I just filed my 2024 taxes and a portion of that included my income doing UGC (user-generated content) for food brands, so let’s talk about it. I’ve only worked in the food space, so I’m not sure if this will translate to other UGC work. I hope this will still be valuable regardless, but reader beware!
I promised myself that 2025 was going to be the year I start advocating for myself when it came to my UGC work. I think my difficulty in doing so stems from the fact that, well, frankly, there are no fucking resources out there for content creators. I’ve gathered bits and bobs of others’ practices by word of mouth, but I have not found a single resource online or in print, for how to create fair rates for content creators. Like many other creators I know, I tried to figure it out with each collaboration I landed. To this day, I still don’t know if I’m underselling myself. I think many creators are probably in the same boat, but if creators take low pay (guilty as charged, but working on it!) it sets a precedent for low pay for other creators. Everyone’s time is valuable, quality content deserves fair compensation, and let’s be real, with the rising costs of living + inflation + tariffs….it’s hard out here.
I really admired Carla Lalli Music for her transparency surrounding the costs of YouTube content creation, so here I am sharing my finances on the internet in the hopes that it helps other creators feel more comfortable navigating the wild west of UGC rates, or at the very least feel more empowered to talk about it.
As a side note, content creation isn’t my full-time gig (maybe one day!). Now let’s get into the good stuff. I started to take UGC work more seriously around April of 2024. From April-December last year I grossed $6,675 from working with 10 brands, some I worked with on multiple projects throughout the year. Here’s my current rate breakdown:
reel/tiktok: $500
carousel (mix of photos & short vids): $300
static post: $200
recipe development: +$150
usage: +$200
I stack my rates, so for example if a brand wanted a reel and recipe development the final rate would be $650. I’m sure some may think these are too low and others may feel these are too high. Would love for others to share what their rates look like in the comments!! Pay transparency starts with us talking about it. I’ll send these in a rate sheet when a brand asks, but 99.9999% of the time there’s a negotiation that follows. Always shoot your shot and ask for more! You may be surprised when a brand comes back and says yes. I always keep in mind that each brand is different and has different budgets. And once you accept a lower rate for a project with a brand it becomes hard not to pigeonhole yourself with that rate after you’ve accepted it before. All this to say, I have been…flexible…with my rates to work with dream brands and to get experience. A helpful concept from friend and fellow creator, Kristiana Noel, is that if you want to work with a brand but they can only afford a smaller budget, the project scope should be smaller as well. That shift in perspective has been really useful for me to advocate for my worth if I really want to work with a brand but they can’t meet my full rate.
“But it’s just a food video! How much time could that take to justify your rates?!” Well thank you, I’m so glad you asked. In most cases, it usually takes me 2-3 hours to film something from start to finish for a project. Then the grueling work of editing begins. I feel indifferent about the task of editing itself, but it’s such a time suck. I typically spend 1 hour editing, add an extra 30 minutes if there’s a voiceover, too. Not to mention the time spent over several emails going back and forth with the brand to nail down concepts, rates, timelines, etc. And don’t forget about the time it takes to grocery shop for ingredients! (That’s another Q I have: are people including ingredient costs in their rates or do they include it as a separate charge in their invoice?) If there’s recipe development involved, I like to test at least 2 times to ensure the consumer has a reliable recipe. So let’s say, an extra 4 hours for r&d and an extra 30 minutes or so to write the recipe. So that puts the time estimate for a single video with recipe development at about 8ish hours of my time, if I’m being modest. I’m only a one woman production so my time is my most valuable resource. Although what the viewer ends up seeing is only a 30-45 second video, the time, energy, and thought a creator puts into that final product is much, much more.
At the end of the day, I love food content creation. The 8-year-old Jess who used to record a cooking show on her parent’s camcorder would be so proud of what I’ve built today. I never thought I’d be lucky enough to catch the attention of some of my favorite brands, let alone be given the privilege to create for them. However, I need to remind myself that it shouldn’t come at the cost of undervaluing myself, my time, and my creativity.
Thank you to every single brand I’ve collaborated with for letting me be a part of your journey. And a huge shoutout to the food creators who are killing it out there! I could list a ton, but to name a few: @bakeswithrach_, @cucina.mingrina, @terrencebakes, @audreys.table, @kristiananoel, @pete.candia, @aprettykitchen, @eatswithyasmine, @foodbaby.bklyn_, @butteryslicey, @gabbyphi
Would love for people to sound off with some of their favorite creators, food and beyond, in the comments. I’d also love for this to be a resource for fellow creators, so please share your thoughts, experiences, etc!!
chat soon, jess
