UGC contract checklist: what to agree before you film

Most problems in UGC work do not come from bad brands. They come from vague agreements. A brand thinks it bought three videos with unlimited edits and use forever; you think you sold three videos with one round of changes for three months of organic posting. Neither of you is lying. You just never wrote it down.

This checklist covers what to agree, in writing, before you pick up the camera. Some brands send their own contract. Many smaller ones send nothing at all and expect you to start from an email thread. Either way, the points below are what you need settled.

1. Who you are dealing with

Write down the legal name of the business paying you, not just the brand name on the packaging. If an agency is commissioning you on behalf of a brand, note both, and be clear which one pays the invoice. It matters when an invoice goes unpaid and you need to know who owes you.

• Company name and, if it is a UK limited company, its registered address (you can check it for free on Companies House).
• The person who approves the work.
• The person or department that pays invoices, with their email.

2. Deliverables, described precisely

"Three UGC videos" is not a deliverable. Spell out:

• Number of videos and their length (for example, 3 × 20–30 seconds).
• Format: vertical 9:16, horizontal, or both. Each extra aspect ratio is extra work.
• Variations: extra hooks or alternative openings are often requested as "small tweaks". Agree how many are included and price the rest.
• Raw footage: whether you hand over unedited clips. Many creators charge for this, because raw footage lets a brand cut endless new ads from one shoot.
• Captions, music and voiceover: who adds them, and whether licensed music is your responsibility or theirs.
• File delivery: how and where (shared folder, transfer link), and the resolution.

3. The brief and approval process

Ask for the brief before you agree a fee, because the brief decides the workload. Then agree how approval works:

• Is there a script or concept approval stage before filming? This saves reshoots.
• Who signs off, and how long do they have to respond?
• What happens if they go quiet? A sensible clause is that work is treated as approved if there is no feedback within a set number of working days.

4. Revisions

This is the clause that saves the most grief. Agree the number of revision rounds included (one or two is common) and define what a revision is: changes to the edit, text or order of clips using the footage you already shot. A reshoot is not a revision. If the brand changes the brief after filming, that is new work and should be quoted separately.

5. Usage rights and licence length

This decides how much the content is really worth. Get these written down:

• Where the brand can use the videos: their own organic social, paid ads, website, email, TV, out-of-home.
• For how long: a fixed term such as 3, 6 or 12 months, starting from delivery or first use. Avoid "in perpetuity" unless you are paid for it.
• Whitelisting or Spark Ads: whether they will run ads through your own account, and for how long you grant that access.
• Edits by the brand: whether they can cut your footage into new ads.
• What happens at the end: the brand stops running the ads, or pays to renew.

Our guide to UGC usage rights goes through each type in detail, and how much to charge for UGC covers how to price longer licences.

6. Exclusivity

Some brands want you not to work with competitors for a period. That can be reasonable, but it costs you income, so it should be paid for. Check:

• How "competitor" is defined. "Any skincare brand" is very different from "any brand selling vitamin C serum".
• How long it lasts, and whether it applies to organic posts, paid UGC, or both.
• Whether it starts when you sign or when the content goes live.

7. Payment terms

• The fee and whether it includes VAT, if you are VAT-registered.
• When you get paid: on delivery, on approval, or 50% upfront and 50% on delivery. Upfront deposits are common and sensible for new clients.
• Payment window: 14 or 30 days from invoice is typical. Watch out for 60 or 90 days, especially through agencies.
• Product: if you are sent product, is it a gift or is it to be returned? Product is not payment.
• Expenses: props, locations, travel or a second person on set.

In the UK, if a business pays a business late, statutory interest and fixed compensation can apply under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act. It is worth knowing it exists, even if you never use it.

8. Cancellation and kill fees

Brands change plans. Agree what you are paid if the project is cancelled after you have started. A common approach is a percentage of the fee depending on the stage: for example, a portion if cancelled after the script is approved and the full fee once filming is done. Whatever you choose, write it down.

9. Disclosure and compliance

If you post the content on your own channels as part of the deal, it is advertising and needs clear labelling under UK advertising rules (the ASA and CMA both publish guidance for influencers). Pure UGC that only runs on the brand's channels is different, but you still should not make claims you cannot stand behind. Ask the brand to confirm that any product claims in the script are approved and substantiated, especially for health, beauty and finance products.

10. Your right to show the work

Ask for permission to use the finished videos in your portfolio. Some brands want you to wait until the ads go live, which is fair. A few will refuse because of unreleased products; agree that up front so you are not surprised.

When there is no contract

If a brand does not send a contract, you can still protect yourself. Send a short email summarising the agreement, point by point, and ask them to reply confirming. An email confirmation is far better than a phone call nobody remembers. Something like:

Hi Sarah, just confirming what we agreed: 3 × 30-second vertical videos, one script approval stage, two rounds of revisions, paid social use for 3 months from delivery, no exclusivity, £X + 50% upfront, balance due 14 days from delivery. Could you reply to confirm? Then I will send the deposit invoice.

Keep that email somewhere you can find it. When the brand asks for a fourth hook or wants to extend usage six months later, it is what you point to.

Keep track of the dates

The two dates creators most often lose track of are the invoice due date and the date a usage licence ends. Both are money: one is a payment to chase, the other is a renewal to offer. Cronyx keeps each deal's fee, deliverables and usage-rights end date together and can send polite payment reminders for you, but a spreadsheet with a column for each also works. What matters is that you check it.

Quick checklist

• Legal name of the paying business and who pays invoices
• Number, length and format of videos, plus variations and raw footage
• Approval process and response time
• Revision rounds and what counts as a revision
• Usage: channels, paid or organic, duration, whitelisting
• Exclusivity: scope, length and fee
• Fee, deposit, payment window, expenses
• Cancellation and kill fee
• Ad disclosure and claim approval
• Portfolio permission

This is general information, not legal advice. For large or unusual contracts, consider having a solicitor review the terms.