Most creators underprice their first brand deal. After 100+ brand collaborations, I can tell you the pattern rarely changes.
A brand offers $500 for a post. You say yes because it feels like a win. Then the edits, the usage rights, the two extra stories and the link in bio add up to a weekend of work. Your effective rate? Barely above minimum wage.
Here is how to build a media kit that stops this from happening.
What a media kit is actually for
A media kit is not a brag sheet. It’s a decision tool for the brand. It answers one question fast: is working with you a safe, smart bet?
If it takes longer than a minute to read, it’s too long. That’s the same rule I use for websites. Clarity before content.
A polite no builds more respect than a discount ever will.
The five things every kit needs
Who your audience is. Not just follower count. Age range, location, and what they actually buy. A small audience that trusts you beats a big one that scrolls past.
What you make. Two or three content formats you do well. Be specific. “Short videos showing real morning routines with four kids” beats “lifestyle content.”
Proof it works. One or two past results with real numbers. Saves, clicks, sales, replies. If you don’t have a brand result yet, use your own best-performing post.
Your rates. A starting price per deliverable, with usage rights and exclusivity priced separately. If you hide your rates, you invite lowball offers.
How to work with you. Turnaround time, how many revisions you include, and who to contact.
Price the work, not the follower count
Here’s the simple version. Add up your real hours: concept, filming, editing, revisions, posting, and reporting. Pick an hourly number you’d be proud of. Then add a margin for usage rights, because the brand is borrowing your content and your face.
If their budget is lower than your number, you have options. Cut the deliverables. Shorten the usage window. Or say no. A polite no builds more respect than a discount ever will.
Ask the questions everyone skipped
Before you sign anything, ask what the brand wants this campaign to do. Sales? Awareness? Content they can reuse? Most creators never ask, so they guess and miss the point. When you ask, you stop sounding like a vendor and start sounding like a partner.
The idea matters, and so does execution. A great concept with sloppy delivery loses the repeat deal.
Need a second set of eyes?
If you’d rather not build this alone, that’s what I do. I help creators turn scattered content into a clear strategy and a pitch brands say yes to. Take a look at my strategy services, or if you’re a mom building an audience around real life, start with mom content creator coaching.
You’re building a business. Price it like one.
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