A UGC portfolio has to prove one thing fast: that you can make ads in the brand's category. The strongest ones hold a short set of vertical videos with different hooks and formats, a few stills, a line on what you offer, and only client work you have written permission to show, all hosted somewhere that plays smoothly on a phone.
Portfolio or media kit: which one a brand wants
A media kit sells your audience: follower counts, demographics and engagement drawn from platform analytics, as the influencer media kit template describes. A UGC portfolio sells your craft. The brand will publish the work itself, so it wants proof that your videos hold attention, show the product clearly and suit the placements it buys.
If you do both kinds of work, keep the two documents separate. A combined deck makes a UGC buyer scroll past audience charts it has no use for, and leaves an influencer buyer wondering whether you post on your own account at all.
Portfolio contents checklist
- One sentence at the top saying what you make, for which kinds of brand and in which formats.
- A small set of videos you would be happy to be judged on, rather than everything you have ever filmed.
- A label under each sample: product category, ad format, hook type, and whether it was spec work or a paid job.
- At least one sample for every format you sell, such as a demo, an unboxing, a routine or a testimonial-style piece.
- Vertical 9:16 masters, plus a feed crop if you offer one, so a buyer can see you think in placements.
- Burned-in captions on at least one sample; Meta's Reels ad specs list captions as optional but recommended.
- A hands-only or voiceover piece if you take faceless work.
- A few product stills, if you sell photography as well as video.
- A short raw-versus-edited pair that shows how you shape footage, if you sell raw files.
- Your services, usual turnaround and the usage included by default, in one short list.
- A contact route through a business email address or form, never your personal number.
A sample matrix: category, format and hook
Range matters more than volume. Plot the samples you have on this matrix, then film to fill the gaps in the categories you pitch most. Each row suggests formats that show the category well, hook types worth demonstrating and the claims to keep out of spec work.
| Product category | Formats that suit it | Hook types to show | Keep out of samples |
|---|---|---|---|
| Skincare and beauty | Routine, texture close-up, application demo | Question to camera, myth-bust, morning-routine opener | Filtered skin, before-and-after results and medical claims |
| Food and drink | Quick recipe, taste reaction, pantry restock | Craving shot, three-ingredient list, surprise flavour | Health benefits nobody has substantiated |
| Home and cleaning | Problem-and-fix, satisfying clean, organising reveal | Mess first, beat-the-clock, before-guests-arrive | Claims that a product kills germs or is non-toxic |
| Tech and apps | Screen recording, set-up walkthrough, side-by-side comparison | Pain-point question, hidden-feature reveal, speed run | Performance figures you did not measure yourself |
| Fitness and wellness | Kit unboxing, exercise demo, day-in-the-life | Mistake to avoid, routine list, gym-bag check | Weight-loss or other health outcome claims |
| Fashion and accessories | Try-on, one item styled three ways, fabric close-up | Outfit problem, fit check, packing-list opener | Promises about fit that depend on the buyer's body |
| Pets | Product in use, reaction shot, daily routine | Owner's problem, reveal, unexpected pet moment | Health claims a vet would need to support |
The right-hand column matters because spec work can still mislead. The FTC's Disclosures 101 says you cannot make up claims that would need proof the advertiser does not have, such as scientific proof that a product treats a health condition, and the CMA's guidance for creators tells beauty creators not to exaggerate results with a filter.
Showing hook variety
Brands running UGC as ads often want several openings for one body, so the most persuasive portfolio item can be a single product shown with three different first lines and first shots. Put the versions side by side, label each hook type, and keep the rest of the edit identical so the buyer can see the opening doing the work.
Two production details tell a buyer you understand ads rather than organic posts. The first is placement: Meta publishes safe margins on its Reels ad spec page, suggesting at least 14% clear at the top and 35% at the bottom, and a sample whose captions respect them looks ready to run. The second is music. Meta says Reels ads should not include licensed tracks, so a sample edited to a chart hit tells the buyer it could not be used as shown.
An example one-page layout
If you are building from nothing, this order suits most buyers because it answers their questions in roughly the sequence they ask them. Adapt the headings to your work, but keep the logic.
- A header line with your name or studio name, what you make and the categories you specialise in.
- One featured video near the top: your strongest hook in the category you most want to win.
- Category sections, each with a few labelled samples, so a skincare buyer never has to scroll past pet content.
- A hook strip showing one product with three different openings, played side by side.
- Stills and a raw-versus-edited pair, for buyers who need more than finished ads.
- Services and process: the deliverables you offer, how revisions work and your usual turnaround.
- A usage note saying which licence your quotes include by default and that paid ads are priced separately, as in the UGC rate card worksheet.
- Contact details and a line on how quickly you usually reply.
Make every sample label answer the same three questions at a glance: which category, which format, and whether it was spec or paid. A buyer comparing several creators is likely to skim the labels before pressing play on anything.
Showing client work: get permission first
Client work is your strongest proof and the easiest place to get into trouble. Before adding any of it, check four things: whether the content is public yet, whether your contract mentions portfolio use, whether you signed a confidentiality clause, and who owns the files.
Ownership is not always yours. In Australia, the Copyright Agency's ownership summary lists a client who commissions a video among the first owners of copyright where nothing else is agreed, reflecting section 98(3) of the Copyright Act. If the brand owns the video, showing it publicly needs the brand's permission. Even where you keep copyright, as creators generally do by default under UK and US law, a confidentiality or exclusivity clause can still restrict where the work appears. Write portfolio rights into future contracts; the UGC contract clause checklist includes wording for it.
Anyone else who appears in a sample needs to agree to its use in your portfolio as well as in the brand's ads, so get that consent in writing on the day you film.
Permission request template
Subject: Permission to show the [campaign name] videos in my portfolio
Hi [name], I enjoyed making the [product] videos for [brand]. I'd like to include [the finished ads or two of the cut-downs] in my UGC portfolio at [website or hosting location].
I'm asking to display the work publicly once the campaign is live, credited as “Created for [brand]”. I won't share performance data, internal briefs or unreleased versions, and I'll take the work down within [number] business days if you ask.
If you'd prefer, I can keep it in a password-protected section or share it privately with prospective clients only. Could you reply to confirm which option works for you?
Thanks, [your name]
File the reply with the contract. A written yes, even by email, is far easier to rely on later than a remembered conversation.
Where to host it
Pick hosting for the way a buyer will open it: usually on a phone, often from an email, sometimes from the link on your profile.
| Option | Works well for | Watch for |
|---|---|---|
| Your own website or a one-page site | Full control of layout, labels and contact details | Large video files that load slowly on mobile data, so compress and test them |
| Unlisted YouTube videos | Smooth playback without publishing samples on your channel | YouTube's privacy settings help says anyone with the link can watch and reshare an unlisted video |
| Shared cloud folder | Sending full-resolution files to a shortlist of brands | Google Drive's sharing help notes that anyone with the link can open a file shared that way, and that expiry dates are only for eligible work or school accounts |
| PDF deck with linked videos | Brands that pass decks around internally | Links inside the PDF break if you move or rename the files |
| Link-in-bio page | Buyers who find you through your social profile | Narrow buttons, so keep each sample title short |
| Marketplace or platform profile | Being found by brands already searching that platform | The licence the platform's terms take in anything you upload |
Whichever you choose, keep client work you have not been cleared to show out of shareable links entirely. A link that works for anyone who holds it can travel much further than the inbox you sent it to.
Keeping it current
Review the portfolio whenever you finish a job or a licence ends. Swap in stronger samples, retire any that no longer represent your best work, and remove client pieces promptly if a brand asks. Check the files as well as the page: exported photos and videos can carry location data, so strip metadata before uploading, and make sure no reflection or background detail gives away where you live. The faceless creator guide has a fuller pre-post privacy check.
Limitations of this guide
A portfolio shows what you can make; it cannot make brands reply, and no single layout suits every buyer. The ownership summary covers Australian, UK and US starting positions only, and the confidentiality terms in your contracts can override them, so check each agreement and ask a lawyer if a brand disputes your right to show work. The spec figures come from Meta's help pages, and hosting services change their settings and terms, so confirm current options before relying on them.
Still building your first samples? Start with the three self-assigned briefs in the UGC starter checklist.