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Flat fee, per view or both: how to pay UGC creators
The three common pay models, what each one rewards, and why most programs end up with a mix.
November 6, 2026 · 3 min read · Friendzone team
In this article
How you pay creators decides what they make for you. Pay only for posting and you get volume. Pay only for views and you get a few people swinging for a hit while everyone else gives up. The model matters as much as the amount.
A flat fee per video
Simple to explain and easy to budget. A creator knows what a post is worth before they film it, which matters most to people who are new to your program. The weakness is that a video with 300 views costs the same as one with 300,000.
Pay per 1,000 views
You pay for what you got. Creators who find a format that works are rewarded for repeating it. On its own, though, it puts all the risk on the creator, and good people leave after a couple of quiet weeks.
Both, with a bonus on top
Most programs settle on a small flat fee so every post is worth making, a rate per 1,000 views so results are shared, and a bonus when a video crosses a threshold. A campaign might pay $10 a video plus $1 per 1,000 views, with a bonus at 100,000 views.
Whatever you choose, write it into the contract and show the maths. Creators should be able to see what each video earned and when the money arrives without asking.
Count each video once
Creators post the same video to several platforms. Paying for every copy rewards reposting, not making. A cleaner rule is to pay each video once, for the platform where it did best.
