More than ever, brands seek user-generated content (UGC) creators to bring their social media accounts and ad campaigns to life. Though this is ultimately good news for aspiring and experienced creators, it also means more competition.
Creative performance marketer and 6-figure UGC creator Kelly Rocklein discusses five key tips to improve your UGC portfolio and secure more opportunities at a competitive price.
1. Reimagine your ‘About Me’ introduction.
Instead, consider producing an ‘About Me’ video featured at the top of your portfolio. After reviewing thousands of portfolios over Kelly’s ten-year career, she emphasizes how imperative it is to stand out as a creator.
What better way to let your talents shine when it comes to on-camera talent than a personable introduction video highlighting your skill sets, services, and anything else you find notable for the potential client to learn about you during the consideration process? But what makes a good introduction video that can help close deals? You can view Kelly’s ‘About Me’ video here; take notes.
2. Let your work speak for itself.
Regarding the UGC examples featured in your portfolio, less is more, so focus on quality over quantity. Kelly said that she features eight UGC examples in her portfolio, and each video features a product from a different niche. She selected eight visually different content formats to showcase her capabilities and skill sets when narrowing down the concepts to feature in her portfolio. For example, the concepts Kelly features in her portfolio include a product demo, green screen, try-on haul, customer testimonial, a gif, unboxing, and voiceover.
3. Don’t leave money on the table.
Many creators quickly overlook UGC photos, thinking they’re less valuable to brands than video, but this train of thought could be leaving hundreds and even thousands of dollars on the table.
In Kelly’s portfolio, right below her UGC video examples, she features a variety of UGC photo examples. Since she comes from both the brand and creator side, Kelly is familiar with what brands are in the market, and UGC photos are often at the top of their list. But why? The use cases are endless! A brand could use a UGC photo for retention marketing campaigns (email & SMS), static & gif ads, for their Instagram or website… the list goes on.
4. Market yourself the way you would your clients.
Kelly explains the same way you market for your clients; you should be marketing yourself. Specifically, when it comes to unique selling points, you will want to communicate the value props that set you apart from other creators. One of the best ways to do this is with case studies in your portfolio showcasing the return on investment you offer as a creator.
Brands want to know the creator they’re hiring and pouring their budgets into is credible and capable. Case studies are one of the most vital tools to leverage in this case, as it’s not the creator speaking for themselves; it’s a third party sharing their positive experience with the potential client in either text or video format. Kelly emphasizes that every creator should be asking their clients for standout key performance indicators (KPIs) for top performers so they can feature these accomplishments in their portfolio.
5. Consider skipping the ‘Why UGC’ section.
Kelly deems the ‘Why UGC’ section useless as it can be redundant for the person hiring UGC creators to be educated on the value UGC offers. This has been a hot topic in the online UGC community, but Kelly holds firm in this opinion but emphasizes there are always exceptions to the rule.
For example, if you’re a creator looking to work with small mom-and-pop shops, they likely need to learn what UGC is. The same applies if you’re an international creator. It’s not that brands don’t know about UGC in other countries; it’s that Kelly isn’t familiar with how brands operate outside of the US, so she can’t give any advice there.
If you’ve found these tips helpful, Kelly posts daily advice on social media about user-generated content, marketing, and being a creative contractor. She also has a free community that offers weekly live training sessions for creators of all experience levels looking to take their UGC business to the next level. You can learn more about Kelly’s resources and connect with her on social media by visiting her StanStore.
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