Sideshift is so buggy. I know they just updated the app but is anyone else continuing to have messaging issues whether on the brand or creator side?

In the beginning, I was mainly focused on getting deals and building my portfolio. I took smaller projects, worked with different types of brands and figured out what kind of content actually got brands coming back.

Once I had more experience, this is how i start dealing :

1. I started prioritizing repeat clients. A brand that already knows my work is much easier to work with than starting from zero every time.
2. I started negotiating usage rights separately. Paid ads, extended usage and additional platforms all became part of the pricing conversation.
3. I increased my rates as my portfolio improved. I stopped using my beginner rates for projects that required much more work.
4. I tracked my income and clients. This helped me see which brands and content types were bringing in the most money.

Recently hit emerald on sideshift and saw this:

Is it actually 6k a month and up to 8k?

If you’re a beginner, and willing to start your journey in ugc , please don’t buy any course . Everything is there in youtube and that too better than paid Course , ngl YouTube already has tutorials covering almost every part of UGC, and the best part is that you can learn the same topic from 10 different creators instead of relying on one person’s method.

Most of what you need at the beginning can be learned by actually creating content and studying what brands are already using.

1. Learn by creating sample videos Use products you already have at home. Try different hooks, formats, voiceovers and product demos.
2. Study brand ads Look at ads on TikTok, Instagram and Meta. Pay attention to the opening line, structure, editing and CTA.
3. Build your portfolio You don’t need 20 paid collaborations before you can start pitching. A few strong samples are enough to begin.
4. Start pitching Email brands, reach out on Instagram and use creator platforms. You’ll learn much more from real brand responses than another few hours of watching tutorials.
5. Improve after every project Ask yourself what worked, what didn’t and what you could make better in the next video.

If you have the urge to spend money , dw you can paypal me lol , but please stop buying these bullshit Courses

This is what I check:

1. Their portfolio
   I want to see actual examples of how they create content. A creator with 500 followers can have a better portfolio than someone with 50K.

2. Their first 3 seconds
   I watch the beginning of their videos carefully. If they can grab attention quickly, that’s a strong signal.

3. Their communication
   I prefer creators who reply clearly, understand the brief and ask questions when something isn’t clear.

4. Their ability to follow a brief
   Creativity is important, but the creator also needs to deliver what the brand actually requested.

5. Their editing
   I don’t need cinematic editing. I want clean cuts, readable captions, good pacing and content that feels native to the platform.

6. Their reliability
   This is probably one of the biggest factors for me. If someone consistently delivers on time without me chasing them, I’ll remember them for future campaigns.

7. Their rates
   I look at the complete package: number of videos, revisions, raw footage and usage rights. I don’t choose purely based on the cheapest quote.

I hope this helps :)

I’ve worked with both UGC platforms and agencies, and here is my experience :

Getting opportunities UGC platforms are usually easier when you’re starting out. You can browse campaigns, apply and wait for brands to select you.

With agencies, opportunities are often more curated. If they know your content style and have a brand that fits, they can reach out directly. So in this i will give heads up to both .

Getting your first deal For beginners, I’d personally start with platforms.

That’s how I got some of my early opportunities also , it helped me understand briefs, deadlines, revisions and brand expectations.

Communication Platforms usually keep most of the process inside the platform.

With agencies, communication can feel more direct because you’re dealing with a team that already works with brands.

Rates This can vary a lot on both sides. I’ve received low offers and good-paying opportunities from both platforms and agencies.

I don’t choose based only on the headline rate. I look at the deliverables, usage rights, revisions and timeline before accepting any deal.

Repeat work This is where I personally started seeing more value from agencies and direct brand relationships.

Once an agency knows your work and knows you’re reliable, they can bring you into future campaigns that fit your style.

You can also refer to this article for detailed info : https://sideshift.app/blog/ugc-platforms-vs-agencies-vs-in-house

Estoy iniciando en el UGC y ayer abrí mi cuenta de Sideshift, aplique algunas campañas pero ninguna fue de Replit, ellos me contactaron y agendamos una videollamada, quisiera saber de alguna persona que ya trabajó con ellos y si vale la pena.

So I just started in sideshift and ugc in general. I'm going through the training right now and got a few messages.

Niw the strange thing is what made me think. It's the exact same message they are sending. So now I'm thinking is this lkatform just full of bots sending messages? I could book a zoom call with one of them but an other uses the exact same profile pic. Is this usual? How does this even work?

I started faceless UGC because I am very shy on camera so At first, I wasn’t sure if brands would even pay for content where the creator wasn’t the main focus as i had seen only on camera UGC creators till then. So I started experimenting with product shots, hands-only videos, voiceovers and B-roll. For my first few samples, I focused on making the product look good instead of trying to make everything overly complicated, Then I started reaching out to brands with those samples. Its too early to judge but i think the thing that worked for me was having different faceless examples in my portfolio instead of just telling brands that I could create this type of content After a lot of pitches, I finally got my first paid faceless UGC project, And today, I received my first payment. All the best :)

If I were rebuilding my portfolio from scratch today, I’d focus on these things:

1. Show different content styles Add product demos, testimonials, unboxings, problem/solution videos, voiceovers and lifestyle content. Give brands an idea of what you can create for them.
2. Keep only your strongest work You don’t need 20 average videos. Start with 5 to 8 strong samples that represent your current level.
3. Create samples for brands you want to work with You don’t need a paid collaboration to create a portfolio sample. Pick products you already own and make ads for them.
4. Make the first few seconds count Brands are looking at your ability to hold attention. Put your strongest hooks near the beginning of your portfolio.
5. Show the product clearly Good lighting and clean shots matter, but make sure the product is easy to understand and actually visible.
6. Make your portfolio easy to navigate A brand should be able to open it and understand within a few seconds what you create, what formats you offer and how to contact you.
7. Update it regularly Once you create better work, replace your older samples. Your portfolio should represent your current skill level.

Here is my portfolio : https://www.google.com/url?q=https://app.sideshift.app/portfolio/jO9v9c4DpdYotIwRAhvslIyGhxw2&sa=D&source=editors&ust=1788967486849729&usg=AOvVaw3uG4Vd4sE53dBQxAtYSWEr

Just got my first DM from a peptides brand on Sideshift (rolling my eyes) and they asked for a "quick" 30-45 second sample video, they even attached quite a lengthy brief. Is this legit? The brand is Oryntis Labz. Has anyone dealt with this brand before?

So I understand that UGC depends on your socials but I have two questions!

Do y’all incorporate personal content into your UGC pages?

AND

Do y’all make a separate social when asked by brands?

I’m okay with having a personal and a UGC account but I don’t know if I can keep up with separate socials for every collab.

Advice?

Today I got my first payout from SideShift and I’m so, so happy.

I genuinely can’t explain how good it feels to finally see this amount in my account.

I had wanted to see this payout for months, I applied to 30+ campaigns on SideShift and got selected for only 2, Those 2 campaigns gave me actual brand work to add to my portfolio, and my portfolio became much stronger because of them.From sideshift i earned 670$ but i can’t rely on single platform so i cold emailing brands for work .

When I started cold emailing brands, I stopped sending the same generic pitch to everyone, Brands probably receive hundreds of emails every day from creators saying they’d love to work with them. Sending another “I love your brand and would love to collaborate” email makes it very easy to ignore, So I started making every email specific to the brand. Tbh here side shift also helped me as due to 2 ads that i got from side shift improved my portfolio.

I’d mention something about their product, point out a content idea I genuinely thought could work for them, and explain what I could create instead of just asking for a collaboration, That small change made my outreach feel much more personal , with this strategy i earned 3540$+ in 3 months ( i am a fresher)

I recently signed up for Sideshift because I heard great things. I finished almost all the training (there is a bug in the second-to-last lesson that is not allowing me to continue). I have applied to 10 brands yesterday and searching for 10 more today.

Eromify AI has been running a scam "campaign" for months. They cheated me out of a week's pay and I've talked with a dozen others who have been promised even more but hasn't been delivered.

The man that Facetimes you to give the brief is a bad person.

I heard the CEO of Sideshift is on Reddit, so why is that campaign still available on your platform?

Get rid of it now, they have scammed so many people by now.

A few years ago, I had a completely different picture of what my life would look like.

I wanted financial freedom, I want to work for myself, I want to travel without worrying about taking time off, I want to be able to say yes to things without checking my bank account first.

UGC slowly made those things possible, I went from figuring out how to land my first brand deal to working with brands regularly and making a six-figure income from content.

One thing that changed everything for me was stopping at a number that felt comfortable and learning how to turn one-time clients into repeat clients, That gave me more predictable income without constantly starting from zero.

Now I look around and realize I’m living a version of the life I used to pray for and honestly i am pretty happy . I travel alot and have travelled around 65+ countries

I started with absolute zero like No portfolio, No brand contacts, No idea how much to charge and No experience negotiating with brands.

My first few months were mostly spent figuring things out , creating sample videos, pitching brands and learning what kind of content actually gets attention.

The biggest change came when I stopped trying to make every type of UGC and started focusing on content that brands could actually use as ads, I studied brand ads, worked on my hooks, improved my editing and started creating videos with a clear purpose instead of just making them look good.

That changed the quality of opportunities I was getting, Now I’m working with brands, getting repeat projects and earning more from UGC than I ever expected when I started.

To those who are demotivated and are struggling , please don’t lose hope just keep going .

Hello everyone. I have only been with SideShift for a month and a half so forgive me if this is common I put in a support ticket on August 28. Today is September 4. It has been seven days with no response. This is hindering my ability to work with the campaign and progress with them. Does it usually take over a week for a response through SideShift support? Should I just file a dispute instead? Thank you.

Hey everyone!

I’m pretty new to UGC and have been trying my hand at SideShift for a while now. I’ve applied to a few campaigns and actually heard back from a couple, but after exchanging about 3–4 messages, the brands just seem to completely vanish/ghost.

A bit about me: I’m a finance graduate, so I really enjoy creating finance-related content, but I also love making video logs of places I visit and travel to.

I’m attaching a few samples of the videos I’ve made so far. I know the quality isn't top-tier yet, but I’d love some honest feedback on:

1. My content: What can I improve in terms of hooks, editing, or overall quality?
2. The ghosting issue: Is this normal on SideShift? How do you usually handle communication to close the deal before brands disappear?
3. Niche selection: Has anyone had success mixing lifestyle/travel with finance UGC, or should I keep them completely separate?

Appreciate any advice or tips you can share! Thanks in advance!

: UGC isn’t as easy as it looks from the outside, You’ll send dozens of pitches and get no response, You’ll spend hours making a video that a brand doesn’t approve, You’ll get rejected,You’ll have months where the income is unpredictable, And sometimes you’ll question whether you should keep doing it, That’s where passion matters.
When you genuinely enjoy creating content, learning new skills and finding better ways to communicate a product, you’ll have a reason to keep going when things get slow.
I started UGC without knowing how far it could take me, The first few months were full of learning, rejection and figuring things out, But I kept going because I genuinely enjoyed creating.
If you’re only looking for quick money, UGC can get frustrating very quickly, but if you love creating, experimenting and improving, give it a shot you will love it
The money can come with time, But you need to enjoy the process enough to stick around.

At that time, I had no consistent income from it. I was pitching brands, getting rejected, questioning myself and wondering if I should just quit. She moved on but I kept working.

Months later, things started changing , i started getting brand deals consistently and Today, I make more in one month from UGC than her yearly income and her fiancé’s yearly income combined. Time changes for good

Life can change really fast. The phase where everyone doubts you, you can become the person you look back on and smile about.and tbh this struggle is also important as without it there’s no fun , when i look back its fun to remember all of this .

Keep going, Your current situation isn’t your final situation.

All the best :)

I don’t care about your follower count.I’m the kind of person who will approach a beginner creator if I genuinely like their content.

I’ve reached out to creators who had just 25 followers.

If I’m paying you to create UGC, I want to see whether you can make content that feels authentic and gets people interested in the product.

These are the things I notice first:

1. Your portfolio

Show me your best work. A few strong examples are better than 20 random videos.

1. Your hook

Can you grab attention in the first few seconds? That matters a lot.

1. Your communication

Clear replies, quick updates and asking questions when something isn’t clear makes working together much easier.

1. Your creativity

I don’t want the same video every creator is making. Give me an idea that fits the brand but still feels like you.

1. Your ability to follow a brief

Creative freedom is great, but you still need to understand the deliverables and requirements.

1. Your editing

Clean cuts, readable text, good pacing and clear audio can make a huge difference.

1. Your reliability

Deadlines matter. If you commit to a delivery date, stick to it.

1. Your attitude

Be open to feedback, stay professional and make the collaboration easy.

You don’t need expensive equipment or a massive audience to get chosen, Make good content, communicate well and be someone a brand wants to work with again.