Many beginning content creators wonder how to contact brands, especially nano and micro-influencers, who are the biggest trend right now. In 2025, brands are increasingly looking for strong engagement, which is often higher among micro and nano-influencers, making them more effective in influencer marketing.
How do you collaborate with a brand? You see paid collaborations on Instagram, TikTok, or YouTube and wonder how these creators land those partnerships? YOO shares practical advice on how to approach brands, write a convincing collaboration message, negotiate your contracts, and most importantly, build a relationship of trust that brings you visibility and sustainable income.
We’ll also talk about UGC platforms, including YOO, the French platform that connects creators and brands to test products for free
The basics of collaborating with a brand
Before securing a partnership with a brand, you first need to understand how collaborations between UGC creators, influencers, and brands work. Without this understanding, you risk missing the mark.
What Is a Brand Collaboration (vs. an Influencer Partnership)?
A brand collaboration is an exchange of value. You create authentic content, and the brand offers you an opportunity: visibility, payment, or free products.
But be careful — it all depends on the type of collaboration. There are several formats:
- UGC collaboration (User Generated Content) → you create content for the brand without necessarily posting it on your own channels. This is the preferred format for brands in 2025: they buy your content to use in their own ads (TikTok Ads, Meta, etc.).
- Influencer partnership → you share content on your social media to promote a product or service. You then become a showcase for the brand.
- Brand ambassador partnership → you represent the brand long-term and become a recurring face of its communication.
The key difference is that a UGC creator sells creativity, not their audience. An influencer sells influence.
Brands are increasingly looking for micro-influencers and UGC creators. Real content — authentic, spontaneous, filmed at home — performs better than traditional ads. In fact, 79% of people say that user-generated content strongly influences their purchasing decisions.
For example, a skincare brand would rather pay €300 for three natural UGC videos created by a creator that they can reuse in Meta ads, than €2,000 for a single overly polished lifestyle influencer story.
Why Brands Are Heavily Investing in UGC Collaborations
In 2025, over 80% of brands integrate UGC into their campaigns. Why? Because consumers no longer trust overly polished ads — they want to see people like them.
Here are the 5 main reasons why brands love UGC:
- Authenticity: videos created by real creators feel genuine and credible.
- Higher engagement rates (up to +300% compared to traditional advertising).
- Controlled costs: UGC creators are often more affordable than big-name influencers.
- Reusable content across multiple platforms (TikTok, Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts, Facebook Ads, etc.).
- Measurable performance: brands can test multiple UGC creatives and keep only the ones that perform best.
UGC has become a key driver of trust, engagement, and performance in modern marketing strategies.
What brands expect from a UGC creator
Brands want creators who truly understand their values. If you want to stand out, you need to think like a mini creative studio.
Here’s what they’re looking for:
- A professional and clear profile (bio, photo, portfolio link).
- A consistent tone: fun, educational, or inspiring, depending on the industry.
- Strong branding awareness: you must know how to adapt your style to theirs.
- High-quality content: good lighting, framing, sound, and storytelling.
- Reliability: meeting deadlines, following briefs, and being responsive.
Prepare your profile to attract brands
Before reaching out to brands, you need to make them want to work with you. Your UGC creator profile should radiate professionalism.
Building Your UGC Creator Identity
Be clear about your positioning. What’s your niche, your style, your values?
Brands want to collaborate with creators whose content resonates with their audience.
Here are the 3 pillars of your creator identity:
- Your niche: beauty, tech, food, sports, fashion, travel, etc.
- Your tone: funny, educational, inspiring, authentic.
- Your values: minimalism, wellness, sustainability, etc.
Create a professional bio:
UGC Creator | Authentic content for lifestyle brands
Based in Paris | Available for collaborations
Contact: yourmail@gmail.com
Don’t forget your UGC portfolio—it’s your showcase. You can create it on:
- Canva (beautiful and simple)
- Notion (practical and professional)
- A mini website (if you want to level up)
Include:
- Your best UGC videos (3 to 5)
- Your content style (face cam, voiceover, tutorial, storytelling)
- Key statistics (if available)
- Base rates (optional but helpful)
Check out our article on how to optimize your UGC portfolio!
Create demonstration content
What matters most to a brand in an influencer is credibility and authenticity. For a campaign to be effective, brands need creators who have an engaged community and who bring real value to their audience.
Brands favor influencers with a strong engagement rate and accounts that aren’t overloaded with sponsored content.
Your collaborations should align directly with your personality, niche, and social media style, ensuring that the influencer campaign performs successfully.
How to find brands to collaborate with
Finding the right brands to collaborate with is a key step to turning your content into a real professional opportunity.
Even if you create high-quality content, without the right brands, your talent won’t translate into influencer partnerships or commercial collaborations.
There are structured and effective methods to identify, reach out to, and attract brands that perfectly match your style and universe.
Identify Brands That Match Your Profile
Before reaching out to anyone, you need to know who to talk to. Quality matters more than quantity. Working with 5 perfectly aligned brands is far better than reaching out to 50 irrelevant ones.
1. Analyze your positioning and niche
First, ask yourself:
- What is your specialty? (beauty, lifestyle, food, tech, sport…)
- Who follows your content? What are their interests?
- What sets you apart from other UGC creators or influencers?
Concrete example:
If you’re a fitness content creator for beginners, it’s better to contact brands selling organic supplements, comfortable sportswear, or coaching services. These brands are looking for an engaged and interested audience, which maximizes your chances of getting a paid partnership or free products to test.
2. Observe existing collaborations in your niche
An ultra-effective technique: look at creators similar to you.
- Note the brands they collaborate with.
- Analyze the types of sponsored content they post.
- Determine if you could offer a different, more original, or better-adapted approach to your style.
3. Monitor social media and specialized media
- TikTok, Instagram, YouTube: search hashtags like #BrandCollab, #InfluencerPartnership, #UGCCreator.
- Forums and newsletters: some UGC groups share direct calls for creators.
4. Authenticity above all
Brands want creators who actually use and enjoy their products. If you like a product, it’s easier to create authentic and convincing content.
Pro tip: Keep a table of brands that match your universe with an “affinity” column. Score them out of 10 and prioritize the highest-rated ones.
Complementary approaches to increase your chances
1. Passive method
- Post UGC content regularly on your social media.
- Use brand hashtags (#BrandNameUGC).
- Brands may contact you directly if your content is high-quality.
2. Active method
- Prepare your media kit: portfolio, style, stats, rates.
- Identify brands aligned with your niche.
- Send a clear, personalized message.
3. Combine both
The combined approach maximizes your chances: post visible, high-quality content while reaching out directly to brands. This positions you as a serious, proactive, and reliable creator.
The Power of UGC Platforms to Connect with Brands
Even with direct outreach, landing your first gigs can take time. Specialized UGC platforms are therefore a key lever. They offer:
- Direct access to brand briefs
- Opportunities to receive products for free
- Paid missions without a massive audience
YOO is the go-to platform for UGC creators who want to get started quickly and efficiently. For 8 years, YOO has helped brands create authentic, high-performing, and engaging content by leveraging the power of UGC. With YOO, you get a powerful and seamless tool that connects brands and creators in just a few clicks.
What makes YOO unique for creators:
- A community of over 100,000 engaged and diverse creators
- Hands-on knowledge of social media content and creators
- A platform open to all brands, big or small, regardless of their digital maturity
- An expert and supportive team that guides you through every step of your campaign
By signing up on YOO, you can access briefs directly, apply for missions, and start receiving products quickly, even without a large following.