PocketPitch
How our rate calculator works
The model and the numbers behind the UGC rate calculator — and why they're set where they are.
We didn't pull these numbers out of thin air. The calculator follows the same way the UGC market actually quotes work in 2026, cross-checked across a range of current creator rate guides, agency rate cards, and licensing references. Here's exactly how it's built, so you can trust the number — or argue with it.
The model: creation fee + usage rights
A UGC quote has two parts:
- A base creation fee — what it costs you to make the content, including limited organic use (posting on a couple of platforms for a few months).
- Usage rights, priced separately — what the brand pays to do more with the content: run it as an ad, keep it forever, use it everywhere, stop you working with competitors. Each right is its own line item, priced as a percentage of your creation fee.
This "base + rights" structure is the consensus across the industry — usage should always be a separate line, never quietly bundled into one flat fee.
Why it's not based on your follower count
This is the big one creators get wrong. Sponsored posts (where you post to your audience) are priced on reach, so followers matter. UGC is different — the brand uses your content on their channels and ads, so you're paid for the content and the rights to it, not your audience size. A 500-follower creator with great production can command the same rate as one with 50,000. So our calculator never asks for your follower count — it asks what you're making and how it'll be used.
What each piece is worth (2026 ranges)
Our defaults sit inside the typical market bands. You can adjust your base to match your experience — the rest scales from there.
| Piece | Typical market range | Our default |
|---|---|---|
| Base — one video, limited organic use | $150–$300 (beginners less, pros far more) | $200 |
| Paid-ad usage | ~20–30% / month | 25%/mo |
| Whitelisting / Spark Ads | 30%+ / month | 30%/mo |
| Full all-platform use | +50–100% | 50%/mo |
| Exclusivity (time-bound) | +20–50% | +50% |
| Exclusivity (perpetual) | +100%+ | +100% |
| Perpetual usage rights | +100–150% | +125% |
| Raw / unedited footage | ~+40% | +40% |
| Rush delivery | +25–50% | +35% |
| Extra revision rounds | +25–50% / round | +25% |
The rules we baked in
- Charge for usage, always separately. A flat fee lets a brand reuse your content for years for free. Price the rights.
- Never give perpetuity or exclusivity away. "Forever" and "you can't work with our competitors" are the most valuable — and most often free-d away — rights.
- Whitelisting is its own charge. Running ads from your handle is a separate, paid right — not part of organic posting.
- Don't price by followers. Price the content and the rights.
Make it real
The calculator gives you the number. PocketPitch turns it into a branded quote you can send, tracks the deal, and invoices when you land it — free to start.
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