Maren dives into the world of UGC, breaking down what it is, why brands love it, and how anyone (yes, even moms with messy homes and zero followers) can get started and succeed. Whether you’re looking for more freedom, real earning potential, or just a way to tap into your creative side, this episode is packed with tips, real-life stories, and inspiration to help you make informed choices on your own terms.
Let’s get real: I made $500 last month posting about my non-toxic laundry detergent. Two 30-second videos. One minute of work. And no, I didn’t need a massive following, an affiliate link, or a downline to make it happen. This is UGC-User Generated Content-and it’s the mom-friendly side hustle that actually pays without sacrificing your family time or privacy.
In this episode, I’m breaking down exactly what UGC is, why brands are willing to pay you $150-$1,000+ per video, and how it’s a fundamentally better path than network marketing for moms who want real income without the burnout.
What UGC Actually Is (And Why Brands Are Obsessed)
The Definition That Changes Everything
UGC stands for User Generated Content, and here’s what that means in real terms: any form of content-videos, photos, reviews, testimonials, voiceovers, social posts, or creative assets-created by everyday consumers or independent creators rather than the brand itself.
Think about it from the brand’s perspective. They can hire a professional model with a union card, pay for hair and makeup, travel, a full production crew-all the things that go into a traditional ad campaign.
Or they can hire someone like me, a full-time working mom who shows up with a top knot and maybe, if they’re lucky, some mascara. The difference? Authenticity. People know when they’re looking at a paid model.
But when they see real people using real products in everyday situations, it feels genuine. And that authenticity increases trust and conversion rates.
Where Your Content Actually Goes
Brands take the content you create and use it everywhere. They post it on their own social media pages. They run it as ads on TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts. They put it on their website or product pages. It goes on Amazon listings.
They use it in email marketing. The best part? You as the UGC creator do not have to post it onto your own personal page. That means you can earn income without exposing your private life to the world.
This content performs extremely well on platforms like TikTok, Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts, and yes, Amazon. Why? Because it doesn’t look like an ad. It looks like a real recommendation from a real person, which is exactly what consumers are looking for.
“Brands are willing to pay for authenticity because little old me showing up with a top knot performs better than a full-scale production with professional models.”
Why UGC Works for Creators (Especially Moms)
You Get Paid for Skills, Not Follower Count
Here’s what changed the game for me: UGC is not about your audience size. I see so many women get pulled into network marketing, creating content after content, day after day, relying on sales coming through and building a team. In the UGC world, none of that matters.
You can work with brands even if you have a small following. There’s no need to post on your own social profile unless you want to.
I get asked all the time, “My house is messy” or “I don’t have the nice aesthetic-can I still be successful at this?” And the answer is absolutely yes. Because here’s the difference: influencers are paid for their reach.
Those people promoting kids’ vitamins with the get-ready-with-me videos and the perfectly designed homes? They have to maintain hundreds of thousands of followers and get good engagement on every post, or the likelihood of them getting rehired goes down. That’s a lot of pressure.
With UGC, brands are hiring you for your skills, not your audience. You can literally start earning right away. And it’s not up to you whether something’s “successful” or not based on the engagement-that responsibility is on the brand. In network marketing, it’s all about sales.
You’re trying to make sales on the content you create. UGC eliminates both of those pressure points.
The Mom-Friendly Advantage
UGC is one of the most mom-friendly side hustles because it gives you flexibility, freedom, and real earning potential without sacrificing family time. And I need you to take my word for this as someone who was in network marketing for over a decade and reached the top 0.01%.
One of my biggest saving graces is that I’m forever grateful I didn’t have children when I was fully immersed in network marketing, because I know I would regret all the time I didn’t spend with them. It took a lot of time to make it into that top percentage.
UGC allows me to be the present mom but still earn an income.
With UGC, there are no strict hours. There are no required meetings you have to attend. You don’t need to be on at a specific time. You literally can film when the kids are busy, sleeping, or playing, and then edit later on your own schedule.
That’s the season I’m in, and I love that UGC allows me to thrive here. They tell you in network marketing that you can work around family life, but it’s just not feasible, trust me.
You’re Already Doing the Work
UGC uses things you’re already doing. You’re cooking, cleaning, parenting, grocery shopping. You have a self-care routine-especially if you’re a millennial, you know you’re doing that 19-step skincare routine. You’re organizing, playing outside.
Brands love content that shows real people using real products in everyday situations, and that’s exactly what moms are already doing literally every single day.
“Time is the only currency you can’t get more of. UGC lets you monetize what you’re already doing without adding more to your plate.”
The Income Potential and Privacy Protection
Real Numbers: What UGC Actually Pays
UGC can pay anywhere from $150 to over $1,000 per video. Plus, there are retainers-where a brand hires you for multiple months and expects a certain amount of content each month. They can pay you for usage rights and whitelisting fees, meaning they’re going to run your content in ads. And you can scale it up or down based on the season of your life.
For me, I scale up big time in the off-season for golf, which is summer. When I start coming around to fall and winter, am I taking on as many smaller jobs? No, because I just don’t have the time.
That’s where I focus on my retainer deals. I know I have to pump out five videos for this brand, but I’m also going to receive at least $100 per video. That’s my car payment, boom, done for the month. And it’s a contract I’m signing with the brand.
Protecting Your Kids While Building Income
If you know me, I never share my children’s faces on social media. I don’t even share their names. And I’m living proof that you can create beautiful content and brands will continue to hire you over and over again without putting your kids on blast and showing them all over.
Yes, brands pay for that content, so they own it in perpetuity. But that doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice the privacy of your children. Some brands prefer product-only content, or you’re just doing B-roll footage with voiceovers.
They’re all equally valuable in the UGC world, whether you choose to put your children in the content or not. Or like me, you include the children in the content but hide their likeness-blur out their faces, show just the backs of their heads.
There are lots of creative ways to involve your children without giving up personal privacy.
And here’s what I love: you don’t have to post on your personal pages. This is great for moms who want privacy or don’t want to be that cookie-cutter influencer. You create the content, the brands post it to their pages and use it in their ads, and that’s it.
You don’t have to do anything more. And you don’t have the worry of random people who see you in the ad going to your private page where you may share your children.
Teaching Your Kids About Work Ethic Through UGC
The Tangible Gift of Seeing Mom Work
My toddler says to me all the time, “Mommy, I’m gonna go to work,” and she’ll take my phone and pick up the product and start pitching it as if it’s a UGC video. I never show her on social media, but she watches me all the time.
She understands that we’re receiving these products for free, so to speak, but we’re working for them. Mommy gets paid to talk about the things that we use and like, and it’s genuine.
We get to do funny things like B-roll content-going to Costco, putting the girls in the stroller, whizzing through the aisles. I wish you could hear all the behind-the-scenes laughter that comes out of the two of them.
My daughter got a balance bike for free. She rides that thing everywhere and loves it, but she knows what went into making it. She actually sees the editing process.
She understands what B-roll is. She understands staging. She helps me position things. She’s so cute-she’ll say things like “Quiet on the set.”
Why This Matters More Than Network Marketing Ever Did
When I was in the height of network marketing earning in that top 0.01%, I didn’t have children yet. But when my oldest was young but old enough to understand, she couldn’t comprehend why mommy was always on her phone.
She didn’t see my bank account. With UGC, my kids actually see something tangible. They receive the gift. They know we have to create content with the gift in order for us to have it. They understand work ethic.
This is literally for everyone. When I say there’s a low barrier to entry, I truly mean it. You hear a lot that anyone can do network marketing-that’s not the truth. There’s a reason why there’s a 0.01%.
And with influencing, you have this threshold of needing hundreds of thousands of followers. With that comes a price-everyone knows your life situation, your children’s names, where you live. To me, that’s a level of privacy I’m not willing to cross.
So UGC is this perfect fit. You don’t have to be part of that 0.01%. The 99.99% can actually earn income from it. You’re getting free goods sent to your house, tapping into all of your creative skills, showcasing your personality, and making substantial income.
“My kids don’t just hear about my work-they see it, help with it, and understand the connection between effort and reward. That’s a lesson no amount of network marketing hype could teach them.”
Ready to get started with UGC?
Bottom Line: UGC is the future of social selling-giving moms real income, creative fulfillment, and time freedom without sacrificing privacy or family time. Time to take action.
