Brands Want Messy UGC Now, Not Cinematic | UGC Live – Nov 9

Business summary

Nate Flake’s central message is that UGC is a service business: creators make content for brands, deliver it to the client, and typically charge a fixed fee. Brands may use the videos organically or as ads. Unlike influencers or TikTok Shop affiliates, UGC creators do not need to publish the work to their own audience.

The market is shifting toward less polished, more natural-looking UGC. Flake says brands increasingly ask for videos that feel spontaneous and lived-in—sometimes even with a messy background—rather than heavily edited, cinematic ads. Cinematic work can still be useful, but he recommends balancing styles and prioritizing clear, relatable on-camera content.

Frameworks and playbooks

Three routes to brand deals

1. Platforms and marketplaces: Fiverr, Billo, JoinBrands, Upwork, Insense, Influ, Backstage, and UG.
2. Direct pitching: Contact brands by email, LinkedIn, or social media DMs.
3. Personal-brand inbound: Publish a mix of UGC examples and personality-led content so brands can discover and contact you.

Flake recommends combining all three when income is urgent. Creators with a full-time job may prefer lower-maintenance channels, such as Fiverr, while building the others.

Beginner launch playbook

• Study examples and decide whether the work suits you. Then make and publish a first sample rather than staying in research mode.
• Build a portfolio with five or six examples across different products and formats. Samples can be mock ads using products you already own.
• Vary products, locations, and clothing so the portfolio does not look like everything was filmed in one session.
• Avoid choosing a narrow niche too early; Flake suggests waiting until roughly 30 videos before specializing.
• A portfolio is not essential to start on a platform, but Flake considers it important for building a more serious, diversified business.

Pitching and conversion

• Make pitches specific and personal rather than relying on generic claims such as “authentic, scroll-stopping content.”
• Include relevant examples, and consider sending a short video introduction so a brand can see how you present on camera.
• For a creator who had sent more than 500 pitches without replies, Flake suggested reviewing the portfolio and content style, testing Instagram outreach and video pitches, and using paid platform projects to build stronger samples.
• If a platform or brand has not responded, follow up after about four or five days.
• If Fiverr impressions are flat after a month, try replacing the gig video and improving the thumbnail.

UGC production approach

• Use a phone as the primary camera; Flake says most of his UGC is filmed on his phone.
• Use a mix of direct-to-camera delivery and B-roll. His example was a video with roughly 10 seconds on camera, followed by voice-over over B-roll.
• Keep editing and B-roll proportionate to the brief. Some brands want fast, simple videos around 20–30 seconds, with a natural, less-ad-like feel.
• Do not promise virality or specific results. Explain that you can deliver to the brief, but views and performance depend on factors such as how the brand positions and distributes the ad.

Pricing, earnings, and other metrics

Beginner pricing guidance

• On Fiverr, Flake suggested roughly $75, $100, or $125, noting that the marketplace is especially competitive for new sellers.
• Outside Fiverr—such as direct brand work or personal-brand leads—he described $100–$200 per video as a reasonable beginner range if the creator has solid examples.
• He advised against automatically accepting low offers; whether to take them is a business decision.

Fiverr growth example

Flake said his own rates grew from about $60–$80 for 15-, 30-, or 60-second videos to $350, $450, and $550 for those lengths, respectively. He reported earning nearly $200,000 on Fiverr over about three years.

His operational advice was to maintain at least four Fiverr gigs; relying on only one or two can limit the opportunity to grow.

Income expectations and cases

• Flake said $400–$600 per month within a few months could be attainable for a beginner working only on Fiverr, but stressed that results vary with skill, quality, responsiveness, activity, and demand.
• He cautioned that reaching $2,000–$5,000 monthly from Fiverr alone is difficult without multiple strong gigs and other sources of opportunity.
• A caller, CJ, said he had reached about $500 per month part-time using Fiverr alone after a year.
• Another caller reported a $2,500 contract over six months.
• Flake said he earned under $100 for 30 videos through Tribe, compared with his estimate that those videos would have been worth at least $500 each at his usual rates. He views the platform as potentially useful for practice, testing hooks, or receiving products, but not as a replacement for fixed-rate work in his own business.

Operations, tools, and management

• Platform setup: Fiverr’s gig setup may require a desktop or laptop; Flake said tablet or mobile mode can prevent sellers from completing customization. Once the gig is set up, the app can handle routine activity.
• Editing: CapCut’s free version can cover basic editing. Flake suggested doing most editing in CapCut, then using a free option for automatic subtitles if needed.
• File management: He stores work in Google Drive for about a year, then clears older files. He also cleans up phone storage when it fills, roughly every couple of months.
• Platform diversification: Start on around five platforms—enough to create opportunities without overwhelming someone who also has a job. Each platform is a separate reputation-building exercise; experience and reviews do not automatically transfer.
• Personal brand: Do not post only portfolio examples. Add behind-the-scenes explanations, personality, and other relevant interests. Flake said he began receiving inbound leads with fewer than 200 followers, emphasizing that the quality and discoverability of the work matter more than audience size for UGC.
• Age and visibility: Flake said he knew of no reliable evidence that creators over 40 were inherently less in demand. He also recommends including “UGC” or similar language somewhere on a creator profile so brands can find them.
• Faceless work: It is possible, but Flake expects more competition because AI tools can generate faceless-style content cheaply. Showing a face can help distinguish a creator and may support higher-value work.
• Cross-selling: UGC and TikTok Shop can be pursued together, but they are different models: UGC is usually a fixed-fee content service, while TikTok Shop involves publishing and affiliate-style sales activity.

Concrete recommendations

• Ship an initial portfolio rather than waiting for perfect equipment, a course, or certainty.
• Use products already available at home to create varied sample videos; do not assume you need to ask brands for free products before pitching paid work.
• Test multiple acquisition channels and revise pitches, portfolio samples, and gig creative when results stall.
• Treat platform work as one channel, not a guaranteed income stream; keep direct outreach and inbound marketing in the mix.
• Keep client expectations realistic: sell the content and the execution, not guaranteed virality or ad performance.
• Evaluate bulk-volume offers carefully. A large number of videos at a low flat fee may be useful for practice or volume testing, but may not fit a creator’s economics.

Presenter and sources

Presenter: Nate Flake (Nate Flake Creates), UGC creator and coach.

Live-Q&A examples: Audience callers and students, including Jason, CJ, Doretta, Ola, and Talon.

Platforms and tools discussed: Fiverr, Billo, JoinBrands, Upwork, Insense, Influ, Backstage, UG, Tribe, Bento, TikTok Shop, CapCut, Canva, and Google Drive.