How to Land Your First UGC Clients

The first UGC clients almost never come from a cold DM. They come from applying to briefs on a platform and, after a few good deliveries, from referrals. First a decent portfolio, then relevant applications at volume. People who have a portfolio and still close nothing usually aren't applying too little. They're applying wrong.

Below, how UGC work is distributed in Brazil and why one application gets accepted and another gets ignored.

Where UGC work actually shows up

There are two paths, and they don't carry the same weight at the start.

One is applying on a platform. The brand posts a brief (product, format, deadline, what it wants), creators apply, and the brand picks. It's where to start, because the demand is already there, open. You don't have to convince anyone that UGC works or figure out who decides inside the company. You just have to answer well what was asked.

The other is direct prospecting: you going after the brand. It works, but it's harder and slower, and it pays off more once you already have deliveries to show. It's not where I'd start.

If you're stuck, it's almost always because you're treating the hard path as the main one. Flip it. And before either one, have a portfolio ready, because without it neither path moves. If you're still building yours, see how to build a UGC portfolio from scratch.

Applying on Noovid: how to stand out on a brief

On Noovid you don't have to hunt down anyone's email or put together a PDF proposal. Your portfolio already lives in your profile, so no links: you apply and the brand opens your profile right there. What decides it is what you write alongside.

And it's a crowded race. Whoever posts the brief gets dozens of applications and spends a few seconds on each. In those seconds, the brand answers three questions in its head: does your profile have a video that fits this product? Did you read the brief or paste your usual text? Can it trust you to deliver on time? Nail all three and you're in the conversation.

What makes a brand scroll right past you:

• Copy-pasted text, the same for every brief. It shows in the first line.
• A profile with no video close to the product's niche.
• A vague promise ("I'll make an amazing video") without saying what.
• No sign that you read the brief.

Notice price didn't even come up. Early on, what sinks an application isn't the rate, it's a lack of relevance.

Now what works. A good application is short, speaks the brief's language, and shows you've already done this. A template to adapt, for a Noovid application or a direct message (don't copy it word for word, the whole point is not to look copied):

Hi, [brand]! I saw you need a [format] video for [product], and that's exactly the kind of video I record most. I work a lot with [niche, e.g. skincare] and have close examples to show. I can deliver within the [date] deadline. If there's any mandatory point in the brief, just send it over and I'll fit it in.

Short, specific, with a deadline. You don't need to write a letter, you need to look like the right person in three sentences. Before you send, move the video that most resembles the brief's product to the top of your profile: if the brand sells supplements, the first video it sees should be a supplement one, not a phone stand.

Direct prospecting: when you go after the brand

Once you have deliveries, going after brands becomes a good second path. The mistake is blasting messages to a big brand that gets a hundred proposals a day.

Do the opposite. Look for small brands already running ads (a sign they invest in creative) or reposting customer content on their profile (a sign they value UGC). Those two clues say there's budget and appetite.

Then send a message of about four lines with a specific video idea for a specific product. None of that "I provide UGC services." Something like: "I saw you launched [product]. I have an idea for a problem-and-solution video showing [benefit]. Can I send an example of my work?"

Expect a low response rate, that's normal. Prospecting is numbers with relevance: many well-aimed messages, not many identical ones. If you send the same text to 50 brands, the usual result is 50 silences.

The first client is worth more than one job

The first job almost never pays your bills. It unlocks the rest. When you deliver on time and communicate clearly, that turns into repeat orders and referrals, and that's where the math starts to work.

Think of the cycle: you deliver well, the brand comes back with another order without reopening a public brief and, sometimes, refers you to another brand in the same segment. One good client brings others. That's why, at the start, delivering really well for a few beats delivering so-so for many.

For how an order goes from brief to delivery, the step-by-step is in how Noovid works, from order to delivery.

Mistakes that keep you client-less

• Applying to everything with the same text. It's mistake number one. Relevance beats volume.
• Leaving your profile incomplete or with outdated videos. It's what the brand opens first.
• Negotiating price before understanding the scope. First find out how many videos, what usage, what deadline. On how to think about the rate after that, see what sets how much a creator charges.
• Going quiet during the deadline. Silence scares brands. A "recorded it, editing now, delivering Thursday" already fixes it.

If you want the full step-by-step for starting from scratch, it's in how to become a UGC creator in Brazil from scratch.

Frequently asked questions

How many applications until the first job?

It varies a lot, and anyone promising a number is guessing. It depends on your niche, the quality of your portfolio, and how relevant each application is. What's in your control is the quality of the portfolio and the fit between your profile and the brief. A relevant application closes faster than many generic ones.

Should I work for free in exchange for portfolio?

It depends on the kind of "free." Recording test videos with products you already have at home, for your portfolio, makes complete sense: it's not free work, it's an investment in your material. Unpaid client work rarely pays off. Barter (getting the product instead of money) is only worth it when the product has real value to you and the scope is small.

How do I know if a brand is trustworthy?

Look at simple signals: an active profile, a history of orders, clear communication about scope and deadline. Be wary of anyone who wants to use your face in an ad without agreeing to it (and without paying for it) or who wants work before any agreement. Working inside a platform lowers this risk, because what's agreed is on record.

Do I need a media kit?

For UGC, it's not required. The brand wants to see video, not a pretty PDF. A portfolio organized with your best examples by niche works better than a media kit full of follower counts, which matter more for influencer work than for UGC. If you want one, keep it simple: who you are, what formats you record, and at least three strong videos.