# UGC Portfolio: What Goes In One, and 3 Example Structures Source: https://www.seedinfluencers.com/blog/ugc-portfolio Published: 2026-10-26 What goes in a UGC portfolio, the four formats creators use (Canva, Notion, a site, your TikTok grid), a checklist, and three example structures. A UGC portfolio is 3 to 5 of your best video samples, each labeled with the format and a one-line description, hosted somewhere a brand can open in one click with no login wall. That's the whole requirement. What differs is where you host it: a Canva page, a Notion page, a personal site, or your own TikTok grid used as a public showcase. All four work. What doesn't work is more than 5 or 6 samples, mixed niches, or a link that needs a password. ## What goes in a UGC portfolio Per JoinBrands' own portfolio guide (14 Aug 2026) and Planoly's guide to UGC portfolios (last updated 25 Feb 2026), every sample needs the same three things attached to it: - **The format.** Unboxing, demo, talking-head review, before-and-after. A brand scanning your portfolio should know what they're about to watch before they click play. - **A one-line note.** Planoly's guide specifically recommends a short note on the concept, the intended platform, and results if you have them (views, saves, a brand's own feedback). - **A way to contact you.** An email, not just a DM handle. Both guides call this out separately from the samples themselves. Lead with video over photos. JoinBrands' guide calls video the higher-priority format for most brands in 2026, and says to include at least one strong photo sample alongside it, not instead of it. ## Portfolio checklist | Item | Why it matters | | --- | --- | | 3-5 samples (not more) | Both JoinBrands and Planoly cap it here; more reads as unfocused, not more capable. | | One niche, or two closely related ones | A brand hires by category. Mixed samples (skincare, then supplements, then tech) send a muddled signal. | | At least one talking-head clip | Shows you can deliver a script or a natural review on camera, which most briefs ask for. | | A one-line note per sample | Names the format, platform, and result so a brand doesn't have to guess what they're watching. | | Contact info on the page itself | Don't make a brand hunt for how to reach you after they've already decided they like your work. | | A link that opens in one click | No login wall, no request-access folder. If it takes more than one click, most brands won't follow up. | | Reviewed every 30 days | JoinBrands' guide recommends swapping in your best new work on a monthly cadence rather than letting it go stale. | ## Format 1: a Canva page Canva's free page builder is the format JoinBrands' own guide names first. You build a single scrollable page: a short intro line at the top (your niche, your rate range if you want to lead with it, your contact email), then your samples laid out as embedded video thumbnails or linked clips, each with its one-line note underneath. The whole thing takes under an hour to assemble the first time, and updating it later is just swapping a thumbnail and a caption. This is the lowest-effort option that still looks intentional, and it's free. ## Format 2: a Notion page A Notion page works the same way as a Canva page structurally (intro, then samples, then contact) but gives you more room for a longer note per sample and a simple rate card table if you want one visible. Several paid Notion templates built specifically for UGC creators bundle a portfolio page with a rate calculator, a brand-deal tracker, and an invoice log in one workspace, which is useful once you're juggling more than one or two active pitches. The plain, free version of a Notion page does the portfolio job on its own; the templates just add the tracking you'll eventually want anyway. ## Format 3: a personal site A one-page personal site (built on something like Carrd, or a single page on an existing site you already run) is the format Planoly's guide describes directly: simple, visually clean, your best work easy to find, organized by content type if you have samples across more than one format. This is the right choice if you already have a domain or a creator-focused personal brand you're building beyond UGC work alone. For a first portfolio with no existing site, it's more setup than a Canva or Notion page for the same result, so it's worth choosing this option specifically rather than by default. ## Format 4: your TikTok grid as the portfolio If your content is already public on TikTok or Instagram, your grid can function as a live portfolio and discovery feed at once, since posting spec work publicly with clear context lets a brand find you organically while also seeing your range. The tradeoff: a raw grid forces a brand to dig for your best work among everything you've posted, which is exactly the friction a curated portfolio removes. The fix is a pinned post or a highlight that does the curating for you, linking out to your 3-5 best clips instead of making a brand scroll your whole feed. Treat this as a supplement to a standalone portfolio link in your bio, not a replacement for one. ## Three example structures These are structures, not real creators or real brand names, laid out the way a working portfolio of each type would actually be organized. **Structure A, beauty niche, Canva page.** Header: name, "Beauty & skincare UGC," email. Three samples: a 30-second skincare routine video labeled "TikTok, routine format," a 20-second product unboxing labeled "Instagram Reels, unboxing," and a talking-head before-and-after labeled "TikTok, testimonial format, result: visible texture change at day 14." Footer: a one-line rate range and a contact button. **Structure B, home/kitchen niche, Notion page.** Header: name, niche, a short bio line on what kind of products you cover (small kitchen appliances). Four samples organized into two sub-sections, "Demos" and "Reviews," each sample with format, platform, and a one-line result note. A simple rate table beneath the samples: short-form video, long-form video, photo set. Contact email and a scheduling link at the bottom. **Structure C, fitness niche, personal site plus TikTok highlight.** A one-page Carrd site: hero line stating the niche and that you're open for UGC work, 5 embedded video thumbnails each with a one-line note, a short "how I work" paragraph (turnaround time, what you need from a brand to start), and a contact form. A pinned TikTok highlight titled "UGC work" links back to the same site, so anyone who finds you on TikTok first lands on the curated version instead of your full feed. ## What this fits into A portfolio is step 3 in the path described in [how to become a UGC creator](https://www.seedinfluencers.com/blog/how-to-become-a-ugc-creator). Once it's built, the next question is where to actually send it: see [UGC jobs for beginners](https://www.seedinfluencers.com/blog/ugc-jobs-for-beginners) for the marketplaces and platforms that post real, paid briefs, and [UGC rates (2026)](https://www.seedinfluencers.com/blog/ugc-rates) for what to quote once someone replies. Once you have a reply, get the deliverable, fee, and usage rights in writing before you film anything; Seed's free [UGC contract template](https://www.seedinfluencers.com/free-influencer-contract-generator/ugc-contract-template) covers that in one page, and [how to ask for UGC usage rights](https://www.seedinfluencers.com/blog/how-to-ask-for-ugc-usage-rights) has the specific wording. If you're pitching DTC brands directly rather than through a marketplace, [brands looking for UGC creators](https://www.seedinfluencers.com/blog/brands-looking-for-ugc-creators) is written from the brand's side and tells you exactly what they're screening a portfolio for. ## Frequently asked questions ### How many videos should be in a UGC portfolio? 3 to 5, per both JoinBrands' portfolio guide (14 Aug 2026) and Planoly's guide (updated 25 Feb 2026). JoinBrands' guide later says 3 to 6 is also fine. The point both make is the same: curate hard, since a brand skimming applicants gives each portfolio seconds, not minutes. ### What's the best free way to host a UGC portfolio? A Canva page or a shared Google Drive/Dropbox folder, per JoinBrands' guide, since both are free and need no web design. A single-page personal site works too if you already have one. None of these outperform the others; they're all fine as long as the link opens in one click with no login wall. ### Can my TikTok or Instagram grid be my portfolio? It can work as a supplement, not a replacement. Brands would otherwise have to dig through your whole grid to find your best work, so a curated 3-5 clip portfolio linked in your bio still does the job a scattered grid can't: showing your best work first. ### Should I include niches I haven't actually worked in? No. A focused portfolio in one or two niches reads as expertise. A portfolio padded with videos outside your niche, or hypothetical samples, reads as unfocused and raises the question of whether the rest of your samples are real. ### Do I need a portfolio before I apply to UGC marketplaces? Most marketplaces (Billo, Insense, JoinBrands, Trend, Collabstr) let you build a profile inside the platform itself, which doubles as a portfolio once you've completed your first few jobs. For your very first application, 3-5 spec videos uploaded to that profile serve the same purpose a standalone portfolio would. ## FAQ **How many videos should be in a UGC portfolio?** 3 to 5, per both JoinBrands' portfolio guide (14 Aug 2026) and Planoly's guide (updated 25 Feb 2026). JoinBrands' guide later says 3 to 6 is also fine. The point both make is the same: curate hard, since a brand skimming applicants gives each portfolio seconds, not minutes. **What's the best free way to host a UGC portfolio?** A Canva page or a shared Google Drive/Dropbox folder, per JoinBrands' guide, since both are free and need no web design. A single-page personal site works too if you already have one. None of these outperform the others; they're all fine as long as the link opens in one click with no login wall. **Can my TikTok or Instagram grid be my portfolio?** It can work as a supplement, not a replacement. Brands would otherwise have to dig through your whole grid to find your best work, so a curated 3-5 clip portfolio linked in your bio still does the job a scattered grid can't: showing your best work first. **Should I include niches I haven't actually worked in?** No. A focused portfolio in one or two niches reads as expertise. A portfolio padded with videos outside your niche, or hypothetical samples, reads as unfocused and raises the question of whether the rest of your samples are real. **Do I need a portfolio before I apply to UGC marketplaces?** Most marketplaces (Billo, Insense, JoinBrands, Trend, Collabstr) let you build a profile inside the platform itself, which doubles as a portfolio once you've completed your first few jobs. For your very first application, 3-5 spec videos uploaded to that profile serve the same purpose a standalone portfolio would.