Reviews
Part of UGC marketplace review method: ten evidence checks for one UK commission
A buyer-owned UGC selection checklist that stops the appointment when a hard gate fails
Use a buyer-owned England UGC selection checklist that requests exact evidence, preserves unknowns and stops appointment when any hard gate fails.
What to take away
- Ten hard gates decide a UGC appointment, and one FAIL stops it.
- The first five cover identity, authority, age, claims and rights.
- The last five cover privacy, accessibility, security, payment, and correction and exit.
- Only the buyer writes a verdict; supplier material is admitted as evidence.
- A gate left open keeps the candidate on HOLD, with no weighted total.
The ten hard gates and their owners
Run the gates in order and give each a named owner inside the buying team. Every gate needs a dated evidence record and a buyer-written verdict.
| Gate | Test the buyer applies | Owner |
|---|---|---|
| Identity | Contracting entity matches the quote and the register | Commercial lead |
| Authority | Direct evidence the creator can approve the asset | Content lead |
| Age and safeguarding | Age established, never assumed, before filming | Safeguarding reviewer |
| Claims and disclosure | Objective claims evidenced; the ad is labelled | Compliance lead |
| Rights | Creator, music, image, likeness and edit permissions | Rights manager |
| Privacy | Lawful basis, roles, transfers, retention and deletion | Privacy reviewer |
| Accessibility | Captions, contrast and interface checked to brief | Accessibility reviewer |
| Security | Access limits, logs, incident route and account recovery | Security lead |
| Payment | Payer, payee, currency, VAT field and dispute route | Finance lead |
| Correction and exit | Takedown, withdrawal and continuity owners named | Content lead |
Verify the contracting entity through the Companies House register search before a quote is treated as evidence. Filing facts narrow the identity question but say nothing about service scope, so ask for a dated contract.
The ASA influencer advice hub sets out the recognition rules the disclosure gate applies. It gives advertising context, not clearance.
What a failed gate does
Every gate returns PASS, HOLD, FAIL or NOT APPLICABLE with a written reason. A FAIL ends the appointment for that candidate and releases nothing. A HOLD pauses the appointment until the named owner files the missing evidence, after which the gate is re-run.
No weighted score is calculated while any gate is open, because an average hides the gate that failed. Keep one dated record per gate with a version history, as in our method for building the evidence chain before you buy.
One FAIL stops the appointment. A HOLD pauses it. Only ten PASS verdicts move a candidate to contracting.
Example: three gates closed on one candidate
This worked example uses fictional parties to show the verdict format.
Three gates closed on one candidate
- Identity. A Companies House search returns one active company matching the contracting name on the quote. Dated filing kept. Verdict: PASS.
- Authority. The creator profile is public, but no mandate from the named representative is held. Verdict: HOLD.
- Rights. The quote promises paid media in perpetuity while the draft contract grants one channel for 12 months. Verdict: FAIL.
The appointment stops on the rights gate. The IPO explains who owns a commissioned copyright work, and payment alone does not create a licence. One question goes back to the supplier: which media rights does the contract actually grant?
Where England buyers source candidates
Candidates arrive through five routes: creator platform, managed agency, creator collective, freelance studio or in-house hire. Each holds the contract differently, so run the identity gate against the invoicing entity, not the platform brand.
Platforms operating in this category include TikTok Creator Marketplace, Aspire, GRIN, Insense and Upfluence. Each sets its own onboarding and payment terms, which is why the payment gate asks for a dated supplier quote. We apply six admission tests to those five platforms in our review of platform admission tests.
Cost fields worth recording
Keep creator consideration, supplier charge and media spend in separate fields. A blended number hides which part is a licensed right and which is a service. Ask for any paid-media uplift as its own line, because licence scope drives the price.
| Cost state | Illustrative figure (example only) | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Creator consideration | £150 to £400 | One 20-second asset, one channel, 12 months |
| Supplier or platform charge | 10% to 20% of consideration | Sourcing, vetting, contracting |
| Paid-media licence uplift | 25% to 50% of consideration | Paid usage beyond organic |
These figures are illustrative and are not a market rate. Replace them with the supplier's dated quote, keeping currency, VAT field, unit, quantity and period attached.
What the signed record must hold
The contract should name the payer, the payee, the asset, the channels and the term. Add dispute, continuity and exit evidence to the same file. Our notes on UGC contract categories list the seven groups to check, and offer no model clauses.
Confirming the sources are current
Each source carries its own date line. ICO guidance pages, the ASA resource library and IPO copyright notices are updated on their own schedules, so check the date before relying on any of them. File a dated copy and note the date you checked.
Common questions
What happens when a hard gate fails?
The appointment stops for that candidate. The buyer records FAIL, keeps the evidence on file and calculates no total score. A replacement candidate starts again at gate one.
How is creator authority established?
Ask for a signed mandate or direct confirmation from a named representative. Never infer authority from a public profile, and keep age unknown until properly established.
Who decides whether a gate passes?
The buyer decides. Supplier documents, screenshots and contract drafts are evidence, not a verdict, and cannot close their own gate.
