UGC portfolio: what to include, where to host it and how to build one with no clients
A UGC portfolio is one link that shows a brand you can make the videos it needs: 3 to 6 vertical videos in different formats, the best one first, a two-line intro, your rates or "rates on request", and a contact. With no clients yet, film spec videos on products you own and use, and label them as spec. Keep trending sounds and other people's logos out of the files. Host it where it opens on a phone without signing in. On UGC Pocket, the videos you publish on your declared accounts stay on your profile and double as a public showcase.
What a brand checks in a UGC portfolio
A brand that opens your portfolio is usually comparing it with others, often on a phone. It wants answers to four questions:
- Do your first seconds hold attention? It is what the brand watches first. Our 50 UGC hook examples show the main types.
- Can the video go out as it is? Clean sound, steady framing, readable captions, vertical format.
- Can you make the formats it needs? A demo, a review, a tutorial: range matters more than volume.
- How does it work with you? What you handle, what it costs or how to ask, and how to reach you.
Your follower count is not on that list: in UGC, the brand buys a video, not your audience. See our guides on how to become a UGC creator and on starting UGC with no followers.
What to put in a UGC portfolio
Six blocks are enough. The first five answer those four questions; proof is a bonus.
| Block | What to put | What it tells the brand |
|---|---|---|
| Top videos | Your three strongest videos, playable right there, without a click to another site | Your level, in the first few seconds |
| Gallery | 3 to 6 videos in total, top three included, each in a different format, with one line each: type of product, format, length, what you did | Your range |
| Intro | Two or three lines: your niche, the formats you film, your languages, what you handle (script, filming, editing, voice-over) | Whether you fit its product |
| Rates | A starting price per video, or "rates on request". Say that ad usage rights are quoted separately. | Whether it can afford you, and that you know how usage works |
| Contact | A professional email address and one link. Where you are based, if time zones matter. | How to book you, without friction |
| Proof (optional) | Client names, results or quotes, only with the client's agreement and with figures you can show | That someone already trusted you |
To set the price, see our UGC creator rates guide. Ad use is a separate question, explained in our guide to UGC usage rights. Before you show a video made for a client, read your contract: a confidentiality clause can forbid it, and our UGC contract guide lists the clauses to check.
Which videos: 3 to 6, in different formats
Three videos are enough to start. Past six, you ask for more attention than a brand is likely to give, and each weaker video pulls the overall impression down. Pick formats that each prove a different skill:
| Format | What it proves | Filming tip |
|---|---|---|
| Problem and solution demo | You can sell a benefit in a short video | Name the problem in the first sentence, then show the product solving it |
| Review, face to camera | You come across as credible | Mention one thing you like less: it makes the rest believable |
| Tutorial or screen recording | You can explain a product, apps and software included | Zoom on the tap or click that matters, and add captions |
| Unboxing or first impression | You can film an object well | Soft light, a clean background, hands in frame |
| Before and after, or comparison | You can structure a story | Keep the same framing for both halves |
| Voice-over on B-roll | You can work without showing your face | Record the voice in a quiet room, close to the microphone |
Our guide to UGC video formats details each one, and our UGC script template gives a structure to write them. If you would rather stay off camera, the faceless UGC formats work well for apps and software.
Film vertically. TikTok recommends the vertical 9:16 format for its in-feed video ads, at 540 x 960 pixels or more, and a brand may run your video as an ad. For each video, keep a version without music or burned-in captions: some brands add their own.
Source: TikTok Ads Manager, Video ads specifications, updated June 2026, checked 2 October 2026.
How to build a UGC portfolio with no clients: spec videos
A spec video is made as if a brand had ordered it, when no brand did. It is the normal way to start, as long as you say so.
- Use products you own and actually use. In the United States, the FTC's guidance on endorsements says an endorsement must reflect your honest opinion, and that you cannot talk about your experience with a product you have not tried. Hold your specs to the same rule.
- Write yourself a short brief. Who the video is for, the one message, the call to action. Our UGC brief template works for this.
- Start with what is already on your phone. Apps you use daily are good material: a screen recording and your voice are enough.
- Film several hooks for the same video. Keep the best one, and mention that you deliver hook variants.
- Say it is a spec. Under each spec video, write "Spec video, not commissioned by the brand". Do not list the brand as a client, and do not put its logo in a "brands I worked with" section.
Source: FTC, FTC's Endorsement Guides: What People Are Asking, checked 2 October 2026.
A spec is fine, pretending is not
A spec video shows what you can do. Presenting it as paid work misleads the brand reading your portfolio. One line under the video fixes it: spec video, not commissioned by the brand.
Music rights and brands to avoid
Music
A trending sound that works on your personal posts is not cleared for a brand. TikTok says businesses should use its Commercial Music Library, a pre-cleared library of 1 million songs, for commercial activity on TikTok, including organic posts, video ads and branded content, and that businesses cannot use the general music library for commercial use.
In portfolio files, use no music, or a track whose licence covers what the brand will do with the video, and keep a version without music.
Source: TikTok Ads Manager, About the Commercial Music Library, updated July 2025, checked 2 October 2026.
Products and brands to leave out
A spec of a product no brand can pay you to promote is wasted work. Two lists are worth checking before you film:
- TikTok's Branded Content Policy (published 4 August 2026, in force since 31 August 2026) bans branded content for, among others, tobacco and nicotine products, drug-related products, CBD supplements included, weight loss products, cosmetic surgery and many health services, weapons, adult products and deceptive financial offers. Alcohol, gambling, dating apps, energy drinks and financial services are restricted, with age limits and, for most, market limits.
- In France, article 4 of the law of 9 June 2023 on commercial influence bans influencers from promoting cosmetic procedures that may carry risks, products presented as substitutes for medical treatment, nicotine products, animals outside the authorised list, certain financial products and crypto-asset services (with exceptions for authorised firms), and subscriptions to sports betting tips.
Two more traps: health or performance claims you cannot back up, and people who appear without having agreed. In France, the CNIL notes that anyone can refuse the publication of their image without their express permission. If a friend appears in your video, get their agreement in writing.
Sources: TikTok, Branded Content Policy; Légifrance, Law no. 2023-451 of 9 June 2023, article 4 (version in force from 1 July 2026, in French); CNIL, Demander le retrait de votre image en ligne (in French). All checked 2 October 2026.
Where to host your UGC portfolio
The tool matters less than three tests: the link opens on a phone in one tap, nobody has to sign in, and the videos play without being downloaded. Open your link in a private window on your phone before you send it.
| Option | Good for | Watch out |
|---|---|---|
| Google Drive folder shared with anyone who has the link | Brands that want to download the files | Google says anyone with the link can use the file without signing in, but your name and email are shown as the owner. Use a professional account. |
| Unlisted YouTube videos | Fast playback, nothing to install | Anyone with the link can watch and reshare, without a Google account. Unlisted videos do not appear in YouTube search unless someone adds them to a public playlist, nor on your channel's Videos tab. |
| Notion page published as a site | A simple one-page portfolio | Notion lets you publish an unlimited number of pages and claim one notion.site domain. More customization comes with paid plans, and using your own domain is an add-on. |
| Canva website | A designed page, from a portfolio template | Canva presents its website builder as free, with mobile-responsive sites and videos you can drag onto the page. Free domain on the free plan, your own domain on paid plans. |
| Your TikTok or Instagram account | Videos in a real feed, with real view counts | Mixes with your other posts. On Instagram, you can pin up to three posts to the top of your profile. |
Sources: Google Drive Help, Share files from Google Drive; YouTube Help, Change video privacy settings; Notion Help, Publish a website with Notion Sites; Canva, Website Builder; Instagram Help Centre, Pin a post to the top of your profile. All checked 2 October 2026.
Whatever you choose, send one link, not five attachments.
UGC portfolio template: the page, block by block
Copy this order, from top to bottom. The examples are illustrative: replace them with your own.
| Block | What to write | Illustrative example |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Header | Your name, what you film, for whom, in which languages | "Sam, UGC videos for apps and software, in English and French" |
| 2. Top three | Your three best videos, playable on the page | A demo, a review, a tutorial |
| 3. Gallery | Each video with the type of product, the format, the length, your role, and "spec" when it is one | "Budgeting app, problem and solution demo, 28 s. Script, filming, editing. Spec video, not commissioned by the brand." |
| 4. About | Two or three lines, and your setup | "I film on a phone with a clip-on mic and window light. I write my own scripts." |
| 5. Offer and rates | What you deliver, a starting price or "on request", usage rights quoted separately | "One video with three hook variants. Rates on request. Ad usage quoted separately." |
| 6. Contact | Email, one link, where you are based | "[your professional email] · [city, country]" |
UGC portfolio examples (illustrative)
The same template gives very different pages depending on your profile. Here are three illustrative layouts. The names and products are made up: they are not real creators, real clients or real results.
Example 1: faceless creator for mobile apps
- Header: "Alex, faceless UGC for mobile apps: screen recordings with voice-over, in English."
- Top three: a problem and solution demo on a budgeting app, a three-step tutorial on a note-taking app, a side-by-side comparison of two habit trackers. Three screen recordings, three different formats.
- Gallery line: "Habit tracker app, tutorial, 35 s. Script, screen recording, voice-over, captions. Spec video, not commissioned by the brand."
- Offer: "One video with three hook variants, plus a version without music or captions. Rates on request. Ad usage quoted separately."
Our guide to faceless UGC covers the formats that work without a face on screen.
Example 2: face-to-camera beauty creator
- Header: "Jordan, face-to-camera UGC for makeup and haircare, in English."
- Top three: an honest review that names one downside, an unboxing with first impressions, a makeup before and after filmed with the same framing and light.
- Gallery line: "Lipstick, first impression, 22 s. Script, filming, editing. Spec video, not commissioned by the brand."
- Offer: "One video, raw clips available. From [your starting price] per video. Ad usage quoted separately."
A makeup look shows a visible result without a health claim. Skincare or haircare results promised on camera are claims you would have to back up.
Example 3: bilingual creator for B2B software
- Header: "Camille, explainer videos for B2B software, in English and French."
- Top three: a screen recording tutorial with the face in a corner, a problem and solution demo filmed at a desk, a face-to-camera review recorded once in English and once in French.
- Gallery line: "Invoicing software, problem and solution demo, 40 s, English and French versions. Script, filming, editing, both voice-overs. Spec video, not commissioned by the brand."
- Offer: "One video in two languages, three hook variants. Rates on request. Ad usage quoted separately."
What the three have in common: a niche named in the first line, three different formats at the top, the spec label on every spec, and ad usage quoted separately.
On UGC Pocket, your published videos are your showcase
UGC Pocket works differently from delivered UGC: you do not send files. You request access to a brand, declare the TikTok and Instagram accounts you will post on, follow the challenge brief written by our team, publish the video on your own account and paste the link in the app. There is no follower minimum to sign up, and each brand accepts or declines access to its challenges.
The video stays on your profile: a public piece you can link to when you contact other brands. Link to the post rather than re-uploading the file elsewhere. Each challenge shows its pay conditions before you start, and pay depends on the views of the videos published on your declared accounts, beyond a threshold of cumulative views.
Publishing on the creator's account is not unique to UGC Pocket: other platforms offer it too. If you would rather be paid per delivered file, whatever the views, a delivered UGC marketplace fits you better, and our guide to UGC apps for creators explains how each kind pays. Once your portfolio is ready, our guide on how to pitch brands for UGC covers the first message, and our guide to UGC jobs covers where to look for paid work.
Mistakes that cost you the brand's attention
- Too many videos, the best one buried. Six at most, strongest first.
- A link that asks for access. A "request access" screen often ends the visit.
- Horizontal videos, or files with another app's logo on them. Export the original vertical file from your editing app.
- A generic intro. "I do everything" says nothing. "Apps and software, English and French" tells the brand when to call you.
- Numbers you cannot show. Mention views or results only if you can share the screenshot, and only with the client's agreement.
- No update for months. Swap in a better video as soon as you have one, and drop the weakest.
FAQ
How many videos should a UGC portfolio have?
Three to six. Three are enough to start, as long as each one shows a different format, for example a demo, a review and a tutorial. Past six, a brand may not watch everything, and weaker videos lower the overall impression. Put the strongest one first.
How do I make a UGC portfolio with no clients?
Film spec videos: videos made as if a brand had ordered them, on products you own and actually use. Write yourself a short brief, film several hooks, and label each one as a spec video, not commissioned by the brand. Never list that brand as a client.
Should I put my rates in my UGC portfolio?
A starting price per video and rates on request both work. Whichever you choose, say that usage rights for ads are quoted separately: a video posted organically and a video run as an ad are not the same purchase.
Where can I host a UGC portfolio for free?
A Google Drive folder shared with anyone who has the link, unlisted YouTube videos, a published Notion page or a Canva website. The tool matters less than the test: the link opens on a phone without signing in, and the videos play directly.
Can I use trending TikTok sounds in my portfolio videos?
Not in files meant for a brand. TikTok says businesses should use its Commercial Music Library for commercial content, and that they cannot use the general music library for commercial use. Keep a version of each video without music.
Do UGC Pocket challenge videos count as portfolio pieces?
Yes. On UGC Pocket, you publish challenge videos on your own declared TikTok and Instagram accounts, so they stay on your profile as public posts you can link to. Each challenge shows its pay conditions before you start.