Set up and warm up a UGC account on TikTok and Instagram

Why every campaign gets its own account

Classic UGC — where you deliver files and the brand posts them — doesn't need any account at all. But a growing share of gigs, especially from apps and consumer tech, pay you to post on an account and earn on its views. For those, always create a fresh account dedicated to that campaign. There are three good reasons.

• The algorithm learns what an account is about. An account that only posts about one product in one niche gets shown to the right people faster than your personal feed full of holidays and pets.
• Ownership is clean. Many brands expect to keep the account when the campaign ends. If it's a separate account, handing it over costs you nothing.
• Your personal profile stays personal. No mixing your private life with a brand's content, and no risk to your own account if a campaign goes badly.

Before you create anything, ask the brand two questions in writing: who owns the account at the end, and whether they have naming rules for the handle and bio. Some want their brand name in the handle, others explicitly don't.

Profile basics that take ten minutes

• Handle: short, readable, and either your name + niche ("lucia.skincare") or the format the brand gave you. Avoid strings of numbers — they look like bots.
• Name field: a real first name or the topic. This is searchable, so a keyword helps ("Lucía · skincare routines").
• Photo: your face, well lit, or the product if the brand asks. Never leave the default avatar.
• Bio: one line saying what the account is about. Add disclosure if the brand requires it.
• Link: only the one the brand gives you, once the account is allowed to show links.
• Account type: switch to a creator or business account when the brief asks for it, so you can see analytics from day one.

A warm-up routine for TikTok

Warming up means using a new account like a genuine viewer before you post, so the platform understands who it is for and doesn't treat it as spam. Plan on 3 to 5 days, around 20–40 minutes a day, on the phone you'll post from.

1. 1Day 1 — find the niche. Search the keywords your audience would use ("budget app", "skincare for oily skin"). Watch videos to the end, like the ones you genuinely find useful, and follow 5–10 creators in the space.
2. 2Day 2 — interact. Keep watching your niche on the For You page. Leave a handful of real comments (a full sentence, not an emoji). Save two or three videos whose format you might borrow.
3. 3Day 3 — check the feed. Scroll your For You page. If most videos are now about your niche, the account has learned. If not, repeat days 1–2.
4. 4Days 4–5 (optional) — soft start. If the campaign allows, post one or two casual videos before the first brand video: a reaction, an opinion, a behind-the-scenes clip.

The Instagram version

The logic is the same; the surfaces differ. Over 3–5 days, search niche keywords and hashtags, watch Reels to the end in the Reels tab, follow a few relevant accounts, reply to some Stories and save posts you like. Complete the profile fully (photo, bio, name) before the first post — Instagram is stricter with half-empty accounts.

If the brief asks for both platforms, launch on TikTok first and bring the best performers to Instagram Reels afterwards — and upload them natively, without TikTok's watermark.

Creating for a European market

If you're posting for a Spanish, French or German audience, keep everything consistent with that market: the phone's language and region, the account language, the keywords you search during warm-up and the creators you follow. An account that watches English content and posts Spanish videos sends mixed signals and reaches neither audience well. Our feed tags each gig with its language and eligible countries, so you know up front which market the brand is after.

Keeping the account healthy

• One device per account where possible, and the same network you normally use.
• No automation, no bought followers, no engagement groups. They damage reach more than they help, and many brands audit for it.
• Don't delete underperforming videos. A flop that stays up is harmless; frequent deletions and re-uploads can hold the account back. Make it private if you really must.
• Keep watching your niche a few minutes a day while the campaign runs, not only posting.
• Respect music rules. Business accounts should only use commercially licensed sounds.
• Read every warning. If the platform flags a video, don't repost the same file — fix what triggered it.
• Store logins safely and enable two-factor authentication. When you hand an account over, change the email and password together with the brand.

Frequently asked questions