Brand and creator guide
UGC usage rights: what brands should put in the brief
The number of videos is only one part of a UGC quote. Brands and creators also need to agree on where the content runs, for how long and whose account will publish it.
01 / The use
Separate content creation from media licensing.
The creation fee covers the agreed production: concepting, performance, filming, editing and delivery. Usage defines how the brand may use the creator's image and the finished content.
Organic brand social means posts on the brand's own unpaid channels. Paid usage means the asset is used as advertising. Website, email, retailer pages, Amazon, in-store screens and other placements should be named separately when relevant.
02 / Term and platforms
Put a start, end and channel list on the license.
State the paid-media term—such as 30 days, three months or six months—and the platforms where the ads will run. If the campaign performs well, the license can be renewed instead of assuming permanent use.
Clarify whether the brand may crop, subtitle, resize, combine or make alternate edits. Basic platform formatting is different from creating an unlimited library of new ads from the creator's original performance.
03 / Creator handles
Whitelisting is not the same as brand-account advertising.
Whitelisting, Spark Ads and partnership ads can run from or reference the creator's identity and account. This requires separate permission, a defined term and clear account-access instructions. A creator should never share a personal password with a brand.
If posting on the creator's own audience is required, that is an influencer deliverable—not automatically included with UGC production. Name the post format, date, duration and approval process.
04 / Scope additions
Raw footage, exclusivity and revisions affect the quote.
Raw clips allow a brand to make additional edits, so the expected files and editing rights should be agreed before filming. The brief should also distinguish small corrections from a reshoot caused by a changed concept or missed brand information.
Category exclusivity limits the creator's ability to work with other brands. Name the exact category, competitors, territory and period instead of using a broad restriction such as “beauty” or “wellness.”
05 / Copy this
UGC brief and licensing checklist
- Product, audience and campaign objective
- Number, length and format of deliverables
- Concepts, hooks, scripts and required claims
- Editing, captions, b-roll and raw footage
- Organic channels and paid-media platforms
- Usage term, territory and renewal option
- Whitelisting, posting and handle permissions
- Exclusivity, revisions, deadline and budget