How to (Reasonably) Negotiate With Influencers in 2025

Picture this: you're a passionate entrepreneur with a groundbreaking DTC product that you believe can change lives. Your days are spent tirelessly working on your brand, juggling multiple tasks, and ensuring your product reaches the right people.

You've tried it all, from Facebook ads to TikTok campaigns, but you're just not getting the results you envisioned.

Meanwhile, you've heard about the incredible impact that influencer marketing can have on brand growth, and you can't help but feel intrigued.

However, every time you reach out to an influencer, the fees they quote make your jaw drop. You begin to wonder if partnering with influencers is even worth the investment or if it's just another marketing fad that will leave you feeling burned.

The frustration mounts, but your brand needs the exposure to thrive.

In this blog post, we'll show how to negotiate with influencers in 2025 without breaking the bank or offending them, and without getting ripped off in the world of influencer marketing.

But before we go to the strategy, let's address the concerns that might be holding you back: the fear of not finding influencers to partner with, the temptation to cave into their high fee demands, or the worry that securing influencers without breaking the bank is simply unattainable.

Preparing for Influencer Negotiations: Goals, Budget & Smart Strategies

Several variables influence influencer rates, including audience demographics, platform engagement, content quality, and campaign complexity. A successful negotiation process requires brands to analyze these factors and align expectations with realistic outcomes.

Successful influencer negotiations start long before the first conversation. By setting clear goals and understanding budget constraints, brands can approach negotiations with confidence, ensuring a fair and mutually beneficial partnership.

Setting Clear Goals & Budget Considerations

Before reaching out to influencers, brands should define:

• Campaign Objectives: Are you aiming for brand awareness, lead generation, or conversions? Different goals may require different types of influencers and pricing structures.
• Key Performance Indicators (KPIs): Metrics like engagement rate, click-through rate, or sales should align with the campaign’s success criteria.
• Budget Constraints: Determine how much can be allocated per influencer, factoring in their market value, expected ROI, and potential for long-term collaboration.

Handling Pricing Objections with Creative Solutions

Budget constraints or pricing disagreements can often stall negotiations. Instead of walking away, brands can offer:

• Content Repurposing: Granting extended usage rights for influencer-created content can justify a lower upfront fee.
• Exclusive Partnerships: Offering long-term collaborations can provide influencers with consistent income, making them more open to adjusting their rates.
• Performance-Based Bonuses: Structuring part of the payment on sales or engagement can align incentives and reduce upfront costs.

Leveraging Additional Perks to Strengthen Negotiations

Beyond direct payments, brands can offer value-added perks to make their proposal more appealing:

• Early Access & Free Products: Exclusive previews or premium gifts can build excitement and encourage authentic endorsements.
• Co-Branded Content Opportunities: Allow influencers to collaborate on content creation, boosting their brand while increasing campaign engagement.
• VIP Event Invitations & Networking: Providing access to industry events or brand experiences can create stronger, long-term relationships.

By preparing thoroughly and using creative negotiation strategies, brands can build stronger influencer partnerships that align with both financial and marketing goals

Understanding Influencer Market Value & Making Data-Driven Decisions

Negotiating with influencers without a clear understanding of their market value can lead to overpaying or undervaluing their impact. A data-driven approach ensures fair compensation while maximizing ROI.

Why Market Value Matters

Every influencer brings a unique audience, engagement level, and brand alignment. Instead of relying on follower count alone, assess:

• Engagement Rate – High engagement often indicates a more loyal and active audience.
• Past Performance – Analyze previous brand collaborations to gauge conversion potential.
• Industry Benchmarks – Compare influencer rates within your niche to determine fair pricing.

Using Data to Negotiate Smarter

Rather than basing negotiations on assumptions, leverage insights from:

• Campaign Metrics – Use past campaign data to estimate potential reach, engagement, and conversions.
• Competitive Analysis – See what similar brands pay influencers and adjust your budget accordingly.
• Performance-Based Pay – Consider structuring deals around sales commissions, affiliate links, or performance milestones to align incentives.

By using a data-backed approach, brands can build strong, mutually beneficial partnerships with influencers while ensuring their investment delivers tangible results.

The Winning Secret: Create A Good Creator Offer

To make a deal with influencers, you need to present them with an irresistible offer. An offer that not only benefits them but also their fans. Here's a winning formula to create a solid offer:

Choose Your Offer Components

Your offer should consist of:

• A free product or some added perks

• A commission for the influencer — Give them a percentage of the sale made through them

• A discount for their fans

Remember, an ambassador offer works better than a simple affiliate offer. It should include all three components to make it truly irresistible.

Let's explore each of these components a little more.

Determine When to Send a Free Product

Send a free product when it's valuable (usually above $50). If your product is a luxury item (above $200), you can offer it for free or at a significant discount to the influencer. If your product is lower-value (below $20), add other appealing components, such as swag, access to a community, or brand alignment.

Ex Vegan influencers would love receiving free vegan chips even if they don’t cost too much.

Set the Right Commission

To decide on the affiliate commission, consider these factors:

• Your customer acquisition cost (CAC) on other channels

• Your competitors' commission rates

• Your profit margins

Ensure that you're still profitable after offering commissions and discounts.

Offer a Discount for Their Fans

Provide a discount to the influencer's fans that is higher than your site-wide discount. This gives them the incentive to purchase through the influencer's affiliate link, which in turn benefits both the influencer and you.

With these tips in mind, your offer could look something like this:

• A free product from the collection along with some cool swag.

• A generous 20% commission on every sale made through a unique referral link.

• A special 15% discount for your audience that is not available anywhere else.

To make your offer even more attractive, consider incorporating performance bonuses and exclusive perks that not only incentivize influencers to go above and beyond but also make them feel like valued partners:

1. Performance Bonuses: Offer additional rewards based on the influencer's performance. For example, if they drive a certain number of sales or reach specific engagement milestones, provide them with extra commission or other benefits.

2. Exclusive Perks: Provide influencers with special privileges, such as early access to new products, invitations to exclusive events, or the chance to collaborate on product development.

Handling Objections From Influencers:

When pitching commission-only plus free products offer to influencers, you'll likely receive a wide range of responses. But don't be disheartened by those that may seem like rejections; instead, view them as opportunities for negotiation.

The key to winning over influencers isn't to beg or play the "small brand" card, but to be strategic in showcasing the value they'll receive from partnering with you.

Let's look at tactics to help you negotiate effectively, emphasizing the benefits for both parties and turning those initial hesitations into enthusiastic agreements.

You can make the agreements even more enticing by offering to legalize them in digital format by putting an e-signature, erasing the need for documentation.

"Here's my fee"

When influencers quote their fees upfront, use these tactics:

• Leverage social proof: Name-drop other influencers who have already partnered with your brand. For example, "Hey there, we appreciate your fee structure, but we're looking for ambassadors with whom we can build long-term partnerships. We're already working with Sara Kay and Harry Young, who are passionate ambassadors for our brand. We'd love to have you on board as well!"

• Crunch the numbers: Break down the potential earnings for the influencer, comparing their fee to the long-term income they could receive. For instance, "Based on our average order value of $50, if you make two posts and generate at least five sales, you'd be close to your $300 quoted fee. Plus, you'd be earning continuous passive income!"

• Offer a minimum guarantee: Assure the influencer that they will receive a base amount even if they don't reach a certain sales target. You can say: "If you don't generate at least $300 in commissions, we'll guarantee you a minimum payment of $100. This way, you'll have a safety net while enjoying the unlimited earning potential."

• Base plus bonus: Propose a combination of an upfront fee and commissions. For example, you can say, "We'll pay you $150 upfront, and you'll earn a 10% commission on every sale. This guarantees a base income while giving you the chance to earn more as sales grow."

"I don't do affiliate"

When an influencer is reluctant to engage in affiliate marketing, try these approaches:

• Propose a secondary platform: Suggest collaborating on a platform with a smaller following. For example, "We noticed you have 5,000 followers on TikTok. Would you be open to posting commission-based content there, helping you diversify your income streams and allowing us to build a relationship together?"

• Get more for your money: If the influencer is worth the investment, negotiate additional content or usage rights for the same fee. You can say, "For your $300 fee, could you create two Instagram Reels instead of one? This way, we can maximize our investment while providing you with the income you desire."

How can you calculate if the influencer is worth the money and then how much should you actually pay them?

There's a data-driven approach to this rather than just taking a gut-feeling route.

All you have to do is install the SARAL's chrome extension, open the creator's social media profile, and click on the SARAL extension in your browser.

You will see a dashboard in the right top corner with the influencer's metrics like engagement rate, % of people that regularly engage with their content, and most importantly a fair fee that you can pay them for collaboration.

SARAL's algorithm takes into account the influencer's past content performance and industry standards when calculating a fee. By using this data-driven approach, you can be confident that you're not overpaying or undervaluing the influencer's work.

While SARAL provides a helpful starting point, it's essential to also consider your brand's budget and marketing objectives. Evaluate whether the influencer's fee aligns with your financial constraints and if partnering with them will help you achieve your goals.

Common Pitfalls in Influencer Negotiations & How to Avoid Them

Negotiating with influencers can be tricky, and without a strategic approach, brands risk overpaying, undervaluing, or misaligning expectations. Here are some common pitfalls and how to avoid them.

1. Paying Solely Based on Follower Count

The Mistake: Many brands assume that a high follower count equals high influence, leading to inflated payments for influencers with poor engagement.
How to Avoid It: Focus on engagement rate, audience demographics, and past campaign performance rather than just follower numbers.

2. Ignoring Content Ownership & Usage Rights

The Mistake: Brands often assume they can repurpose influencer content freely, only to face licensing issues later.
How to Avoid It: Clearly outline content rights in the contract, specifying whether the brand can reuse the content for ads, website use, or future campaigns.

3. Lack of Clear Deliverables & Performance Metrics

The Mistake: Brands sometimes agree to vague contracts without setting clear expectations, leading to misalignment in campaign execution.
How to Avoid It: Define key deliverables (post frequency, content style, messaging guidelines) and trackable performance KPIs upfront.

Leveraging Performance-Based Models to Improve Negotiations

One of the best ways to avoid overpayment and ensure accountability is by incorporating performance-based compensation models. These models align influencer incentives with campaign success.

How Performance-Based Compensation Works:

• Affiliate & Commission-Based Deals – Influencers earn a percentage of sales generated through their unique links or discount codes.
• Pay-Per-Engagement – Compensation is tied to specific metrics such as video views, comments, or shares.
• Hybrid Model – A mix of a base fee and performance incentives ensures fair pay while driving results.

Benefits of Performance-Based Models:

✅ Ensures ROI: Brands only pay for measurable outcomes, reducing wasted spend.
✅ Encourages Authentic Promotion: Influencers are motivated to create content that drives real engagement and conversions.
✅ Strengthens Long-Term Partnerships: A performance-based approach fosters trust and repeat collaborations with top-performing influencers.

By structuring negotiations around data and performance, brands can create fairer, results-driven influencer partnerships that maximize marketing impact.

The Foundation For Success: Building Relationships With Creators

Even when influencers say no to a collaboration, it's essential not to close the door on the relationship. Remember, circumstances and interests change, and what wasn't a good fit today might be a perfect match tomorrow.

Instead of treating a "no" as a dead end, see it as a chance to build rapport and establish a foundation for possible collaborations down the line. Maintain a positive attitude toward them and show genuine interest in their work.

Here are tips on how to build relationships even with creators who've said no to collaborating with you, ensuring that you're in a prime position to revisit the partnership when the time is right:

1. Send a Free Product Anyway

If an influencer declines, send them a free product with a personalized note. This thoughtful gesture can leave a lasting impression and may lead to future collaborations or word-of-mouth promotion.

2. Offer a Discount for Creators

For high-priced products, offer influencers a generous discount instead. This shows appreciation, keeps them engaged, and increases the chance of future partnerships.

3. Collaborate on a Giveaway

A joint giveaway can generate buzz and provide value to their audience while promoting your brand. A successful giveaway could lead to a long-term partnership.

4. Keep the Conversation Going

A "no" isn’t always final. Some influencers may need time or have scheduling conflicts. Follow up later using tools like SARAL to nurture relationships and increase the chances of a future collaboration.

5. Share Valuable Content:

Strengthen relationships by sharing relevant industry news, trends, or insights that align with an influencer’s niche. Providing value consistently positions you as a trusted resource and increases the chances of future collaborations.

Final Thoughts

As we've explored throughout this blog, the art of negotiating with influencers in 2025 requires a blend of strategy, creativity, and persistence. It's essential to strike the right balance between making a compelling offer and respecting the value that influencers bring to your brand. And don't forget that collaboration isn't just about getting the best deal for your business; it's also about fostering long-term partnerships that can benefit both parties.

It's also important to stay up to date with influencers' evolving preferences, industry trends, and new ideas when you are in a space that's constantly evolving.

Scale your influencer marketing with SARAL, without adding more complexity

Finding genuine nano influencers is like searching for needles in a haystack of Instagram filters and fake followers. And once you find them? Tracking conversations across 20 different DMs while measuring who actually drives sales... it's a nightmare.

That's where SARAL can help. SARAL helps brands like yours:

• Discover high-performing nano influencers in your specific niche
• Track engagement rates and audience authenticity in real-time
• Manage multiple creator relationships from one dashboard
• Measure ROI and sales attribution for each partnership
• Scale your influencer program without scaling complexity

Leading brands like Brez, Obvi, and Branch are already using SARAL to build powerful nano-influencer networks that drive consistent sales and authentic engagement. Don't waste time scrolling through social media or overpaying on marketplaces.

Book a 30-min personalized demo today and join brands that are getting better results with nano influencers.