Did you know you can negotiate topics other than your rates with brands? Here are a few items I wish I knew to negotiate on when first starting out:
TIMELINE! As someone who works a 9-to-5 job over 40 hours a week, sometimes a quick turnaround isn’t possible as I tend to shoot on the weekends! Not to mention I have other commitments, so it’s not always possible to shoot every weekend. When speaking with brands, I consider what I can manage without rushing to take sub-par photos that don’t serve either of us. Timeline is something that IS FLEXIBLE. Make it work for you. The brand will thank you for your consideration and quality work! If they still insist on a quick timeline, you CAN charge extra.
PROMO CODES! Working with boutiques frequently, I often ask for a promo code to share with my followers. This is an advantage for both you and the brand. After all, the purpose of the sponsored content is likely to drive sales to the business you partnered up with! Sometimes brands will offer you a commission from your promo code sales as well.
USAGE! What does the brand plan to use your content for? just social media? website use? ads? you can charge extra depending on what they are using it for or work this into your rates. keep in mind they would likely have to hire a model, photographer, editor, graphic designer, and others for ads. if you’re giving this away for free, you are losing money.
EXCLUSIVITY! Are you allowed to work with similar brands throughout the duration of this partnership? For example, if you work with brand X and they state that you cannot work with similar brands during this time – this is exclusivity. What if brand Y offers you a better deal? If you are contractually obligated to the brand X, you can’t work with brand Y until your contract is up. You can ask to be compensated for this!
