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UGC glossary

What is a per-video rate in UGC? How it works

Per-video rate: A per-video rate is a flat fee a brand pays a creator for each delivered and accepted UGC video, regardless of how many views it later gets.

A per-video rate is a flat fee for each video you deliver and the brand accepts. You get paid the same whether the video gets 500 views or 5 million. It is the simplest UGC pay model and the one most one-off briefs use.

How it works

  1. The brand sends a brief: product, angle, length, number of videos.
  2. You quote a rate per video, plus any extras.
  3. You film, edit and deliver.
  4. The brand approves or asks for revisions, then pays.

Common extras priced on top of the base rate:

  • Usage rights for paid ads or longer terms.
  • Hook variations: the same video with different hooks for testing.
  • Raw footage: unedited clips for the brand’s own editors.
  • Rush delivery or extra revision rounds.

Some deals pay per video for posts on a brand account too. One published Canvas UGC example cites $30 per video at one video a day (viral.app).

Example

A brand wants three videos for their app. You quote $120 per video, plus $30 for each extra hook variation, plus a paid-usage fee for 3 months. They take three videos with two extra hooks each. The base is $360, the hooks $180, then usage on top. These figures are an example, not a market rate.

Per-video vs CPM vs retainer

  • Per-video: fixed pay per output. Predictable, no upside from views.
  • CPM: pay tracks views. Upside if a video takes off.
  • Retainer: fixed monthly pay for ongoing volume.

Why it matters for UGC creators

Per-video pay ties your income to how many videos you can produce. If one video takes you two hours, your hourly rate is the fee divided by two. Cut the editing time and the same rate pays more per hour.

Write your rate down with what it includes: length, revisions, usage and hooks. That keeps scope creep out of the deal.

Related terms

  • UGC CPM: UGC CPM is a pay model where a brand pays a creator a fixed amount for every 1,000 views their videos get, so earnings rise with total views.
  • UGC retainer: A UGC retainer is an ongoing deal where a brand pays a creator a fixed monthly fee for an agreed volume of videos or posts, often with view-based bonuses.
  • Usage rights: Usage rights are the permissions a creator grants a brand to use their videos, defining where the content can appear, whether it can run as paid ads, and for how long.