Alternatives
Brand Deals & UGCAlternatives to Consider
If you're considering UGC and brand deals, these alternative sidegigs leverage similar skills but with different requirements and earning potential:
| Sidegig | Key Differences | When It's Better |
|---|---|---|
| Affiliate Marketing |
|
Choose affiliate marketing if you already have an audience or website with traffic, prefer passive income over project work, and don't want to deal with client revisions or strict deadlines. |
| Social Media Management |
|
Choose social media management if you prefer consistent income, want to develop long-term client relationships, and enjoy the strategic aspects of marketing beyond just content creation. |
| Stock Photography/Videography |
|
Choose stock content creation if you value creative independence, dislike client interactions, and prefer building a passive income library over custom project work. |
When to Choose Alternatives
Consider alternatives to UGC and brand deals when:
- You already have an audience - Influencer marketing or affiliate marketing will likely be more profitable than UGC if you have 10K+ engaged followers
- You prefer strategic work - Social media management offers more strategic input and consistent income than project-based UGC work
- You dislike client feedback cycles - Stock content creation eliminates revision requests and client approval processes
- You want truly passive income - Both affiliate marketing and stock content can generate income while you sleep, unlike UGC's project-based nature
UGC remains the better choice if you want to monetize content creation skills without building an audience first, prefer project-based work with clear deliverables, or want to build a portfolio that could lead to full-time creative opportunities. The initial earning potential is typically higher than affiliate marketing for those without existing audiences, and the barrier to entry is lower than social media management which often requires strategic experience.