How do you get brand deals and sponsorships as a creator?

Last updated · by Hüseyin Kaplan

Brands pay creators who can show they reach a specific audience. Build that proof first: a clear niche, consistent posting, a one-page media kit and past work examples. Then look where brands look (creator marketplaces, YouTube Creator Partnerships, TikTok One, affiliate and ambassador programmes), pitch an idea, price per deliverable, sign a contract and label every sponsored post 'Ad'.

How do you get sponsored as an influencer?

To get sponsored, make it easy for a brand to say yes. That means a clear niche, an audience that matches the brand's customers, recent proof that your content performs and a simple way to book you. Fit matters more than follower count. A skincare brand would rather pay a small creator whose comments ask where to buy the product than a much bigger generalist whose audience only watches.

Build three assets before you pitch anyone. Then post consistently for long enough that a brand scrolling your profile sees a pattern, not a one-off. Run it like a business from the start: use a separate email address for work, put your media kit in your link in bio and keep a short list of brands you already buy with your own money.

A one-page media kit

Keep it to one page, two at most. Cover who you are, your niche and platforms, your audience's age, gender and top countries from your native analytics, your average views over the last 30 days, three content examples and your packages. Analytics screenshots are more convincing than claims. Update the kit every month, because a stale kit makes the account look stale too.

A portfolio, even before your first deal

If no brand has paid you yet, make spec content. Film a product you already own the way an ad would run: a hook, a demonstration and a call to action. Make it clear the video is not sponsored. Three strong spec videos in your niche show a marketer exactly what they would get.

Engagement brands can verify

Brands look at comments, saves, shares and average views more closely than follower count. Reply to comments, build recurring formats and post on a steady schedule. Never buy followers. Marketplaces and agencies check audience quality, and an inflated count can end a deal before it starts.

How do you become an influencer (step-by-step guide)

What counts as a brand deal?

A brand deal is any arrangement where a company gives you something of value in return for content or promotion. That value can be money, free product, commission or a discount code. 'Sponsorship', 'brand partnership' and 'brand collaboration' all describe the same thing. What matters is what you deliver, who controls the content and how you are paid.

The value does not have to be cash for it to count. The FTC's Disclosures 101 guidance says you have a 'material connection' with a brand if it pays you or gives you free or discounted products. So a post about a gifted item is still an ad: label it '#ad' in the US and 'Ad' in the UK.

Paid sponsored content

The brand pays a flat fee for agreed deliverables, such as one Reel plus a set of Stories, or a segment inside a YouTube video. The brief sets talking points, deadlines and approval rounds. This is what most people mean by 'sponsorship', and it is the format to build your rate card around.

Gifted or PR product

The brand sends free product hoping you will post, or on condition that you do. This is the usual entry point for new creators and a low-risk way to test a brand before asking for a fee. Only accept products you would actually use, and label any post about them as an ad.

Affiliate links and discount codes

You earn commission on sales made through your tracked link or code. Pay depends on your audience buying, so this suits creators whose followers come ready to buy, such as tutorial, routine and review accounts. Many DTC brands start creators on affiliate terms and move the strongest performers onto paid fees.

Ambassador arrangements

A longer relationship that runs over several months. It usually combines free product, a personal discount code, commission and sometimes a monthly fee, in return for regular posts. Brands use it to reward creators who already sell for them. Read the terms carefully: you have to disclose for as long as the relationship lasts.

Content licensing

The brand pays for the right to use your content in its own ads or on its own channels, sometimes without you posting it to your audience at all. The licence period, the channels and paid-ad rights should each be priced separately from the content itself.

What is a PR package and how do you get on brands' PR lists

Where do brand deals actually come from?

Brand deals come from six places. New creators should work at least three of them at once rather than wait for brands to email them. Inbound offers grow as more people see your content. Until then, outreach, marketplaces and affiliate programmes fill the gap, and they also give you case studies that make inbound deals more likely.

If you make content for beauty, skincare, supplement, fashion or food and drink DTC brands in the UK or US, #Collabz could suit you. It is a creator marketplace where those brands post briefs and vetted creators apply or get matched, with usage rights and payment handled on the platform.

Creator marketplaces

Brands post briefs with a budget, deliverables and deadline, and creators apply or get matched. You spend less time hunting for contacts and more time making content, and payment is usually held by the platform. Read each brief closely and only apply where your audience matches the brand's customers.

Platform tools

YouTube, Instagram and TikTok each run a marketplace where brands search for creators. They work best once you meet the eligibility rules and your profile is complete. The platform section below explains each one.

Direct outreach

Pitch brands you already buy from. Small and mid-sized DTC brands often have no formal creator programme yet, and they reply to specific ideas. Find the person who handles influencer or partnership work on LinkedIn or the brand's press page.

Affiliate networks

Many DTC brands run affiliate programmes through networks, and you apply to each brand from one dashboard. Approval rules vary by brand, but they are usually lighter than for paid deals. Affiliate sales data also makes good proof when you pitch for fees.

Ambassador programmes

Always-on programmes with an application page. They usually offer a personal discount code and commission, sometimes free product too. Look for 'ambassadors', 'affiliates' or 'work with us' links in a brand's website footer.

Inbound offers

Brands find you through search, hashtags or other creators. Put a work email in every bio, add a line such as 'for partnerships, email…' and answer quickly. Check every unsolicited offer: real brands have a matching domain, a named contact and a clear brief.

How do you pitch a brand?

Pitch one specific content idea for one product, and send it to the person who handles influencer or partnership work. Keep it short enough to read on a phone. Brands ignore 'I'd love to collaborate' messages because they push the work back onto the brand. A concrete idea with proof attached does the opposite.

Email rather than DM where you can, and follow up once if you hear nothing. Pitch brands you already use. Real use comes across on camera and gives you a natural opening line. A sponsorship proposal for a bigger deal follows the same structure, with a fuller breakdown of packages added.

Subject line and opening

Make the subject line say what you are offering, for example 'Reel idea: 30-day routine with your SPF'. Open with one line on why this brand: how long you have used the product or the audience question it answers. Leave out your life story and any general praise.

The idea

In two or three sentences, describe the hook, what you will show and the action viewers should take. Name the format and platform. A brand should be able to picture the video without asking follow-up questions.

Proof

Link to your media kit and two relevant posts, and give one number that matters to this brand, such as average views on similar content or sales from an affiliate code. Proof that fits the brand beats impressive numbers that don't.

The ask

Ask a clear question: 'Can I send rates for one Reel plus three Stories?' or 'Is there a budget for creator content this quarter?' Sign off with your name, handle and work email. Follow up once, adding something new such as a fresh result.

How creators earn from brand deals

  • 49% of creators earn most of their revenue from brand deals, down from the previous survey.
  • 64% would prefer brand deals to be their main income, so competition for deals is high.
  • 75% of creators have no formal manager, so most pitch and negotiate their own deals.
  • 53% made ten or fewer sponsored posts in the survey year; most creators land deals only occasionally.

Source: NeoReach with Influencer Marketing Hub, Creator Earnings Report, 2025

How do micro creators get brand deals?

Micro and nano creators win deals by being the more specific option. Smaller DTC brands can rarely afford big names and want creators whose audience matches a narrow customer. Lead with your niche and any proof that your audience buys. Take gifted or affiliate terms early to build case studies, then ask for fees once you can show results.

The brands that work with small creators most often are DTC beauty, skincare, supplement, fashion and food brands that sell online and track codes. Myprotein, for example, runs a UK affiliate programme through the Awin network and lists a separate contact for its ambassador scheme on the same page. Check each brand's own website for its route in, rather than trusting lists that promise easy approval.

Start with brands you already buy

Your first deals are most likely to come from brands already in your bathroom cabinet, gym bag or wardrobe. You can talk about them convincingly, and your past posts may already show them. Tag them in honest, unpaid content and say plainly that you are not being paid.

Turn gifted deals into case studies

After a gifted post, screenshot the reach, saves, link clicks and code uses, then send the brand a short recap. One documented result is your strongest argument for a paid fee, from that brand or the next one.

Show results, not reach

Small accounts lose a reach contest but can win on conversion. Track affiliate sales, comments asking where to buy and DMs about products. Put those in your media kit, because a brand budgeting for sales cares about them more than about followers.

Offer content as well as posts

Many DTC brands need video for their own ads as much as they need your audience. Offering content they can license, alongside or instead of a post on your channel, gives a small creator a paid route in that doesn't depend on follower count.

How do content creators and influencers make money

How do you price and negotiate a brand deal?

Price each deliverable separately, then add line items for usage rights, exclusivity and rush deadlines. That way, if a brand cuts the scope, the price falls with it and you are not simply discounting your work. Base your starting rates on your average views and engagement on the platform involved, not your follower count.

When the budget is fixed, negotiate on scope rather than fee. Offer fewer deliverables, a shorter usage period or no exclusivity, but keep your rate per piece. Get everything agreed in writing before you film, including what happens if the brand asks for changes after approving the concept.

Build a rate card

List your core formats (a Reel, a TikTok, a Story set, a YouTube integration) with one price each. Add bundles that cost slightly less than the items bought separately. Review prices every quarter as your views grow. A rate card speeds up negotiation and stops you underpricing on the spot.

Usage and exclusivity

Usage covers where and for how long the brand can reuse your content, and paid ads are worth more than organic reposts. Exclusivity stops you working with competitors and costs you income, so charge for both. Define 'competitor' narrowly and put a date on everything.

Contract essentials

The contract should cover deliverables, deadlines, approval rounds, fee and payment date, usage period and channels, exclusivity, who is responsible for disclosure, and a cancellation fee if the brand pulls out after you have filmed. Even a short email confirming each point is better than a verbal agreement.

Payment terms

Agree a payment date, not just an invoice date. For new brands, ask for part of the fee upfront or work through a platform that holds the payment. Send your invoice the day the content goes live, with the agreed fee and the brand's purchase order number if it uses them.

How much do influencers charge? Influencer rates by platform and follower count

How do brand deals work on YouTube, Instagram and TikTok?

Each platform runs its own marketplace, but none of them replaces direct deals. Use them to get discovered, then negotiate and sign terms directly with the brand. Platform tools favour creators who post steadily, so treat eligibility as a milestone rather than your whole strategy.

Keep your contact email up to date on every profile. Brands found through platform search often email you directly as well. Whichever platform the deal runs on, put the disclosure where viewers see it first.

YouTube

According to YouTube Help, the Creator Partnerships tab in YouTube Studio is open to creators who are 18 or over, in the YouTube Partner Program, based in an available country (including the UK and US) and free of active Community Guidelines strikes. It includes a media kit and a setting for your preferred rates. You sign and get paid directly by the brand.

Instagram

Switch to a creator or business account and look for Creator Marketplace in your professional dashboard. If it isn't there, it hasn't reached your account yet. Fill in your interests and portfolio. On paid posts, use the 'Paid partnership' label, and add an 'Ad' label too if the platform label isn't prominent.

TikTok

TikTok's help centre says you need the following to join the TikTok One Creator Marketplace: an account in good standing, age 18 or over, at least 10,000 followers, at least 1,000 post views in the last 30 days and three posts in that period. Thresholds vary by region. Below that level, pitch brands directly or use creator marketplaces.

What are the pitfalls of social media sponsorship?

The biggest pitfalls are hidden ads, bad contracts and deals that don't fit your audience, and any of them can cost you more than the fee. The ASA and CMA influencers' guide says free products count as payment even if you had no obligation to post. The label must be upfront, saying 'Ad' rather than 'gifted', 'sponsored' or 'collab', and you are expected to keep disclosing for 12 months after a relationship ends.

Platforms can take down content or restrict accounts that break their branded-content rules, and brands quietly drop creators who cause compliance problems.

Burying the disclosure

Put the 'Ad' label where people see it first: the start of the caption, the title, the thumbnail or on the image. Don't hide it in a block of hashtags, behind 'more' or halfway through a video. Label every Story in a sponsored sequence, not just the first.

Claims you can't back up

Supplement, skincare and food claims face strict rules. Don't say a product cures, treats or guarantees results unless the brand can prove it and the claim is allowed. Ask the brand for approved wording in writing, and refuse scripts that ask you to overpromise.

Signing away too much

Watch for contracts that give the brand all rights to your content forever, broad exclusivity or unlimited revisions. Limit usage to set channels and an end date, define the competitor categories exactly and cap revisions at an agreed number of rounds.

Deals that don't fit your audience

A product your audience doesn't need drags down engagement on the post and on your account afterwards, and it weakens your next pitch. Turn down deals you wouldn't recommend unpaid. Being selective is part of what makes your recommendations worth paying for.

What are the FTC and ASA rules for sponsored content and #ad disclosure

How do you turn one-off deals into long-term partnerships?

You turn one-off deals into repeat work by reporting results before you are asked, delivering early and pitching the next idea before the campaign ends. Brands renew the creators who make their job easy: content that needs few edits, clean disclosure, quick replies and a recap they can forward to their boss.

Most creators manage these relationships themselves. NeoReach's Creator Earnings Report, run with Influencer Marketing Hub, found that three in four creators surveyed had no formal manager. Once deal volume grows, a talent manager or agency can take over the negotiating and follow-ups in exchange for commission.

Send a results recap

About a week after the content goes live, send reach, views, saves, link clicks, code uses and the best comments, with screenshots. Add one line on what you would change next time. Few creators do this unprompted, and brands remember the ones who do.

Propose the renewal

Before the campaign ends, offer a follow-on: a seasonal angle, a new product launch or a monthly package at a small discount for a fixed term. Brands find it easier to say yes to a scoped plan than to an open request for 'more work'.

Decide whether you need management

A manager earns their commission by finding more and better-paid deals and handling contracts and chasing payment. Before signing, check who else they represent, their commission and contract length, and whether you keep the brands you brought in yourself.

What should an influencer or UGC contract include (template)

Sources and further reading

Frequently asked questions

What is a sponsorship proposal?

A sponsorship proposal is a short document or email that pitches a specific content idea to a brand, with your audience data, proof of past results and priced packages. Keep it to one idea per brand, link your media kit and end with a clear question about budget or next steps.

What is the Creator Partnerships tab in YouTube Studio?

It is YouTube's built-in brand-deal tool, previously called BrandConnect, found on the Earn page of YouTube Studio. Eligible YouTube Partner Program creators can be discovered by brands, receive enquiries, set preferred rates and share a media kit. Contracts and payment are agreed directly with the brand.

What is a brand sponsorship?

A brand sponsorship is a paid arrangement where a company funds your content in return for featuring its product or message. It may be a single post, a series or an ongoing deal, and it must be clearly labelled as an ad.

How do brand deals work on Instagram?

Brands find Instagram creators through Creator Marketplace, hashtags, marketplaces and direct outreach, then agree deliverables such as Reels or Stories for a fee, free product or commission. Use Instagram's 'Paid partnership' label on sponsored posts, and add an 'Ad' label if the platform label isn't prominent.

Which brands work with micro-influencers?

DTC brands in beauty, skincare, supplements, fashion, and food and drink work with micro-influencers most often, because they sell online and can track sales from codes and links. Look for 'affiliates', 'ambassadors' or 'work with us' links on brand websites, and check affiliate networks such as Awin.

How many followers do you need to get brand deals?

There is no universal minimum. Gifted, affiliate and content-licensing deals are open to small accounts that have a clear niche. Platform marketplaces set their own thresholds, and TikTok One's help centre lists 10,000 followers as the standard requirement, which varies by region.

Do you need a talent manager to get brand deals?

No. Most creators find and negotiate their own deals, especially early on. A manager becomes worth their commission once you are getting more enquiries than you can handle, or need help with bigger contracts and getting paid.

Does a gifted product count as a brand deal?

Yes, for disclosure purposes. UK and US regulators treat free products as a form of payment, so any post about a gifted item must be labelled '#ad' in the US or 'Ad' in the UK, even if posting was not required.