Fame Not Required

My story

How I got started
with Canvas UGC.

The question I get asked the most. Here's the whole story, and exactly how I'd start if I were starting from zero.

The question I get asked the most.

How did I get started with Canvas UGC? Here's the whole story.

I'm the one who named it.

I was trying to do content for years. I tried everything to make it work. Then, in August 2024, I found Canvas UGC.

  1. 01

    August 2024.I found Canvas UGC. I was working with one client, making around $400 a month.

  2. 02

    $30 a video.I got connected to a founder who wanted me to post four videos a day at $30 a video. That's about $3,600 a month from one client.

  3. 03

    A second client.He introduced me to someone else, and I signed a second client.

  4. 04

    At capacity.Then dozens of clients started asking me to work for them, and I realized I was at capacity.

  5. 05

    An $8,000 base.I was making a base of about $8,000 a month.

  6. 06

    $10,000 a month.With bonuses, I was making $10,000 a month, working just three hours a day.

And I knew more women needed in here. Founders were begging me for more female creators.

I was sick of watching every woman try to make it as a content creator without feeling like she had the right steps in the right direction. So I launched The Creator Current. I knew more people needed this.

So here's exactly how I'd start from zero.

This is my story. It is not a promise of yours. Results are not guaranteed, and every creator's results are different.

Student win

Member, name hidden. Results are not guaranteed.

Here's exactly how I'd start from zero.

Everything I'd do, in order, if I were starting over today.

How Canvas UGC works

A brand hires you to create a brand new TikTok and Instagram account from scratch. You build it. You warm it up. You post to it every day. The brand owns the account. You own the skill.

Your job is not just to create content. It is to go viral.

Why it's so good

Brands pay you to post videos. The more views you get, the more you get paid.

  • You need zero followers. This account starts at zero too. Nobody is checking your follower count. They are checking your hooks.
  • Your personal page stays yours. You can do this full time and your family, your coworkers, and your old high school friends never have to see a single video.
  • Brands are hiring for this right now. Organic views on their own account work harder for them than ads, which is why more brands want Canvas UGC creators every month.
  • You get paid while you get better. Every video you post sharpens your skill, and someone is paying you for every one of them.
  • All you need is your phone. A window or a ring light, a clean background, and a scroll-stopping hook.

Know the pay before anything else

The two pay structures

Retainer: a flat monthly fee regardless of views. Good when you are starting out, but only take a retainer deal for a brand you can actually go viral for. A retainer on a brand where your content never takes off lowers your confidence and slows your growth as a creator in this space.

CPM: you earn based on how many views your content gets. Higher risk. Much higher ceiling. To put the math in perspective: a $5 CPM means you earn $5,000 if your content hits one million views.

The floor: $15 per video should be the minimum you ever accept. Anything below that is not worth your time.

What to never accept

  • 60 videos for $400 to $500. The math does not work.
  • Anything under $15 per video.
  • A flat rate with no bonus structure, unless you genuinely love the brand.
  • No brief and no contract. Nothing starts without both in writing.
  • Brands that try to take payment off the platform you found them on.

Finding your first deal

There are six ways to find Canvas UGC work.

  • Sideshift: the dedicated Canvas UGC job board. Brands are looking for creators who know how to create good content, write strong hooks, and have good lighting.
  • Launchpoint: a creator app with monthly Canvas UGC deals, where you post for brands from a brand new account.
  • Reddit Canvas UGC communities: brands post here. Show up and contribute before you ever pitch.
  • DM creators: find creators already posting Canvas UGC content and ask if their brands are hiring.
  • Personal brand: talk about what you do online and let inbound find you.
  • The Creator Current Inner Circle: brand deals sourced directly for our creators.

One rule: stay on the platform you found them on.

Setting up and warming up the account

Step 1: Get hired and get it in writing first.

Step 2: Use an email not previously used to create a TikTok account.

Step 3: Create a brand new TikTok and Instagram from that email.

Step 4: Warm up the account before posting a single video.

You are not warming up an account mechanically. You are becoming a real person who lives in this niche. Scroll the niche. Like, comment, and save. Stay in the niche. Every interaction either strengthens the algorithm signal or dilutes it.

The green light: your For You Page is at least 80% niche-specific content. Hit 80%. Then post.

Your starter checklist

Pay rates vary by brand. Results are not guaranteed, and every creator's results are different.

If you've ever wondered how companies get the whole internet talking about their app, they're using Canvas UGC creators. Brands want to pay everyday people like you. If you have never heard of Canvas UGC, this is your time to start.

Mackenzie

Want to learn more?
DM me.

I would love to hear what brought you here.

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