Negotiating with creators is where I see most brand managers lose good partnerships. Sharing some notes.

I get to see how a lot of different brands handle their creator deals. The one thing that trips up almost everyone is negotiation. Most people treat it as "how do I get this person to lower their rate," and that's how they lose a creator you actually wanted.

A few things that have worked for the brands I've seen do this well:

• If they won't budge on price, get more for the same money: A $400 deal for two posts feels steep until you also get usage rights to run it as an ad, a testimonial for your landing page, and a repost on their other platforms. Same fee, way more value.
• When they want a flat fee but you'd rather do commission, just do the math out loud for them: Creators ask for flat fees because it's a guarantee. So show them the numbers. "Your fee is $400, our average order is $100, at 20% you make $20 a sale, so you'd need 20 sales to match it, and then it keeps paying after that." 20 sales feels very doable to someone whose audience actually likes the product.
• If they insist on a fixed fee, tie it to a target instead of saying no: Something like: run the first 60 days on commission, and once they hit an agreed revenue number, you move them to a base fee. They get a clear path, you don't commit cash to someone unproven.
• When they push for a higher commission, show them the ladder rather than refusing: Set tiers. They start at 10%, hit $1,500 in a month and it bumps to 15%, hit $3,000 and they get the 20% they wanted. The raise pays for itself because they only reach it once they're actually selling.
• When they're on the fence, tell them who else already said yes: Name a couple of creators in their niche who took the same deal and stuck around. People trust what people like them have already done.

Happy to share the actual scripts I've seen people use for each of these.

Don't forget that your leverage is mostly set before the conversation even starts. If this creator saying no means your whole plan falls apart, then it's not a good plan. If you've got a few other good options lined up in the same niche, you stay relaxed and hold your terms. So the boring, unglamorous thing is to always be talking to more creators than you plan to work with.