| Creator course | Brand course | |
|---|---|---|
| For | New and working UGC creators | Brands, agencies, and growth teams |
| You learn | How UGC jobs and pay work, account setup, hooks, filming, posting, and your portfolio | Creator pay, viral formats, sourcing, and running a program |
| You leave with | A warmed-up account, posted videos, and a portfolio, ready to apply | A pay structure, a brief library, and a 90-day plan |
| Start here | UGC creator course | UGC course for brands |
- For UGC creators & beginners
Free Canvas UGC Creator Course
Learn how Canvas UGC works and pays, set up your account, turn briefs into videos, and build a portfolio brands say yes to.
6 chapters · 46 min read
- For Campaign managers & agencies
Free Canvas UGC Brand Course
How to structure creator pay so you only pay for reach, find formats that already work, source creators, and run a program with 50+ creators without it breaking. Four chapters, free.
4 chapters · 60 min read
Which UGC course is right for you?
Both courses teach the same system from opposite sides: organic short-form videos posted at volume, with creators paid for the reach they generate. Start with the one that matches your role. If you manage creators for a brand, the creator course is a useful second read, because it shows you what your creators are told.
What is UGC?
UGC (user-generated content) is content an individual creates for a brand in a natural, social-media-native style: a creator explaining an app, demonstrating a product, or sharing an experience. Unlike an influencer, a UGC creator is hired for the content, not for their audience, so you can start with zero followers.
What is Canvas UGC?
Canvas UGC is a model where creators post organic videos on dedicated accounts focused on one brand, and are paid based on how those videos perform. Each account is a "canvas" for testing hooks, formats, and messages at volume. It often overlaps with Tech UGC (content for apps and software) and high-volume UGC (many videos over a set period). For the full picture, read Canvas UGC explained.
Who made these courses
The courses are written by the viral.app team. viral.app is the platform brands use to hire, track, and pay UGC creators across TikTok, Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts, Facebook Reels, and Snapchat Spotlight, and it has tracked 100B+ views and paid out $5M+ to creators. The lessons come from those programs: what brands put in briefs, how they pay, and what separates creators who get rehired from those who don't.
Yes. Both courses are free to read in full, with no sign-up, email, or payment.
A UGC creator makes natural, social-native videos for brands: explaining a product, demonstrating it, or sharing an experience. Brands use the content on their own channels, website, or ads, or on dedicated accounts in Canvas UGC programs.
Learn how UGC jobs and pay work, set up and warm up a dedicated TikTok account, turn briefs into videos with strong hooks, post and improve them, and build a portfolio of 5–10 videos. Then apply to campaigns. The free creator course walks through each step with a 10-day plan.
It is when you pay for performance. Flat fees of $500+ per video put the risk on unproven content. A small base fee plus view bonuses lets you test dozens of videos for the same budget and pay more only for the ones that reach people.
No. The courses work on their own. They mention viral.app where it saves time, and say so when you can do the same thing by hand.