The Complete Guide to Working With Influencers, Creators & UGC — For Brands and Creators

The Complete Guide to Working With Influencers, Creators & UGC — For Brands and Creators

A story-driven FAQ for the new era of influencer marketing

When we first started SushiVid nine years ago, the industry looked very different. Influencers were mostly bloggers who wrote long informational pieces, then YouTubers who made long form content, Instagrammers who took photos. But the market changed, it has always been changing. Today we are into short form contents with the punchline right at the top. It was hard to be an influencer, you needed the right tools, and you needed time. And “UGC - User Generated Content” wasn’t even a word anyone used.

Fast forward to today, and brands ask us the same question almost every week:

“Who should we work with? Influencers? Creators? UGC?”
And creators ask us: “What am I? And how do I price myself?”

So instead of a dry FAQ, here’s a story-like guide. Simple, practical, and written from everything we’ve learned working with thousands of creators and brands across Southeast Asia.

FOR BRANDS: Choosing the Right Talent for the Right Outcome

Imagine you’re launching a new product. You’re excited. You’ve got a great idea, a clear message, and a budget to work with. But the hardest decision? Who should you choose to tell your story?

Let’s break it down.

Influencers: The Voices People Trust

Influencers are the ones who have already built a community and is often highly regarded by their community. They have at least 50,000 followers. Have you tried to garner 50,000 followers? It’s really hard and they’ve successfully done it!

Their strength? Trust, credibility, and the ability to move people.

If your goal is:

awareness

hype

to tap into someone’s relationship with their audience

Influencers are your best bet. Think of them as the “front-of-house” storytellers. 

Creators: The Artists Behind the Scenes

Now, you must be wondering, are Creators & Influencers the same thing? Why do some influencers choose to label themselves as creators? Creators are the creative storytellers. Creators don’t need a big following. What brands love about them is the quality of their work — their ability to turn even a simple product into something beautiful.

You hire a creator when you want:

cinematic videos

beautiful photos

creative storytelling

product shots or tutorials

Think of creators as your “production studio,” just more agile and affordable.

The superpower? You can post their content on your own and boost kaw kaw! Like how Watson’s use their creators (who are also influencers) contents on billboards, radio, and even their social media!

UGC Creators: The Real, Everyday Perspective

UGC feels like someone’s best friend sharing a recommendation over coffee. It truly is, a UGC is anyone with a phone, and has the guts to post on social media. That’s pretty much the only requirement needed.

It’s raw, honest, and relatable — perfect for ads.

You use UGC when you want:

natural reviews

testimonial-style videos

product demos

ad-ready content

social proof

UGC isn’t about influence — it’s about convincing. Because their page is not slapped with ads left right center, and there are thousands of UGCs, you can choose one that is fairly untouched and it will look convincing. Because it looks like it is completely unsponsored!

So which is right for your brand?

Most successful campaigns today combine all three:

Influencers for reach

Creators for beautiful content that you can post on your own

UGC for conversions, lots and lots of them

SushiVid’s platform helps you compare and choose without overthinking.

Influencers vs Creators vs UGC 

Table: Comparison between influencers, creators and UGC 

How We Match You With The Right Talent

Over the years, we’ve developed an internal system built from thousands of campaigns.

We look at:

Audience engagement

Location & rough biography

pricing (of course!) 

how reliable they are during campaigns

Because a creator with great content but poor communication can cost you weeks. Our platform makes this transparent, fast, and data-driven.

The Future of SushiVid (And Why We’re Building It)

We’re building a future where:

brands can run campaigns like e-commerce

agencies can white-label the entire platform

influencers can manage their admin, payments, contracts, and submissions in one place. 

the entire creator economy becomes more transparent and less messy

This is not just software — it’s the infrastructure we wished we had when we first started.

FOR INFLUENCERS & CREATORS: Understanding Your Identity & Value

For creators, the biggest confusion is always:

“Am I an influencer, creator, or UGC?” Here’s the simplest way to tell — and it usually makes people smile because it’s so true.

You’re an Influencer if…

People follow you. Your personality, lifestyle, or opinions pull people in.

You earned your following through:

Years of hardwork creating content 

Discipline not to take every job because you care about your responsibility to your community

Collaborations with brands that truly benefitted your followers 

And being authentically you. 

Your value = reach + influence.

You earn through: 

Your reach (we have a calculator for this if you sign up and key in your rates, you’ll see it) 

Your messaging to your community when doing awareness postings or sponsored contents. 

You’re a Creator if…

Brands come to you for your content, not your following. You might have 500 followers — but you shoot like a pro or you have a niche that people want. You’re an expert in your field and people know it.

You earn through:

content packages

photo/video production

creative direction

Your value = craft + production quality.

You’re a UGC Creator if…

You create natural, real-person content that looks like a friend recommending a product.

Brands love you for:

authenticity

relatability

demo-style content

Your value = relatability + conversion power.

Most influencers start of here. So if you have 1000 - 5000 followers, you are likely a UGC creator. 

And yes — you can be more than one. Many influencers also sell UGC. Many creators eventually grow influence too. 

How SushiVid Helps Creators Get Picked More Often?

Over nine years, we’ve seen exactly what makes brands say “YES”.

Creators who get booked consistently tend to:

reply quickly & show professionalism

deliver clean, timely content

get in touch with our team frequently. (We run events monthly, please check our instagram for information)

set clear, fair prices

Our platform boosts creators who maintain these standards.

How Payments Work (No Complication, No Delays)

Once your content is approved, payments move automatically - 30 days after the content goes live. Why? We need to make sure all the contents stay live for at least 30 days.

You don’t have to chase brands or handle messy admin. 

We’re also building tools to help you manage:

briefs

Submissions

Invoicing (e-invoice included)

deadlines

Contracts

tax documents (your yearly CP-58)

a smart auto-generated media kit

SushiVid is becoming your creator operating system — not just a marketplace.

✨ A Final Note

This FAQ used to be a normal list of questions. But the creator economy isn’t a list — it’s a story. A story of brands trying to connect with real people, and creators trying to turn their talent into a livelihood.

At SushiVid, we’re simply building the bridge and hopefully be rewarded for the efforts we put in!