i want to write this properly because a lot of you are new here and i don’t think i’ve ever explained my journey fully.
i started ugc in november 2024.
i was 23 then and i hadn’t earned a single rupee in my life. literally zero.
that bothered me a lot. more than i showed.
i used to cry sometimes thinking what am i even doing with my life. i felt late. i felt behind. i had big dreams but i wasn’t doing anything real about them.
i kept thinking will i ever become financially independent or not.
around that time, i started seeing people talk about ugc. people posting pr packages, saying anyone can start, anyone can shoot videos.
and i thought okay, i do have an iphone. i have skincare and makeup lying around. so why not try.
so i did.
i created an account and started posting aesthetic shots of products. close ups. slow videos. no face.
my reach was bad. 200 views. 300. sometimes 500.
then i got into the indian ugc community and honestly, that’s when i realised something.
we were all doing the same thing.
everyone was posting faceless ad-style content. everyone wanted pr. everyone wanted brands to reach out.
i joined engagement groups. i did follow for follow. i even dmed people asking them to follow me back.
i cringe thinking about it now, but i did all of that.
i filled agency forms. i got a few barter collaborations.
and the truth is, the products weren’t even good. half of them didn’t suit me. i never used them after the video.
after a point i was just frustrated.
we were all fighting for the same shampoo, the same moisturiser. and i kept thinking- when do i actually get paid?
on top of that, my account got shadowbanned. too much follow-unfollow, engagement groups, all of that.
so i stopped posting there.
but the need to become independent didn’t go away.
that’s when i actually sat down and started learning. what ugc actually is. why brands pay for it. why brands are moving away from influencer marketing. what top ugc creators are doing that i wasn’t.
i stopped copying and started treating it like a business.
my first paid ugc deal was ₹5,000. and i had 300 followers.
₹3,000 for the video. ₹2,000 for ad usage.
that’s when it clicked.
followers don’t matter the way we think they do. content quality does.
brands were paying me because they could use my content as ads. not because i posted it.
fast forward to now.
i’ve worked with 50+ brands. indian and international.
travel companies, finance apps, nutrition apps, ai tools, baking brands, supplements, sportswear, watches, book apps.
and that’s when i realised ugc is so much bigger than skincare and makeup.
financially, i’ve earned more than i would have if i took a job after my bba. i took my first international trip fully funded by myself.
and right now, i’m focused on expanding my business even more.
i also get a lot of dms asking about ugc. and i want to be clear about something.
i can’t help everyone for free. not because i don’t want to. but because it’s not humanly possible.
everyone is at a different stage. different problems. different mindset issues. different pricing confusion.
i also have a business to run.
that’s why i’m building this community.
a paid space where i’ll share everything i’ve learned. where we’ll have weekly calls. where you’re actually accountable.
i don’t do unpaid collaborations. and i don’t want to be surrounded by people who aren’t serious.
this will be paid. but priced in a way that even one ugc deal can cover it.
that’s it.
if you’re just here to read, that’s fine. if you want to actually build something, you’ll know.
i’ll share more details soon.
— srishti