How much does a UGC video cost in Portugal?

If you've never commissioned a UGC video, you've nothing to compare it with, and the figures you find online vary so much, and say so little about what they include, that they're not much help. So instead of throwing a number at you, I'll explain what makes a video cost more or less, so you can walk into any conversation, with me or with any other UGC creator in Portugal, knowing exactly what you're comparing.

Why there's no single price

The word video covers very different jobs. A 15-second video for the brand's Instagram, filmed from a script you already have, is one thing, and ten videos of the same product, each with a different opening, for running in ads over a year, is another, both in the time they take to make and in what you can do with them afterwards. The price follows those two things, the work of filming and the use you'll get from the video, so that's where to start.

What drives the cost of filming

On the production side, these are the choices that weigh most on the price:

• The number of videos. A batch usually works out cheaper per video than one-off orders, because shipping the product, preparing and filming all happen in one go.
• Length and editing. Fifteen seconds talking to camera takes less work than a minute with several settings, close-up shots and carefully styled captions.
• Hook variations. The same video with three different openings gives you far more to test, and each extra opening usually costs much less than a new video.
• Who writes the script. If you come with a finished script there's less work, and if you want the idea and the words to come from whoever films, that's part of the price too.
• Raw footage. If you want the unedited clips so your team can cut other versions, that's extra material agreed separately.
• Language. Filming in Portuguese and English in the same session saves time, but each version still has its own script and its own edit.

What you can do with the video once it's delivered

This is where it's easiest to compare two quotes badly, because two identical videos can come with very different rights. Usage rights are your permission to use the video, and the price changes depending on where you put it and for how long: posting on the brand's profile isn't the same as putting the video into paid ads, and three months of ads costs less than a year.

Then there are ads that run under the creator's name. On Meta they're called partnership ads, and the creator gives the brand permission with a code; on TikTok they're called Spark Ads, and the creator chooses how long the authorisation lasts. Because these ads use the creator's face and profile for as long as they're live, they're usually paid for separately and for a set period, and the same goes for exclusivity, when you don't want the creator filming for your competitors for a few months.

Logistics count too

A physical product has to reach whoever's filming, and shipping is part of the project's cost, as is the product itself when it doesn't come back to you. A restaurant, a hotel or an event means travel, which varies with distance, and the deadline matters too, because a video for Friday means reshuffling the creator's schedule and a video for three weeks' time doesn't.

What to check before you sign

Whoever you work with, whether a creator, a team or one of the platforms that connect brands with creators, ask them to tell you in writing what the price includes. These questions will save you surprises halfway through a campaign:

• Can I use the video in paid ads, and for how long?
• How many changes can I ask for, and what counts as a change?
• Do the editing and captions come done, or do I only get the footage?
• Who writes the script, and can I approve it before filming?

How I price my work

I don't publish a price list, because the cost depends mainly on the number of videos, the kind of content and whether there's travel, and I'd rather hear you out first so I can give you a figure that fits your brand. There are two ways to work with me. In a UGC campaign, I bring in the right creators for your product from a network of more than 100 Portuguese creators I've chosen one by one, write the scripts and briefs, follow the shoots and deliver finished videos, as a one-off project or every month if you run ads all the time. If you'd rather I film it myself, you hire me directly as your creator, in Portuguese or in English.

Either way, some things always come included: three months of paid ad usage, unlimited revisions within the approved concept, and videos ready in about five working days. To find out what your project would cost, talk to me, tell me about the product and what you want to achieve, and I'll reply within 24 hours, with no commitment at all.