If you have been wondering where to find brands as a UGC creator when you are just starting out you are not alone and this post has every answer you need.
In this post you will learn:
- How UGC platforms actually work and what to expect as a beginner
- My honest take on every platform I have personally used
- Which platforms are genuinely beginner friendly and which ones are not
- A full list of additional platforms worth knowing about
- The one mistake most beginners make when they first sign up
One of the first questions I had when I started my UGC journey was where do I actually find the brands. You can have a great portfolio, a clear niche, and the best intentions in the world but if you do not know where to go to find campaigns you are going nowhere.
I signed up for a lot of platforms. More than I probably needed to. And I spent real time on most of them. Some of them genuinely surprised me. Some of them were a waste of time. And one or two of them I keep going back to even now.
Here is my honest breakdown of all of them so you do not have to figure it out the hard way.
First, how these platforms actually work
Most UGC platforms work the same way. You create a profile, browse available campaigns, apply for the ones that fit your niche, and wait to hear back. Brands review applications and choose who they want. Some platforms let brands come to you directly. Some require you to pitch yourself. Some are invitation only once you reach a certain level.
The mistake most beginners make is signing up for everything at once and spreading themselves so thin that they never build any momentum anywhere. Pick one or two platforms to focus on seriously and let the others sit in the background. That is the approach I wish I had taken from the start.
The platforms I have spent real time on
Cohley — where I got my first real result
Cohley is where I landed my first brand deal, a text review for Lume deodorant, and it remains the platform I trust most. The brands are recognisable, the platform feels professional, and there is a clear path forward even as a beginner. Start with text reviews to build your activity on the platform, complete every campaign on time, and the bigger video opportunities will become more accessible over time.
It is competitive. You will apply for things and hear nothing back. That is not unique to Cohley but it is worth knowing going in. If you want to read the full story of how I got my first Cohley approval you can find it here.
Kale — the best kept secret for complete beginners
Kale is the platform I wish someone had told me about on day one. The jobs are genuinely accessible for someone with zero experience and no portfolio yet. The barrier to entry is low, the briefs are straightforward, and you can actually get approved and complete campaigns quickly when you are just starting out.
Here is what you need to know though. The gigs fill fast. I am talking check the app daily fast. If you miss a campaign you go on a waitlist and by then the moment has passed. So you have to stay active and check in consistently.
The pay is low. That is just the reality of Kale and it makes sense given the entry level nature of the work. But here is why I still think it is valuable. Kale shows you exactly what brands expect from UGC content. It gives you real practice creating content to a brief. And every piece of content you create there can go straight into your portfolio or onto your social media pages. For a beginner building their body of work that is genuinely worth more than the pay in the early days.
Ready to start making content with Kale? Join Here
Insense — worth staying active on
Insense operates differently from most platforms in that brands can reach out to you directly rather than you always chasing campaigns. The brands I have seen on Insense feel more established and legitimate than some of the others which matters when you are thinking about what you want your name associated with.
I have not completed a full campaign through Insense yet so I cannot speak to the end to end process. What I can say is that it feels like a platform worth having a strong profile on while you build momentum elsewhere. Set it up properly and let it work in the background.
Ready to start connecting with brands on Insense? Join Here
Join Brands — easy to start, mixed bag of brands
Join Brands is probably the most beginner friendly platform in terms of getting started. The signup is simple and you can find campaigns to apply for fairly quickly. If Cohley feels too competitive when you are brand new Join Brands is a reasonable place to get comfortable with how the process works.
My honest issue with it is the brand quality. A lot of what you find on Join Brands are brands you have never heard of and some of the campaigns feel questionable. I got offered a lot of fat burning supplements and weight loss products which as a woman over 50 who is very aware of how those are marketed to us was an immediate no from me. There are good opportunities in there but you have to dig for them and they are not the majority. The other drawback to Join Brands is they want to get certifications for the various types of content; there are about 19 different certifications to complete. The certifications are not difficult to attain but they are somewhat of a nuisance.
Billo – Beginner Friendly
Billo is very beginner friendly and the jobs or “gigs” are easy to apply to. One thing to know upfront is that Billo requires you to submit a 30 second pitch which must be approved by them before you can apply for gigs on the platform. I ran into the same questionable brand issue here as on Join Brands and applying without hearing back was more common on Billo than anywhere else I tried.
I have not written Billo off completely. Once you have a stronger video portfolio it may be worth revisiting. But for a complete beginner it is not where I would focus first.
Brkaway – UGC platform with added management tool
Brkaway feels a little different from the typical apply and hope platforms. It is designed more like an all in one space where creators and brands can connect, collaborate, and manage entire projects in one place. Beyond just applying for gigs it handles communication between creators and brands, content approvals and revisions, and organising deliverables and payments all under one roof.
From what I have seen so far it feels especially useful once you start building consistency and want a more structured way to manage your work rather than juggling everything across emails and spreadsheets. That said I would not lean on it as your primary source of opportunities right now. Think of it as a supporting platform that becomes more valuable as your volume of work grows.
Stratosphere
Stratosphere leans a little more toward influencer style collaborations than straight UGC work. Brands use it to connect with creators for product collaborations, affiliate partnerships, and sponsored content opportunities. What I find interesting about it is the potential for longer term brand relationships rather than just one off content deals. For someone building a sustainable income stream rather than chasing individual gigs that distinction matters.
For beginners it may take time to gain traction especially if your audience is still small. But it is worth setting up a profile and getting familiar with how it works early so you are positioned when the opportunities come.
Vidsy — good products, hard to break into
The brands on Vidsy are genuinely good. That is the thing that drew me to it. But I applied to several briefs and never heard back which tells me it is either very competitive or they are selective about who they work with at the beginner level. I have not given up on Vidsy but I would not start there as a new creator.
Onbento — easy to get started
Onbento was one of the easier platforms to get started on. The onboarding is straightforward and it does not feel as intimidating as some of the others when you are brand new. I am still building my experience there so I will share more as my journey continues.
One thing worth knowing about Onbento is that it offers both a free and a paid tier. The paid tier includes a virtual assistant service that pitches you directly to brands via email on your behalf which is something I have not seen on other platforms. I have not used it yet myself but I know several UGC creators who swear by it. The one drawback people mention is that the same email template goes out for every creator which means your pitch does not feel particularly personalised to the brand receiving it. Whether that matters depends on how you feel about volume outreach versus targeted pitching. Worth knowing before you decide whether the paid tier makes sense for you.
Other platforms worth knowing about
These are platforms I have looked into but have less hands on experience with. I am including them because your reader deserves a complete picture and some of these may be exactly the right fit depending on your niche and experience level
Sideshift
Focused on tech UGC content. Desktop only so you cannot manage it from your phone. Worth looking at if tech products are your niche. Another thing to note is that many of these jobs are contractual, meaning you would work with the brand for months at a time.
Twirl
Has an application process and requires example content upfront before you can access campaigns. Have your portfolio ready before you apply.
Trend.io
A well known platform in the UGC space. Worth having on your radar as you build your experience.
Hummingbirds
A newer platform gaining attention in the creator community. They have some big brands which is nice.
Skeepers
Requires a minimum of 1,000 followers on Instagram, TikTok, or YouTube before you can apply. They mostly have gifted collaborations but the brands are nationally known and this is a great way to build up your portfolio and get free product. Come back to this one once your following has grown.
Brkfst.io
Worth researching before you dive in. Search for a YouTube walkthrough to understand how it works before signing up.
Where I would actually start if I were doing this over
Sign up foSign up for Kale first. Do every job you can get your hands on even if the pay feels underwhelming. Use it to build your portfolio and understand what brands actually want from UGC content. Then set up a strong profile on Cohley and start applying for text reviews while your Kale work builds your confidence and your portfolio.
Add Insense and Influee in the background and keep your profiles updated. Let those work quietly while you focus your real energy on Kale and Cohley.
The platforms you choose matter far less than the consistency you bring to them. One completed campaign on one platform is worth more than ten half finished applications across fifteen of them. Start small, finish everything, and build from there.
I will keep updating this post as my experience grows and as I spend more time on the platforms I have not fully explored yet. Bookmark it and come back.
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This post contains affiliate links. If you sign up for any platform through my link I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend platforms I have personally used.