MARSHAL / PRACTICAL GUIDE
Updated
UGC video ads: agree the rights before the creator shoots.
A UGC video ad is a short, creator-style video made for your brand to run as an ad, usually on Instagram and Facebook. Before anyone shoots, put three things in writing: where and for how long you may use the video, whether it will run from the creator’s own handle, and which product claims the creator can truthfully make. Marshal Studios makes creator-style ads as part of its video work. The prices quoted in this guide are other providers’ published rates, not Marshal’s.
Discuss a video ad project ↗A practical guide from Marshal Studios. Explore the linked project examples and use the checklist for your own brief.
Decide whether you are buying a video or an audience
UGC is footage made for your ad account. It usually runs from your brand’s page, so the creator’s follower count barely matters. An influencer post pays the creator to reach their own followers, with its own fee, contract and disclosure rules. Keep the two apart in the brief, because price, paperwork and labels differ.
Write the usage rights before casting
List every place the video may appear: Instagram and Facebook ads, YouTube, your website, marketplace listings, WhatsApp. State paid or organic use, the number of months and the countries. Add whether you get the raw footage, whether you may re-edit it, and whether the creator may promote a rival brand during that period. Published offers differ: one provider below states full commercial rights with no time limit, another prices paid usage and creator posting separately. Settle this before the shoot, not after a video starts working.
Know what running from the creator’s handle involves
Meta calls these partnership ads (formerly branded content ads). You need the creator’s permission, either for one post, through a boost toggle or a partnership ad code they share, or for their whole account. Meta’s help centre says creators can revoke that permission at any time. So put the permission period and any fee in the agreement, and agree whether you may keep running the video from your own page if permission ends.
Disclose the connection and script only what is true
When the video runs from the creator’s handle or goes to their followers, ASCI’s influencer guidelines require a clear label, such as Ad, Sponsored, Collaboration or Partnership, if the creator received money, free products or any other benefit. It must be hard to miss: not buried in hashtags, and on screen in a video. The government’s Endorsements Know-hows! (January 2023) adds an audio disclosure, in the endorsement’s language, separate from the platform’s paid-partnership tag. On any page, the CCPA’s 2022 guidelines require an endorsement to reflect a genuine, reasonably current opinion based on adequate information about or experience with the product. If the script says “I have used this for a month”, the creator should have. Get health, finance or beauty claims checked before filming.
Brief one buyer question per video
A useful brief names the one doubt the video must answer, offers two or three opening lines and lists the proof moments to film. Hypothetical example: a Gurugram home-décor brand selling cushion covers, where the doubt is whether the colour will look the same at home. The creator unpacks the cover by a window in daylight, shows the fabric up close and the care label, and ends with “Tap Shop now to see all six colours.” Add the language (Hindi, English or Hinglish), what must not be said, and where the ad sends people: a product page, an enquiry form or a WhatsApp chat.
Shoot and deliver for the placements you will buy
Reels and Stories are full-screen 9:16; Meta’s ad specs recommend 4:5 for Facebook Feed video. For Reels, Meta advises keeping 14% of the top, 35% of the bottom and 6% of each side free of text and logos, and its safe-zone guidance asks for the bottom 40% when the ad carries a disclaimer. Its Reels specs also say ads should not contain licensed music: use original audio or Meta’s Sound Collection, because a trending track in the app is not automatically cleared for advertising. Ask for burnt-in captions, a text-free version, each opening as its own file and, if agreed, the raw footage.
Compare quotes on the same deliverables
A pack price means little without its contents. Count finished videos, opening variations, creators, scripting, revision rounds, the rights period, raw footage and turnaround. The agency packs below are quoted plus GST; if your business is GST-registered, ask for a tax invoice with the provider’s GSTIN so your accountant can assess input tax credit.
Write these terms into the UGC agreement
| Term | What to decide | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Placements | Meta ads, YouTube, website, marketplaces, WhatsApp, in-store screens | A licence for one place does not cover another |
| Paid or organic use | Whether you may spend money promoting the video | Paid use is often priced separately from organic posting |
| Duration and territory | Number of months and the countries covered | Open-ended costs more; a short term can lapse mid-campaign |
| Creator handle | Partnership ad permission, its period and any fee | The creator can revoke Meta permission; the agreement should say what happens then |
| Files and edits | Raw footage, cut-downs, new opening lines, text-free version | New versions without a reshoot |
| Exclusivity | Whether the creator may promote a competing brand, and for how long | The same face should not sell a rival next month |
| Claims and disclosure | Approved product facts, the disclosure label and its language | Protects the brand and the creator under ASCI and CCPA rules |
Published UGC prices we found (checked 17 October 2026)
| Provider | Published figure | What the figure covers | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| DigiStreet Media, Noida | ₹75,000 for 5 videos; ₹90,000 for 10; ₹1,60,000 for 20 (plus GST) | Video packs; creator posting, paid usage, travel and specialist locations are scoped separately | digistreetmedia.com/services/ugc-video-agency |
| The UGC Agency, Kolkata | ₹72,000, ₹1,20,000 or ₹2,40,000 a month (plus GST) | Six master videos with three opening variations each; plans differ by production quality; full commercial rights stated | theugcagency.com/pricing |
| The Shizz, Bangalore | ₹2,000–6,000, ₹6,000–15,000 and ₹15,000–40,000+ per video | Its estimate of individual creator rates by experience, “working market ranges, not quotes” | theshizz.in/blog/ugc-ads-india-rates-briefs |
Rules and specifications behind this guide
| Source | What it covers | Where to read it |
|---|---|---|
| Meta Business Help Centre | Partnership ad permissions and revocation; safe zones for Reels ads with disclaimers | facebook.com/business/help/711659943695726 and /980593475366490 |
| Meta Ads Guide | Instagram Reels ad specs, music and safe-zone margins; Facebook Feed video ratio | facebook.com/business/ads-guide/update/video/instagram-reels |
| ASCI | Influencer advertising guidelines and permitted disclosure labels | ascionline.in/social/guidelines |
| Department of Consumer Affairs | Endorsements Know-hows! for influencers (January 2023): disclosure placement, language and allowed terms | pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1892527 (links the guide) |
| Central Consumer Protection Authority | Guidelines for Prevention of Misleading Advertisements and Endorsements, 2022 | pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1832906 |
Before we start
Is UGC the same as influencer marketing?
No. UGC is a video your brand runs, usually from its own page; influencer marketing pays for reach to the creator’s followers. A creator can do both, but price them as separate jobs.
Can the creator also post the video on their own profile?
Yes, if the agreement includes it. That post is influencer advertising, so it needs its own fee and a clear disclosure such as Ad or Sponsored in the video itself.
Does Marshal make UGC-style ads?
Yes. Creator-style and unboxing ads are among the video formats we make. Pricing and delivery timing are discussed for your brief and the rights you need.
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Based in Gurugram (Gurgaon), working with businesses across Delhi NCR, India and abroad. Business websites start from ₹50,000.