What is a UGC portfolio? What to put in it

UGC portfolio: A UGC portfolio is a collection of a creator's sample videos, results and contact details, shared as one link so brands can judge their style and fit before hiring.

A UGC portfolio is the set of sample videos you show brands before they hire you, shared as one link. It proves you can make the kind of video they need. Brands decide fast, so the strongest portfolios are short, grouped by type, and open with your best work.

What to include

Your best videos, not all of them. A handful of strong samples beats twenty average ones.
Grouped by type. App demos, reactions, talking-head, product shots. A brand looking for tech UGC should find it in one tap.
Results, where you can share them. Views, engagement rate or account growth, with the timeframe and how you measured it.
Account work. If you’ve run a brand account, show its growth with screenshots, if the client allows it.
Who you are. One line on your niche, your setup and the platforms you post on.
How to hire you. Email, plus your rate card or a “rates on request” line.

Example

You’re starting with no clients. You pick three apps you actually use: a budgeting app, a habit tracker and a photo editor. You make two spec videos for each, meaning samples you make unpaid to show what you can do: one reaction plus demo, one faceless screen recording. Six videos, one page, each labeled as a sample, not sponsored. That’s enough to start pitching.

Where to host it

Any page that loads fast on a phone works: a simple website, a Notion or Canva page, or a shared folder. Check that videos play without a login, and that the link still works months later.

Why it matters for UGC creators

Brands hire on samples. You don’t need followers to be a UGC creator, but you do need proof you can hold attention. For Canvas UGC work, show that you can post consistently and test hooks, not only that you can make one polished video.

Ask clients before you show their videos. Some contracts don’t allow it, and some brands don’t want their ads seen out of context.

For the steps to land a first deal, see how to become a Canvas UGC creator. You’ll also use it when you apply to briefs on a UGC platform.

Related terms

UGC creator: A UGC creator is someone paid by brands to make short, natural-looking videos about a product, which the brand posts, runs as ads, or has the creator post on a brand account.
Rate card: A rate card is a one-page price list a UGC creator sends to brands, showing base rates per video or package plus add-ons like usage rights, extra hooks and exclusivity.
Tech UGC: Tech UGC is user-generated-style short video that promotes apps, SaaS or other software, usually built from a reaction shot, a screen-recorded demo and an on-screen hook.
Engagement rate: Engagement rate is the percentage of viewers (or followers) who interact with a post through likes, comments, shares or saves. It shows how strongly a video landed.