Nobody sat me down and explained how this works.
At first, I started making content.
Then brands started sending me stuff.
So naturally, I figured that was the deal.
You get the product.
You post.
Everybody’s happy.
That’s not how it works at all.
While I was out here posting for free…
Those brands were making real money.
They were making it off content I wrote, filmed, and edited myself.
Meanwhile, I got a bottle of cologne worth maybe twenty dollars.
I’m not mad at the brands.
After all, that’s their job.
They try to get as much as possible for as little as possible.
That’s just business.
What I’m saying is nobody told me.
Because of that, I spent way too long finding out the hard way.
So here’s what you need to understand now.
You don’t need a million followers to get paid.
Instead, you need to understand what you’re actually worth
and stop apologizing for it.
If your content makes money for a brand, you should be getting paid for it.
Your follower count is not your value
Most brands don’t actually care about your follower count.
What they care about is simple:
👉 Does your audience buy?
For example, if you’re a TikTok Shop affiliate with real GMV numbers…
That’s proof.
Not potential.
Proof.
Because of that, a smaller creator with conversion will always beat a big creator with empty views.
Every time.
Know your numbers before any brand conversation happens
Right now, pull up your analytics.
Look at:
- your average views
- your engagement rate
- your audience demographics
Also pay attention to where your audience lives and how they behave.
The problem is most creators walk into brand conversations completely blind.
As a result, brands get away with offering you nothing.
However, once you know your numbers, everything changes.
You stop guessing.
You stop accepting bad deals.
And you start negotiating with confidence.
Your one action from this post
Open TikTok.
Tap:
Profile → Menu → Creator Tools → Analytics
On the Overview tab:
Scroll down to your recent videos.
Write down the views from your last 10 videos.
Add them together.
Then divide by 10.
👉 That’s your average views.
Next, calculate your engagement rate:
Add your likes, comments, and shares from the last 28 days.
Divide that number by your total views.
Then multiply by 100.
👉 That’s your engagement rate.
Finally, screenshot everything and save it.
Because the next time a brand offers you three videos for a fifteen dollar product…
You’ll know exactly what that’s worth.
And it’s not worth it.
Next up:
exactly what to say when a brand reaches out and what to do when they try to lowball you
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