Brands looking for UGC creators announce it in five places: campaign boards on creator platforms, 'creators' or 'ambassador' application forms on their websites, Instagram stories and posts calling for creators, launch announcements, and event invites. Check them in a 20-minute daily routine and apply the same day. Then make it easy to be found: a clear bio, a portfolio with real brand names and regular posting got me to a new brand writing to me about every two weeks.
Brands looking for UGC creators usually say so out loud. The problem is they say it in places beginners don’t check: a campaign board, a form buried in a website footer, a 24-hour Instagram story. If you look in the right five places every day and apply the same day, you’re competing with far fewer people than you think.
And after a while, if you set things up right, some of them come to you. A couple of months into UGC, brands started messaging me first. Now it’s about one new brand every two weeks. Here’s both halves: finding them, and getting found.
Where brands announce they’re looking for creators
1. Campaign boards on creator platforms
The most obvious one. On platforms like Insense, Cohley and Aspire, every open campaign is a brand saying “we’re looking for UGC creators right now”, with a brief and a budget attached. These paid me faster than anything else when I was new: seven paid jobs from $50 to $600 in my first four months (what each one paid).
2. “Creators”, “ambassadors” or “collab” pages on brand websites
Lots of beauty brands have an application form for creators, usually linked in the footer as “Creators”, “Ambassadors”, “Affiliates” or “Work with us”. Filling one in takes five minutes. A brand that built a form is a brand that’s planning to work with creators; it’s one of the signals I check before I pitch.
3. Instagram stories and posts calling for creators
Small brands often post “We’re looking for creators! Comment or DM us” in stories, especially before a launch. These disappear in 24 hours, which is exactly why so few people catch them. Follow the brands in your niche from an account that looks like a portfolio, and turn on story notifications for the ten you want most.
4. Launch announcements
A brand announcing a new product in four weeks needs content for that launch, and they need it before the launch date. “Coming soon” posts are the best time to pitch, because you’re offering exactly what’s on their to-do list.
5. Event invites
Once you’re on brands’ radar, you’ll start getting invited to launches and creator events. I get invites now. Go when you can: meeting the person who books creators in real life turns you from “an email” into “that creator I met,” and that’s how repeat work starts.
My 20-minute daily routine
This is what I’d do every morning if I were starting this week:
| Minutes | What | Goal |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | Check new campaigns on two or three creator platforms | Apply to anything you fit, same day |
| 5 | Scroll stories of the brands you follow | Catch “looking for creators” posts before they vanish |
| 5 | Check two new brands’ websites for a creator form | Apply, and add them to your spreadsheet |
| 5 | Reply to every brand message and comment | Speed wins: answer within hours, not days |
That’s five to ten applications a week with almost no writing. Add your cold pitches on top (how I write them) and you’ve covered every channel I used.
How to get brands to find you
Here’s what I think made the difference for me. Nothing fancy, but all of it together:
- A bio that says what you do. Mine says I’m a UGC creator, beauty, NYC, with a link to my portfolio. Brands search Instagram and Google for exactly that.
- A portfolio with real brand names. “Worked with” beats “practiced with”. The fastest way to get names on the page was gifted collabs: I did 15 gifted videos alongside more than 15 paid ones (how I built the page).
- Posting your UGC on your own account. Your Instagram is a portfolio that brands scroll without you sending it. Most of my inbound brands had clearly watched a few videos before they wrote.
- Being easy to work with. Brands talk to each other and to agencies. One brand has booked me four times, and I’m pretty sure being fast and easy mattered as much as the videos.
Followers didn’t matter. I started with 14.
When a brand messages you first
Exciting, and also the moment to slow down for one minute:
- Check they’re real. Website, Instagram history, real products. A real brand never asks you to pay for anything, including “shipping fees”.
- Ask for the brief in writing: deliverables, deadline, usage, budget. “Happy to! Could you send over the brief and your budget?” is a complete reply.
- Know your number before you answer. If they ask for your rates, send the number you decided in advance, not one you invent in a panic (what to charge).
- Don’t film anything until it’s confirmed. I’ve had brands agree on a paid video and then go quiet during approvals. Because I hadn’t filmed yet, I lost nothing but some emails.
The short version
Brands looking for UGC creators are posting about it every day: on platforms, on their websites, in stories, in launch posts. Check those five places daily, apply the same day, and keep pitching on the side. After a couple of months of that, with a clear bio and real names in your portfolio, some brands will start doing the looking for you.
If you want a starting list, my list of 30 beauty brands that take creator applications is free at the bottom of this page, with where to apply for each one.
Frequently asked
How do I find brands that are looking for UGC creators?
Check creator-platform campaign boards, brands' own creator or ambassador application pages, and Instagram stories where brands call for creators. Apply the same day; open calls fill fast.
How do I get brands to reach out to me for UGC?
Say clearly in your Instagram bio that you're a UGC creator and in which niche, link a portfolio with real brand names, and post your UGC videos regularly. It took me a couple of months before brands started writing first.
Is it a scam if a brand DMs me first?
Usually not, but check: a real brand has a real website and Instagram history, never asks you to pay anything, and is happy to put the brief and price in writing.
I post the actual collabs, behind-the-scenes and what brands reply on Instagram.
Anastasiia, NYC beauty UGC creator since spring 2026, with a stylist background. I make product videos for beauty, wellness, fashion, home and tech brands, and I write about how the business side actually works.
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