That UGC Mum

She dreamed of not returning to her 9-5 after babies; so she DIDN'T... Cat's UGC Journey

• Xanthe • Season 1 • Episode 15

Share episode

Send us a text

We dive into the world of user-generated content (UGC) with Cat, an effervescent mum and creator navigating life and business. Cat shares her unique journey from flight attendant to successful UGC creator, revealing tips, challenges, and the joys of motherhood intertwined with ambition. 

• Exploring the transition from a corporate job to UGC creator 
• Balancing family life with the demands of a business 
• Insights into navigating UGC contracts and legality 
• The importance of community support and educational resources 
• Strategies for pitching and securing jobs as a UGC creator 
• The evolving landscape of UGC: trends and audience preferences 
• Embracing authenticity and humour in content creation 
• Future visions for growth in UGC and the balance of motherhood 

Find Cat: @contetwithcat (TikTok & Insta)

Resources/ Brilliant People Cat mentioned:

Britt @createwithbritts (Tiktok & Insta)

Scotty Pass @createdbyscotty (Insta)

If you enjoyed this conversation, please leave us a review and support the podcast to help other UGC mums find us! 


Support the show

Instagram: @that.ugc.mum
TikTok: @that.ugc.mum
Stan Store: https://Stan.store/thatugcmum

Links:


Music: Vocalista - La La Love


Speaker 1:

Welcome to that UGC Mum Podcast, the user-generated content podcast for mums who want to have it all. I'm talking about the feminine urge to be there for your kids at the drop of a hat, never miss a sports carnival, but also the feminine urge to build a goddamn empire, hosted by me. Xanthi, are you ready? Are you ready? Well, here she is recording a podcast in her pajamas while the rest of the family sweetly sleeps. It is nighttime. I know I don't really condone working at nighttime, but needs must at the moment.

Speaker 1:

My life is so hectic right now. I'll update you on all of the things, but if you're an OG listener, you will probably know that I went back to my corporate job a couple of days a week you see, half the week and then corporate half the week and I really wanted to update you guys on how that's going. I won't do that just yet because it's only been a month and I feel like I'm very much in the honeymoon phase of it. But I'm just gonna dangle the carrot that I am loving I. I really am loving life right now. It is such a sweet spot for me, juggling the two. I feel like I get the best of both. But yeah, that's all I'm gonna say about that for now, but life is busy and I work with schools, so this time of year it really is a pressure point for me. It really is the peak season in my my other job, or my proper job, as my family would call it. But enough about that.

Speaker 1:

We're here to talk about the best job in the world, which is user generated content. So, guys, I've got a new bestie. The woman that you're about to meet, kat, truly is just a force. She is gorgeous and I think this is gonna be a really good one for anyone who is at any stage of their ugc journey, because she unpacks how she started, but she's also quite established. So she's been doing it for about 18 months now and she's got so many pearls of wisdom to share from her, her entire journey. And, as usual, we will mention a couple of other UGC creators and resources and things. I will link all of that in the show notes in case you want to have a little peek.

Speaker 1:

All right, let's meet Kat, shall we? What is your worst nightmare as a UGC creator? I'll go first, getting tripped up with all the legal contractual stuff. Thankfully, my ass is covered with Startup and Running's UGC contract templates created by Ange, an Aussie lawyer who is also a UGC creator. So she knows exactly what we need and has packaged it up in a really neat way for just $97. Get your UGC contracts watertight. Head to thatugcmumcomau slash contracts. Hello my friend Kat, how are you doing?

Speaker 2:

Very well, thank you. How are you, xanthi? I'm really good.

Speaker 1:

Thank you All the better for having you on the pod. Oh, you're too kind, so look pretty much a fresh mama. Yeah, why don't you tell the audience? If they don't know who you are, tell them, um, what Kat is all about.

Speaker 2:

Hi, I'm Kat. I am now a UGC creator and I have two little boys Tully, who is a bit over two and a half, and Tana who is four and a half months. So a little freshy and I don't know. I feel like I have lived a thousand lives. To be honest, I am about to turn 35 and, yeah, sometimes I feel like I've done too many things to count. But yeah, I am just really loving UGC at the moment and being able to stay home with the boys and make an income at the same time.

Speaker 1:

It's the dream right, yeah, yeah, yeah. And you said. You said I'm a UGC creator now and I've lived a thousand lives. So who were you before you were a UGC creator, and how long have you been doing UGC for?

Speaker 2:

I think I've been doing UGC nearly a year and a half-ish, but before that I was actually a flight attendant for nine years. Wow. Yeah, I only resigned when I was pregnant with Tully and it was like in the midst of the pandemic and the craziness. So yeah, I did short haul in Australia and then I did long haul in Melbourne and ultra long haul from London. So we lived over in London for three years.

Speaker 2:

So yeah, and I probably would say that flight attendant was my identity, like I just was a flight attendant yeah, I can understand how that happens, because it's it's all consuming right yeah, and like I just loved the job. It was my dream job since I was little and I always wanted to live in London and do it and I did it and it was the best. So I always used to say this is my dream life, I'm living the dream, so I was very lucky so then, what changed then?

Speaker 1:

because if it was your dream life, um, you know, you basically just suddenly quit and started doing something else. What changed?

Speaker 2:

Well, I was pregnant and in the pandemic and it was just mayhem. So we got stood down and couldn't fly for a really long time and then when we were coming back I was already pregnant and I had a lot of friends who were like getting locked in hotels for quarantine and I didn't really want to do that again. I did quarantine in um northern territory with my partner when we moved back from London and I think I have a bit of PTSD from that, but that's another story. So, yeah, I was just not interested in like mixing that in with pregnancy. And now I don't know if I could leave my boys. That's my problem, because I was away every week for four days. I just don't know if I could leave them and I've been breastfeeding or pregnant the whole time.

Speaker 1:

So, yeah, yeah, I'm just in a different stage now yeah, and do you think that maybe it'll be something that you jump back into?

Speaker 2:

maybe my partner says I need to when my staff travel runs out.

Speaker 1:

You guys we can't live with, oh yeah, you need to but no, you just need to do more UGC so you get more money, I know, then we don't have to worry about staff travel, but it's so good um I don't know, maybe when the kids are older, but then I don't know how I'll feel when I'm older as well, so I just go with the flow.

Speaker 1:

It's nice that you can do that. Yeah, definitely, definitely. It's nice that you can leave the door open. Hey, yeah, yeah, yeah. So you've been doing UGC for a year and a half. How did you? I feel like that's really lucky timing, that UGC for a year and a half? How did you? I feel like that's really lucky timing, that UGC sort of came about at the time that you were in need, but tell me how you discovered it so.

Speaker 2:

I was on maternity leave with Tully and I had saved up my own funds to keep my maternity leave going and I was kind of like coming to an end and I was desperate to not send him to daycare and go to a job. I didn't want to. So I just said to my partner you just need to let me figure it out, I'll figure it out, I'll make money. I don't know how I'm just going to do it. So I was just in the online space. I feel like everyone trying to be like how am I going to do this?

Speaker 2:

And, yeah, I ended up seeing like digital marketing and I kind of dabbled in that for a few weeks, but it didn't feel very authentic to me and I didn't really enjoy it. I just was like trying to make money. And then when I found UGC, I was just like this is my vibe and I just loved it. So another thing I didn't say I used to have a business which I created, like a travel makeup bag that I designed, and I just wanted to do the content side of business. I was like I just want to like make content and do all the fun stuff. I hated the business and the admin side, so this was kind of like everything I wanted from that.

Speaker 1:

But yeah, just by itself yeah, and I feel like there was a clue there, when, when you had your business, that it was just screaming at you that you probably didn't realize at the time well, you just it wasn't a thing because I started that business or eight years ago, so a really long time ago, yeah.

Speaker 2:

So yeah, ugc wasn't a thing. And I always am like, oh, I wish UGC was a thing before I had kids, because I would have been a badass like I'm such a hustler before yes, I actually like I wonder whether it would have been a good thing or a bad thing, because I'm like, oh, I would have.

Speaker 1:

I would have gone hard with ugc before kids. Yeah, um, so yeah, we'll never know. No, no, we will never know. Um, so that's, that's wonderful. So what? At what point in your mat leave? Is it exactly the same story as mine? Kat like saved up to go on mat leave and then when the kitty went dry, I had to work out what I was going to do. How long did you account for when you saved up? At what point? How old was Tully going to be when? You were planning on going back to work.

Speaker 2:

Well, I wasn't planning, I was just like I'm not going to be. When you were planning on going back to work, well, I wasn't planning, I was just like I'm not going to a normal job.

Speaker 2:

I don't know. I'm one of those people that like, if I don't want to do something, I will like fight till the death, like I just cannot take no for an answer when I'm very passionate about something. So I think when I started UGC, he was like a year and a couple of months and I started making money like straight away. In the first month I think I made like my first job. I made $300. I was just like I don't work for free, I was just pitching like a crazy woman. Yeah, I just started making money right away like I was going wild yeah, yeah, it's, it's.

Speaker 1:

It's the mama bear inside of you, isn't it? You know like well, I had no money in the kitty, so I didn't have a choice yeah, well, you're saying that you know you're a passionate person and you really go for stuff, but when? When there's that mama bear inside? Of you it's, it's fierce right. Nothing's going to stop you, so talk me through how it all unfolded for you. So how, on your very first day that you decided you were going to start UGC, what did you do?

Speaker 2:

Well, I actually started with a course. So a girl that I knew who's also a UGC creator. Now I saw her doing it and she was in the digital marketing space and I was like girl, like give me the lowdown. And she had done this course, which I think was like maybe $300. And I was a bit nervous to pay for it because, obviously, like digital marketing is all like buy, buy, buy. And I was like to my partner I just think I have to buy this because I don't want to spend a month figuring it out. I want to know now. So I think I like did the course on a Wednesday that weekend.

Speaker 2:

I shot all my portfolio, I just like went crazy and then I was pitching on the Monday and then, yeah, I got a few jobs within like the first six weeks. I think I made like 2,000 within the first six weeks because I was just going wild. But yeah, and then I just tried to put myself in the circle with the other UGC creators. So there was a get together in Melbourne with some of the guys and I was five weeks into UGC and I went and met up with them and I was like hi everyone, I'm Kat, went and met up with them and I was like, hi everyone, I'm Kat and they were all like doing it for ages and pros. So I was like I just need to mingle with the people that are good at this. And, yeah, it really started to pick up, honestly, within a couple of months. But then I fell pregnant and I am not like a cute pregnant lady, I am like a violently ill pregnant lady.

Speaker 2:

So yeah, I was literally I think I was four months in when I fell pregnant and then I like had to send back. I sent back product for my first job over a thousand dollars because I was like I cannot move, Like I'm so sorry I had to refund them and then I was just in survival mode for nine months. So, yeah, I don't know, I feel like I was like going up and then I just plateaued to survive and now I'm coming off, mat leave and I'm like, all right, let's go again.

Speaker 1:

It's like riding a bike, right? Yeah, yeah, you just get straight back into it.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, well, I've still had like inbounds the whole time. I've been so lucky and I do have a lot of return clients that I have worked for before and they'll bring jobs my way and everything like that, which is amazing and I'm so grateful for. But yeah, I'm just like revamping my portfolio and getting ready to pitch, and now I'm making my partner do it as well, so we're just going to go wild.

Speaker 1:

Oh no, poor guy, you've roped him into it, how's he?

Speaker 2:

going Well. He's been in heaps of my videos and at the start he was like oh no. And I was like do you want me to make money for our kids or not?

Speaker 1:

Like you, tell me, I have to make money, mate, like you gotta get in it. And he's like oh god, so he's such a good sport.

Speaker 2:

But then I just told him I was like there is money for the men, okay, and like money for the men, yeah, and he's I don't know the camera loves him, so I just need to get him good at talking to the camera. He's happy to do voiceovers and stuff and I'm just building a few videos for him to start pitching him. I think he's a little bit nervous but, yeah, if I can get him talking to the camera, I think he'll be flying because he's so outdoorsy and like fitness and everything. I think, yeah, he'd do really well oh, that's so exciting.

Speaker 1:

Good luck, I know fingers crossed.

Speaker 2:

We'll be a whole UGC family yeah, power couple.

Speaker 1:

Um, I did want to ask you, actually sorry to backtrack, um, but so you were talking about. You did a course. Your friend got you onto this course when you started. Who was the friend and what was the course?

Speaker 2:

um, the friend was Britt. I'm pretty sure she's like oh yeah, yeah, brit Sujis, I'm not sure her handle.

Speaker 1:

She's well, she looks like she's killing it.

Speaker 2:

She's in WA.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, wa, and she was doing.

Speaker 2:

She was a flight attendant as well, that's how we like, so she was a flight attendant yeah, and we like voice note all the time.

Speaker 1:

My boyfriend would always be like you don't even know this girl and we're like, leave us alone, like this is our Instagram. Yeah, we're like we're besties. But um, yeah, she did a course. I know which course she did actually, because I remember um, because I'd I had already been doing UGC for a year, but just all through agency and I was following Brett because she had just started and um because I almost did master resale rights. But and she was the one I was going Brit because she had just started and because I almost did Master Resale Rights and she was the one I was going to buy it off. But in the end I decided that I wasn't going to. So, yeah, she did Scotty Pass' course. Yes, because I almost did that course as well.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, that's the one I did then. Yeah, Scotty.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, I decided not to because he's great. I think he's wonderful, um, and yeah, I decided in the end I I was going to do a different one, so I did the hive hub collective.

Speaker 2:

Oh, so nice well, I honestly think the course was so good for me because one of the things that Scotty really focused on was, like you don't need to work for free, like yeah, you are making money for these brands, and I think that's what kind of gave me the confidence to be like straight away, like this is what I charge, do you want it or not? And I was very forward with that. So I'm so grateful for that course because it kind of really let me go straight into making money and not the whole like gifted.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, I never did that that's so good and actually, do you know what I? I don't want to pigeonhole. You know gender roles and everything, but it's probably because he's a guy. There's a. There's actually a lot of conversations happening in the UGC space about um. You know the differences between working with male clients and female clients. You know a lot of the time.

Speaker 2:

And the budgets. I've heard the budgets.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, it's actually crazy and I've experienced this firsthand. The men have been low-balling and being like, look, this is my budget and that's it, whereas I've found the women have been asking how much does it cost? And then they don't even question it. They're like cool, yeah, paid done. So of course there's always exceptions to the rule, but yeah, because I guess Scotty's a man they have a mentality of like yeah no bullshit, their brains just work different as well. Yeah, and we're just like, I think, naturally, as women, we're people pleasers, right.

Speaker 1:

So we're just like oh no you know, whatever works for you, sure, I'll do it for free. I just want to help you, I want to nurture you. Yeah, yeah, so that's great. Oh well, yeah, so, yeah, so that's great. Um, oh well, I'm glad that's how you started. That sounds like really really set you up for success.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, definitely and I mean you've naturally got some fire in your belly, so it's just, it's a force to be reckoned with really. Um, so that's amazing. And and tell me, cat, who, what um product was the first product you worked with?

Speaker 2:

I think it was Glamour Dip and then I had, so I signed up to Creator Flow as well right at the start. So then I had a few jobs through Creator Flow when I was on that platform. But, yeah, I had pitched to Glamour Dip. I think they were the first one that I got from pitching, yeah. But then I got chosen a lot on Creative Flow, but I'm not on that platform anymore. Okay um.

Speaker 1:

Is that because of the perpetual usage rights?

Speaker 2:

yeah, I think that really took me by surprise at the start. Um, I I'm like I'm always jumping on calls with people and I was like, um, yeah, do they get all the rights which they said they did? But the other thing is is for me, well, I'm not sure I haven't been on there since I was pregnant, but the payment was very low and I was happy to do it because I'm like, well, I'd rather learn and get paid for it. I'm not doing gifted, I'm still getting paid. But yeah, then, once I was making money, I kind of felt like it was a disservice to my actual clients who pay my fees and I work really well with. When other people pay, I think they pay more. It's just we don't get the money as creators and then they get unlimited usage rights and stuff like that. But, yeah, I loved it when I began, like when I was early on yeah, good, good, good platform to cut your teeth on.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, definitely yeah, and I do. I definitely find it's personal preference because obviously I speak to so many UGC creators these days because of the podcast and everyone does it differently everyone likes different platforms and that's okay. Yeah, it's you. You have to find the thing that works for you, and I think too often people are doing things because everyone's saying you should do it.

Speaker 2:

Yeah. It's just everyone's so different and you just need to find where you fit in and what works for you and just run with it.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, yeah, totally yeah. So, kat, I have funny, funny story. I've actually but you've been on the brief a few times when, when clients have, I'm so curious who's brief? Was I know and they've said you know that you were the. You know this is our top performing video and it's been you, so I, I figure no one's telling me that really, oh my gosh. Um look, I don't know if I can, if I'm allowed tell me, I'll tell you.

Speaker 1:

I'll tell you offline. Sorry guys, I hate to exclude you, um, but yeah, I'll definitely tell you offline who it was um. But so I just feel like you, you, you really are a natural um and you've just got that juice. So, from your point of view, so what? What's your process? And and from your point of view, what is it that you do that makes your content highly converting?

Speaker 2:

oh gosh, I honestly feel like I have the worst process and oh my God let's have it.

Speaker 2:

No, I truly feel like I am the worst scripter because I'll write the script but I cannot write the visuals with the script and I know this is so backwards and this makes my life super difficult, because then I film way too much. It takes me so long to edit because then I'm like moving it around. Yeah, oh, I'm the worst, but yeah, I always like I can get the talking down pat. I could talk to a brick wall. I love chatting, but yeah, I need to. Someone needs to teach me how to script, probably because I think it would make my life a lot easier.

Speaker 1:

But yeah, getting the visuals down pat have you tried um just putting your idea into chat, gpt and getting it to like I do?

Speaker 2:

but then I delete everything that the visuals are. I'm like, oh, delete, delete, delete. And then I just go with this group. I honestly, this is such a problem for me and I've been doing this for like a year and a half the hard way, so I need to figure it out. I think, yeah, I need to figure out a better process for this. But what I usually do is I just kind of go. I feel like everyone just has their own flow, and it took me. For the first few months I just felt like I had no idea what I was doing and I was like, oh, I don't know what my vibe is, or anything. And then I started getting inbounds and people wanted to work with me and when I looked at my videos, they all seemed the same and I was like, oh, I guess this is my vibe, I guess this is what I do because this is just.

Speaker 2:

You know how it goes. So I don't know, I just kind of wing it and I just put it all together in the editing and I guess I just have my own little style, like everyone does yeah, it sounds like you don't overthink it.

Speaker 1:

It sounds like you sort of just really get into the zone and and just do it yeah, but I spend too much time taking like so much content.

Speaker 2:

I just feel so much and then the editing's a bit of a nightmare. So I do need to like get better for myself.

Speaker 1:

I think it's one of those things that, like, with time, you like you know in a year's time you'll be an absolute gun. Yeah, all the fat will be cut out from the process, but you know, it's this season of life as well, it's. You don't get much time to do it when you've got your kids, so when you do do it, you're just like right, let's go. I don't have time to refine the process.

Speaker 2:

I've just got, I've just got to get it done yeah, and honestly, like if people listened to the audio behind most of my b-roll, it is wild. I love like the whole ASMR videos, but I'm like, I'm just like this is not a vibe in my house yeah, you should do some um little blooper ASMR bloopers on your on your insta I honestly should.

Speaker 2:

and I did like this little aesthetic camping video when we were camping over in the summer and it seemed so peaceful and calm and I honestly was like I wish I had filmed the rough parts, because my partner even said to me he goes god, if we hadn't been camping before I would never go again with the kids, like that was how bad our camping trip was. But but the video looked so great and I was like if only I actually filmed the meltdowns. But I think we're also dysregulated, like I cannot film that and I feel bad with the kids obviously filming the teachers.

Speaker 1:

I know and also I don't want to teach my kids to bully people by filming them when they're upset so it really is a fine line, isn't it?

Speaker 2:

I know Even the audio, so I think it would be highly entertaining for the reality.

Speaker 1:

And do you know what? It would blow up as well on Instagram, because the amount of mums who will comment saying feels yeah, so yeah, definitely, definitely. Next time you get the chance, do that.

Speaker 2:

I know I need to do some B-roll bloopers.

Speaker 1:

So, kat, tell me about some of your favourite jobs that you've done, and then tell me how you got that job.

Speaker 2:

Oh, this is a good one. I know some of my favourite products that I have got. Is that okay?

Speaker 1:

Yeah, that's what I mean, yeah um.

Speaker 2:

One of them was the loungy play couch for my toddler, so I got that off like um the possum couch thing the possum.

Speaker 2:

I got that very early on from creator flow. So, um, yeah, I remember getting the email and I was like is this a plate couch? Because I wanted one. So bad and honestly, we use it every single day. We still use it every single day. It lives in our lounge room. When friends or cousins come over, they use the plate couch. So that is like by far one of our favorites. But then, I don't know, when I was pregnant, I got to work with some brands that I genuinely use every day and have used for years, and that was like really special to me. I really loved that because I was like I love these brands and they had reached out to me so I didn't pitch to them so yeah, that was where did they reach out to you?

Speaker 2:

um, just on my emails or like through social media and everything like that. So that was like really cool for me, because I was like I actually just spent so much money buying your products on the weekend and now I get to work with you, so things like that I really loved. And yeah, I don't know, I've got like so many great things. I got like a really good hair straightener and blow dryer as an inbound.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, or did you pitch to them?

Speaker 2:

No, as an inbound as well, I'm trying to think I have like got I don't know. I feel like I've got so much stuff, but I feel like it's kind of ruined me as well, because now I'm like I don't want to buy anything, I only want to do jobs. I feel like I'm on the slope right now.

Speaker 1:

I know and the the hilarious thing is our, our vacuum cleaner shat itself like a couple of weeks ago and I was like, oh, I am not buying a new one, um, but then the exact the brand of the vacuum cleaner. I don't know how this happened. I couldn't inbound from them last week saying hey, would love to collaborate, and um, I was like, is this a scam? It's not um, and they um, the, the it's. It is below my normal rate and it's unlimited usage rights for them. I don't care, I want that vacuum cleaner. I don't want to buy another vacuum cleaner.

Speaker 2:

I know exactly what you're talking about, because I had the same thing happen. Oh really, I was like we need a new vacuum, like my older sister had given us one of her old ones and it was so horrendous, it was like the big plug in the wall one of her old ones and it was so horrendous, it was like the big plug in the wall and I just like hated it. I was like we need a new stick. And then I got an inbound, but then the like best thing was I don't even know if I should say this, but the it arrived and then, like the next day, the brand was like oh, we're so sorry, we need to cancel the job, but I keep the vacuum. And I was like I am the manifesting queen. I was like, oh, we're so sorry, we need to cancel the job, but I keep the vacuum. And I was like I am the manifesting queen.

Speaker 1:

I was like, babe, this is the best day of my life. Kat, tell me your secrets. That's amazing.

Speaker 2:

I know, crazy. So I was like this is a dream come true. I don't even have to work for this.

Speaker 1:

But that was like a fluke.

Speaker 2:

That is definitely not normal.

Speaker 1:

I work very hard you do, and I actually I feel like it speaks volumes when you're saying that you know a lot of brands that you use and that you love are coming into your inbox. I feel like you know that's not by chance. I feel like you must have really solidified your personal brand, like it must be quite consistent and and it must be quite clear you know what kind of person you are. Um, so they're kind of magnetizing towards you, right?

Speaker 2:

I hope so. I definitely feel like I lack on the personal branding and I always am wanting to post more and be more present on social media, but I feel like I have a real love-hate relationship with it. I feel like it's a real internal battle for me.

Speaker 1:

I would love to be like off-grid and like not on social media, but then it's my whole job and income. So there is that minor detail, but it sounds like you've been getting some really good inbounds, you know, while you haven't really been being that present, especially while you've been freggy and you've, you've had your new little baby. Um, do you know why? How has this all happened?

Speaker 2:

I think a lot of it is return clients. I have a lot of return clients and I have a couple of agencies that I have worked with like basically the whole time. So they often just come to me with jobs and yeah, then I do it Like so I do a lot of jobs with them as well. But, yeah, I would say I have quite a high return client ratio, I think.

Speaker 1:

That's so good, and do you have any tips on how to get the customers keep coming back for more?

Speaker 2:

I honestly don't know. I don't know because sometimes I'm like I don't know if I'm doing a good job. I think I'm very much a perfectionist and I can be very hard on myself, so I am also like the mental breakdown queen. Like, if you talk to my partner, he would be like, yeah, every week, yeah, she's always having a mental breakdown and I'm like I can't do this anymore. Like I just need to go and work in a supermarket. Like this is ridiculous. Like you have no idea how bad I am. And he's very supportive. He's like you're obviously good at this. Like people are coming back to you all the time, like you love it. You just need to like sleep a little bit more, or something like that. But oh, that's a bit patronizing no, as in like he's.

Speaker 2:

He's honestly the best, like he's always like do you need me? To take the kids like, do you want to go do something? You know he's always like do something for yourself, like you need to spend time doing stuff for yourself. He, honestly, is the best. But yeah, I am definitely always, always having a breakdown.

Speaker 1:

So if you're having a weekly um, mentee, bee, um, what is the thing that keeps you going like, how have you not quit by now?

Speaker 2:

well, the problem is is I, is I well? No, I don't say yes to every job, but, like all my return clients, they all come in at once. Every time, yeah, they all come in at once. And because, like I love my clients, I'm like, yeah, I'll do it. And then he's like you should not have taken on five jobs. Like you have a newborn, you are literally losing your mind. So it's my own fault. Like I am really bad at spacing it out and I just want to like smash out the jobs for everyone.

Speaker 2:

So it's just me taking on too much consistently all the time. Yeah, yeah. And I think the other thing is is sometimes it comes across on social media that you're making massive amounts of money and I love when you posted your reel or TikTok the other day of like how much you actually made every month, because it was such a breath of fresh air. Yeah, because it can come across that you're making all this money and some creators are and like hats off to you, like I love that for you, but yeah, it looks, it can look like you're making all this money, but a lot of us aren't making that much money.

Speaker 2:

And a lot of money is different to everyone. Do you know what I mean? Yeah, like I have what I have to hit every month, which is quite low. I would like to hit a lot more, but for our budget that's what I hit. But yeah, I don't want it to come across like I'm making 10 K months with two kids, because I am not at all.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, I feel like the 10 K month is like the Holy grail isn't it Like everyone wants to hit that, but I think the reality of hitting a 10 K month for a mom of kids the kids, and little kids that we've got is like yourself a break yeah, and I don't have daycare, so we don't send the boys to daycare or anything, so I'm with them 24 7.

Speaker 2:

So yeah, it's just a lot of juggling.

Speaker 1:

I think it's amazing that you you make any money in that scenario.

Speaker 2:

So well, I just feel like I have to. So when you don't have a choice, you just do it, I guess when there's a will, there's a way, hey yeah, definitely yeah, um.

Speaker 1:

And and what is your vision for the future with regards to your UGC?

Speaker 2:

well, everyone thinks I'm crazy. But I just like want to go pretty gung-ho this year because I want to get pregnant again next year. And I'm crazy, but I just like want to go pretty gung-ho this year because I want to get pregnant again next year and I'm like bracing oh do you well, I mean my partner will be like you need to chill, you need to chill but yeah, I definitely want another baby, but I'm also terrified because, like said, I am a very ill pregnant lady, so, and I'm like 35 this year, so I feel it's getting harder as I get older.

Speaker 2:

Yeah you don't bounce like you used to. No, not at all. So I do want to kind of smash it out while I can. And I have lots of ideas, like I always have great ideas, but then it's actually executing them because I have no time, like I have no time to even do what my job is, let alone like extra and extra. So I would love to do some extra things that are more of a passive income. So then, if I am pregnant and violently ill, ill, there is stuff in the background going. So, yeah, I don't want to give away all my secrets, but I love UGC and I would love to expand on it. It would be great if I could, you know, outsource a little bit, I think, and getting my partner into it, making muscle, yes.

Speaker 1:

I, I love the way you're going with all of that and I just I couldn't agree more on, you know, ugc is trading your time for money right, and we love it, but we need to diversify, but we need to add extra streams of income. So I can't wait to see what you're going to create. Well, I hope I can. I feel, oh, yeah, yeah, when you find the time, but, yeah, I feel like you've got a lot to offer. So, um, yeah, for sure, and and Kat, I, I resonate with that so much. I just I have all these ideas swimming around my head and I feel like the, the visual I have is like they're all kind of like they're literally swimming around my head and I'm trying, I'm trying to catch them and I'm like, yeah, I'll do that one today. Um, so it really is. It really is a juggle, um, but so worth it?

Speaker 2:

Hey, yeah, definitely, and I feel very lucky to be able to stay home with my kids and especially like if they're sick or anything, I'm always there. So, yeah, I'm very grateful. I love UGC. I do love it. I love content and all of that fun stuff and is bubs featuring in any of them?

Speaker 2:

I think I saw a cute yeah, we did our matching Christmas pajamas. Oh my god, it was actually my dream. I'm like that lame person who, like, wants to dress everyone matching. So, yeah, I love that, but honestly, I love non-product UGC. Yeah, and I feel like before I got pregnant, I was just like branching into that, like local businesses, service-based businesses, and I loved that so much, but then, yeah, when I got pregnant, it all went on hold. So I really am wanting to get more into that. I don't know, I need to find how I'm going to get into that space, but most of what I do is product based at the moment yeah, I.

Speaker 1:

I feel like it's really scalable when you're doing a service-based one, because, like you don't need to do the product shots and it's just so much quicker and easier.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, yeah, and I can talk all day to the camera, so that's all you do with them. It's literally a dream.

Speaker 1:

I actually did one recently for, like, crypto trading, um, which was fun, um, but the hilarious thing about it like not many of my male friends see my UGC videos, but they will be being targeted for that and they're like is this you?

Speaker 2:

this is so random, but I loved doing that one that's so good, yeah, yeah, I think because I'm a mum and as soon as I fall into like the mum creator, I have so many people messaging me my videos and they're like oh, I see you're pregnant again in this video. And I'm like oh, there we are, surprise, yeah, so I love it.

Speaker 1:

And, kat, you said before that you kind of do a bit of agency work and then the rest um is a lot of it's working with clients, um, repeat clients, do you? Do you seek your jobs from other places as well?

Speaker 2:

I was so when I was pregnant, like I literally shut down everything because I could just not. I mean, I was still working, but absolute bare minimum and basically just from agencies. Because when I was doing that it was super chill. They sent me the script, they sent me the shot list and I just smashed it out as quickly as I could. But I was on Fiverr and I don't know if I'm going to get back on that because I do take quite a big cut and I just felt like I would have to put my rate up so much, I was losing so much, and then they hold the funds for a really long time. So yeah, at the moment I'm just cruising by myself. I think I would like to work maybe with some more agencies, depending on, obviously, rates and usage rights and stuff like that. So the agency I work with, I give them usage rights.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, like they don't have the rights forever, they have it for a certain amount of time and they pay like pretty good, I do give them a discounted rate because I do a lot of work with them. But yeah, I know some agencies quite low ball so I haven't really worked with that personally. But I would love to like build some more agency relationships because it is really fun just to do random stuff. I love doing that.

Speaker 1:

I love the yeah, you know versatility of it all a lot of agencies reach out to me and I often just I don't even enter into it, I just say no, thank you, because I just I can't spend the time just talking about, you know, talking with them and then finding out they're going to lobel me and, um, not give me any. Um, you know, uh, talking with them and then finding out they're going to lowball me and not give me any.

Speaker 2:

You know, flexibility on usage rights, so that's really good to know that they're out there where they will actually, you know, play ball with me and I feel like everyone will hate me, but like my agency pays within like 15 minutes of my invoice coming through, oh, these guys.

Speaker 1:

Okay, Because I am like.

Speaker 2:

I know, I know they are there. I am quite strict like so I watermark everything and then I say, once the funds enter my bank account, I will release the content. Yeah, so yeah, I just know like a lot of people have been in tricky situations and I just I'm not really interested, yeah, in dealing with that. So, yeah, for me it's been great. So, um, sometimes, because I've worked with them so much, I don't even send them the watermarked videos. I just send them my invoice and then I just drop them the content straight away. So they are out there. Yeah, cause you've got that trust, let's manifest some more.

Speaker 1:

You are such a manifester by the sounds of things. You manifested some epic shit.

Speaker 2:

Well, the funny thing is, is this agency? They first reached out to me when I was new and I thought they were a scam. They just said hi, blah, blah, blah, blah blah, like they didn't personalize it or anything. I was like stalking the agency and I was like are these guys real? And yeah, now I work with them all the time. I've was like are these guys real? And yeah, now I work with them all the time. I've done so many jobs with them, so sometimes those emails can be real.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, it's true, like I've actually had quite a few of those, like a couple of my UGC jobs. They have come in through an inbound from an Instagram user whose account is private or they don't even have a picture, and it's just like, hey, do you want to do some UGC? And it just screams scam.

Speaker 1:

It sounds so creepy, I know right, but then you know I've delved into it. That's actually why I got a parcel locker, because I'm like I'm not giving you my address if I'm not sure that you're real. Yeah, and um, yeah, I think my first actual, my first private UGC job came in like that. It was just like it didn't even have a profile picture, like hardly any followers, and they were like, hey, I'm gonna send you this thing, um, can you do UGC? And um it turned out to be legit and I've had a couple of um gmail addresses email me and I'm like, yeah, right, but they did a really good job, so it does.

Speaker 2:

I feel like a lot of them are startups as well and they don't have all the emails set up. I've had quite a few gmails as well and they're great, like they've been return clients and everything amazing.

Speaker 1:

well, actually I did have a gmail last week from dyson and you know like dyson hair products at gmailcom and I was like, okay, no, that one's definitely a scam, as if dyson are going to be using gmail, um, and as, as if they're gonna, you know, be reaching out to me over email.

Speaker 1:

So, um, yeah, it definitely pays to pays to look yeah, definitely yeah um, and and Kat, I know you've been out of the space for a while, but, um, from your perspective, where do you see UGC going in the future? And also like content what UGC do you think? What UGC content do you think? Um is the content that's gonna be converting?

Speaker 2:

I think it depends so much on the demographic. Yeah, and like the target audience, because obviously you know, being a millennial, everyone and like the older generations, they're all on Facebook and meta and everything like that and the content that they want to watch is very different than the younger generations like very different. So I think I don't know, I kind of feel lucky.

Speaker 2:

I'm like a little bit older yeah yeah like our generation, like we love UGC, we live for it. All my friends love it, everyone I know loves it. But I think it probably is going a bit more like organic and a bit more authentic. I think that, yeah, if it's too beautiful, I don't know if people are going to be that into it. I think people like the real and raw a bit better and everyone loves a bit of sense of humour. But I genuinely think brands are always going to need content and you just need to be able to be flexible and just go with the flow and yeah, however it goes, but I think content is going to be massive forever.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, yeah, it's only going to grow.

Speaker 2:

As long as we're online. You need content and brands don't want to make content and there's a lot of brands that don't want to be the face of the content, oh yeah, and they hate that. So they're going to need UGC and content creators and everything like that.

Speaker 1:

It's true, yeah, um, kat, where can people find you if they want to go and have a little stalk of?

Speaker 2:

you. So I am contentwithkat with a C everywhere Everywhere On TikTok, on Instagram, and my website is contentwithkatcom.

Speaker 1:

Oh, amazing, correct, yeah, I think when I started I was still newish, so I got it everywhere. Yeah. Oh you've got to and yeah, and you said that you get a few like emails um through from clients, and I think you know that's it's not a coincidence, like because you've you've put that consistently everywhere, like how can people not find you? So I hope so right, I hope they can find you.

Speaker 1:

Oh well, thank you so much. That's been an awesome chat and I think so many pearls of wisdom in there for people to run with.

Speaker 2:

So yeah, thank you so much for having me. I'll chat all day to you, I know right.

Speaker 1:

I could talk about it all day. It's pretty sad.

Speaker 2:

No, it's great, we love it Ciao, ciao.

Speaker 1:

no, it's great. We love it. Oh ciao, ciao. Well, I hope you loved that as much as I did. If you did and you are loving the pod, please can you do me a favor and leave me a really nice review and lots of stars, because that really helps support this podcast and helps other lovely UGC mums find me. Until next week, my loves.