What a typical UGC contract says about portfolio use
Usually, you're allowed — and the answer is sitting in a clause most creators never read. Look for a section titled "Self-Promotion" or "Portfolio Rights," or a line tucked inside "License and Usage." UGC contracts handle portfolio display in one of three ways:
- The explicit yes. Language like "Creator may display the Deliverables in their personal portfolio, website, and social channels for self-promotional purposes." If your contract has this, you're done. Show the work.
- Silence. The contract spells out everything the brand can do with your content — usage window, paid placement, editing rights — and says nothing about what you can do. It's the most common version — not a yes, not a no, and fixable with one message (next section).
- The explicit no. "Creator shall not publish, display, or distribute the Deliverables without Brand's prior written consent." Rarest of the three, and it usually travels with an NDA or an unreleased product.
The fix going forward: before you sign anything new, ask for one added line — "Creator retains the right to display the Deliverables in their portfolio for self-promotional purposes." Brands agree almost every time — it costs them nothing, and your work in circulation quietly promotes theirs.
How to ask a brand for permission after the fact
Send one short message to your day-to-day contact — the person you delivered files to, not their legal team. Most brands say yes within a day. Here's the message:
Hey Maya — the videos from our March campaign turned out to be some of my favorite work. Would you be okay with me including them in my portfolio when I pitch other brands? Happy to name [brand] or keep it anonymous, whichever you prefer.
Three things make this land: it's an easy yes — no meeting, no paperwork. It hands them control over the naming, which removes the only real objection. And it compliments the collab on the way out.
When the yes comes, screenshot it and keep it with the contract. A casual "of course!" in a DM is real permission — you just want to find it a year from now.
If the answer is no, don't argue. Keep the piece in a private folder, and add the self-promotion line to your next contract so it doesn't happen again.
Can you show whitelisted ads that ran from the brand's account?
Yes — in almost every case. Where an ad ran doesn't change who made it. Whitelisting, Spark Ads, dark posts: those decide which account the media buyer pushed the creative through, not whether it's yours to show.
The mechanics:
- Show the file you delivered, not a screen recording of the placement. Your export is cleaner, and it's the thing you actually made.
- If the ad only ever ran as a dark post, nobody can find it organically — your portfolio may be the only public place it exists. That's a reason to show it, not hide it.
- Label it honestly: "Paid ad creative for [brand] — ran via Spark Ads." Brands hiring you care that your work ran as a real ad. Say so plainly.
One caveat: if the license used the word "exclusive," check before posting. Exclusivity is about commercial use — the brand paid so competitors can't run your clip — and portfolio display is self-promotion, not a commercial run. But broad exclusivity language is worth the one-message check above. Whitelisting is also a pricing conversation, not just a permission one — usage rights and whitelisting pricing covers what to charge for it.
What to do with work under NDA
Anonymize it — don't bury it. "Skincare brand, name under NDA" in your portfolio beats a missing piece, and it reads as trust, not secrecy: it tells the next brand you've been handed confidential launches before.
First, read what the NDA actually covers. Most protect the brand's name, unreleased products, and campaign details — not the fact that you can shoot. Then pick the deepest level you're allowed:
- Product not identifiable? Show the video with the brand unnamed: "Ad creative for a skincare brand — name under NDA."
- Product gives it away? Skip the footage and describe the engagement: "Six 9:16 ad creatives for a haircare brand (under NDA) — three ran as paid ads for four months."
- Everything locked? Recreate the skill. Buy a comparable product, film the same format at the same quality, and present it as a demo. The skill is what you're selling, and the skill isn't confidential.
What you never do is blur a logo and post anyway. An NDA breach follows you around a small industry — no single clip is worth it.
Do organic posts you were paid for need permission too?
If the post is live on your own account, no — it's already public under your name, and linking it or embedding it in your portfolio is standard self-promotion. The clause conversation is about deliverables, not your own feed.
Two nuances worth knowing:
- The raw files are a different object than the post. If you delivered extra versions the brand only ran on their side, those fall under the same self-promotion clause as any deliverable — same one-message fix.
- Check for a minimum live window. Some sponsored-post contracts require the post to stay up 30, 60, or 90 days, and a few let the brand request removal after the campaign. That governs your feed, not your portfolio copy.
Gifted and product-exchange collabs are simpler than paid ones: with no signed transfer of rights, the work is yours. Show it — just label it as a gifted collab rather than a paid campaign. Brands can tell the difference, and the honesty scans better than the inflation.
FAQ
Can a brand ask me to remove work from my portfolio later?
They can ask, and whether you must depends on what you signed. If your permission was a friendly DM rather than a clause, take it down anyway — one clip is never worth a burned reference in an industry where brands talk to each other.
Do usage-rights expirations apply to my portfolio?
No. A usage window governs the brand's right to run your content as ads. Portfolio display runs on the self-promotion clause — or the permission you got — and it doesn't expire when the ad license does.
Should I show performance metrics next to brand work?
Only numbers you can back up — ones the brand shared in writing or that are publicly visible. "Ran paid for four months" is verifiable and strong; an unsourced CTR invites the question "says who?"
What if the deal happened in DMs with no contract at all?
Then nothing restricts you. Without a signed transfer of rights, you own the work you made — show it. Screenshot the thread anyway, so the scope of the deal is on record somewhere.
If you're pulling this work into one place, Ninefolio is one tool built for exactly that — a single page where your brand work plays.