"Can we get usage?" is the question that turns a simple UGC video into a licensing deal. Usage rights decide where a brand can run your video, how (organic reposts or paid ads), and for how long. This guide gives you a framework for pricing that, not a rate card: we don't publish rates because they depend on your niche, audience and the brand's plans. It isn't legal advice; for anything that looks like a buyout, have someone qualified read the contract.
When you make a video, you generally own the copyright. The U.S. Copyright Office says all or part of the rights in a work can be transferred, that a transfer generally must be in writing and signed by the owner, and that transferring a right on a nonexclusive basis doesn't require a written agreement. That's why usage terms belong in writing anyway: if it isn't written down, you and the brand may remember the deal differently.
Watch for "work made for hire" language. The Copyright Office says that when a work is made for hire, the commissioning party is considered the author and copyright owner, and that for commissioned (non-employee) work this requires an express written agreement signed by both parties and only applies to certain types of work. If a contract says "work made for hire" or "all rights in perpetuity," treat it as a buyout, not a 30-day license, and price and review it that way.
The brackets are placeholders, not recommended rates. Decide your own base and percentages, write them down once, and reuse them so every quote is consistent.
| Line | How to set it | Your number |
|---|---|---|
| Base creation fee | Your fee to make the video with no usage beyond the brand reposting it organically (if you allow that) | [ ] |
| Paid usage, 30 days | [ ]% of base, or a flat [ ] | [ ] |
| Paid usage, 60 days | [ ]% of base | [ ] |
| Paid usage, 90 days | [ ]% of base | [ ] |
| Each extra channel | [ ]% of the usage line | [ ] |
| Exclusivity, [category], [days] | [ ] per [30 days] | [ ] |
| Raw footage / editing rights | [ ] | [ ] |
| Extension after term ends | [ ] per [30 days], quoted in advance | [ ] |
Two rules make the sheet useful: longer and wider should never cost less than shorter and narrower, and every extension is priced before the deal starts so a renewal is a yes/no, not a new negotiation.
On TikTok, paid usage of your posted video usually means Spark Ads. TikTok's Business Help Center says Spark Ads let advertisers publish ads using organic posts made by other creators with their authorization, and that all engagement from the promotion is attributed to the original organic post. It also says advertisers can customize the duration of the authorization code to meet campaign needs.
One gap to close in the contract: a Spark code covers that one post. If you also hand over the raw file and the brand runs it from its own account, the code's duration doesn't limit that use; only your written terms do. Spell out both.
Usage income is easy to leave on the table: the term ends, the ad keeps running, and nobody notices. Log each license with its start date, end date and extension price, and set a reminder a week before it ends. Grok Bot can read your deal list each week, flag licenses that are about to expire, and draft a renewal note for you to approve before anything is sent.
Last checked 2026-11-02. TikTok changes its programs often; confirm in your own TikTok Shop and TikTok Studio dashboards.