How to get UGC brand deals (even with no followers)

Why brands buy UGC (and what that means for your pitch)

Brands need a lot of ad creative, and ads that look like a real person talking outperform polished brand spots. TikTok’s own analysis found creator content earned a 70% higher click-through rate and 159% higher engagement than non-creator ads at the same cost per thousand impressions (TikTok for Business, 2025).

So what a brand is really buying is ads that perform. Your pitch should speak to that: a hook that stops the scroll, a clear product moment, and a video they can test in ads next week. Not “I love your brand”.

It also means many buyers are small. More than 40% of UGC buyers on Collabstr spend under $5,000 in total (Storyboard18 (Collabstr 2026 report), 2026). Small DTC brands and apps are often easier first clients than household names.

Before you pitch: get these ready

1. Pick a niche. Skincare, supplements, apps, pets, home, fitness. A niche makes your samples relevant and your pitch believable.
2. Make 3 to 5 spec videos for products you own. Different formats: a problem/solution, an unboxing, a testimonial, a demo. See UGC video ideas for brands.
3. Build a one-page portfolio with those videos playing, your niche, and how to reach you. Full walkthrough: UGC portfolio guide.
4. Know your rates before anyone asks. Use the UGC rate calculator and read how creators price.
5. Have a simple agreement covering deliverables, usage and payment. See usage rights and whitelisting.

Where to find brand deals

To join TikTok One, TikTok says you must be 18 or older, in a region where it has launched, and within its Community Guidelines and Branded Content Policy; projects need 1,000+ followers plus requirements that vary by project (TikTok Ads Help Center, 2026). You can find it in the app under TikTok Studio > Creator Marketplace.

Marketplaces are good for reps, but rates there are competitive. Direct outreach takes more effort and usually pays better, because you aren’t in a list of 200 applicants.

A pitch email template

Find the right person: growth, performance marketing, social or brand manager. At small brands, the founder. Then keep it short. Here’s a template we wrote:

Why it works: the subject line promises something concrete, the first line proves you know the product, the sample shows instead of tells, and the ask is tiny. Generate hook ideas fast with the hook generator or browse the hook library.

Follow-up cadence

Most replies come from follow-ups. A simple schedule:

1. Day 0: pitch with a sample.
2. Day 3 to 5 (business days): a one-line bump. “Did the sample land? Happy to adjust the angle.”
3. About a week later: add value. A new hook, a quick idea based on an ad they just launched.
4. Then stop. Move them to a “try again in three months” list.

Track every pitch in a sheet: brand, contact, date sent, follow-ups, reply, outcome. After 30 pitches you’ll see which niches and subject lines get answers.

Closing the first deal and turning it into more

• Reply fast when a brand bites, with your packages and a clear next step.
• Confirm scope in writing: deliverables, hooks, usage term, revisions, deadline, payment.
• Over-deliver once, on purpose: one bonus hook, not a bonus video.
• Disclose when it’s on your account. If the brand runs the video from your handle or you post it, the FTC says to disclose the relationship in the video itself (Federal Trade Commission, 2019).
• Ask for results after a few weeks. A brand telling you “hook 2 won” is the best line in your next pitch.
• Offer a retainer once a brand re-orders: a set number of videos a month at a package rate.