How a Content Creator Negotiates with a Major Brand

What happens when a dreamy brand or company gets in touch.

If you've been making interesting content online, chances are you've been building an audience for your work.

Around this time, something very exciting happens. A major brand gets in touch!

Photo by Collabstr on Unsplash

MAJOR BRAND
We absolutely love your content.

CONTENT CREATOR
Thank you.

MAJOR BRAND
And we'd love to work with you.

CONTENT CREATOR
Sure.

MAJOR BRAND
We'd like maybe three or four videos for TikTok and we'll cross post them on Instagram.

CONTENT CREATOR
Sounds great.

MAJOR BRAND
We have a deal?

CONTENT CREATOR
Not yet.

MAJOR BRAND
What's missing?

CONTENT CREATOR
The deal.

MAJOR BRAND
Oh yeah. We don't have a budget to pay but what we can give you is exposure.

CONTENT CREATOR
I already have exposure.

MAJOR BRAND
So what can we give you?

CONTENT CREATOR
A budget.

MAJOR BRAND
If we give you exposure, you'll reach millions more people than you usually do and then you'll attract work.

CONTENT CREATOR
From who?

MAJOR BRAND
Major brands.

CONTENT CREATOR
Like you guys?

MAJOR BRAND
Exactly.

CONTENT CREATOR
You invented computers, own all the TV Stations and every beautiful person in the world is wearing your clothes. Maybe you can spare a small budget for a content creator?

MAJOR BRAND
I can offer $50, what can you do for that?

CONTENT CREATOR
This conversation.

MAJOR BRAND
What do you mean?

CONTENT CREATOR
I mean if you want to pay me for having this conversation I'll accept $50.

MAJOR BRAND
Our allocated budget for the entire project is $50.

CONTENT CREATOR
I write the scripts. I film all the content. And then I spend days editing--

MAJOR BRANDS
That sounds like a lot of work.

CONTENT CREATOR
It is.

MAJOR BRANDS
We can offer $70 and if you're ever in Denver where my office is based I will personally buy you a footlong sandwich from Subway.

CONTENT CREATOR
I value my work a little higher.

MAJOR BRAND
$80 is the very highest we can go. We just need three videos so hopefully you can get all your work done in only 5 days.

CONTENT CREATOR
You've heard of the minimum wage?

MAJOR BRAND
This is the internet, which works differently--

CONTENT CREATOR
I can do what you're asking of me for $2000 and just so you know, that's way, way under what it's actually worth.

MAJOR BRAND
I really want to value your creativity and content.

CONTENT CREATOR
We have a deal?

MAJOR BRAND
$95, final offer. And we get all rights in perpetuity.

CONTENT CREATOR
What does that mean?

MAJOR BRAND
We'll take your wonderful videos and remake them but with bigger cameras and featuring either Michael Jordan or Tom Brady and the good news is you’ll get to keep the entire $95 we sent you. Deal?

CONTENT CREATOR
No deal.

MAJOR BRAND
Your loss.