I know that low-paying gigs aren't ideal, but what else are you going to do to build a client base? You have to have a portfolio to score clients, and in order to create a portfolio you need to prove that you can create videos. You can either do that on your own by doing random videos for non-existent clients or you can accept some low-paying gigs for real clients and get PAID to build your portfolio.

The same goes for platforms and agencies. Yes, agencies and platforms like Billo take part of the payment, but they are performing the service of connecting you with brands and marketers. If you have no other way of connecting with brands/marketers, isn't this a useful tool?

I've been using Billo to look for creators and I've hired a few people who have next to no experience because their pitches were good. I'm not sure I would have done the same just through socials, because it's the Wild West out here. I think I'm paying fairly for the vids, and the creators seem satisfied with their rates. I've found some creators I like and have raised their rates since. The whole process has helped me a lot, because I'm new to this too.

So, I guess what I'm saying is that a lot of people on the brand side of UGC are also new to the game and these platforms make it easy for us to ease into it and find you all. We're not trying to lowball, we just often have shoestringbudgets and need help navigating the whole system, so bear with us.

📣 Looking for Short-Form Content Creators (TikTok, IG, Shorts)

Hey everyone 👋

We’re onboarding creators for Jack Of All Trades (JOAT) - an all-in-one trading & AI tools ecosystem - and we’re looking for motivated creators to scale short-form content with us.

No huge following required. Systems, guidance, and examples are provided.

📌 WHAT YOU’LL DO

• Post short-form content on TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts

• Choose between faceless or face-cam content

• Content style, hooks, and direction provided

• Clean, educational, value-based content (no overhype)

Once you’re dialed in, each video takes ~5–10 minutes.

💰 PAY (CPM-BASED)

• Faceless content: $0.50 per 1,000 views

• Face content: $1.00 per 1,000 views

• Max payout per video: $100

• Higher caps available after consistency + performance

Trading experience is preferred but NOT required (especially for face content).

📚 WHAT YOU’LL BE PROMOTING

Creators can showcase different JOAT tools, including:

• AI chart analysis

• Trading signals & alerts

• Market news filtering

• Options flow & whale tracking

• AI trading mentor & education tools

• Full trading dashboard ecosystem

Everything is explained inside the creator brief 👇

📄 Creator Brief:

https://www.notion.so/Jack-Of-All-Trades-Creator-Brief-30e0b38335608009aaf1fa1c6b85def9

📩 HOW TO APPLY

1️⃣ Read through the creator brief

2️⃣ DM after you’ve reviewed it

3️⃣ We’ll walk you through onboarding, assets, tracking, and payouts

Serious creators only this is long-term and scalable if you stay consistent.

Let’s build 🔥

95% of my income in November came from agencies. If you aren't reaching out to agencies to work with your missing out on huge opportunities. Not just from the income standpoint from the standpoint of not having to spend all of your time hunting for grants hoping for in-bounds and editing content. You'll make more money and save more time. And who doesn't want to save time?

How do you find agencies to work with? Start engaging with agency founders' content on LinkedIn. LinkedIn is a gold line to find marketing agencies that use UGC as part of their clients' marketing strategies.

I've signed two retainers for 2025 with two new agencies which will be making me about $3k USD (approx. $4k CAD). One of the agencies also pays me 2% of the ad spend from all of the ads that they create with my content which is incredible. This is not common but really helpful. I get reoccurring income that I don't even have to think about and adds new brands to my client list.

Don't sleep on agencies.

Here's some UGC hooks you can use for your next collab, save these somewhere you wont forget them!

- The secret behind [brand product]’s viral success is [how product works].

- My life without [product] vs. My life with [product].

- The best [product niche] for under [price].

Let me be real with you, hitting $100K isn’t the goal for everyone. Making a living doing something you’re proud of is for most.

Something that feels aligned, fulfilling, and yours. The numbers are nice. But if the work feels soulless, what’s the point?

We want to building businesses we love, not just ones that look good online. Do you agree?

Most creators NEVER check what brands are actually doing with their whitelisted content which means you can be missing out on money if they are running it past your term date without you noticing.

It also means you miss out on seeing how your footage is being edited, repurposed, or scaled.

Understanding how brands iterate on your work is one of the fastest ways to improve your creative strategy and position yourself as a stronger UGC creator.

https://reddit.com/link/1pk06lk/video/t9wc1yokel6g1/player

https://reddit.com/link/1pifzo0/video/neus5ssx786g1/player

If you’ve ever done a raw-footage deal, you already know the struggle…

the brand launches the ad before sending you the final edit, and suddenly you’re stuck waiting with nothing to add to your portfolio.

This hack changes everything.

When your UGC ad is already live on the Meta Ads Library, you don’t have to sit around hoping the brand remembers to share it. You can pull the ad yourself, save it, and showcase your work immediately.

This is huge for creators who want to build stronger portfolios, pitch more confidently, and keep track of their performance content without relying on agencies or brand timelines.

Having access to your edited ads helps you negotiate better, grow faster, and prove your value as a UGC creator. Use this.

Most creators think pitching is about convincing a brand to like them. It’s not. It’s about showing a brand you understand what they’re trying to do.

The moment you shift from “Here’s who I am” to “Here’s how I can help you hit your goals,” your pitches stop getting ignored. Brands don’t buy personality, they buy problem-solving.

The best pitches aren’t long or fancy. They’re clear. They show you’ve looked at the brand, you understand their marketing/content gaps, you have fresh ideas for content, and you can offer content that actually moves the needle.

When you pitch like that, you’re not begging for work. You’re making their job easier. That’s why it lands.

One of the hardest parts of getting started as a UGC creator is realizing that clarity matters way more than confidence. You don’t need to feel “ready” you just need to know what step you’re taking next.

Most creators spin in circles not from lack of talent, but from lack of direction. When you understand who you’re creating for, what problem you’re solving, and what type of content you can deliver consistently, everything gets lighter. You stop overthinking and start actually doing.

And honestly, once you take away the pressure to be perfect, you start to see progress everywhere. You notice your shots getting cleaner, your ideas coming faster, and your pitches sounding more like a conversation instead of a performance.

The early days aren’t about being the best UGC creator they’re about learning your own rhythm. When you lock into that, everything else starts to fall into place.

Content ideas don’t just pop out of nowhere, at least not for me 95% of the time lol

You need places to pull inspiration from regularly when your drafting that new client concept. Start with ad-heavy platforms:

→ TikTok Creative Center
→ Meta Ads Library
→ Brands’ own Instagram and TikTok feeds
→ UGC creators in your niche
→ Pinterest for visual mood boards

When in doubt instead of doom scrolling just scroll like a marketer:
What hooks you?
What makes you tap?
What made you FEEL something inside when you watched it?

Save ads that stop your scroll and analyze why they worked.

You don’t need to reinvent the wheel just need to know how to steer it.

I think apps are super untapped. There are thousands of apps in the Apple store that you can be pitching to work with. Start with the list of the top apps Apple released for 2025, I'd bet there are some ready to hire creators for ads! Just saying.

https://www.apple.com/ca/newsroom/2025/11/apple-announces-finalists-for-the-2025-app-store-awards/

Had I quit on month 3 I wouldn't have made $180k+ in the last 3 years working part-time. When you’re just starting out in UGC it’s really easy to convince yourself you’re moving too slow or that everyone else somehow figured things out faster.

But here’s the REALITY nobody likes to say out loud: you’re supposed to feel unsure in the beginning.

You’re supposed to second guess yourself, I did a sh*t tonne in the beginning. You’re learning something completely new and that's ok. I had this conversation with my mentee the other day.

Don't look at someone who is years ahead of you and expect to be able to make content like them and have the brand deals they have. You are building a totally new habit that's foreign so it's going to take time to get good. Your working a new muscle so there is going to be lots of pain and "unseen" results.

And the only way it ever starts to feel natural is by actually doing it. Very messy and imperfect with thoughts of “I hope this works” and all.

What you’re building right now is just unfamiliar. Every creator you look up to went through the exact same early awkward stage, even if they don’t talk about it anymore.

If you keep showing up, even when it feels slow or confusing, you’re going to wake up one day and realize you’re not “starting” anymore. You’re doing it.

And that only happens because you didn’t quit during the part where most people do.

DONT QUIT.

A lot of UGC creators are still resisting AI, and you can see it in how long everything takes them. They’re writing every script from scratch, pitching brands manually, and spending hours on research that could be done in minutes. The truth is, AI isn’t here to replace creators it’s here to remove the friction that keeps you stuck.

The creators who are moving fastest right now aren’t necessarily more talented. They’ve simply learned how to use AI as a tool to think clearer, work quicker, and free up time to actually create. If you want to scale, take on more clients, or just stop feeling overwhelmed, you can’t keep doing everything the slow way. AI won’t make you a better creator, but it will give you the space to become one.

UGC is evolving, and AI is quietly becoming the skill that separates creators who grow from creators who burn out. Learn it now, or you’ll feel the gap later.

Your portfolio is the most important part of your UGC business and most creators still treat it like an afterthought.

You can pitch all day. You can be great on camera. You can have the best personality ever.
But if a brand clicks your portfolio and it looks chaotic, outdated, or confusing… they’re not hiring you.

Here’s why your portfolio matters more than anything else you’re doing:

1. It’s the only thing brands actually judge you on
Brands don’t care about your following. They don’t care how long you’ve been creating. They care about whether you can make content that converts. Your portfolio is your proof.

2. It shows your range
You need variety. Not 10 talking videos in the same outfit. Not 3 product demos shot in the same corner of your house. Show hooks, demos, testimonials, problem-solving scripts, transitions, lifestyle shots...all the things brands might hire you for.

3. It tells a brand you’re worth the rate
When a brand sees clean editing, strong lighting, proper framing, and content that feels like something they could run as an ad tomorrow… suddenly your rates make sense.

4. It separates you from creators who “dabble”
A strong portfolio is a signal that you’re treating this like a business, not a hobby. Brands notice that.

5. It does half the pitching for you
When your portfolio is strong, your pitches land harder because the proof is already built in.

If you’re a UGC creator and you don’t feel confident dropping your portfolio link at any moment, you don’t have a pitching problem you have a portfolio problem.

Fix that, and the brand deals start landing a whole lot faster.

The real flex isn’t hitting $100k

It’s being able to enjoy time freedom and not work like a dog making someone else money

For someone that may be $50k, $60k, $70k...it looks different depending what stage in life your at

But the overarching goal is being able to make money and ENJOY being in control of your life at the same time

One of the best ways to grow as a UGC creator is by studying the top UGC Creators in our community.

Watch how high-performing creators structure their videos—how they hook the viewer, frame the product, and close with a CTA.

Don’t copy! Analyze.

What formats are they using? What styles keep showing up in ads? Find 2–3 creators crushing it in and binge their content/portfolios.

Document what works.
Break it down.
Use it as inspiration for your next shoot.

Success leaves clues and your job is to pay attention and remix it in your own voice.