If you've tried to budget for user-generated content in Ireland, you've probably hit the same wall every brand hits: nobody publishes the numbers. Creators quote wildly different rates, agencies keep their figures close, and most Irish brands end up negotiating blind.

So we published ours.

At Stacks, we run UGC campaigns for e-commerce brands across Ireland, the UK and the US, working from a network of 400+ registered creators. Below is a taster of the directional pricing benchmarks from the Ireland-based creators in that network — the full breakdown, along with everything else we know about sourcing, briefing and contracting creators, is in our free Irish UGC Playbook for Brands.

What is UGC, in an advertising context?

User-generated content (UGC) is content — usually short, vertical, phone-shot video — made in the style of a real customer's own social post and used by a brand in its marketing, most often as paid social creative on Meta and TikTok. Unlike influencer marketing, you're not paying for the creator's audience. You're paying for the content itself — which is exactly why the pricing logic is different, and why follower counts shouldn't set UGC rates.

If you're weighing up whether to run UGC in-house or through a partner, we've also written an honest comparison of the top UGC agencies in Ireland.

UGC creator rates in Ireland: the benchmarks

These figures are drawn from the quoted rates of Ireland-based creators in our network that we grade high quality, collected in 2026. They're directional planning figures, not quotes — but they're the closest thing to a published going rate the Irish market has.

1 × short-form video (30–40s): €50–€175 typical range · median €100

3-video package: €150–€525 typical range · median €300

Product photos: €15–€100 each · typically €35–€50

Experienced creators: €400–€700 per 3-video package

Influencer-tier creators (reach included): €500–€2,000+ per package

A few patterns worth knowing:

• The 3-video package is the standard unit. Most Irish creators quote per package rather than per video, and most brands brief that way — it's also how you get enough footage for proper hook variations.
• Newer creators cluster at the lower end; experienced creators command more. But follower count itself shouldn't set a UGC rate — you're buying content, not reach.
• A serious first UGC test — three creators × three videos, edited into 12–15 ad variations — costs roughly €900–€1,600 in creator fees.

What moves the price up (and down)

Up: paid usage rights on content posted to the creator's own audience (typically +20–50% on the base fee), exclusivity clauses, rush turnaround, extra hook variations, and multiple products in one brief.

Down: a genuinely high-value product the creator keeps (part of the compensation, never a substitute for fair payment), the paid reach of partnership ads or Spark Ads run from the creator's handle, and multi-video or ongoing monthly arrangements.

The biggest pricing mistake we see? Brands buying content without a written licence covering paid usage — then discovering the winning video can't legally run as an ad. Usage rights are a contract clause, not an afterthought, and copyright stays with the creator unless expressly assigned in writing. The playbook includes the full agreement checklist.

Don't forget the compliance costs

Two things catch Irish brands out, and both are free to get right:

1. Disclosure. Ireland's Advertising Standards Authority (previously the ASAI) and the CCPC have published influencer marketing guidance — any content a creator posts to their own channels under a commercial relationship (including gifted product) needs clear disclosure such as #ad or #gifted.
2. Music. Trending sounds are generally not cleared for advertising. Use Meta's Sound Collection, TikTok's Commercial Music Library, or licensed libraries like Epidemic Sound or Artlist — an ad pulled mid-flight for uncleared music is an expensive lesson.

Get the full playbook — free

This article is the teaser. The full Irish UGC Playbook for Brands is a free 35-page guide covering the complete pricing methodology, sourcing and vetting, briefing templates, the script framework we use, 9 video concepts that convert (with real ad examples), hooks, editing standards, music rights, and the Irish rules on #ad and #gifted.

Download the Irish UGC Playbook for Brands →

Prefer someone to run it all for you? Get an instant price for a Stacks-managed UGC project with our UGC Brief Builder — scope your project in two minutes and see the cost straight away. And if you'd like to check our homework first, our client reviews are on Clutch.

FAQ

How much does a UGC video cost in Ireland?Directionally, €50–€175 per short-form video from Ireland-based creators, with a median around €100. The standard 3-video package runs €150–€525, median €300.

Do UGC rates include usage rights?For content that never appears on the creator's own feed, brand usage of the delivered videos is typically included — but confirm it in writing. Paid usage of audience-posted content is an add-on, usually +20–50%.

Is UGC cheaper than influencer marketing?Usually, because you're not paying for reach. Influencer posts in Ireland run €150–€2,000+ depending on audience size; UGC is priced on the content alone.

What's the minimum budget to test UGC properly?Roughly €900–€1,600 in creator fees gets you three creators, nine videos, and 12–15 ad variations — enough for a genuine test.

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