# How to run a UGC campaign on a small budget > Run a UGC ad campaign with a few creators and a hard cap. How to pick creators, get usage rights, test hooks and keep the winner, with a INR 60,000 plan. - **Author**: Marxx - **Published**: 2026-11-22 - **Category**: Creative - **URL**: https://marxx.ai/library-guides/how-to-run-a-ugc-campaign-on-a-small-budget --- To run a UGC campaign on a small budget, hire three to five creators or customers for one video each and get the rights to run them as ads. Test the videos against each other, back the winner and keep part of the budget in reserve. UGC means user-generated content: videos made by customers or creators in their own voice. Cap the total before you start. ## Step 1: split the budget before you hire Divide the money into three parts: creator fees, test spend and a reserve. The reserve pays for more videos from the winner. Write the three numbers down. Without a cap, creator fees eat the budget before a single ad runs. ## Step 2: find the right few Start with people who already use your product. Then add small creators who fit your buyer. A smaller audience is fine here, because you need their video, not their reach. See [how to find UGC creators in India](/guides/how-to-find-ugc-creators-in-india). ## Step 3: brief one video each Send a one-page brief: who the viewer is, the problem, the product in use, one proof point and what to say last. Ask for the same script with two different openings. The first seconds decide whether people keep watching, so test them. See [how to brief UGC creators](/guides/how-to-brief-ugc-creators). ## Step 4: agree rights in writing Before you pay, write down these points in a message the creator replies to: - You may run the video as an ad - For how long, and on which platforms - Whether you get the raw footage - Whether they will post it as a collab so you can run a partnership ad Meta says that if you partner with creators on Instagram, you can turn their existing Feed, Stories or Reels post into a [partnership ad](/glossary/partnership-ads). Boosting a collab post in Ads Manager makes it one automatically (checked 2026-10-20). ## Step 5: test, then back the winner Run every video as its own ad, with the same audience and offer. Keep the test short, a few days. Pick the winner on cost per result, not on likes. Then use the reserve to ask that creator for more openings and more angles. ## A worked example Say you have INR 60,000. | Part | Plan | Cost | |---|---|---| | Creator fees | 4 creators x INR 3,500 each | INR 14,000 | | Test spend | 8 ads (2 openings each) x INR 750 a day x 5 days | INR 30,000 | | Reserve | 2 more videos from the winner, plus extra ad spend | INR 16,000 | Check: INR 14,000 + INR 30,000 + INR 16,000 is INR 60,000. After five days, one creator's second opening has the lowest cost per order. You spend INR 7,000 on two more videos from that creator, and put the other INR 9,000 behind the best ads. The INR 3,500 fee is made up. Ask each creator for a quote. ## When a creator is not the best fit If you cannot find creators who suit the product, an AI-made UGC-style video can be a cheaper first test. It has trade-offs in trust. See [AI UGC vs human UGC](/compare/ai-ugc-vs-human-ugc). Use [how to make UGC ads](/guides/how-to-make-ugc-ads) for the full production steps. ## Mistakes to avoid - Paying for reach instead of a usable video - Starting without written usage rights - Briefing the creator on ten messages instead of one - Judging a video on likes - Spending the whole budget on the first batch We make Marxx. Its production canvas publishes to Meta. See [production canvas](/features/production-canvas). ## FAQ ### How many creators do I need? Three to five is enough to find a pattern. With fewer, one weak video can look like a weak idea. ### Should I pay per video or per post? Pay per video, and pay for ad rights in the same deal. A creator's own post and your ad are different uses. ### How long should the test run? A few days with equal spend per ad is enough to drop the weakest. Give the leaders more time before you call a winner. --- - [More Creative articles](https://marxx.ai/library-guides/category/creative) - [All articles](https://marxx.ai/library-guides)