Your email notification pops up. It's a brand request!
Their budget is $400. Your rate is $2,200.
Or worse, they want your content in exchange for gifted product...
The brand is lowballing you. But this doesn't mean there is no deal to be struck, or no money to be made.
Before you write a single word back, here's what you should do.
Don't Panic — This Is Normal
Most brands open with a number lower than their actual budget. Oftentimes, much lower. It's not personal, and it's rarely their final offer. Lowballing is a standard negotiation opener, especially with creators a brand hasn't worked with before.
This is often referred to as the "door in the face" technique in negotation. The brand is shooting for the moon, asking for way too much and offering way too little. Some desperate creators will just accept. But even the creators that counter-offer will be anchored to a low dollar number, which is in the brand's favor.
The problem is that most creators don't know this. So they either accept the low number, fold faster than they should, or walk away from a deal that had real room to move. All three outcomes leave money on the table.
What you're looking at isn't a verdict on your worth. It's the opening move of a negotiation. Respond to it like one.
Savvy creators can (and have) convinced brands to pay 5x or even 10x their initial lowball offer. And you can too.
The Math Before You Respond
Before you write anything, figure out where their offer lands relative to your full rate — then choose your counter accordingly.
- Brand offer ≥ 85% of your rate: They're close. Counter at your full rate. They'll likely close the gap themselves.
- Brand offer 50–84% of your rate: Meet them about halfway. Counter at the midpoint between their offer and your rate. Anchor to a specific deliverable, not a vague discount.
- Brand offer below 50% of your rate: Counter at 75–80% of your rate. That's still a real concession, but it anchors the conversation far above their number. Never go below 70% right out of the gate, because there may be more negotiation to follow.
That last bracket is where creators get tripped up. A brand offers $400 against a $2,200 rate, and the instinct is to panic and drop to $1,000. That's too much, too fast. A counter at $1,600–$1,750 is firm, principled, and still leaves room to move.
Selah calculates your counter automatically — based on where the brand's offer falls →
What to Say (and What Not to Say)
Your reply has one job: anchor to your deliverable value, not to the gap between the two numbers.
Do say:
- "Here's what my rate covers, and why." Then restate your rate and list the deliverables, usage rights, and any add-ons included. Make the brand feel the weight of what they asked for.
- "Given the [usage rights / exclusivity / turnaround], my rate for this deal is $X." Name the highest-value line item in your quote. It signals you read the brief.
- If countering: "My best rate for the deliverables as described is $X." State it once. Don't explain it into the ground.
Don't say:
- "I know this might be a stretch for your budget, but..." — you just invited them to push back harder.
- "I could possibly do $X..." — hedging signals you're unsettled. Brands use that.
- Any number without naming what it covers. A bare price feels random; a price attached to specific deliverables feels fair.
When to Hold Firm vs. When to Concede
Hold your base rate. If you're going to give something, give an add-on — not the content fee.
That means: if a brand is pressing on price, the first thing to offer is removing an optional add-on (exclusivity, extended usage rights, link in bio) before you touch what you're charging for the actual content. You're adjusting scope, not discounting your work.
Signals that the brand likely has more room:
- They came in 50–70% below your rate (not 90% — that's usually a budget mismatch, not a negotiating position)
- They mentioned a campaign launch date or urgency
- They're a larger brand or have active paid advertising
- Their brief requested multiple add-ons alongside the content
When to Walk Away
If a brand won't move past 50% of your rate after a genuine counter, the deal probably isn't going to work. That's fine. Not every brand has the budget for your rate.
What's not fine: accepting a number that undercuts your value because you were afraid to hold the line. That deal teaches you one thing — how to underprice yourself the next time.
If you've countered once and they've come back with something insulting, you can close it simply: "I don't think we'll be able to make the numbers work for this one — I'd love to revisit for a future campaign when budgets align." No hard feelings. No apology.
A lowball isn't a verdict. It's the beginning of a conversation. The creators who consistently earn more are the ones who know the math before they open their reply window.
Get your counter-offer calculated before you respond →
For the exact language to use in your reply, see Brand Deal Negotiation Email Template →
Frequently Asked Questions
What should I do when a brand lowballs me? Before you type a single word back, calculate where their offer lands relative to your full rate. If they are within 85% of your rate, counter at your full rate — they are close. If they are 50–84% of your rate, counter at the midpoint. If they are below 50%, counter at 75–80% of your rate and hold there. Never drop more than 30% from your original quote in the first counter — that gap is too fast and signals your real number is much lower than what you sent.
Is it normal for brands to lowball on their first offer? Yes. Most brands open with a number below their actual budget because they expect negotiation. A lowball is not a statement about your worth — it is the opening move in a negotiation they expected you to engage with. The brands who come in at 20–30% of your rate are usually the ones who plan to pay closer to 70–80% if you hold firm. Their opening offer rarely reflects their ceiling.
How do I respond when a brand says their budget is fixed? "Fixed budget" is often the number a brand contact can approve without escalating internally — not the total available for the campaign. Counter with a specific line-item breakdown and let them tell you what does not work. If they can flex at all, they will. If they genuinely cannot, they will tell you — at which point you can adjust scope rather than price.
What should I never concede in a brand deal negotiation? Your base content creation fee. That is your professional rate for the work itself — your time, creativity, and the skill of producing content that performs. If something needs to give, give an add-on first: a shorter usage rights window, a narrower exclusivity clause, or removal of a platform cross-post. Adjusting scope is not the same as discounting your work.
When should I walk away from a brand that lowballs me? If a brand has not moved past 50% of your rate after a genuine counter, the budget and your rate are too far apart to bridge. That is fine — not every brand can afford your rate. What is not fine is accepting a number that undercuts your value because you were afraid to hold the line. A deal at 40% of your rate teaches you exactly one thing: how to underprice yourself next time.
For the full framework on pricing the deliverables your counter is based on, see How to Price a Brand Deal →