a compelling portfolio with the ‘fake it till you make it’ mindset.  How? Simple! You can build case studies based on trips you haven’t been sponsored for – perhaps your next holiday. Imagine any upcoming journey as a paid opportunity and use it to create fantastic travel content that you can proudly showcase in your portfolio. Even a local long weekend getaway or a tourist-like exploration of your own city can kickstart your portfolio journey. 

😊💡 Pro Tip:   For helpful visual inspo for your portfolio creation, check out TikTok. Regarding templates, consider browsing Envato Elements . 

🤩 2. Send a Great Pitch to Your Dream Companies to Get Sponsored Deals

Now that you’ve created and got your trusty portfolio in hand, it’s time to craft a pitch in writing or video format. 

A pitch in the travel world is your golden ticket to show why you’re the perfect fit for that specific travel company and how you can bring value through your content.

😎 Here’s what your pitch should include:

• Your name and contact information
• Subject line
• About yourself
• Details about your audience
• Why you want to work with them
• Collaboration ideas
• Benefits for the brand through your work
• Deliverables in terms of content pieces
• Promotion and amplification strategies
• Compensation and terms

😊 Friendly Reminder

Pitching to your dream travel partners and not hearing back immediately is perfectly fine. But here’s the key – don’t give up! You can follow up and might need to send a gentle reminder 3 to 4 times, as sometimes their accounts are flooded with messages. 

But there’s more to it! Make yourself visible, not just in their inbox but also in their feeds. Interact, comment, and show some love by liking their posts. You want to be on their radar. 

And if, despite your best efforts, you’re still not getting the responses you desire, it’s time to re-evaluate your pitching strategy. Showcase and highlight the incredible value you bring as a travel content creator. And create a pitch that lets them know why they can’t afford to miss the opportunity to work with you.

Ver esta publicación en Instagram Una publicación compartida de Melbourne (@visitmelbourne)

🌍 3. How Do You Find Your Next Travel Board or Travel Partner?

It’s 100% sure that browsing the web, you’ll find some seasoned travel content creators generously sharing these valuable resources on their TikTok pages for free. But if you’re searching for a quick and easy solution, we’ve got your back!

Head to Instagram and look for the destination you’re interested in. Look for the official accounts – they usually start with “Visit” or “Explore”—for example, @visitmelbourne . 

Or, take a virtual trip to Google and search for “Melbourne tourism board” and open the official page, and they have all the official accounts at the end. 

⭐Pro tip : focus on cities rather than whole countries – it’s a smoother ride when reaching out. But remember, before you reach out to travel brands, ensure to: 

• Pick a niche and a sub-niche
• Create your personal brand
• Pick your online platforms
• Produce consistent and top-notch content
• Work on building a loyal travelers community
• And prepare to network and collaborate with travel partners

And that’s it! You’re ready to approach those dreamy travel brands, whether it’s an official tourist site, a hotel, an airline, or anything related to travel and tourism. 

Working full-time as a travel content creator might seem easy, considering there’s no need for a degree or qualification. However, while the idea of traveling the world and getting paid for it is indeed exciting, the truth is that it requires a lot of effort, dedication, research, and knowledge.

No one said it was going to be easy, but it’s worth it. You need to trust the process and remember that all the prominent travel content creators were once in your shoes, earning nothing in the beginning and even for months. The key is consistency, keeping up with your postings, and maintaining quality throughout your work. In the end, all your efforts will be reflected and pay off. 

In the meantime, continue developing your skills, staying informed, and remaining up-to-date to demonstrate that it’s possible to have a job that doesn’t feel like hard work. ✨😊✈

Leave a comment Cancel reply

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

By using this form you agree with the storage and handling of your data by this website. *

Don't miss our newest content

Get the insight you need to help your brand succeed! Sign up for our monthly newsletter and stay up to date on our latest blog posts - it's free!

Send me the latest in...

You did it!

We're hard at work preparing our next newsletter.

See you soon!

How to Become a UGC Creator in 2024

Are you passionate about creating content that resonates with others? Do you find joy in sharing your thoughts, ideas, and experiences? You might just be a great fit in this new breed of content creators who are making their mark in the digital world: user-generated content (UGC) creators. 

These individuals are not just shaping the way we consume content but are also contributing their unique perspectives and experiences to the online world. You can find these content creators everywhere – from randomly popping out on your social media platforms to checking out platforms like Collabstr where you’ll find thousands of them. 

In this guide, we’ll dive deeper into what it takes to become a successful UGC creator, from understanding the role to earning from your passion.

Let’s get started!

What is a UGC Creator?

A UGC creator is someone who generates content for online platforms. This content spans a wide range of formats – from engaging videos and eye-catching images to insightful blog posts and thought-provoking captions. The beauty of UGC is that it's not confined to professionals, anyone with a passion and a message to share can become a UGC creator.

In 2021, an eye-opening revelation showcased the power of user-generated content in shaping consumer behavior. According to a study conducted by Social Media Today, 80% of respondents emphasized that UGC significantly influences their purchasing choices. As individuals navigate the online marketplace, they are increasingly drawn to content generated by fellow consumers rather than solely relying on traditional marketing messages. 

If you're ready to jump into the world of UGC, check out Collabstr ! This platform serves as a bridge connecting creators like you with captivating collaboration prospects that can take your content journey to new heights.

What do UGC Creators Do?

UGC creators are storytellers, influencers, and trendsetters all rolled into one. They create content that resonates with their audience, whether it's educational, entertaining, or inspiring. From sharing personal experiences and reviews to offering valuable tips and tricks, UGC creators contribute authentic and relatable content that adds value to the online community.

UGC creators have the remarkable ability to transform everyday moments into compelling narratives that captivate their followers.  Whether it's a vlog about a recent travel adventure, a step-by-step tutorial on a creative DIY project, or a review of a new gadget, UGC creators cater to diverse interests and passions. By sharing their experiences, knowledge, and viewpoints, they create content that resonates deeply with their audience. 

Here are three popular platforms to find UGC creators:

Youtube: YouTube stands as one of the most popular platforms for UGC creators. It allows them to share video content, from tutorials and reviews to vlogs and comedy sketches. 

Instagram: UGC creators can use Instagram's various features, such as Stories, IGTV, and Reels, to engage their audience and showcase their creativity.

TikTok: UGC creators on TikTok can quickly gain attention through trending challenges and creative content that resonates with a younger demographic. Feel free to check out this blog on how to get more views on TikTok in 2023.

How Much Money do UGC Creators Make?

Monetizing your passion as a UGC creator is not only possible but increasingly common. In 2023, UGC creators charge $520 in 2023 and this varies depending on the platform. Check out the table below for an estimated amount of how much UGC creators earn:

Here are the different factors that affect UGC creator earnings: 

Niche and Audience Size: Niches with higher demand and engagement, such as technology reviews or fitness tutorials, often attract more collaboration opportunities and higher.

Engagement and Reach:  A high engagement rate (likes, comments, shares) indicates an active and dedicated audience, making your content more appealing to potential collaborators.

Platform: Different platforms offer various monetization options. YouTube's Partner Program, for instance, allows creators to earn from ads, while Patreon lets fans support their favorite creators through monthly subscriptions.

Collaborations and Partnerships: Sponsored content, affiliate partnerships, and product placements offer avenues for monetization.

Market Demand: Trends in the market also affect earnings. Niche areas experiencing high demand, such as sustainable living or mental health, might attract more collaboration offers.

By becoming part of the Collabstr community, you open the door to potential partnerships and monetization opportunities that can help you earn from your passion – and earn a minimum of $350. You gain connections with brands from various niches and industries looking to contact Instagram influencers and other content creators to collaborate with, or you have the opportunity to earn through paid collaborations with brands.

How To Become A UGC Creator?

Becoming a UGC creator is a journey of passion, creativity, and dedication. Here's a step-by-step guide on how to embark on this exciting adventure and establish yourself as a successful UGC creator:

1. Create your UGC-specific Account

Begin your UGC journey by setting up dedicated accounts on social media platforms or content-sharing websites. These accounts will serve as your creative outlets, allowing you to connect with your audience through your unique content. Once you have created your account, explore and follow other content creators of a similar or different niche as you and get a first-hand experience in the UGC creator world. 

2. Understand the UGC World

Research and immerse yourself in the UGC world. Study successful creators within your niche, analyze trending topics, and familiarize yourself with your target audience's preferences. Understanding the landscape will help you tailor your content to resonate with your intended viewers.

3. Invest in Filming Equipment and Build your Setup

While you don't need the fanciest equipment to start, investing in basic filming tools can greatly improve the quality of your content. Depending on your chosen medium – whether it's video, photography, or writing – having the right tools enhances the visual and auditory aspects of your creations.

4. Practice making UGC Content

Practice makes progress. Experiment with different content formats, styles, and tones. Whether it's short video clips, blog posts, or images, practicing consistently helps you find your unique voice and style that resonates with your audience. Check out these 18 Gen Z Influencers in 2023 for ideas and inspiration. 

5. Build your UGC Portfolio

Curate a UGC portfolio showcasing your best work. Include a variety of content pieces that demonstrate your range and expertise within your niche. A well-organized portfolio serves as your digital resume, making it easier to attract potential collaborators and brands.

6. Reach Out to Brands

As your portfolio grows, start reaching out to brands that align with your niche and values. Craft compelling pitches that showcase your unique value and explain how your content can benefit their brand. Leverage your portfolio to demonstrate your capabilities and the type of content you can produce for collaborations.

7. Improve and Adapt Consistently

Consistent improvement is key to growth. Stay updated on trends within your niche, learn from feedback, and adapt your content strategy accordingly. Evolving your skills and content based on insights will help you remain relevant and engaging to your audience. Here are some of the best apps for content creators .

According to Jennifer Phan, Co-founder and CEO of Passionfruit, a platform that helps creators find and maintain client relationships: if you’re a content creator, you must implement the following in your process:

Research: When dealing with brands, it's crucial to identify your areas of expertise (discoverable through their portfolio and social media profiles). Similarly, for creators, it's essential to assess whether a brand aligns with your passions and interests.

Campaign Objectives: Brands benefit from defining specific objectives for each video, even if they're as simple as "raising awareness. This understanding helps tailor the content format to achieve predetermined goals effectively.

Precise Outputs: Both brands and creators must establish expectations and link them to deliverables. Brands might specify obtaining a TikTok video and an Instagram Reel from creators. Creators could formalize agreements, including payment terms and usage rights, ensuring a transparent collaboration process.

How To Setup A UGC Creator Portfolio

Crafting an impressive User-Generated Content (UGC) creator portfolio is key to showcasing your talents and attracting collaboration opportunities. Here's a breakdown of how to create a compelling portfolio that leaves a lasting impression:

1. A Short Biography

Introduce yourself concisely, highlighting your journey as a UGC creator. Describe your niche, passions, and what makes your content unique. A well-crafted bio gives collaborators a glimpse into your personality and expertise.

2. The Content You Have Created

Display a diverse range of your best content pieces. Include a mix of videos, images, blog posts, and any other formats you specialize in. Showcase content that demonstrates your creativity, storytelling ability, and mastery of your chosen niche.

3. A Creative Way to Show It

Arrange your portfolio in an organized and visually appealing manner. Use design elements that reflect your brand identity. A well-structured portfolio not only makes navigation easy but also gives collaborators a sense of professionalism.

Here’s how you can structure your portfolio to leave a lasting impression:

Visual Journey:  Use engaging graphics, images, and layout arrangements that flow seamlessly from one section to another. This visual journey not only showcases your content but also reflects your ability to captivate an audience.

Content Categories: Divide your portfolio into categories based on the types of content you create. If you're a vlogger, categorize your videos by themes or topics. For writers, organize your blog posts into relevant genres. 

Interactive Elements: Incorporate interactive elements like clickable buttons, animations, or even quizzes related to your niche to demonstrate your digital creativity and expertise in crafting dynamic content.

Color Palette and Branding: Implement a consistent color palette and branding elements throughout your portfolio. This adds a professional touch and reinforces your brand identity.

4. Testimonials or Endorsements

If you've collaborated with brands or received positive feedback from your audience, feature them. Testimonials provide social proof and build credibility, showing potential collaborators that you're a reliable and effective partner.

5. Drop Your Links

Include links to your active social media profiles, content-sharing platforms, and any blogs or websites you manage. This enables collaborators to explore your content further and get a comprehensive understanding of your creative journey. Take a peek at the 9 best UGC Ad examples for inspiration in 2023. 

6. Packages

If you offer specific services or content creation packages, outline them clearly. Define what collaborators can expect from each package and how it aligns with their goals. This demonstrates your professionalism and makes it easier for brands to choose the right collaboration option.

Here’s a good starting point:

1 UGC Ad: Determine your base rate for crafting a single video. This choice is ideal for brands seeking to assess the compatibility of your content with their product, dip their toes in the water, or acquire content within a limited budget. 

3 UGC Ad: The subsequent package encompasses three videos, strategically priced slightly lower to motivate brands to progress from the fundamental package. Each of these advertisements should present a distinct perspective on the product, offering them a sample of the diverse content styles you can deliver.

The Tester Package: Essentially, you'll produce three distinct advertisements, complete with varying copy and footage. Much like your 3 ad packages, you'll replicate each video and modify just one element: the hook. 

Monthly Retainer: Following the presentation of your packages, include a note stating your availability for retainer packages. This marks an opportunity to engage in fruitful negotiations and establish an equitable remuneration structure.

How To Pitch Brands as a UGC Creator

Pitching brands effectively as a user-generated content (UGC) creator is a skill that opens doors to exciting collaboration opportunities. Here's a comprehensive guide on how to craft persuasive pitches that capture brands' attention and pave the way for successful partnerships:

1. Craft the Perfect Subject Line

The subject line is your first chance to make an impression. Keep it concise, intriguing, and relevant to the collaboration you're proposing. Brands receive numerous emails daily, so a subject line that stands out is crucial.

A standard subject line format might look like:

[Brand Name] X [Creator Name] — [Detail About Pitch or Content Style]

2. Introduce Yourself

One of the first steps on how to become a content creator : begin your pitch by introducing yourself. Share a brief overview of your background, your content niche, and your engagement metrics. This establishes your credibility right from the start. Here’s an example:

Hello [Brand's Name] Team,

I hope this email finds you well. My name is [Your Name], and I'm thrilled to connect with a brand that aligns so well with my creative passion. As a dedicated User-Generated Content (UGC) creator, I've been on an exciting journey of crafting content that resonates deeply with my engaged audience.

I'm genuinely drawn to [Brand's Name] for its commitment to [Brand's Value or Mission], and I believe that my content style and storytelling approach are a perfect match for showcasing your [Product/Service]. I've carefully studied [Brand's Products/Services] and envision creative collaborations that could authentically introduce your offerings to my audience.

I'd love the opportunity to discuss potential collaboration ideas and how we can work together to achieve mutual goals. Please feel free to reach out, and let's explore the exciting possibilities that lie ahead.

Warm regards,

[Your Name]

[Your Contact Information]

3. Connect with the Brand & Show Benefits

Demonstrate your familiarity with the brand's products, values, and mission. Explain why you're drawn to their offerings and how your content aligns with their target audience. Highlight the benefits they'll gain from collaborating with you, such as increased reach, engagement, or exposure to a new audience.

4. Attach Your Portfolio

Include a link to your UGC creator portfolio. This allows brands to assess your style, creativity, and content quality. Make it easy for them to see your expertise and envision how your collaboration could enhance their brand.

5. Know Your Worth

Confidently present your rates and the value you bring to the table. Explain how your content resonates with your audience and how it can translate into positive outcomes for the brand. Transparently discussing your compensation expectations builds trust and avoids misunderstandings later. For more information, check out our blog about influencer content usage rights and learn about pricing, contracts, and many more. 

Best UGC Platforms for Creators

Here's a rundown of some popular UGC platforms you might want to consider:

1. Collabstr

Collabstr is a dedicated platform connecting content creators with exciting collaboration opportunities. It acts as a hub for creators to discover brands seeking partnerships and expand their content creation endeavors. Collabstr offers a streamlined approach to finding collaboration projects that align with creators' expertise and audience, making it a perfect platform for both budding and established creators.

Trend offers a comprehensive suite of UGC solutions for brands and creators. It empowers creators to engage in authentic collaborations, offering them diverse projects that resonate with their style. Trend's user-friendly interface makes it easier for creators to manage campaigns, access campaign analytics, and showcase their portfolios to potential brands.

Olapic is a platform designed to enhance user engagement and gather UGC. Creators can participate in brand campaigns by submitting content that aligns with the brand's objectives. Olapic's technology ensures seamless integration of UGC into marketing strategies, allowing creators to contribute meaningfully to brand stories.

4. ShortStack

ShortStack is a platform that facilitates UGC campaigns through contests, giveaways, and interactive experiences. It's an ideal platform for creators who want to engage their audience in fun and creative ways. By participating in ShortStack campaigns, creators can leverage their creativity to attract new followers and generate excitement around brands.

Become A UGC Content Creator Today!

Becoming a UGC creator is a journey fueled by passion, authenticity, and dedication. As you create content that resonates with your audience, connect with brands, and build your online presence, you're contributing to the vibrant world of digital storytelling. Start your UGC creator journey with Collabstr today! Join as a creator here.

Get Digital Marketing Tips Directly to Your Inbox

Collabstr sends newsletters every 2 weeks with the newest trends, tips, and tricks in digital marketing., related articles.

Who are the most-followed TikTok creators in the US?

College athletes aren't paid by their schools. Here's how brands fill that gap.

The creator economy is worth an estimated $250 billion. Where is that money going?

What Is a UGC Creator? Follow These 5 Steps To Become One

UGC creators make content that looks like traditional UGC — but brands will pay for the sales boosts their content can generate.

Table of Contents

Have you ever dreamed about becoming an influencer and getting paid to create social media content without needing a big audience? Well, a new wave of people is doing just that: UGC creators .

If you’ve spent time on TikTok or Instagram in the last 6-12 months, chances are you’ve come across UGC creators. Even if you don’t recognize the term, you’ve probably seen content made by these creators on your favorite brands’ accounts.

By the end of this guide, you’ll know the exact steps needed to become a UGC content creator.

Bonus: Unlock our free, customizable pitch deck template to successfully reach out to brands and lock down the influencer partnership of your dreams.

What is a UGC creator?

A UGC creator is someone who creates sponsored content that appears authentic but is designed to showcase a specific business or product.

The most common format for UGC creators is video, especially on platforms like Instagram and TikTok. Creators usually film and narrate the content from their perspective, which gives it an authentic feel.

The main difference between UGC creators and influencers is that UGC creators create and deliver to businesses without the obligation to post it on their channels (although some UGC deals may add this for an extra fee). With influencers, the company usually pays for both content and exposure to the influencer’s audiences.

@itstarachristina Replying to @ROY KANYI What is UGC? Quick summary of what UGC content is, what UGC content creators do, and how you can become a UGC creator! #ugccreator #whatisugc #ugc #whatisugc? #ukugc #ukugccreator #ugccreatoruk #startugc #ugchelp #ugctips2022 ♬ original sound – TaraChristina🍋Content Creator

UGC content also tends to appear less polished and professional than influencer content, which helps to preserve the authenticity of UGC.

Why is UGC so valuable?

While being a UGC creator is a new concept, traditional user-generated content (UGC) is not. It’s become a proven tool in social media strategies for building communities, increasing brand awareness, and driving sales.

Despite the name, UGC creators are not creating traditional organic UGC. Normally, UGC is created organically by customers in the form of photos, videos, testimonials, product reviews, and blog posts and shared spontaneously. Businesses can choose to re-share a customer’s UGC, but no payment or contracts are involved.

UGC creators create content that emulates traditional UGC , using the same unpolished and authentic filming style that an everyday creator might use when sharing a review of their favorite product.

As driving awareness and sales are valuable results for any business, it’s no surprise that brands are willing to pay UGC creators. Understanding the reasons why can help you better pitch yourself for UGC jobs.

It feels authentic

Consumers are 2.4 times more likely to view UGC as authentic versus content created by brands. UGC is the social media equivalent of product reviews and word-of-mouth.

User-created content will always have an organic feel that can’t be matched by brands, no matter how “cool” they are. As such, UGC tends to be more eye-catching and engaging, which is invaluable to brands.

@rebel.socials ✨You always ask to post UGC examples for new beginners or UGC video examples with no voice. This is an organic UGC example, aesthetic/ Asmr skin care. What is UGC? It stands for user generated content. If you wondering how to become a UGC creator, I post best content creator tips and tricks on my page. #ugcvideoexample #ugcvideoexamples #wheretofindbranddeals #howtougc #ugcforbeginners #ugcfornewbies #ugcnewbie #ugcnewbies #howtoworkwithbrands #skincareugc #ugcskincare #ugccreators #howtoworkwithbrands ♬ original sound – 🤓Kate •UGC & Influencer coach

It’s cheaper than influencer content

When working with influencers, brands need to pay for both the content and the posts on the influencer’s channels. The more reach and engagement an influencer has, the more a brand has to pay — which can be in the millions for celebrities!

With UGC content, brands only need to pay for the content itself , which often can be the same quality (or better) than the content from influencers. It also gives them complete control over the distribution and positioning of the content.

It can influence purchase decisions

Many brands pay to get UGC to use in social media ads because it influences purchase decisions. UGC acts as social proof, showing that real people are buying and using a product, which can drive more sales.

Moreover, UGC doesn’t look like a blatant ad , which can make it more engaging when used in ad campaigns.

It’s faster than producing content from scratch

By sourcing content from UGC creators, a brand can get way more pieces than if it created them in-house. Brands can distribute a UGC brief to multiple creators, who will produce and deliver the content back to the brand by the same deadline.

Here are 6 more reasons why UGC is so important for businesses .

How to become a UGC creator

Anyone with a decent smartphone or camera can become a UGC creator. You don’t need a bunch of followers or professional video editing skills.

That’s the beauty of UGC — the more authentic and natural the content is, the better.

@itstarachristina The absolute beauty that UGC content creation is 🧁 #ugc #whatisugc #ugccontentcreator #becomeaugccreator #ugccreatorlife #ugccreatoruk #ukugccreator #ukugc #ugccontentcreation #ugccreatorhelp #ugccreator2022 ♬ original sound – TaraChristina🍋Content Creator

We’ve put together five steps to get you started as a UGC creator.

Step 1: Figure out your filming setup

You can shoot UGC almost anywhere — at home, outside, or in a store (as long as there isn’t too much background noise). Many UGC creators create content in the comforts of their homes, where they can perfect their filming setup.

In terms of equipment, you only need a phone with a decent camera and a tripod to stabilize your phone for product shots.

Some optional upgrades:

• Ring light. Useful for closeups of your face and filming at night or in darker rooms.
• Lavalier mic. Plugs into your phone’s audio jack and improves the quality of your recorded audio. Alternatively, you can also use the mic on a pair of wired headphones.
• Backdrops. You can get creative here – paper, fabric, and construction materials all can serve as backdrops.
• Props. Varies depending on the product, but find props that match the lifestyle or use cases of the product you’re showcasing.

@haleybauler Episode 1 | WFH with me 📸💕 #ugccreator #ugccontentcreator #ugctips #ugcwork #ugchowto #sahmlife #wfhlife #sahmwfhm #contentcreators #contentcreatortips #wfh #momsoftiktok #ugccommunity ♬ Law (feat. E-40) – Yo Gotti

@jenahfir The 5 things every ugc creator or content creator should have (aka my ugc starter kit). PS: they all count as a business expense so feel free to splurge on better quality items (I’m not a CPA, please consult an actual tax professional for advice 🤪) #ugcstarterkit #ugcmusthaves #contentcreatormusthaves #contentcreatorbusiness #ugccreatorsoftiktok #ugctipsforbeginners ♬ original sound – agatha apologist

Pro tip: Don’t let the quality of your equipment or filming setup hold you back. Many UGC creators produce great content with just a phone, the product, and themselves. Once you get more experienced and start receiving feedback from brands, you can upgrade your equipment and setup.

Step 2: Build your UGC portfolio

Ah, the old chicken-and-egg dilemma: To create UGC content, you need products. However, brands will only send you products once you have a portfolio. So, how do you get started?

The answer: Make content for free featuring your favorite products . You don’t need permission from brands as long as you don’t portray it as a paid deal/sponsored content if you choose to post it.

There are several common types of UGC content:

• Unboxing . Opening a new product’s packaging and revealing all the contents. You can narrate the functions of the included pieces and how to use them.
• Review/testimonial . Giving your honest opinion on a product and how it works. UGC testimonials are different from other product reviews in that they should be short and not as in-depth, perhaps only focusing on one aspect instead of the whole product.
• How to/use cases . Demonstrating how you use the product. These can be more lifestyle-focused videos, showing how you naturally use the product during your daily life, or more tutorial-style videos.

Pro tip: When you’re just starting your portfolio, we suggest focusing on videos, as this is the most common format for UGC requests. Aim to have at least one example from all UGC types above.

@maritza.artola Replying to @theresatetty #CapCut here’s what my what ugc portfolio looks like! Your portfolio can make the biggest difference when it comes getting ugc gigs! Things that will help with creating your portfolio: ✨️ Knowing what to include in your ugc portfolio ✨️ Including high quality (not just talking about aesthetics) ugc examples ✨️ Knowing how to optimize your portfolio so you’re seen as a professional Hope that helps! #FomotionalFinds #CapCut #ugccreator #ugcportfolio ♬ Rainbow City – Aves

Step 3: Practice your editing skills

Once you’ve recorded your clip(s), the next step is to edit them. The typical length for UGC videos is 15-60 seconds.

Editing videos can be tricky to learn, but luckily there are many apps to make it easier. Two of the most popular apps are CapCut and InShot . The in-app editors within TikTok and Instagram are also quite user-friendly and have many of the same features as third-party apps.

If you’re creating UGC for TikTok, here are 15 tips on how to edit your videos .

Pro tip: Practice, practice, practice! There is no shortcut to becoming good at video editing. The more you get used to the tools, the quicker you’ll get. We recommend incorporating TikTok trends into your UGC videos to make them more engaging.

Check out these clips for editing inspiration:

@theugcgirly Another oldie, but goody for my September UGC Example Challenge! Can you tell I love @pacificabeauty products? #ugc #ugccontentcreator #ugccreators #ugcexamplevideo ♬ original sound – erin • UGC creator

@shanmy_c Example of a UGC video I created for my portfolio! 🙈 #ugc #ugccreator #ugcconcept #ugccreators #ugcportfolio #ugcexample #ugcexamples #ugccommunity #contentcreator #makeup #skincare ♬ Stunnin’ (feat. Harm Franklin) (Explicit) – Curtis Waters

@alliemcguffin the best glow you could ask for @btan.rocks available now @ultabeauty #selftanner #glowyskin #protectyourskin #dailyspf #girlygirlaesthetic ♬ original sound – carneyval

Step 4: Post your UGC (optional)

This step is optional, as posting your content isn’t generally required as part of UGC contracts. However, it is an excellent way to practice and get feedback on how to improve your content. Even with a small audience, you can learn what works and what doesn’t work by checking the analytics for your posts.

Posting your UGC on your account also allows brands to see your content, after which they may reach out to you to offer UGC gigs.

Pro tips: If you want to increase the chances of brands discovering your UGC, don’t use hashtags like #UGC or #UGCcreator — these will signal the algorithm to serve your content to other UGC creators. Instead, use industry- and product-related hashtags.

Secondly, add your email (or another way to contact you) to your bio to make it easy for brands to reach out to you.

@zoewu_ How to get inbound leads as a UGC creator #ugc #ugccreator #ugccontentcreator ♬ She Share Story (for Vlog) – 山口夕依

Step 5: Get paid

Now you’re ready for the next stage: Getting paid for your UGC! Once you have a portfolio, you can start applying for UGC gigs. We know this is easier said than done, so we’ve expanded our tips into a whole section below.

4 tips for getting paid as a UGC creator

1. use platforms to find brand deals.

With UGC’s rise, there are new platforms dedicated to facilitating UGC brand deals. Some post opportunities for creators to apply, while others require you to create a listing for your content creation services.

Here are some platforms to search for UGC opportunities:

• Fiverr . Create a listing with your UGC services ( such as this ) and wait for brands to book you.
• Upwork . You can apply to UGC creator jobs or list your UGC services.
• Billo . US-based creators only.
• Insense . You join via an app and choose opportunities to apply to.
• Brands Meet Creators . They send UGC opportunities via email.

2. Network with brands and business owners

If you want to be more proactive and work with specific brands, then your best bet is to network via platforms like Linkedin, Twitter, and TikTok.

You can use these platforms for networking in several ways:

• Personal branding . Post updates on your account sharing your journey as a UGC creator, and add a CTA for brands to contact you for UGC
• Cold outreach . Think about brands you genuinely like and for which you would enjoy creating content, and reach out to folks who work at those companies

Pro tip: Smaller companies like startups and small businesses just starting to build their social media presence are more likely to need UGC.

3. Perfect your pitch

Pitching yourself to a brand for a UGC opportunity is like applying for a job. As more and more people become UGC creators, it’ll become more competitive. That means you need to make your pitch stand out .

Keep your pitches focused on the brand (not yourself) and the value you’ll provide for them through your UGC.

Pro tip: Tailor your pitch for each opportunity you apply to. In your portfolio, curate examples that are relevant to each brand’s industry and will appeal to that brand’s target audience.

@rebel.socials ✅How to pitch UGC content in 2022? Until you fix your brand outreach strategy you will not be able to scale as a content creator. No responses from brands = no brand deals = no money. Everyone keep searching where to find brands to work with, or best platform to pitch UGC, but until you fix your pitching strategy no need to even search for those brands. #howtoworkwithbrands #wheretofindbranddeals #ugcnewbie #ugcnewbie #howtougc #ugcpitchtips #ugcguide #contentcreatortips ♬ Spooky, quiet, scary atmosphere piano songs – Skittlegirl Sound

4. Know your worth

As with influencer marketing , payment rates for UGC creation vary widely. The brand or platform usually sets the rate for brand deals. Nonetheless, staying up-to-date with market rates will empower you to choose deals that pay fairly. This benefits you and ensures equitable compensation for other UGC creators.

Pro tip: Follow UGC creators on TikTok and Instagram, as they often post content sharing behind-the-scenes details on how they negotiate brand deals and how much they get paid.

@itstarachristina Replying to @lauracaitlinv How to set your prices as a UGC Content Creator as a beginner! #ugccontentcreator #ugccreatortips #ugccreatoruk #ugcforbeginners #ugcforbrands #itstarachristina #ugcprices ♬ original sound – TaraChristina🍋Content Creator

Frequently asked questions about UGC creators

How many followers do i need to get paid as a ugc creator.

You don’t need a certain number of followers to become a UGC creator. Many UGC brand deals are content-only, meaning you only have to create and deliver content, with no requirement to post it on your own channels.

How do I find brands to work with?

The easiest way to know if a brand is looking for UGC creators is to use platforms that curate UGC brand deals. Brands may also advertise call-outs for UGC creators in their feed posts or Stories. You can also DM brands with your pitch in case they’re open to working with UGC creators.

How do I create a UGC portfolio?

You can use a free tool like Canva or Google Slides to create your portfolio. If you need help getting started, check out our free brand pitch deck template .

Save time managing your social media presence with Hootsuite. Publish and schedule posts, find relevant conversions, engage your audience, measure results, and more — all from one dashboard. Try it free today.

Get Started

Do it better with Hootsuite , the all-in-one social media tool. Stay on top of things, grow, and beat the competition.

Become a better social marketer.

Get expert social media advice delivered straight to your inbox.

Laura Wong is a Canadian social media strategist based in Amsterdam. She is the founder of SchoolofSocial.io, an online platform that helps anyone land their dream social media job. Besides social media, Laura is passionate about travel, photography, entrepreneurship, and finding the best bubble tea in every city she visits.

Related Articles

Content Creator 101: Complete Guide for Brands AND Creators

A pro content creator goes beyond making and publishing digital content. They use that content to build an audience and generate revenue.

Brand Pitch Guide for Creators: Deck and Email Templates

You don’t need to have a ton of followers to land a brand deal, but you do need a way to sell yourself. Enter the brand pitch deck.

250+ Free Social Media Templates to Save Your Team HOURS

These free social media templates will save you a ton of time and effort, from creating content, to publishing posts and measuring results.

19 Frequently Asked Social Media Questions [ANSWERED]

What do social media managers do? How does social media work? How often should I post? Behold—answers to all the top social media questions.

Coffee Cup Executive

Explore more.

Are you dreaming of becoming a travel UGC (user-generated content) creator? Sharing your experiences and inspiring others to travel can be a fulfilling and exciting journey. Here’s how to get started:

• Determine your focus. What type of travel content do you want to create? Maybe you’re interested in creating video travel guides, writing blog posts about your adventures, or sharing photos on social media. Decide on a niche or theme to help you stand out and attract a specific audience.
• Build your platform. Choose a platform or platforms to share your content, such as a blog, YouTube channel, podcast, or social media accounts. Choose platforms that align with your focus and audience, and create a consistent and professional presence.
• Engage with your audience. Interacting with your audience is crucial for a successful travel UGC channel. Respond to comments, answer questions, and encourage followers to share their own travel experiences. This will help you build a community of like-minded travelers and improve your content over time.
• Promote your content. Use social media, email marketing, and other channels to reach a wider audience and promote your content. You could also consider collaborating with other travel UGC creators or partnering with brands to help spread the word.
• Continuously improve your content. As you gain experience and feedback from your audience, use this information to continuously improve and evolve your content. Try out new formats, experiment with different techniques, and always be on the lookout for ways to make your content more engaging and informative.

Hope this helps inspire you!

Share this:

• Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
• Subscribe Subscribed
• Copy shortlink
• Report this content
• View post in Reader
• Manage subscriptions
• Collapse this bar

You must be logged in to post a comment.

How To Make Money With Brands As A UGC Creator (with no experience!)

A re you a content creator looking to explore new opportunities and elevate your online presence? Or are you just looking to break into the making money online scene? In the ever-evolving world of content creation, one of the most exciting and promising avenues is User-Generated Content (UGC) creation. UGC creators play a pivotal role in promoting products, services, and businesses by leveraging the authenticity of real people. The best part? You don’t have to have a certain amount of followers – ANYONE can be a paid UGC creator if they have a smartphone and some skills. The main difference between UGC creators and influencers is that UGC creators create and deliver to businesses without the obligation to post it on their channels. Let’s dive into some tips and strategies on how to become a UGC creator!

How To Become a UGC Creator

User-generated content (UGC) is the buzzword in today’s digital landscape. Brands are increasingly realizing the immense value of content created by their own users, customers, and fans. UGC takes the form of posts, reviews, videos, and more, typically created and shared by customers who genuinely love a brand’s products or services.

So, what exactly is UGC, and why is it so valuable?

What Is A UGC Creator?

A UGC creator, which stands for User-Generated Content creator, simply put is a creator who generates content for brands. UGC creators inject authenticity and relatability into promotional content, making it highly effective in connecting with audiences.

UGC, or User-Generated Content, refers to any content, such as text, images, videos, or reviews, that is created by users of a brand, product, or service. Unlike traditional marketing content produced by internal marketing teams, UGC is contact that is created by UGC creators to show organic and authentic reviews. Examples of UGC include Instagram posts featuring a brand’s product, tweets raving about a great customer experience, and YouTube videos showcasing product demonstrations.

Brands often source UGC by identifying existing customers who are already talking about them online. When a brand reposts a creator’s Reel or shares a screenshot of someone’s Tweet, that’s a prime example of UGC in action.

But what makes UGC so valuable from a brand’s perspective?

Why Is User-Generated Content Valuable?

UGC holds immense value for brands because it provides social proof, a powerful psychological concept. Social proof is built on the idea that people tend to trust other people more than they trust brands. When brands share content created by real users (even if they are strangers on the internet), it adds credibility and authenticity to their marketing efforts.

Imagine scrolling through your social media feed and seeing posts from real people raving about a product or service. These are not scripted endorsements; they are genuine expressions of satisfaction and enthusiasm. Such content carries weight because it demonstrates that the brand has satisfied customers who not only use their products or services but also enjoy them enough to share their experiences online.

This emphasis on social proof is one of the reasons why UGC creation is a more accessible field to break into compared to social media influencing. As a UGC creator, you don’t necessarily need a massive following or a significant online presence because you’re not selling your personal influence. Instead, you’re creating content that adds value to brands.

So, how can you get started on your journey to becoming a UGC creator?

Steps To Become A UGC Creator

The beauty of UGC creation lies in its lower barriers to entry compared to influencer marketing. You don’t need an extensive follower count, and you don’t require advanced technical skills or specialized equipment. Here’s how you can kickstart your UGC creator journey:

Step 1:  Perfect Your Filming Setup

Creating high-quality UGC content requires a well-equipped filming setup. Invest in a good camera or smartphone with excellent video capabilities, a tripod, lighting equipment, and a microphone if needed. A clean and professional setup will make your content stand out.

Step 2:  Gather Your Equipment

Depending on your niche, you may need specific equipment or props. Collect all the tools, props, and accessories you’ll require for your UGC content creation. Ensure everything is in working order before you start filming.

Step 3:  Practice Your Editing Skills

Editing plays a crucial role in UGC creation. Learn how to edit your videos to make them engaging and visually appealing. Familiarize yourself with video editing software like Adobe Premiere Pro or Final Cut Pro. There are also user-friendly apps available for beginners.

Step 4:  Create Authentic Content

One of the hallmarks of a successful UGC creator is authenticity. Create content that feels genuine and relatable to your audience. Show yourself using the product or service in your daily life, sharing honest reviews, and telling your story. Authenticity builds trust with your audience.

Step 5: Create a UGC Creator Portfolio

Just like any creative profession, you’ll need a portfolio to showcase your work to potential clients and brands. Building a polished and professional portfolio is a significant milestone for aspiring UGC creators.

1.  Introduction :

Start with a brief introduction about yourself. Include any relevant work history or content you’ve created for other brands.

2.  Work Samples :

The heart of your portfolio should be the display of your work. Include photos and videos that highlight your ability to create the type of content that brands are seeking. Video content is especially crucial, as video is currently a dominant format in marketing. Demonstrate your proficiency in creating engaging videos.

3.  Contact Information :

While you can conduct business outreach and communication through social media direct messages, it’s a best practice to provide a dedicated email address in your portfolio. This facilitates clear and straightforward communication with potential clients.

use social media to get inspiration from other ugc creators

Creating your first portfolio may seem daunting, especially if you don’t have existing UGC work to showcase.  Start by creating UGC content with items you already own.  Here are some examples of UGC content you can create when you’re just starting out:

• Capture product photography and videos of aesthetic items from your personal collection.
• Film unboxing videos with natural, unscripted reactions.
• Create content that shows you using a product you genuinely love and provide a brief tutorial or review.

Remember, this content doesn’t need to be overly professional. Brands are often looking for content that resembles something created by an everyday user of their product. Simple smartphone photography and videography with good natural lighting is sufficient. You don’t need extensive editing skills, but using online video editing tools to combine clips and add captions can enhance your work.

Step 6: Find UGC Job Opportunities with Brands

Now that you have a portfolio, it’s time to start monetizing. There are several ways to catch the attention of brands in need of UGC:

• Cold Outreach : Reach out to brands you want to work with and share your UGC portfolio. Express your interest in collaborating and highlight how your content aligns with their values and target audience. Effective collaboration can lead to exciting opportunities and brand partnerships.
• Twitter  : Some brands actively seek UGC creators by posting and searching on platforms like Twitter. Instead of you initiating contact, you can respond to a job posting. This approach ensures that the brand is actively looking for UGC creators, but it also means increased competition as other creators may be pitching their services simultaneously. (tip: when you follow other creators, you can see what brands they are working with and know that those are brands who work with UGC creators).
• Organic Discovery through Pinterest : Utilize Pinterest to showcase your portfolio work and leverage organic discovery. Create a dedicated UGC-specific Pinterest account and tag your pins with relevant keywords such as “UGC Content,” “UGC Creator,” or “UGC Example.”

Step 7: Create a UGC-Specific Account

When starting your UGC journey, I’d suggest you create a dedicated UGC-specific account. Make sure to include the term “UGC” in your account handle, so that you appear in search results when brands are looking for UGC creators. Try to

Once your account is set up, follow other UGC creators on platforms like TikTok and Twitter to immerse yourself in the UGC community. This is an excellent way to gain insights into the industry, establish contacts, and get a feel for the dynamics of UGC creation. Many UGC creators are generous in sharing their knowledge, templates, and best practices.

Common Mistakes To Avoid

As you embark on your journey as a UGC creator, it’s essential to be aware of common mistakes that can hinder your progress. These mistakes can be categorized into two phases: those you make before securing a brand deal (portfolio mistakes) and those you make after securing the deal (contract mistakes).

UGC Portfolio Mistakes

• Including Your Rates in Your Portfolio : While it may be tempting to include your UGC rates in your portfolio, it’s generally not recommended. When you list your rates, one of three scenarios may unfold: brands may perceive your rates as too expensive, too cheap, or just right. This limits your negotiating flexibility. Instead, convey that your rates are negotiable when brands inquire about your portfolio. Maintain a clear asking rate and a lower limit that you would accept, ensuring it aligns with your worth.
• Not Making the Content the Focus of Your Portfolio : Keep your portfolio simple and easy to navigate, with the focus squarely on your UGC content. Avoid clutter and excessive information. While some UGC creators include a “What Is UGC?” section to educate brands about its value, this is often unnecessary. Brands reviewing your portfolio likely already understand the significance of UGC.

UGC Contract Mistakes

• Not Negotiating Payment Properly : In your contracts, ensure that you negotiate payment terms effectively. Most creators request at least half of the payment upfront before commencing work, with the remainder due upon completion. Some opt for full payment upfront. Clearly outline payment terms to avoid misunderstandings.
• Not Watermarking Your Content Before Payment : Protect your work by adding watermarks to your content before payment. This precaution safeguards your creations until you receive payment. Watermarking can be as simple as overlaying a semi-transparent text bubble with your UGC handle, making it difficult to remove without your consent.
• Not Negotiating Usage Rights : In your contracts, specify the usage rights granted to brands. Indicate the duration for which the brand can use your content without additional compensation. For example, a common practice is to grant 30-day usage rights and charge a renewal fee for extended usage in ongoing ad campaigns.

PRO TIP : Seek contract templates from fellow creators or consult with someone knowledgeable in law to ensure your contracts are well-structured and protect your interests.

Promote Your Personal Brand

As a UGC creator, you’re not just promoting products; you’re also building your personal brand. Consistency is key. Maintain a cohesive style, posting schedule, and engage with your audience. Building a loyal following will make you an attractive partner for brands.

UGC creators are in high demand because they bring authenticity and relatability to promotional content. By following these steps, you can embark on your journey to becoming a successful UGC creator and working with brands you admire. So, get started, create a UGC portfolio, and share your unique perspective with the world.

A lot of brands tend to pay extra if you can provide both UGC content and a following to promote it to. Follow Ariele Rachel on Instagram, CEO of the popular womans blog American Woman, to help you navigate the world of social media and grow your presence as a content creator.

UGC creation is a rewarding path in the realm of content creation. As brands increasingly seek real people to promote their products and services, UGC creators are well-positioned to thrive. Build your skills, portfolio, and personal brand, and you’ll be on your way to becoming a successful UGC creator.

ASSOCIATE PARTNER

UGC NET 2024 Admit Cards Out Soon: Download Details And Exam City Slips Available

Curated By : Education and Careers Desk

Local News Desk

Last Updated: August 05, 2024, 19:04 IST

Delhi, India

The UGC NET exam will be conducted online.

UGC NET exam was conducted on June 18 in offline mode at more than 300 centres across the country.

The National Testing Agency (NTA) will be releasing admit cards for the re-examination of the UGC National Eligibility Test (NET) 2024. Candidates can download the admit cards through the official website of UGC NET–https://ugcnet.nta.nic.in/. Before the admit card release, the NTA will issue exam city slips, informing candidates of the specific locations of their examination centres. These slips will include vital details such as the exam date, time and additional instructions, which will be provided in the final admit cards. The UGC NET exam was held on June 18. Amid the NEET UG paper leak case, news of the UGC NET paper leak also started going viral. Therefore, NTA had decided to cancel it a day after the exam, on June 19. The agency has announced the new schedule of the exam. It will be held from August 21 to September 4.

All the candidates who have applied for the UGC NET exam are currently waiting for the release of the UGC NET admit card. NTA is preparing to release the UGC NET admit card soon. If media reports are to be believed, UGC NET admit cards will be released in the second week of August, either on August 15 or 16. No candidate will be allowed entry inside the exam centre. Strict arrangements will be made to prevent cases like paper leaks. The candidates are advised to check the UGC website for the latest updates regarding the admit card release. To download the UGC NET 2024 admit card, the application number and date of birth will be used to log in to the portal.

UGC NET exam was conducted on June 18 in offline mode at more than 300 centres across the country. This time UGC NET exam will be conducted online mode in a Computer-Based Test. NTA conducts the UGC NET exam twice every year, in June and December. Through the UGC NET exam, the eligibility of candidates for Assistant Professor, and Junior Research Fellowship in universities and colleges of India is checked.

UGC NET Admit Card–How To Download

Step 1: Visit the official website–https://ugcnet.nta.nic.in/

Step 2: On the homepage, enter details like the application number and date of birth.

Step 3: It will be displayed on your screen.

Step 4: Submit and download the application form

• Education News
• ugc net 2024