


Published in Negotiation
Image credit by Giorgio Trovato

Steven Lewis
Publisher, Editor-in-Chief, Foam
January 12, 2025
💰 How to Negotiate Better Deals for Your Influencers
Secure higher-paying brand deals with these smart negotiation tactics.
If you’re still accepting the first offer that lands in your inbox, congratulations—you’ve probably left thousands of dollars on the table without even realizing it.
Brand deals aren’t just about getting paid; they’re about securing the right price, the right terms, and the right partnerships that benefit your Creators in the long run. A bad deal doesn’t just hurt short-term earnings—it can undervalue a Creator’s brand, limit future opportunities, and lock them into contracts that don’t serve their best interests.
Smart talent managers don’t just close deals—they negotiate them. And the best ones? They know exactly how to push for higher rates, secure better terms, and position their Creators as indispensable to brands.
Walking into a negotiation with your lowest price is already a losing move. The first number on the table sets the tone, and if you don’t anchor high, you’re letting the brand control the budget. Start higher than what you actually want—this leaves room for negotiation without falling below your real minimum. Back it up with data—past campaign success, audience engagement, conversion rates. Position your Creator as premium—brands pay more for perceived exclusivity and high-quality content.
If you’re afraid of losing the deal by asking for more, you’re already negotiating from a place of weakness. Brands expect negotiation. Their first offer is rarely their best.
Brands don’t care about follower count as much as they care about what those followers do. A Creator with 100,000 engaged followers is more valuable than one with a million passive scrollers. Stop selling reach—sell results. Show proof—past campaign ROI, case studies, audience purchasing behavior. Offer a unique selling point—what makes this Creator’s audience different from any other influencer they could hire?
The second you shift from “this Creator has a big following” to “this Creator will move the needle for your brand,” you’re in a stronger position to demand higher rates.
If a brand wants long-term partnerships, exclusivity, or first rights to content, they need to pay for it. Limiting competitive partnerships means lost opportunities—charge accordingly. If a brand wants priority placement or extended content usage, price it separately. If they want the right to repurpose content for paid ads, that’s an additional fee.
Exclusivity isn’t free—don’t give it away without getting compensated for it.
Brands love to sneak in extra content, extra revisions, and tighter deadlines—without adjusting the budget. If you’re not setting clear deliverables upfront, you’ll end up doing more work for the same money. Define exactly how many posts, stories, and videos are included. Set deadlines that work for your Creator—last-minute rush jobs should cost extra. Limit revisions—two rounds of feedback is reasonable; endless edits are not. Determine content ownership—who owns the content, and for how long?
If a brand wants to tweak the deal mid-campaign, that’s fine—as long as they’re willing to pay more for it.
The best negotiators know that walking away is sometimes the best strategy. Brands aren’t just choosing Creators—Creators are choosing brands. And the ones that recognize their value will always get better deals.
Walk away when the budget is too low. Some deals aren’t worth negotiating. Reject restrictive terms—long contracts, excessive exclusivity, and unreasonable demands are red flags. Avoid brands that don’t respect Creators—delayed payments, micromanagement, and lack of trust aren’t worth the hassle.
Saying no creates scarcity. It creates demand. If a brand really wants to work with a Creator, they’ll come back with a better offer.
The difference between a good deal and a great deal comes down to how well you negotiate.
The best talent managers start higher than they expect to get, sell business results instead of just an audience, charge extra for exclusivity and licensing, set clear deliverables and enforce them, and aren’t afraid to walk away.
The next time a brand slides into your inbox with an offer, don’t just take what they’re giving—negotiate for what your Creator is worth. Because in this business, leaving money on the table is not an option.
If you’re still accepting the first offer that lands in your inbox, congratulations—you’ve probably left thousands of dollars on the table without even realizing it.
Brand deals aren’t just about getting paid; they’re about securing the right price, the right terms, and the right partnerships that benefit your Creators in the long run. A bad deal doesn’t just hurt short-term earnings—it can undervalue a Creator’s brand, limit future opportunities, and lock them into contracts that don’t serve their best interests.
Smart talent managers don’t just close deals—they negotiate them. And the best ones? They know exactly how to push for higher rates, secure better terms, and position their Creators as indispensable to brands.
Walking into a negotiation with your lowest price is already a losing move. The first number on the table sets the tone, and if you don’t anchor high, you’re letting the brand control the budget. Start higher than what you actually want—this leaves room for negotiation without falling below your real minimum. Back it up with data—past campaign success, audience engagement, conversion rates. Position your Creator as premium—brands pay more for perceived exclusivity and high-quality content.
If you’re afraid of losing the deal by asking for more, you’re already negotiating from a place of weakness. Brands expect negotiation. Their first offer is rarely their best.
Brands don’t care about follower count as much as they care about what those followers do. A Creator with 100,000 engaged followers is more valuable than one with a million passive scrollers. Stop selling reach—sell results. Show proof—past campaign ROI, case studies, audience purchasing behavior. Offer a unique selling point—what makes this Creator’s audience different from any other influencer they could hire?
The second you shift from “this Creator has a big following” to “this Creator will move the needle for your brand,” you’re in a stronger position to demand higher rates.
If a brand wants long-term partnerships, exclusivity, or first rights to content, they need to pay for it. Limiting competitive partnerships means lost opportunities—charge accordingly. If a brand wants priority placement or extended content usage, price it separately. If they want the right to repurpose content for paid ads, that’s an additional fee.
Exclusivity isn’t free—don’t give it away without getting compensated for it.
Brands love to sneak in extra content, extra revisions, and tighter deadlines—without adjusting the budget. If you’re not setting clear deliverables upfront, you’ll end up doing more work for the same money. Define exactly how many posts, stories, and videos are included. Set deadlines that work for your Creator—last-minute rush jobs should cost extra. Limit revisions—two rounds of feedback is reasonable; endless edits are not. Determine content ownership—who owns the content, and for how long?
If a brand wants to tweak the deal mid-campaign, that’s fine—as long as they’re willing to pay more for it.
The best negotiators know that walking away is sometimes the best strategy. Brands aren’t just choosing Creators—Creators are choosing brands. And the ones that recognize their value will always get better deals.
Walk away when the budget is too low. Some deals aren’t worth negotiating. Reject restrictive terms—long contracts, excessive exclusivity, and unreasonable demands are red flags. Avoid brands that don’t respect Creators—delayed payments, micromanagement, and lack of trust aren’t worth the hassle.
Saying no creates scarcity. It creates demand. If a brand really wants to work with a Creator, they’ll come back with a better offer.
The difference between a good deal and a great deal comes down to how well you negotiate.
The best talent managers start higher than they expect to get, sell business results instead of just an audience, charge extra for exclusivity and licensing, set clear deliverables and enforce them, and aren’t afraid to walk away.
The next time a brand slides into your inbox with an offer, don’t just take what they’re giving—negotiate for what your Creator is worth. Because in this business, leaving money on the table is not an option.
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