The "you need 100k followers to make money as a creator" myth needs to die.
I'm a 27-year-old account manager with 2,300 TikTok followers. I started promoting SaaS products on Peddlum in May. By month 6, I was clearing $3,000/month in commissions.
This isn't a flex post. The numbers are small. But the model is teachable, and you can start this weekend.
What UGC actually is
UGC (User-Generated Content) creators don't need a huge following. We're hired by brands to make content for them — content that lives on the brand's accounts, ads, or landing pages, not ours.
The skills required:
- Talk to a phone camera without freezing
- Edit a 30-second video in CapCut
- Hit a deadline
That's it. The market pays well because most marketers can't or won't do this themselves.
Why Peddlum specifically
Most UGC platforms (Billo, Insense, JoinBrands) take 30–50% of your earnings and gate-keep the brands. Peddlum works differently:
- Brands list products with a commission rate
- You apply to ones you want
- You get paid per sale, not per video
- Peddlum's cut comes from the seller, not you
It's a marketplace, not a middleman.
Month 1 — Setting up
Created a Peddlum creator profile in 20 minutes. Linked my TikTok, IG, and a 60-second portfolio video I made specifically for the application.
Applied to 14 products in week 1. Got accepted to 3.
First commissions: $47.
Month 2 — Finding what works
Tested two formats:
- Talking head reviews (boring, 1.2% conversion)
- "Day in my life" with the product woven in (4.8% conversion)
Killed the talking heads. Doubled down on the lifestyle format.
Month 2 commissions: $312.
Month 3 — Compounding
Three things compounded:
- Reputation. Sellers see your past performance on Peddlum (sales driven, content quality). Better stats = better products approve you.
- Rejected fewer products. I learned which sellers were serious vs which would ghost. Stopped applying to the latter.
- Reusable assets. A "morning routine" template I wrote got reused for 4 different products with 5 minutes of edits each.
Month 3: $890.
Month 6 — The math
I now juggle 6 active products. About 4 hours of filming per week, 2 hours of editing.
Last month:
- 11 videos posted across products
- 187 sales attributed via UTM
- Average commission: $16
- Total: $2,992
That's ~$50/hour of actual work. Better than a lot of "real" jobs.
What you'd need to start this weekend
- Phone with a decent camera. iPhone 11 or newer is fine.
- Ring light. $25 on Amazon.
- CapCut. Free.
- A profile. Sign up at peddlum.com as a creator.
- A portfolio video. Pick a product you actually use — anything — and make a 45-second review of it. That's your sample.
The real talk
Three things kill most people who try this:
- Inconsistency. Sellers want creators who deliver weekly, not in spurts.
- Generic content. "Hey guys check out this product" gets 0.3% conversion. Specific stories about specific moments get 5%.
- Picking the wrong products. If you don't believe in it, the camera knows.
But if you can show up consistently, write a decent hook, and pick products you'd actually use — this works at any follower count.
I'd start at peddlum.com. The application takes 20 minutes. The worst case is you get rejected. The best case is a side hustle that pays your rent.
Top comments (14)
wow this is super interesting! def makes me rethink the whole "followers = money" idea. can’t believe you’re doing so well with only 2,300. gotta check out Peddlum and see how it works. thanks for sharing!
honestly, this totally needed to be said! i get so tired of hearing that 100k followers thing. this gives me hope since follower count feels so overwhelming sometimes. way to go on the commissions too!
wow i always thought you needed huge follower counts to even start making anything! this is super encouraging, especially when ppl make it sound so hard. def gonna check out Peddlum cuz i could use some extra cash too!
way too many people think you need a massive following to start making money. ive been promoting stuff with less than 5k followers and it can definitely work if you put in the effort. love to see stories like this! 💪
okay this is really refreshing to hear, i always felt like followers mattered way too much. i actually got a friend doing similar stuff on Peddlum too and it seems to be working for her, so idk why more people don't try it?
this is so true. we always think we need a ton of followers to make anything, but looks like it just takes the right approach. saw some of my friends do well with less too. gonna check out Peddlum and give it a shot.
wait, for real? that’s super inspiring! kinda crazy how you can make that much with so few followers. definitely gonna look into this. keep sharing your journey, it really motivates others like me.
hmm that’s dope! always thought you needed insane followers to make anything. i’m definitely gonna check out peddlum and see if it can work for me too.
whoa this is actually super inspiring. i always thought you needed a huge following to make money. gotta check out Peddlum, sounds interesting. customer reviews def make a difference too.
ok but clearing 3k a month with just 2,300 followers is really cool. love that ur sharing this since a lot of ppl think they need huge following to make it. keep it up! 🙌