Working with Brands as a Small Content Creator: 3 Ways to Get Compensated

Brand deals. We all want them. But we also know that working with brands can be a pain. In any deal, it’s important to ensure that all sides benefit. Even as a small content creator, you deserve to be rewarded for the time and energy you put into your content. Content creation is hard work! Even if you don't have a large following, your content has inherent value, so don’t be afraid to advocate for yourself and ensure you’re being fairly compensated! 

Sometimes, though, smaller brands you work with don’t have room in their marketing budget to offer monetary compensation, so read on for 3 tips to get around this!

1. Exposure. Compensation doesn’t always need to have a price attached to it! Does the brand have a decent social following or website traffic? Ask them to share and tag your branded content. Sometimes, exposure can be more valuable than money because it opens up the opportunity for future engagement (and at a larger scale; once your content is noticed by more people, you can expect to reap even more social benefits).

2. Affiliate commission. Does the brand have a large enough margin to share affiliate commission? If you're creating content that's searchable and relevant in the long run (i.e. a YouTube video or blog post), it may be a good idea to look into affiliate revenue opportunities, which basically means that you’ll get a cut of the profits for every person you direct to the brand––similar to performance-based pay. Consider creating content that will continue bringing in affiliate revenue; for example, including a code/link through which your followers can purchase the product…you'll be compensated per sale). It’s basically free money!

3. Value to your audience or clients. Does the brand align with your niche? Can they provide a special discount or value to your audience or clients? Collaboration may be worth it if your audience will value you more for the benefit they receive. Generating value will bring repeat (and higher quality) users to your account because you are offering things that interest and benefit them––this will serve you over time! 

Above all, patience is key. You might not see much difference in compensation amounts overnight, but these tips are worth it in the long run and will help you increase your following so that you can secure even larger brand deals in the future! Your content is amazing; now it’s time to show the brands you work with and the audiences what you’ve got and get compensated for it!

Interested in growing your online presence while saving time on content creation, especially when working on your latest brand deal? Head over to getmunch.com to transform your long-form videos into short-form videos perfect for social media in just a few simple clicks!