Marina Taylor, Senior Email Marketing Specialist at Hustler Marketing
Klaviyo Elite Partner | 9 Years Retention Marketing Experience | 450+ Brands Scaled
Quick Summary of This Guide:
Finding UGC Creators isn’t the hard part of the process.
Most brands struggle to consistently find the right ones who can work at the volume their projects require.
The channel you use to source UGC Creators affects not just cost and speed, but the authenticity and performance of the content that they eventually deliver.
There are 4 main sourcing channels, and each serves a different purpose:
- Creator Platforms – Fastest route with built-in infrastructure for a good starting place
- Social Media Discovery – High-effort content is great for finding top creators
- Existing Customers – Most underused channel, but delivers the highest authenticity
- Open Applications – Works best once you have an audience to promote it to
The right channel depends on where your brand is right now. This guide breaks down each one.
Introduction: What We’ll Cover On This Page
Most brands approach UGC Creator sourcing the same way they’d approach hiring: Post the job somewhere, review applicants, and pick the best one.
That works once. It doesn’t build a program that scales with your brand or your paid ad growth.
Your UGC Creator Program needs a sourcing strategy that matches your stage. How fast you need content, how much budget you’re working with, and how much time your team can realistically put into finding and managing creators. Get the channel wrong, and you’ll either overpay for content that underperforms or spend weeks sourcing creators who never deliver.
This page covers how to find UGC Creators across all the main channels, and where to begin.
🔗 For guidance on picking creators once you’ve found them, see
Channel #1: Creator Platforms
| Platform | Best For? | b>Key Features |
| Billo | A good all-rounder for Meta and TikTok ads |
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| Insense | Brands running UGC content alongside partnerships with their own creators |
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| JoinBrands | Brands trying UGC for the first time, or stores that have tighter ad budgets |
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| Cohley | Brands that are past the testing phase |
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- Under $5,000 to Spend – Try JoinBrands or Billo to get the best value for money.
- Need 20+ Ads Monthly – Insense or Cohley can give you deeper campaign management.
Channel #2: Social Media Discovery
Search your product hashtags, brand mentions, and competitor tags on TikTok and Instagram.
You’re looking for people who are already posting naturally in your category. Not influencers, just real people whose content feels like it belongs on that platform.
This is where you often find the best creators.
Someone who already posts in your product space, gets genuine engagement, and sounds like your target customer is more valuable than almost anyone you’ll find in an online marketplace.
Here are a few things to keep in mind when reaching out:
- Keep your DMs short and specific.
- Lead with the content creation opportunity, not a brand pitch.
- Mention something specific about their content. It shows that you actually watched it.
- State the rate that you’re willing to pay upfront.
- Set clear expectations and respond to them timeously.
Best Channel For:
Any brands that want to work with highly authentic creators who already understand your audience.
Trade-Offs of This Channel:
Manual platform outreach can be quite time-intensive due to the extensive effort and follow-up required. Response rates are also inconsistent, which can delay your brand’s UGC projects.
Channel #3: Existing Customers
Your existing customers are the most underused sourcing channel in ecommerce.
These are people who already love your products, use them regularly, and have a genuine opinion about them. That comes through on camera in a way that’s hard to manufacture.
Here are 2 ways to tap into this kind of UGC Creator:
- Post-Purchase emails – Send a short email after their order has been delivered. You can offer a reward or payment in exchange for a short video about their experience.
- Organic mentions – Search your brand tags on TikTok and Instagram to find customers who have already posted about you unprompted, and get in touch with them.
Start by offering them between $75 and $150 per video, plus the product they’ll need to create the content. Adjust your rates based on quality, but remember that customers who feel fairly compensated tend to stay engaged longer than one-off platform creators.
Best Channel For:
Any brands that want real, authentic content with people who already use your products.
Trade-Offs of This Channel:
The supply is really unpredictable. You can’t build an entire UGC Creator Program from existing customers alone, but they’re definitely worth including as part of the mix.
Channel #4: Open Applications
Include a simple application form on your website and linked in your social media bios.
Ask people to submit a short video sample, their preferred niches, which platforms they’re active on, and their rate per video. UGC Creators who fill it out are self-selecting – they want to work with your brand, and that shows up in the information and samples they submit.
This channel works best once you have an established audience or an active social presence to drive applications. Without that, the form sits empty.
If you’re still in the early stages of setting up your UGC Creator Program, focus on platforms and social discovery first and come back to open applications once the program has some traction.
Best Channel For:
Any brands with an active following that want to build a consistent pipeline of UGC Creators.
Trade-Offs of This Channel:
Without enough traction, this channel’s reach can get limited fast. You need an existing audience to promote it to, or you won’t receive enough applications to make headway.
Where to Start With Your UGC Creator Program
If you’re building your system from scratch, start with Creator Platforms. They’re the fastest way to get content in the market and start learning what converts. JoinBrands or Billo is a great choice for most stores, but choose Insense if you have a higher budget.
Once you have 3-5 UGC Creators and a clearer picture of what’s working, layer in Social Media Discovery as your next channel. That’s where you’ll find the creators who actually move the needle.
Existing Customers and Open Applications come after that. They’re not the starting point. These tools help you add depth and track your program’s performance once it already has momentum.
But there’s one important thing to avoid … That’s the urge to filter marketplaces by follower count and treat it as the deciding factor when choosing your UGC Creators. It’s the wrong tool for the job, and you’ll pay influencer rates for content that won’t perform as well as UGC.
🔗 For guidance on what to look for in potential creators, see
Conclusion and the Next Steps
If sourcing the right creators is taking longer than it should or the content you’re getting isn’t performing, a strategy session can help identify where the process is breaking down.
Talk to our team of experts about your UGC Creator Program.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the fastest way to find UGC Creators?
By using Creator Platforms like Billo and JoinBrands.
Most creators on these marketplaces deliver content within 5 to 10 business days. Plus, these platforms handle the creator matching, contracts, and payments so you can focus on preparing your briefs.
Can I find UGC Creators for free?
Yes, through the Social Media Discovery channel. Searching hashtags and brand mentions costs nothing, but it costs time. This type of outreach is manual, response rates vary, and the vetting is entirely on you.
What’s the difference between a UGC Creator Platform and an Influencer Marketplace?
An Influencer Marketplace sells access to an audience. UGC Creator Platforms sell content you own and run in your own paid ads. Different products, different purposes. Don’t end up overpaying for the wrong thing!
How do I approach a UGC Creator on Instagram or TikTok?
Keep it short. Reference a specific piece of their content, explain what you’re looking for, and include the rate upfront. One follow-up after a week is fine if you don’t hear back. After that, move on with your search.
How do I find UGC Creators in a specific niche?
Social Media Discovery is the most effective route. Search for category-specific hashtags on TikTok and Instagram to find creators already posting naturally in that space. Existing Customers are also worth considering because they’re already in the niche by definition.
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