Explanation
This is the distinction that separates a UGC creator from an influencer, and it is a genuine difference in what is being bought. An influencer sells access to their followers: they post, you borrow the audience for a moment, and when the post ages out you have nothing left. A UGC creator sells you a file. You run it from your account, put ad spend behind it, cut it three ways and use it for a year.
The practical consequence is that follower count is close to irrelevant when hiring one. What matters is whether they can deliver a usable hook, on brief, on time, in a format that survives being cut down. Plenty of excellent UGC creators have a few hundred followers.
It also means the economics are per-asset rather than per-campaign, which is why the category ran into a wall as soon as brands started needing dozens of variants a month rather than three.
The common mistake
Paying influencer rates for UGC because the creator has a large following. You are buying a file, and the follower count is not in it.