UGC Contract Template (Free) + What Every Clause Means

A UGC contract is a short written agreement between you and a brand. It says what you’ll deliver, by when, how you get paid, what the brand can do with your videos, and how either side can end the deal. Below is a free, plain-English UGC contract template you can copy, followed by what every clause means and where to push back.

Why put it in writing

Deals often start in DMs, and a DM thread is a poor record of what was agreed. Some places also give you a legal right to a written contract. New York requires one for freelancers paid $800 or more, along with timely payment (New York Governor’s office). Illinois requires one for work of $500 or more over 120 days, with payment due within 30 days if the contract sets no date, and the state publishes a sample contract (Illinois Department of Labor).

The UGC contract template

Copy everything in this section. Replace each [bracket] and delete the options that don’t apply.

UGC Creator Agreement

1. Parties. This agreement is between [creator name], an independent contractor (“Creator”), and [brand’s legal company name] (“Brand”). Effective date: [date].
2. Deliverables. Creator will make [number] videos of about [length] seconds for [app or product], in this format: [for example, reaction shot + app demo + on-screen hook].
   • Option A, delivered files: Creator sends the finished files to Brand.
   • Option B, Canvas: Creator posts [number] videos per [day or week] to the accounts in section 8, on [platforms].
3. Timeline. The term runs from [start date] to [end date]. First drafts are due [date]. Brand approves or requests changes within [2] business days, or the video counts as approved.
4. Revisions. The fee includes [1] round of revisions per video. A revision fixes the video against the agreed brief. A new concept, script or set of hooks is a new video.
5. Payment. Brand pays Creator using [one or more]:
   • Per video: $[amount] per accepted or posted video.
   • CPM: $[amount] per 1,000 views, counted [30] days after each post, using [platform analytics screenshots or Brand’s dashboard], capped at $[amount] per video, or uncapped.
   • Retainer: $[amount] per month for the posting volume in section 2, plus a bonus of $[amount] for any video that passes [number] views.
   • Creator invoices [monthly or on delivery]. Brand pays within [15] days of the invoice. Late fee: [amount, or none].
6. Usage rights. Creator keeps the copyright. Brand gets a license to use the videos [organically on Brand’s own accounts] on [platforms] for [the term, or a number of months], starting [on delivery or first post]. Paid ads of any kind (including Spark Ads, partnership ads, whitelisting and dark posts) are not included and need a separate written fee of $[amount] per [platform and time period]. Brand [may or may not] edit, cut or re-caption the videos.
7. Exclusivity. During the term [and for 30 days after], Creator won’t make videos for [named competitors or a narrow category]. Exclusivity fee: $[amount], or none if this clause is deleted.
8. Account ownership (Canvas deals). Accounts covered: [handles and platforms], created by [Brand or Creator]. When this agreement ends, one of these applies:
   • Option A: Brand keeps the account and Creator’s access ends.
   • Option B: The account is handed over to Creator.
   • Option C: Brand keeps the account and pays Creator a buyout of $[amount].
   • Brand [may or may not] keep posting or reposting videos showing Creator after the end date [for a set period or for a fee].
9. Disclosure. Every video discloses the paid relationship [in the video and in the caption], using [#ad, the platform’s paid partnership label, or both]. [Brand or Creator] turns on the platform’s disclosure setting. Creator only describes experiences Creator has actually had. Brand gives accurate product information and approves any claims about results.
10. Termination. Either party may end this agreement with [14] days’ written notice. Brand pays for all work delivered or posted up to the end date, plus [a kill fee of $[amount] for work in progress, or nothing extra]. Either party may end it right away if the other breaks a major term and doesn’t fix it within [7] days of written notice.
11. Confidentiality. Both parties keep non-public information (unreleased features, metrics, rates) confidential until [one year] after the end. Creator may show the published videos in a portfolio, without Brand’s private metrics.
12. Independent contractor. Creator is not Brand’s employee and handles their own taxes and equipment.
13. Signatures. Creator: [name, signature, date]. Brand: [name, title, signature, date].

What every clause means

Parties, deliverables and timeline

Use the brand’s legal company name, not the app’s name. That’s who pays you and who you’d chase if they don’t. Make deliverables exact: how many videos, how long, what format, which platforms. “Some videos for TikTok” is how scope creep starts. The approval window in section 3 stops a brand from sitting on drafts while your posting days run out.

Revisions

Without a limit, “one more tweak” never ends. Define a revision as fixing the video against the brief you both agreed. A new angle or a fresh set of hooks is new work, so price extra hooks separately. See per-video rate.

Payment

Pick the model, or mix them:

The per-video and CPM ranges are Canvas UGC rates reported by Mackenzie Marsh (The Creator Current, April 2026). Your deals may differ.

For CPM, spell out three things: which views count, when they’re counted, and whether there’s a cap. For a retainer, tie the fee to the posting volume in section 2. On a brand-new account, ask for a base fee so you’re not carrying all the risk while the account warms up.

Usage rights

This is the clause that decides what your video is worth. Posting organically on the brand’s own account is one use. Running your video as a paid ad is a different, bigger one.

If a brand wants to run your videos as paid ads, ask for a serious amount on top of your fee. A brand can spend thousands or tens of thousands of dollars on that placement, and your video is what makes the ad work. Price it per platform and per time period, not as a small add-on. Ads include whitelisting through your handle and dark posts that never appear on a public feed. On TikTok, the Spark Ads authorization code you send a brand has a duration you choose (TikTok Ads Help), so match it to the contract.

Watch for the words “work made for hire.” Under US copyright law, a video commissioned from a freelancer can be a work made for hire only if both sides agree to that in a signed written agreement (17 U.S.C. § 101). If they do, the brand is treated as the author and, unless the contract says otherwise, owns all the rights in the video (17 U.S.C. § 201). The template keeps copyright with you and licenses the use instead. Know which one you’re signing. More in usage rights.

Exclusivity

Exclusivity stops you working for competitors. It costs you deals, so keep it narrow (named competitors, or a tight category), keep it to the term, and charge for it.

Account ownership in Canvas deals

In Canvas UGC, you post on an account, often from zero followers. By default the brand usually keeps it. That’s negotiable: it’s your face building the account. You can ask for ownership, a handover when the deal ends, or a buyout fee if the brand keeps it.

Platform terms matter here. TikTok’s US terms say “Do not give others access to your account, or transfer your account to anyone else, without our permission” (TikTok Terms of Service). Ask your lawyer how a handover or buyout fits with that.

Disclosure

Paid posts need a clear disclosure, and both sides can be on the hook. The FTC’s Endorsement Guides say advertisers can be liable for failing to disclose material connections, and endorsers can be liable for statements they make (16 CFR 255.1). The FTC wants the disclosure in the video itself, not only in the description, and says not to assume a platform’s disclosure tool is enough on its own (FTC, Disclosures 101). TikTok requires its commercial content disclosure setting for posts that promote a brand, and undisclosed commercial posts aren’t eligible for the For You feed (TikTok Ads Help).

Canvas videos are built to look organic, which makes this matter more. BBB National Programs’ Institute for Responsible Influence argues the FTC guides apply to Canvas UGC and that brands can be liable too (BBB National Programs, July 2026). That’s why section 9 names who turns the label on.

Termination and confidentiality

Notice periods protect your income: two weeks’ notice means two weeks of planned pay. Make sure you’re paid for everything delivered or posted, and add a kill fee if you’ve started work that gets cancelled. When the deal ends, your access to brand accounts should end too, in writing.

Keep confidentiality mutual and time-limited, and keep the portfolio carve-out in section 11. Without it, an NDA can stop you from showing your best work to the next client.

Organic posting and paid ads are two different jobs. Price them that way.

Before you sign

Read the brand’s version against this template, clause by clause. Anything missing, ask about. Anything vague, ask them to make specific. Then have a lawyer review it.

Once the deal is signed, the volume clause is the one that eats your time: 30 posts a month per account adds up fast. UGCPoster handles that daily part. You upload your reaction clips and app demos once, and it pairs them, writes a fresh hook, renders each video and posts it on a schedule, as drafts you approve or straight to the feed. It doesn’t find deals or negotiate contracts. That part is still yours.

This is general information, not legal advice.