Why Some Brands Don’t Pay
To decide whether you should continue accepting gifted collaborations, you should understand a few other things first.
There are many great brands out there that genuinely don’t have a big budget, so they can only offer gifted collaborations or smaller paid projects. However, there are also some brands that do have a budget, but initially try to see if you would work for free, because why wouldn’t they?
We like free stuff too.
Some big brands do this too. They use their names to get free content from fans.
Don’t get me wrong; to have a big brand in my portfolio, I might even consider a gifted collaboration, but it’s unfortunate that this is part of the “game.”
Negotiating, pitching, knowing how to quantify the value of your content, building a portfolio with content that sells so you can have negotiating power, it’s all part of “the game”.
Hundreds of us sometimes get the same emails or DMs from the same brands, and at the same time, with ambassador/affiliate opportunities, gifted collabs, or a message saying “We will send you a free product in exchange for XYZ”. It’s mass outreach.
So why would they pay…
…if someone else answers “Yes”, offering to do the same thing you are charging for, but for free?
When Gifted Collabs Do & Don’t Make Sense
Before we go any further, let me be clear: I still take gifted deals sometimes. They can be amazing, for the right reasons.
Here’s when gifted collabs do make sense:
You are still new in the industry and are building your following, portfolio, and/or community
If they are being fair with the deliverables, makes sense for the value of the product and where you are in your journey
It's a high-value item, with great commission, that you know your audience will love and will sell well with them
You need specific content pieces for your portfolio or just went through a major rebrand and need new branded content quickly
It’s a product you need, a brand you already love, and you have time/capacity
You’re just getting started, so you need experience, and testimonials/reviews from brands for your portfolio
They are saying “no strings attached”, so are not asking for anything required. They just ask you to post it if you like the item, and if you want to. AKA “PR”.
But you should be getting paid if:
Your content reaches a lot of people & consistently, you have great engagement & click through rates, a portfolio, and/or other current paying clients. Pretty much when you have proof your content sells.
When same brands keeps asking for more and more
When you feel like your UGC portfolio is at a good spot with content quality that drives sales & good reviews
If they are asking for an unreasonable amount of usage rights. Honestly, I don’t mind giving a few months for “social media only usage rights” for a gifted item that helped me get ahead somehow, but “perpetual”? anything over 3-6 months or outside of social media? That you have to pay for. It’s too valuable. Or their product has to be very valuable to me.
You posted content with the brand in it, and the brand DMs you saying something like “we love your content, can you send it to us so we can post it”, which means they already see the value, so negotiating here to get paid is important. And the best part is, you already done the work!
Template: How to Turn a Gifted Deal Into Paid
Here’s my go-to template you can steal when a brand pitches a gifted collab:
Hello [Name], Thank you so much for reaching out! I’d really love to work together, your [product/brand] looks amazing. Currently, I don’t have the capacity to take on gifted campaigns, but I’d be happy to discuss a paid collaboration.
Does your team have a budget for that? You can view my portfolio here: [Insert Link]
Looking forward to hearing from you!
[Your Name]
I still see creators with 20K+ followers giving away video ads with usage rights without pay. Most laugh it off when I ask and say “I don’t know what I am doing”
Please know turning gifted into paid isn’t about “being greedy”, is about being smart and knowing how to do business in this industry. You’re running a business. And if your content is actually driving sales, you definitely should get paid.
Let’s stop leaving money on the table and start getting what we’re worth. When one of us says yes to free work, it impacts all of us. So make sure you’re saying yes to what truly benefits you, and understand when you should be getting paid.
Other Ways I can Help
Step 1 - Fill out your Creator Profile & Check Out if we have any Brand Deals Available: This is how I match you with real brands & where I keep all of the current deals I am recruiting for. I can’t send you sh*t if I don’t know what you’re about.
Step 2: Download the Free 7-Week Creator Content Monetization Checklist: I mapped out for you the steps to monetize your content. Provides you a roadmap on what to do each week, and includes a portfolio template. A portfolio is a MUST HAVE if you are taking this seriously.
Step 3: Grab The Creator Content Cashflow System: Your UGC & Influencer Brand Deal Playbook: A complete step-by-step breakdown of the entire brand deal process. From finding brands, pitching, and scriptwriting, to negotiating, reviewing contracts, figuring out your rates, and beyond. Nothing skipped.
You don’t have to do this alone.
You’ve got me, and a whole squad of moms ready to help in our Facebook Group.
