How much to charge for AI UGC videos: an agency worksheet
Build a client quote from delivery costs, creator fees, tools and margin, with a filled CAD project example and scope limits.
Start with the service the client will receive, then estimate the work and outside costs needed to deliver it. The calculation below sets a cost floor and shows one hypothetical quote; it is not a market-rate list. A render price alone cannot tell you what to charge.
Define what the client buys before putting a price beside it
“Ten AI videos” leaves too much open. Ten exports from one script may involve much less strategy than ten distinct concepts. A short ad with a product demonstration may require real footage, while a spoken introduction may use an approved synthetic performance.
Write the deliverable in terms that determine work. State the number of concepts, scripts, lengths, languages, aspect ratios and final files. Name who supplies product footage and who checks product claims. Specify whether the agency writes and edits, manages an outside production team, or simply prepares a creative brief.
Name the intended account route. Uploading a file to a brand account and arranging advertising through a creator's account are different tasks. For Spark Ads through TikTok Content Suite, TikTok's workflow includes authorization, syncing and launch in Ads Manager. Include that setup only when it is part of your scope. TikTok's Spark Ads workflow.
Divide the quote into work the client can understand
Use a short set of priced items rather than a list of every tool you open:
| Item | What it pays for | Scope limit to state |
|---|---|---|
| Creative development | Research, creator interview, ideas and scripts | Number of distinct concepts |
| Creator time | Briefing, source recording, script and performance review | Activities, time and review rounds |
| Creator usage rights | Agreed campaign use of likeness or voice | Campaign, markets, channels, term, deliverables and permitted processing |
| Production | Editing, generation, real footage and quality checks | Number of accepted masters and adaptations |
| Account setup | Eligible account checks and platform permission work | Platforms and ad accounts |
| Project management | Client feedback, schedules and handover | Review rounds and response times |
You can offer one project price with these parts described. Separate lines do not require separate invoices. Their purpose is to let a client remove work deliberately and make changes easier to price. State whether creator payments cover time, usage rights or both. Record the permitted campaign, markets, channels, term and voice processing in the proposal or approval record.
Avoid tying the whole fee to an output count you cannot yet estimate. First test the hardest scene or voice segment. A low price for many files can become a poor deal for both sides if most files need repair.
Calculate a price floor, then choose the commercial fee
For an internal estimate, use:
Estimated delivery cost = staff hours × internal hourly cost + creator fees + outside production + project tool allocation + other direct costs.
The internal hourly cost should include the costs your agency actually bears. It differs from the hourly rate on an invoice. Include time for review, failed attempts and handover instead of counting only the first generation.
If you choose a target gross margin, calculate:
Project fee = estimated delivery cost ÷ (1 − target gross margin).
In a hypothetical CAD estimate, suppose delivery costs C$1,800 and your chosen gross margin is 40%. The fee would be C$1,800 ÷ 0.60 = C$3,000. This is an illustration, not a suggested market price. A 40% markup would produce a different fee and a lower gross margin.
Here is the C$1,800 delivery-cost estimate behind that example. Every amount is invented; staff time includes the expected rework and review allowance.
| Delivery input | Assumption | Estimated cost |
|---|---|---|
| Creative development and script | 4 hours × C$60 internal cost | C$240 |
| Generation, editing and quality review | 7 hours × C$60 internal cost | C$420 |
| Client review and project management | 3 hours × C$60 internal cost | C$180 |
| Creator work and defined campaign use | Negotiated example fee | C$700 |
| Project tool allocation | Stated share of tools and usage | C$100 |
| Product footage or other outside inputs | Agreed example expense | C$160 |
| Total delivery cost | Sum each cost once | C$1,800 |
Copy these columns into your own estimate and replace the assumptions. A 40% gross margin on C$3,000 leaves C$1,200 above these delivery costs; it is not net profit after every business cost.
Example quote for the same hypothetical project:
| Quote field | Example wording |
|---|---|
| Included work | One concept, one script, an approved creator voice treatment and three vertical masters |
| Fee and basis | C$3,000 project fee, based on estimated delivery costs of C$1,800 and a chosen 40% gross margin |
| Creator use | One named campaign, agreed markets and channels, an agreed term, and the approved voice and edits |
| Assumptions | Client supplies current product details; one consolidated feedback round; product claims are approved before production |
| Exclusions and changes | New concepts, languages, markets or review rounds are re-estimated in writing before work begins |
The deliverables and fee in this example are hypothetical. Replace them with the work, rights and costs agreed for the actual project. Your cost estimate sets a floor for a viable job. The final fee also depends on the agreed service, capacity, commercial risk and client budget. If those do not fit, narrow the scope or decline it. A hoped-for conversion lift cannot make an underdefined project profitable.
Budget for actual tool use
Check the production account before quoting. HeyGen documents credit use that differs by feature and warns that account rates and limits can vary. That supports checking the cost shown in the account rather than copying an advertised per-video figure into a proposal. HeyGen credit guidance.
For a shared subscription, use a consistent allocation rule. You might assign the project's measured credit use plus a stated share of the base subscription. Keep unused capacity separate from credits actually consumed. Do not charge the same full subscription cost to every client while describing it as a direct pass-through expense.
If the fee includes access to agency tools, call it part of the service. The client can then judge the total offer without mistaking your estimate for a vendor invoice.
If the client compares your fee with a subscription, show the full production-cost sheet. If creator-account permissions are included, price the platform and agency scope separately from delivery of the files.
Write change terms that prevent a price argument later
A review round should mean one consolidated set of comments from a named client lead. Define the difference between correcting work that misses the brief and changing an accepted brief. A new language, new product claim or extra concept should have a clear change price or estimate process.
Set a cap on discretionary generation after the agreed direction passes review. Explain what happens if the chosen tool cannot meet the required quality: a simpler scene, a filmed substitute, a revised budget or cancellation of that part. Do this before the project depends on an untested effect.
Give the client a useful comparison
Compare your quote with the work the client would otherwise buy: the same number of concepts, the same footage needs, the same review load and the same finished formats. If the alternative lacks creator input or account setup, say so. If your AI proposal needs those services too, include them.
The potential value may be faster adaptation or less repeat filming. Treat those as project hypotheses until delivery records support them. Sell the service you can define and deliver; report the benefits the project actually produces.
Use the client report template after delivery to compare estimated and actual work. To scope real-person licensing for an agency project, book a pilot discussion.
Download the plain-text agency quote worksheet. Save a copy and replace the fields with your agreed scope and figures.
Connect this decision to the campaign
Separate the agency fee, creator rights and input, production, tools, review and renewal in the client quote. The pilot overview describes cost components and open terms; its enquiry is not a published rate or an accepted order.