Free UGC Portfolio: Build One With Your TikToks Embedded (No Canva Template Needed)
October 27, 2026 · 7 min read
Build a free UGC portfolio on one link page with your TikToks and YouTube Shorts embedded: what brands look for, a section checklist, rates and usage rights.
Quick answer: A free UGC portfolio can be one link page. Embed your best TikToks and YouTube Shorts as playable samples, group them by format, then add text blocks for niches, brands you have worked with, rates or "rates on request", turnaround and usage rights, plus an email button. Brands watch the work without downloading a deck.
What do brands look for in a UGC portfolio?
A brand or agency opening your portfolio is usually trying to answer one question: can this person make the ad we need, by our deadline, under terms we can use? They look for:
- Samples by format. A hook-led ad, an unboxing, a testimonial or talking-head review, a tutorial, a voiceover or b-roll piece. Each brief asks for a format, so make it easy to find yours.
- Your niches. Skincare, pets, home, fitness, tech, food. Two or three is clearer than "everything".
- Brands you have worked with. Names only, no logos you do not have permission to use.
- Rates, or "rates on request". Either is fine. Being clear about which is what matters.
- Turnaround. How many days from receiving the product to first draft, and how many revision rounds are included.
- Usage rights. Whether your price covers organic posting only, paid ads, and for how long.
- Contact. One obvious way to reach you, plus where you are based (shipping matters).
What they do not need: a long bio, a follower count (UGC is content for the brand's channels, not yours), or ten pages of templates.
What sections should a UGC portfolio have?
Here is a layout that works on a single page, in the order a brand reads it. Checked October 2026.
| Section | What to include | How to build it free on lit.bio |
|---|---|---|
| Header | Name, photo, one line: "UGC creator for skincare and home brands, US-based" | Profile photo and description |
| Samples by format | 4 to 8 videos, each under a short heading such as "Unboxing" or "Testimonial" | Heading blocks plus TikTok or YouTube embeds |
| Niches | 2 or 3 categories and the products you can film | Text block |
| Brands worked with | Brand names, optionally with the format you made | Text block |
| Rates | Starting price per video or package, or "Rates on request" | Text block, or a link to a rate card |
| Turnaround and revisions | Days to first draft, rounds included | Text block |
| Usage rights | Organic vs paid, duration, raw footage add-on | Text block |
| Contact | Email, plus phone or WhatsApp if you want it | Email and phone social icons, Save contact button |
| Extras | Media kit or rate card PDF, Instagram Reels samples | Normal links (a Google Drive file, a Reel URL) |
How do I build a free UGC portfolio with TikTok embeds?
- Create a free page at lit.bio/yourname. Use a name that reads well in a pitch email.
- Write the header line. Niche, location and the word "UGC" so a brand knows what they are looking at in one second.
- Add a Heading block for your first format, for example "Hook-led ads".
- Add an Embed block and paste the TikTok video link. The video plays on your page in TikTok's player. YouTube links (watch, Shorts or youtu.be) work the same way.
- Repeat for each format. Two strong samples per format beat six average ones.
- Add Text blocks for niches, brands, rates, turnaround and usage rights. Keep each one to a few short lines.
- Turn on the email social icon and, if you like, the Save contact button so a brand manager can add you to their phone contacts.
- Pick a clean theme. Every theme and all 34 fonts are free. If you would rather not design it, "Design it for me" offers three ready-made designs from your photo.
On the free plan you get up to 10 links, and embeds, headings and text blocks do not count toward that limit, so eight embedded samples still leave all 10 links free for a rate card, Reels and socials.
Why won't my TikTok embed play?
- Use the full video URL. The embed needs a link in the form tiktok.com/@yourhandle/video/ followed by a long number. If TikTok's Copy link gives you a short vm.tiktok.com link, open it in a browser and copy the full address from the address bar.
- The video must be public. Private videos, and videos on private accounts, will not play for visitors.
- YouTube videos need embedding allowed. If a YouTube sample does not play, check that embedding is allowed in the video's settings in YouTube Studio.
- Instagram Reels do not embed on lit.bio. Add them as normal links, or post the same video to TikTok or YouTube Shorts and embed that.
What if my best work is on the brand's account?
Most UGC is delivered to the brand and posted on their channels, not yours. Ask the brand whether you can show it. If they agree, either embed their public post or re-upload the video to your own account with a note that it was made for that brand. If they say no, leave it out and describe the project in your brands list instead.
No brand work yet? Film spec samples with products you already own. Post them on your account and call them samples, not paid partnerships. Brands are judging your hook, lighting, pacing and delivery.
How should I write rates and usage rights?
You do not have to publish prices. "Rates on request" is common and fine. If you do list them, use starting prices and packages ("1 video", "3 videos", "3 videos plus 3 extra hooks") so a brand can budget before emailing you.
Usage rights deserve their own short block because they change the price more than anything else:
- Organic usage: the brand posts your video on its own feeds.
- Paid usage: the brand runs your video as an ad, usually for a set period such as 30, 60 or 90 days.
- Whitelisting: the brand runs ads through your handle. On TikTok this is done with Spark Ads, where you generate an authorization code for a specific video in the app and send it to the brand.
- Add-ons: raw footage, extra hooks, extra aspect ratios, rush turnaround.
Write what is included by default and list the rest as add-ons. That one block saves a lot of back-and-forth emails.
Is a link page better than a Canva template?
It depends on how you pitch. Canva is a good choice if you want a designed, multi-page deck, and its free plan can publish a website on a free my.canva.site address (Canva's help center says free accounts can have up to five live sites there, with a Canva footer). A Google Drive folder works if brands just want files.
A link page wins when you want the samples to play instantly on a phone, when you update often, and when you want the same URL in your TikTok bio, Instagram bio and emails. You change one page and every place that links to it is current.
What is free and what is Pro on lit.bio
Free covers a working portfolio: a page at lit.bio/yourname, TikTok, YouTube, Spotify, SoundCloud and Apple Music embeds, heading and text blocks, up to 10 links, unlimited social icons including email, phone and WhatsApp, a Save contact button, a QR code and 7-day analytics, with no ads. Free pages show a small "Create your own free page" link at the bottom.
The contact form and email capture are Pro, so on the free plan brands reach you through the email button. Pro is $9 a month or $49 once and also removes lit.bio branding, adds unlimited links and 90-day analytics. lit.bio does not offer custom domains (they are on the roadmap) or file hosting on the free plan, so keep your media kit PDF in Google Drive or Dropbox and link to it.
Mistakes that cost UGC creators replies
- Samples that need a login or a download. Playable embeds get watched; zip files often do not.
- No format labels. A brand looking for testimonials should not have to watch your unboxings first.
- Vague usage terms. Unclear rights lead to awkward renegotiation later.
- An outdated page. Swap in your newest work every month or two.
If you also earn from affiliate links, see our link in bio guide for affiliate creators, and for your TikTok bio itself, how to add a link to your TikTok bio. When your samples are ready, build your free portfolio page and paste your first TikTok.