15: Learn How To Pitch ( From a Top UGC Creator)

Our guest today is a UGC queen and she specifically knows how to pitch well, gain long term brand deals, and even land free vacation stays. I am so excited to have on Maddy Garrett from @maddyoutdoors.coach. She teaches creators how to work part-time, but travel full time and she is spilling the tea all things UGC. 

In this episode we are covering:

• Best and simple tips to get started in making UGC content
• How many pitches should you be sending to brands a monthly ( The number WILL shock you)
• Is UGC too saturated to start in? 
• How to build a UGC business in 8 weeks
• And the fun part: how to book free vacations rentals 

Connect with Maddy:
@maddyoutdoors.coach
email: hello@maddyoutdoors.com

8 WEEK UGC BOOTCAMP + FREE Resources

Podcasts to Check out:
The Game
The Skinny Dipping podcast
Entrepreneur Honestly

FREE Resources:

FREE Creator Wildfire Co-Working Community:
https://travelcontentwriting.hbportal.co/public/65f1dece8139f500190c30ca

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FREE Travel Creator Newsletter Template: https://travelcontentwriting.hbportal.co/public/64c541cc034b1a032be4479b

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Transcript

 [00:00:00] Hey, travel creators. Welcome back to another episode today I have for you, Maddy Garrett, who is an outdoor UGC coach. 
You may have seen advice on the internet on how to build a business or sell eBooks and make like a hundred K and your sleep, which I'm not saying is impossible, but it's really freaking annoying. So Maddie today is going to talk to us about the realities of UGC as well as what you can do to get started. 
What you do see is, and what it's not. She helps creators work. Part-time. But make a full-time income and not even be an influencer, which sounds amazing.
 I'm so excited for this episode. It's going to be a good one. Welcome to the show, Maddie. so UGC stands for user generated content, and it's basically, I think people get confused because they think oh, influencer marketing, is that the same as UGC?
Maddy Garrett: It's not the same, but the content is different. So I can kind of [00:01:00] explain the distinction. So influencer marketing would be like a brand sends an influencer product and pays them to create a video that they then post on their social media and share with their audience. And then UGC is different because.
Maddy Garrett: Although the beginning part is still similar. So like you pitch the brand and they send you the product and they pay you to create the video. You don't post it on your own social media or share it with your audience. The brand is actually using that video on their own social media pages or in their advertising.
Maddy Garrett: So it's not the same as influencer work because you don't have to have an audience to share the video with. And so I hope that encourages some people. Like when I got started with UGC, it was like a heaven sent cause I was trying to become an influencer. And I was like, this is hard. And I found out I could make money with my content without having a ton of followers.
Maddy Garrett: So that's when it really clicked for me. I was like, okay, sweet. I'm going to really take advantage of this. and that's why [00:02:00] really is one of my favorite things. Cause. Pretty much anybody can learn to do UGC, without having a following. so that's kind of the gist of what it is. That's amazing. I think it is so good because there's so many people who have Okay, like there might be creators who are good at video editing But it's just the fact that they have to post consistently to try and grow an audience which is a nightmare that they can still use their skills and Use it to make money and still have fun because it's one of their favorite skills.
 Okay. Yes, let's get that straight. So you do not need to have thousands of followers or be an influencer to do UGC content. UGC content is posted on the brands. Social media pages, either in an ad paid or organically on their accounts. So it's a, like a little cheat sheet if you're like, I love creating content, but my 100 [00:03:00] followers is probably not going to make me 10 K. I'm not saying it well, but. The reality is it probably won't. so UGC is like a little hack in that way, but it does not come easily.
Maddy Garrett: What are some of the biggest UGC mistakes you see creators making? 
Maddy Garrett: Honestly, I think the biggest mistake people make is they get into it thinking, oh, seems like everyone online is doing this.
Maddy Garrett: I could make 5, 000 in my first month doing it. And while that does happen sometimes, like some people do genuinely put in a ton of work and kind of get lucky, it's not the norm. It's not normal to like to start UGC in, in your first month, like really hit the ground running and make a ton of money.
Maddy Garrett: And that was my journey too. Like it was in my first month. the fourth month of UGC that I started consistently hitting 5, 000 months, which still is awesome. Like four months to get to that in something that I did part time is awesome, but I think people have the misconception that it'll happen right away when usually it doesn't.
Maddy Garrett: And so I think that's one of the [00:04:00] mistakes that people make is just getting into it or buying a course or making a portfolio and pitching brands and being like, Getting discouraged after like two months and being like, I must not be good at this, my content isn't good, brands just want to do gifted collabs, whatever.
Maddy Garrett: You just gotta get past that, like, three to four month hump of struggling, and then it'll get better, so I think that's the biggest one. That's so true. I think people, you probably get this a lot, or have heard this a lot, that People have a hard time understanding that it is like a legit business.
Maddy Garrett: Like, sure, you could do it on the side. Sure. But you have to put in so much time and effort to make it good and do it seriously that I think that's probably what discourages a lot of people. Like, the same way I feel about the travel creator space is that there are so many travel creators, but there is 10 percent of them who are good at what they do because they stick it out long enough.
Maddy Garrett: And I'm sure it's the same in [00:05:00] UGC that it's like, This is not just something you can do for funsies if you want to make, if you want to make a lot of money. It's crazy. A hundred percent. And I, if you want to just do this for funsies and get free products and maybe get paid like a couple hundred dollars here and there, like, do it.
Maddy Garrett: There's nothing wrong with that. It's just that's not really what it looks like for creators if you want to actually build a business out of it. And I think what you said is totally right. And, What I think is true for most business owners and entrepreneurs. I listened to a lot of entrepreneur podcasts and things like that.
Maddy Garrett: And it's like, You can't expect to be as good as somebody who's been doing this for three years. Like you can't just get into it and be like, well, if I do exactly what they're doing, blah, blah, blah. It's just going to take you a while. And actually this is something I've learned a lot lately is like, take what you're like idols are doing and double the input of what they're doing.
Maddy Garrett: If you want to reach their [00:06:00] level in like half the amount of time as they did. And it's just. That's how I think about UGC. And so that's actually what I would say is like the second mistake that people make is not doing enough outreach. In the beginning, people start and they think that emailing 50 brands a month is a lot when actually it's not.
Maddy Garrett: And I would actually recommend emailing sending out like 200 or 250 emails for like your first two or three months, which people think sounds crazy. but if you have the right systems in place, it actually can take you like Four hours a week, which is not that bad. and so I think people make the mistake of thinking that they're doing a lot of outreach just because they don't have the education around what actually is a lot of outreach.
Maddy Garrett: And so I always recommend that you should be pitching on 250 emails a month.
 If you do anything long enough, you're going to get good at it. And it's going to be faster for you and probably more successful just as [00:07:00] a side effect of all the time you've put in. 
So, this is where you really need to figure out your goals is something like UGC, which you are going to have to put a lot of time into to get to that top 10% of creators. Is that something you want to do? does that align with your long term vision or does it make more sense for you to. Stick to it. doing what you're doing now and doing it for a long time.
Maddy Garrett: That's so crazy. What's the best way to organize all this information? Do you use something, some like a fancy Notion template, or do you use just like a Google Sheet? Yeah, I'm not a Notion girlie, I'm absolutely a Google Sheet girl.
Maddy Garrett: So I have a google sheet template where I keep track of All of the brands that I find like the category that they're in so like are they a toothbrush company?
Maddy Garrett: Are they a tent company right? Like I keep track of the categories and then a space where you could put their email and, the most important part, I think for me is just keeping track of [00:08:00] like, have I pitched them, have I followed up and, like, did it turn into anything? So I'll have like completed or like denied and I'll have a note section where I'll say like, what did they say back to me that was like a no.
Maddy Garrett: And sometimes that no, we'll be like. follow up in three months, and so I'll make sure to keep track of that. But it is like a lot of keeping track of stuff, so it is really nice to have some sort of place where you can have that, because otherwise it's just gonna get lost in the matrix. 
Honestly people who use Google sheets are on another level. And I am just not. 
And I admire that so much. In episode two, I teach you how to build a content organization system using a sauna. So I would go head over there cause you can maybe apply. Some of what I'm teaching you in there to create a lead sheet.
Maddy Garrett: Okay, like tips for dealing with rejection, which is going to happen a lot as you are pitching all of these different brands. [00:09:00] like hundreds of them. So like, how do you get over that in the beginning to kind of use it as motivation to keep, just keep doing it?
Maddy Garrett: It's hard. I would say it's, it should only be hard if you're uneducated on the amount of brand responses you should expect. So let this be encouragement to any creators out there who are new and are like, I do not get responses or just, I don't know, brands don't reply to me. if you're getting 1% like positive response, you should be truly celebrating.
Maddy Garrett: As if you're pitching a hundred brands and one of them responds, you should be awesome because the typical deal rate as a beginner is like 2%. It's so small. And that's why I recommend people pitch so many brands at first, because if you just pitch 50 brands, The likelihood is you're not going to even land one deal.
Maddy Garrett: And so it's going to feel really discouraging where if you pitch 300 [00:10:00] brands, you could land like three deals and then you're like, awesome. And yeah, I think just people get discouraged cause they don't know that it's normal that you're going to get rejected 99 percent of the time. That is so funny. I keep seeing all these trends on the internet of people being like, I'm going to get rejected.
Maddy Garrett: Well, how about you start a UGC business? Right? You go. I don't know. Literally, it's actually insane. And people just don't know that. They don't know that it's normal to get a 2%  response rate. So they're like, what am I doing wrong? And I'm like, no, literally nothing. Just pitch more . Wow. I have a newfound respect for the UGC creator's resilience.
Maddy Garrett: 'cause that is insane. Right? insane. 
Oh, my gosh. I think we should just take this all as a life lesson that we're never failing. Maybe we're just not. Putting in enough output to get the input that we want. And to be honest, like making, growing [00:11:00] your little travel creator business into a big travel crater business is just a numbers game.
Maddy Garrett: is it fair to say that, similar to kind of like, 
Maddy Garrett: if someone was doing a cold email, which essentially maybe is what these pitches are, you can have a template and then fill in the information, like you're gonna be a good human and go research the brand and put in all the identifying information.
Maddy Garrett: Is that probably the most productive way to go about pitching? 100%. Have a template that you use and what I actually do is I pitch by category. and so I don't have just one general pitch, but basically every week I pitch a different category. So like this week I would be pitching I don't know, camp chairs, let's say, and so I'll go and I'll do my whole pitch process just for camp chair brands and I'll have a specific pitch that is Personalized for a camp chair company.
Maddy Garrett: And then it has like different variables. I can fill in like their first name and the company name and stuff like that. And the only time I really [00:12:00] customize the email further than that is if I've used the product before, and I actually have a connection to it and I want to tell them about that. or if it's a product I've seen and really wanted or a brand I really want to work with.
Maddy Garrett: So like those are the instances in which I'll go and add a little more like customization. Otherwise, I pretty much just send that template. That's amazing. Sounds like you should create a service where you're just have people pay you to pitch for them. Not that you would want to do that because that takes so much time, but I know it's more though.
Maddy Garrett: Cause like,and I actually, I have a personal assistant who helps me with pitching because I'm like, That is, it's not fun to do. No, it's totally not. It's totally not. okay. You said you listened to a few entrepreneur podcasts. I would love to know what they are. Ooh. Okay. So one of my favorite ones is, the game by Alex Ramosi.
Maddy Garrett: What a guy. Yeah. I mean, we just, you know, he's the guy and some of the stuff's a little controversial, but for the most [00:13:00] part, love him. And He's very much a hard ass and like, he'll tell you it straight and be like, you just need to do this. And I'm like, dang, you're right. That's the one I was into the most.
Maddy Garrett: And then sometimes I listen to Layla Hermosi's podcast and I can't remember what it's called. but hers is great too. And then one that isn't necessarily an entrepreneur, but sometimes is because the founder of it is like an entrepreneur herself. It's called the skinny dipping podcast.
Maddy Garrett: It's a lot more like mental health and stuff like that, but it's amazing. I love it. I recommend it to everybody. I would also recommend Brianna Wiest, I don't know if that's how you pronounce her name, but her podcast. She writes a bunch of books and they're amazing, but she also has a podcast and every now and then she'll release a season and they are so good. So good. So good.
Maddy Garrett: So good. I can't recommend them enough. 
One of my favorite [00:14:00] new podcasts is called an Entrepreneur Honestly, and it is produced by my own producer, Marie, where we talk, honestly.
About what it's like being an entrepreneur. So this seems to just go hand in hand with this episode. So I would just shimmy on over there after this.
Maddy Garrett: okay. Let's talk about your content or I guess. So two things. Looking back at when you first started UGC and you were creating videos, what are some of the biggest things you feel like you've improved on?
Maddy Garrett: Yeah, I think in general, I'm so much faster at editing now. it's like clockwork for me. And that's something I see all of my new students struggle with. They're like, it takes me so long to edit a video. And I'm like, just comes with practice. 
Maddy Garrett: So that's a big one. I think another thing too, is just being really comfortable talking to the camera. That's something everybody in the beginning, it's just, it's not, it doesn't feel natural.
Maddy Garrett: It's hard to do. It feels weird. but the more you do it, it's, you're [00:15:00] just going to get so much better at it. And now I can talk to the camera. Like I'm talking to my best friend and that's what you want. Totally. This is a big one. I think a lot of people, like I have a brand that I do 13 videos a month for, and I've been doing that since.
Maddy Garrett: April of last year. So I've been doing it for a whole year. So you know what that is like a hundred and something videos for this brand. People are like, how do you come up with that many ideas for one company? Like, how would you even create like 150 different videos? And that too, I've just gotten so good at getting creative with different things that you can do with literally the same product.
Maddy Garrett: And it's funny because I have people be like, they want three videos, like I don't know how to come up with three ideas. And I'm like, oh, I could think of 20 right now. And they're like, and so that's like a brain muscle [00:16:00] that you just kind of form creatively as you keep doing videos and like consuming UGC content.
Maddy Garrett: Like I definitely did not used to be this good at it, but the more that you do it, it'll just come more naturally to you over time. This reminded me of something I had seen about UGC. And it was taught, like, in my mind, before I learned about UGC through you. My perception of it was, like, I have this beautiful product and I am just taking, luxurious shots in the shower, with the sunlight streaming through, and there's water pouring over this body wash that I am marketing, like, I don't know anymore, you can enlighten me, if this sort of like, inspiring aesthetic, that's the word, if this aesthetic content is really the whole point of UGC anymore, like, how good is that, because what I learned recently is that Companies want UGC because it's a real person using their real product.
Maddy Garrett: And it's not some like [00:17:00] creamy dreamy commercial. It's like, hi, I'm Laura. And I use this product because X, Y, and Z. So does aesthetic content even fit into this UGC world anymore? Should we ignore it? What do we do? Totally. Actually, I think most UGC creators on the internet are doing that kind of content.
Maddy Garrett: and. I don't think it's bad. Like brands definitely still want some of that content because it shows off the product really well. And that's great. But,I do not take content like that. That is not the kind of content that I do. I'm very much in the travel, outdoor, everyday lifestyle kind of niche.
Maddy Garrett: And so, a lot of times, like, I'm taking videos in my camper van. I'm taking it, like, out on a hike. and it's not. I rarely film product shots in my apartment. And so there's spaces for both and it really depends on the kinds of brands that you're pitching and the [00:18:00] kind of content that they want.
Maddy Garrett: because For example, if you're working with a backpacking backpack brand, they're going to want really different content than a shampoo brand. And it just depends on their clientele, honestly. That's really good. I always try and tell creators, well, you can tell me if this is good advice, but if they want to go and work with a brand, you need to make sure that your target audience is aligned because if you're a budget backpacker and you're like, look at this luxury, like sunscreen I have for you, like that feels so misaligned.
Maddy Garrett: And it just doesn't make sense. I agree completely. I think a lot of people miss the mark on that. And that's when brand partnerships kind of can go bad and like not getting engagement and not work because it's like, yeah, of course your audience doesn't care about that. the one [00:19:00] instance, I would say, not that that's not true, but like, To think outside the box a little, and this is advice I give to my UGC students is that a lot of the students that I have are also in the outdoor and travel niche.
Maddy Garrett: And so they think, I'm just going to pitch all the outdoor travel brands. So like the backpacking companies and the granola bars and hiking boots. And I'm like, great, pitch them to, first of all, though, if you're pitching all the big companies. Good luck because they have a hundred people pitching them every week.
Maddy Garrett: but I would actually recommend thinking outside the box and pitching people who aren't necessarily in the niche, but who could relate to the outdoor and travel audience. That is so genius. Like, you can put on your creative hat you can look for opportunities in brands that don't typically align to say like, okay, This finance company could be really good for digital nomads like this app because you're always on the go and you just need something quick to like [00:20:00] manage your, that's so smart.
Maddy Garrett: That's so smart. That's so smart. 
 The next time you are watching some of your favorite YouTubers. Think about the type of sponsorships they are getting. For example, I will admit I love book tubers. Okay. And I just saw one and this woman was sponsored by some finance or investing company. And like, when you think about finance and investing and reading books, those two don't have a lot in common. But it's still something that can help her figure out how many books she can afford. 
So you just have to kind of put your own creative spin on it or see that there's a gap in the market. Like, oh, Hey, I could use this finance tool for my digital nomad adventures. 
Another hot tip is to just think about the products that you use every single day. Whether they're related to travel or not. 
For example, I use these awesome things, like Hydro Flask cups. Great. They would be great for travel, but also they're just a good cup. And I think one of the most important parts about [00:21:00] working with brands, whether it's through UGC or something else, is that you are aligned. So I know I just gave an example. So this seems counterintuitive saying that it doesn't have to be in the travel space, this brand that you want to work with. But what I mean is that if you are a budget traveler, it doesn't make sense to go work with luxury spa products, or if you are a luxury spa traveler, it doesn't make sense to. Be connected to a company that sells. Backpacks. Do you see how that's misaligned?
Maddy Garrett: Speaking of brands, what red flags do you look for when, okay, you've pitched them, they give you a yes or a maybe, and you start chatting with them or sending them your rates, whatever you do. And they're giving you some vibes that maybe feel misaligned. What red flags do you look for that you're like, all right, I actually am not going to spend my time working with them?
Maddy Garrett: I think a big one is [00:22:00] if they immediately come back to your packages and are like, oh, like, We, you know, we have a really small budget. Let's say you pitch them a package. That's like $600. And they come back and say, Oh, you do that for $200. Then I'm like, okay, like, can we be so real about that?
Maddy Garrett: Um, but a lot of the time with that, what you can do instead of totally writing it off or like giving them a bigger discount is just being like, I would love to work with you guys. That's unfortunately way out of my rate. But instead of discounting it, you can just lower the deliverables.
Maddy Garrett: So like see instead if they would do that for like one video instead of three videos or something. So you can try lowering the deliverables to match their budget. And then a big one that a lot of brands will try to do is ask for usage rights for your videos in perpetuity, which basically just means that they have the right to run that as an ad [00:23:00] forever.
Maddy Garrett: Just don't. I mean,I will say like, it obviously is up to you. It's a personal choice. I have done it like two or three times more at the beginning of my journey when I didn't really know. but if they're to pay you a lot of money for it, then okay, maybe, but the reason that you shouldn't give away rights in perpetuity and really quickly, let me explain the difference.
Maddy Garrett: between organic and ad content because typically a brand will get organic usage in perpetuity. So they can post it on their social media whenever, but they can't use it as an ad. and put money behind it forever. And so typically a brand will purchase from me when I create an ad, like three months of usage rights or six months of ad usage rights.
Maddy Garrett: And what that means is they can then run that as an ad for three months or for six months. And if the ad's doing super well, and they want to continue running it as an ad, they would have to come back to me and pay me [00:24:00] for that additional usage for that time period. And the reason you don't want to give them rights forever is two reasons.
Maddy Garrett: First, it's super valuable. So if They are running that ad, they could literally be bringing them in 000 a month in revenue, which is just crazy and to think that like you created that video for 250 and they didn't pay you for ad rights like, no, like you should be getting paid for that and so you just shouldn't accept deals that are like rights in perpetuity.
Maddy Garrett: Unless they pay, they're paying you a lot of money for that. The other reason is You just never know, if that brand down the line could have a smear on their name. Or, like, something bad could happen. They could be completely associated down the line with a political party you don't like.
Maddy Garrett: Like, it could be [00:25:00] anything. A scandal. And if they still have the rights to run your content as an ad, you're forever associated with that brand. And it's like, Oh, no. Like, it's terrifying. It's like, ain't your name, which is crazy. So, That is so crazy. I mean, okay, I am sure these little UGC creators out there who are just starting are like, missing out on so much money, and then potentially, Just having a rough time when brands take advantage of them, and whoo, that was a lot.
 The more you start working with brands and clients, the more you will learn your red flags.
And I hate to say this to you, but it is a reminder that the brand you are working for you are exchanging services. There's no, like it can be so hard to get caught up in the emotional side of things like that. But the reality is they're going to try and squeeze out of you. Everything they can get to help them [00:26:00] because you are giving them a service. 
This is where he got to have a hard back. And I just released a podcast episode with my sister. Who is an account director at a design company. And we talk about how the heck to manage clients and client relationships. And that applies when you're working with brands.
Maddy Garrett: What advice would you give someone who is just starting to pitch brands, and you're like, alright, don't make these mistakes. Don't fall for this thing. Don't do this. Just, here's when to move on. Some brands will literally try to take you down a rabbit hole of like, pinching you for every penny. That they can get and I'm just like it's not at the end of the day.
Maddy Garrett: It's not worth my time because the deals that Are going to have the most impact for both the brand and for you are deals that turn into longer term partnerships. So like down the line, you create another video for them, or maybe it turns into a monthly partnership. And if it's a brand that's like penny pinching you, and it's going to pay you a hundred dollars for the video.
Maddy Garrett: You don't want that to turn into a long term [00:27:00] contract anyway. So it's really not worth your time. and I really recommend spending your time and energy focusing on brands that are going to pay you. Your worth, and also brands that are interested in packages. So like multiple videos is that's where the money's at.
Maddy Garrett: when you're pitching, try to right away, set the tone that you would love to work with them long term. So even when I send over my initial package to a brand, I'm going to I'll be like, by the way, if you sign a three month long or a longer contract with me for this package, I'll give you 20 percent off of the package or something like that, that incentivizes them to be like.
Maddy Garrett: Okay, great. We're saving money on content. We have a reliable creator like we get to work with you every month So it's a really good way to Increase the amount of money that you're making because you're doing packages instead of one off videos. And then also [00:28:00] consistent income, which was as we know, one of the hardest parts of being a creator, which is basically a freelancer and working for yourself, is just, you don't know when your next paycheck is coming.
Maddy Garrett: And so if you can have those monthly clients, it's a game changer. 
I always try to go into client work with the mindset of, and I even am explicit about this. Like this is a long-term project and this is a long-term relationship because growing.
Online in whatever capacity I'm helping you with. It doesn't happen overnight. So it's going to take a long time to be consistent. 
So that's something else you can say to these brands when you're pitching with them.
. Maddie has an incredible bootcamp. That's eight weeks that she teaches you how the heck to do all of this and more. And it's linked in the show notes. If you really want to get serious about UGC. 
Maddy Garrett: Yes. So I have an eight week UGC bootcamp and it is amazing. We've gotten really good testimonials from people who are landing their [00:29:00] first brand deals from it and landing long term partnerships. Some people work with tourism boards. So it's really cool. and Basically it's an eight week program that takes you through all of the steps that you need to become a UGC creator.
Maddy Garrett: So creating good content, making a portfolio, and I have a whole template for a portfolio to help you set that up, how to write your pitches and then how to find and pitch brands. and then I go through the whole strategy of like, How to get long term clients and all of that good stuff. and it takes you through kind of week by week.
Maddy Garrett: And the goal at the end of the program is to land at least your first paid brand deal. and it's great. I really like the program and there's a community attached to it too. So people like to go and ask questions. They can get feedback from other students in the bootcamp.and also soon I'm actually releasing a kind of mini course on top of that, is going to be more focused on travel [00:30:00] UGC, which might apply to your audience a little more, but, it's going to be like how to pitch Airbnbs and hotels and how to work with tourism boards.
Maddy Garrett: So it's going to get into the nitty gritty of that side of UGC cause. It's awesome and I get to go on free vacation. So Yeah, yeah. Okay. So you basically teach somebody how to build a UGC business in literally eight weeks. Yes, so if you're sitting in your cubicle listening to this right now, this is your sign.
Maddy Garrett: This is your sign. It is freaking hard, but it is not impossible. No, it's not and honestly the boot camp breaks it down. So it's So easy to just be like, okay, this week I have to film four videos. I can do that. Next week, I need to put my portfolio together. Okay, great. Like it really breaks it down. So it's easy and it will not take you more than five hours a week.
Maddy Garrett: So it's great. Amazing. okay, here's what I think of when I'm going to try and shoot a nice video as someone who doesn't create UGC and is just learning about it and would love to someday. okay. [00:31:00] Obviously, we're gonna put our iPhone into 4K. We're gonna, we're gonna, step one, okay.
Maddy Garrett: We're going to try and shoot during golden hour or the best lighting and we're gonna face the light. Are there other big things that you're like, I just can't, I cannot film in here? Or like, this is not, no, this is not working for me. yeah, I think lighting is one of the most important things.
Maddy Garrett: And then, It's hard to film in loud environments. so if you like for voice overs, for example, you're doing a voiceover, you're talking to the camera, you need to be in a quiet environment because even I've had this and I've done a voiceover and I'll go and listen to it and I'm like, And it's my dog like walking across the tile and I'm like, please, it's ridiculous.
Maddy Garrett: So just being aware of little things like that, where it's like, if there's sound in the background during your voiceover, just reshoot it. and yeah. Definitely get a tripod. A tripod is going to be [00:32:00] one of your best friends on your UGC journey. it's almost impossible to shoot all of my content without a tripod.
Maddy Garrett: So get a tripod. A lot of people use microphones for their voice overs or when they're, like, talking to the camera, they'll use a mini mic. I would say you don't need this, especially if you're just starting out. It really isn't necessary for all of my voiceovers. I've literally just talked to my phone, and that works perfectly fine.
Maddy Garrett: So don't feel like you need to invest a ton of money, like, into a good microphone. I do have a tripod that's also a lighting setup. And so it's, I really like that because if it's not good lighting, I can use the lights to show the product better. cause you can't always shoot like UGC at the optimal time.
Maddy Garrett: Like some people are working a full time job and they get home when it's dark out and they're like, well, what do I do? And so they think, you know, they have to go shoot on the weekends. And while that might be part of the solution also, it's like, if [00:33:00] you have a good indoor lighting setup, you can film stuff when it's not optimal lighting out.
Maddy Garrett: Totally. Basically. It doesn't have to be that hard. Yeah, it doesn't have to be that complex. You can do this with your phone. Amazing. Amazing. Okay, I have one thing that was on my mind that we can talk about because I hear it a lot. And, or I think about it a lot, is that the travel creator space, so not from necessarily from a UGC perspective, but just in general of like, okay, I want to become an influencer or whatever, is there are so many people there and I hate to use the word saturated, but I don't have a better one.
Maddy Garrett: My thing is that There are so many different types of travel content, meaning you can be a luxury traveler, you can be a budget traveler, whoever your audience is, that's a different niche, and the other caveat that there are not going to be many creators who [00:34:00] are freaking good at what they do in your specific travel niche.
Maddy Garrett: There's gonna be about a hundred, maybe a thousand, and that's it. And that's your competition. So I think maybe that helps some people get over the overwhelm of either becoming a UGC travel creator, because I'm sure you hear it all the time. It's like, oh my gosh, UGC is so saturated, but it's like, okay, are we talking about UGC for shampoo?
Maddy Garrett: Are we talking about UGC for travel? Like those are different businesses. They just like to have the same label. What are your thoughts on a saturated UGC market? So two thoughts on that. First, mediocrity in any industry is going to be oversaturated. If you're just okay at what you do, then yeah.
Maddy Garrett: There's going to be a ton of people who are just okay at UGC and you're going to be competing with all of them, but excellence is not oversaturated. And there's actually a lack of it. And [00:35:00] so if you can get really good at being a UGC creator, if you can make your pitches really good, if you can stand out and make yourself different from people who are mediocre, then you're fine.
Maddy Garrett: there's not. Too many excellent people pitching brands, and so if you can be really good at it, then you're good to go. And it literally will just take you a couple months to get really good at it. Yeah, I was just gonna say, don't you think, just being average is, half the battle is just being consistent?
Maddy Garrett: Either with the pitches or with, creating? And I want people to know that they don't have to have a fancy product to start with UGC, just use the stuff that you already use. but just practicing with what you have over and over and practicing pitching and getting over your fear, if you have one, of being rejected will let you enter that top percentage and then you can run away into the [00:36:00] woods for half a week because it doesn't even matter.
Maddy Garrett: Right. It's great. No, that's literally like what my situation is because immediately when I pitch a brand I'm ahead of 80 percent of other UGC creators because on my portfolio, I have proof that I've worked with over 60 brands in this space like that's, that's A lot of brands and most creators don't have that credibility behind them because they don't have the time that it took to build that credibility.
Maddy Garrett: And so half of what makes me a good UGC creator and what makes me stand out when I pitch is because I've stuck with it for so long. And most UGC creators are newer at it and they don't like to have all that proof. And that's where I'm like, most people fall off and most people don't stick with it and become excellent at it.
Maddy Garrett: And truly it's just, you just got to stick with it over time and you're, you're going to have that proof behind you and you're going to get better at it. So I agree a hundred percent. It's 90 [00:37:00] percent of the battle is just being consistent. That is the freaking hardest part. for sure. Another thing too about oversaturation is, yes, while there are so many creators and there are new creators coming into the space literally every day, there's also new companies and new brands being born every single day. And we live in an age where social media and advertisements, Are the way that brands become known and it's how they build that kind of brand recognition.
Maddy Garrett: It's how they grow as a company. And so most new brands need UGC content because it's what's going to help them grow. And really it's just our responsibility as UGC creators to show them why they need the service that we are offering because A lot of brands don't know, like, why UGC is [00:38:00] so valuable. They don't know why they need it, why they should pay for it.
Maddy Garrett: And so a lot of our job as UGC creators is actually education, and helping brands understand why they should buy our content in the first place. but to that point, it's just that there's, there's literally brands that are created, companies that are created every day. single day. And that's just going to continue as we're moving into very much like a business and entrepreneurial minded society, where people are quitting their jobs and starting businesses every day.
Maddy Garrett: That's what I think about when I'm like, well, yeah, there's a lot of creators, but there's a lot of companies too. and businesses will always need more creators. So it's like you're kind of filling, like you said, there is a gap. There's a gap between brands or companies who need good creators, and then there's a gap of, there's a whole bunch of crappy creators, and so we're trying to fill the gap.
Maddy Garrett: when [00:39:00] you are trying to educate brands on like, why the heck they need you, is that something that you would encourage people to put maybe in their portfolio? Or do you feel like that is better to come out in an email to be like, Hey, I love what you're doing because probably another thing is you should go and maybe do a little stocking of their, accounts to see what kind of UGC they have used before, if any, and like maybe that's, is that even attainable for your skills or likes?
Maddy Garrett: But maybe in an email, once you've stalked them, it's like, hey, I see that you post about this XYZ, here's why UGC could be great for you. I would say, yeah, typically it's in my pitch that I, I'll even just do a brief sentence about it.And if the brand has more questions, they'll typically ask. and sometimes too, I'll like, this is something I've been doing lately, is hopping on like a 15 minute discovery call with the brand.
Maddy Garrett: And you can really get into the nitty gritty of like, who I am and what I do and why you [00:40:00] need me. But yeah, even if it's just not even a sentence that's like, this is what UGC is and why you need it. But just adding a sentence that's like, you know, if you need content, that's going to help you increase your views and your engagement or, your sales, like I'm your girl.
Maddy Garrett: And right there, it's like, they're already like, oh, Oh, that's what this content does, right? Like it already gives them that little piece of this is the result of working with somebody like me, right? Yeah, it's important to share the result with them. 
That was so good. Maddy just dropped some knowledge on how to pitch without sounding forceful. And. I would do that. Any way you can tell the brand what's in it for them is going to be a win for you. 
Maddy Garrett: my last kind of question. This is about like one of the best things you've done with your content in the last year. You had mentioned knowing your worth and value of your content. Tell me [00:41:00] more about what that means to you. Yeah, I think a lot of people starting out with content don't realize that their content is so valuable.
Maddy Garrett: And There's a few reasons that it is so For organic content that the brand is going to be using on their social media Just think of any brand like, the, obviously the one that we think of is like REI. They use a ton, a ton of UGC on their Instagram and TikTok. Pretty much everything is UGC. And, This is so different from a curated brand page that is like obviously everything is done in house, and it's like a very put together.
Maddy Garrett: Whereas REI, they have made it so community focused that they're able to build a truly like trusting and kind of like cult following with their online community because They [00:42:00] are a lot more relatable and they're like using everyday people in their content and that's the first reason like UGC is so Valuable, especially organically Is that you're just giving that brand?
Maddy Garrett: So much of that community feels that authentic feel And you're helping them engage on a more personal level with their followers And they can't create that kind of content themselves. They can't. They need people like us to do that. So that's a big reason it's valuable organically. And then in ads, I can't speak enough to why they're so valuable because brands could literally get like a 20 times return on their investment.
Maddy Garrett: by purchasing an ad from you. So let's say that, a brand gets a video for me from me and it's, you know, I charged 300 for this video and then they wanted to run it as an ad [00:43:00] for six months and I charged 50 per month. So then that video comes out to like 600. So they paid me 600 for this video. And. they could literally make back that investment within a week of running that ad. And it's crazy. Yeah. No, it's actually insane. And that's why it's so good to like pitch and target brands that, you know, are already running ads. And you can find this by going to the meta ads library or TikTok ads library.
Maddy Garrett: And you can just see who's literally running ads right now. And Those brands know that when they run ads, they get a return on their investment. and so for them, you pitch them 600 for a video. They're like, yeah, no brainer. We know that we'll make 10, 000 off that ad, It's so good. I love this because it gives people hope.
Maddy Garrett: It gives people like, listen, there is money to be made in this space because brands, as UGC continues to grow, [00:44:00] brands have to compete with other brands in creating and finding good UGC creators. So you have to be consistent with it, and you have to tell them, like, they know, it's like, I know that you know that I know, like, I understand that you're going to be making so much money from this ad, I get it, and sometimes, maybe, like, you have to just be explicit and be like, listen, I, you are a massive company, you are going to get a return on investment here, and I have single handedly done my part in getting these sales, which is literally wild.
Maddy Garrett: Like, that was you. And another thing on that, in terms of value, is if they wanted to produce something like this in house, they would have to, like, hire an actor, and hire a videographer, and a marketer, like, all these people to do this video, and that would have cost them 1, 500. 1, 500.
Maddy Garrett: Yeah, they're literally getting a discount by having you do it. They really are, because I know that type of production could literally cost 10, 000 to 20, 000, [00:45:00] which is insane. So I guess for anybody out there who's a UGC creator, Take this as a sign to raise your rates right now.
Maddy Garrett: Do it, please.
 UGC is only going to become more and more useful as brands see other brands using it. And my advice would be if you want to get into UGC.
Start now and take it seriously because by the time you are in that top 10% of creators, there will be a ton of more opportunities. 
Maddy Garrett: okay. If someone wants to start tomorrow, what would you say to them? Or if you're like, I'm going to start over, I've got all this experience and all this. All these pieces of content I've already made and I've sent all these emails before, I know what I'm doing, what would I do now if I wanted to start over?
Maddy Garrett: So, if you've never done UGC before and you're like, what do I do? First and foremost, you need example content and you need to practice shooting content. So, the first [00:46:00] thing you're gonna do is you're going to go find examples of UGC content. How you can do that is go to some of your favorite brands social media pages, And just, you can pretty much figure it out from their reels.
Maddy Garrett: Like people who are using their product, and they reposted that like a reel, that's UGC pretty much. and so go and like, look at the kind of content they have on their page that other creators have made, and then look at ads, go to the meta ads library, search your favorite companies, see what kind of ads they're running.
Maddy Garrett: And, Just learn what good UGC content is. Cause that's the very first thing you need to do. And then you're going to film your own, you're going to suck at first, and then you're going to get better at it. And then you're going to add those videos to your portfolio, which you're going to need before you start pitching brands.
Maddy Garrett: So like, those are the first steps, like, learn good UGC, make good UGC and put it on your portfolio. That's the very first thing you need to do. And then, yeah, this is a big one I get to a lot. It's like creators [00:47:00] who have tried UGC and they're not being super successful, or maybe they're like influencers, but they've never tried UGC and they want to try UGC. My biggest recommendation is like, get your best content together, have friends and family look at your content and give you honest feedback on it.
Maddy Garrett: Because If they would scroll past it as an ad, don't put it on your portfolio. I know it's brutal, but like you, you really need other people's feedback because sometimes I create a video. I'm like, that was so good. And I showed it to my boyfriend and he's like, Oh, that was interesting. And I'm like, Oh no, but it's good to get that feedback because you don't just want to have your own opinion on things.
Maddy Garrett: And if you can make your portfolio as good as possible, if you have any brands that you've worked with, even in a gifted collaboration capacity, you can add their logo to your portfolio. The more credibility you [00:48:00] have, the better. So that's the most important thing is make sure your portfolio has your absolute best videos on it.
Maddy Garrett: And if you can, if you have these put logos of brands you've worked with and testimonials from brands that you've worked with. You can do this by like, maybe you already have an email from a brand that like you sent them a video and they were like, this is so amazing. Thank you so much. Like, we love this.
Maddy Garrett: Put that on your portfolio. or if there's brands you've worked with, go back and ask them. You're like, Hi, I'm updating my website right now. I would really love a sentence from you about your experience working with me and you can get testimonials that way. And that is just Basically expediting your timeline.
Maddy Garrett: Cause like I said, it's about consistency and having the social proof behind what you're doing. So like I have multiple testimonials. I have, like, 12 videos in my portfolio. I have over 60 brand logos in my portfolio. The faster that you can build those things up, the [00:49:00] better off you're going to be.
Maddy Garrett: That's amazing. I'm a big fan of screenshotting whenever, anytime somebody says something nice to me. I'm like, we're slapping that away. 
Maddy Garrett: but is there anything else that's on your mind that you're like, oh, I just really want to talk about UGC or UGC in the travel space or anything?
 Honestly, this is kind of more for travel creators. Like, If you've thought about reaching out to Airbnbs or hotels and you don't really know what to do, I would say just don't overthink it. and try pitching like Airbnbs and places like that because it's actually easier than you would think to get a free stay somewhere.
Maddy Garrett: And that's kind of a piece of advice that I give new creators, even if they're not like heavily in the travel space because honestly it feels like an easy win for people. Thanks. Like your next vacation or the next place you want to go, or you have something planned for somewhere, but you haven't booked Airbnb yet.
Maddy Garrett: Try pitching some Airbnbs first. and you just never know. Like I've had a lot [00:50:00] of success with pitching Airbnbs and hotels and getting free stays. and if you pitch I don't know, 25 hotels or Airbnbs in an area, you'll probably get a free stay somewhere.  
The power of asking is so crazy because if you just ask the reality is that most of the time people will say yes, And the answers already know if you don't even ask. Okay. That was incredible knowledge. We just gained from Maddie and she has a lot of free resources that I have taken myself that are just so incredible. 
And I tell everybody about her. You can find them on her instagram@maddieoutdoors.coach. She has a little link tree going on that you can check out all of her good stuff. All that information will be in the show notes for you. And if you really want to take UGC seriously, she has an eight week bootcamp, Where you can build an entire UGC business. I know people like to say this all the time. 
They're like, oh, come to my [00:51:00] course. And you can build a whole business by the time you're done. But like, no. No. Okay. Maddy’s  is different. Because she teaches you exactly what to do week by week so that there's no guessing what's going on and it can be incredibly clear. For you so you can grow faster. And bigger and better. Amazing. 
Thanks for listening. Travel creators. I hope you learned something about UGC.
Let me know if you want to hear more from Maddy, but I will see you next week.
Maddy Garrett: