Decide your three numbers before you reply
Before you type anything, write down three numbers: your target (what you want to get paid), your opening (the package you ask for first, priced at your standard rates), and your floor (the lowest you'd take).
Say a skincare brand offers $300 for one TikTok video plus 30 days of paid usage and 30 days of exclusivity. Your rate card says one video is worth $500.
So your target is $500 for the video alone, your opening ask is $650 for the video plus 30 days of paid usage at your standard rates, and your floor is $400. These are example numbers. Yours will be different, but the structure stays the same.
Write the three numbers in your notes app before you answer. Mid-thread, when a brand says "we can only do $300," your brain starts negotiating against itself. You think, well, $300 is close enough. If the floor is written down, you already made that decision when you were calm.
How to write the counteroffer
A good counter email is short and easy to say yes to. Here's how to build one, step by step.
- Thank them and say yes to the idea. You want to work together, so say that in the first line.
- Restate exactly what they asked for. One TikTok video, 30 days of paid usage, 30 days of exclusivity. This shows you read the brief and it locks the scope in writing.
- Give one price, not a range. A range invites the brand to pick the bottom number every time. If you say "$500 to $650," you will get $500. Name one number and stop.
- Offer a smaller package as the alternative. Give them a cheaper option that costs them less because it includes less, not because you dropped your rate.
- End with a simple question. "Does $750 work for the full package?" is easy to answer. "Let me know your thoughts" is not.
Keep the whole email under 90 words. Long emails read as nervous.
Counteroffer emails you can copy
Steal these. Swap in your numbers and the product name.
The lowball offer:
Hi [name], thanks for reaching out, I'd love to work on this. Just to confirm the scope: one TikTok video and 30 days of paid usage. For the video plus 30 days of paid usage, my rate is $650. If budget is tight, I can do the video alone with no paid usage for $500. Does either option work for you?
The gifted-only offer:
Hi [name], thanks for thinking of me, the product looks great. I don't do gifted-only videos since each one takes real time to plan, film and edit. My rate for one TikTok video is $500, and I'd still love the product to feature in it. Happy to send examples of past videos if that helps. Want me to hold a filming slot?
The offer with paid usage or exclusivity:
Hi [name], excited about this one. One note on the scope: paid usage and exclusivity are separate from the video fee, since they take options off the table for me. The video is $500, 30 days of paid usage adds $150, and 30 days of exclusivity adds $100, so $750 for everything you outlined. I can also do the video alone for $500. Which works best?
Notice what's missing from all three. No "sorry." No "I hope that's okay." No long explanation of your follower count. You're stating a price for work, the same way the brand states a price for its product, so there is nothing to apologize for.
Price usage rights and exclusivity as separate lines
Usage rights and exclusivity cost extra because they take options away from you. Paid usage means the brand can run your face as an ad. Exclusivity means you turn down other paying work. Both are worth money on top of the video fee.
| What the brand asks for | What it means | How to handle it in your counter |
|---|---|---|
| One TikTok video | You film and post one video | This is your base rate, $500 in the example |
| Paid usage | They run your video as an ad, for example 30 days | Add a fee with an end date, $150 for 30 days in the example |
| Exclusivity | You can't work with competitors for a period | Add a fee tied to the length, $100 for 30 days in the example |
| Raw footage | They get your unedited clips to reuse | Charge for it, $75 in the example, and limit how they can use it |
| Extra revisions | More rounds of changes after delivery | Agree on the number of revision rounds up front and price extra rounds separately |
Do the math out loud in your email. In the example, the video is $500, paid usage adds $150, so video plus usage is $650. Add exclusivity and it's $750. When the brand sees the lines, the total stops feeling random.
Always put an end date on usage. "30 days" is a deal. "In perpetuity" is the brand owning your face forever for $150.
If you want the deeper version of this, read the guide to usage rights and whitelisting for creators. And whatever you agree to, read the agreement before signing.
What to do when the brand pushes back
The brand may counter your counter. The rule is: move only when they move.
If the brand doesn't raise its number, change the scope instead of your price. Trade, don't discount. Offer fewer deliverables, shorter usage, or no exclusivity.
A smaller package at your full rate keeps your rate card intact. The same package at a lower price teaches the brand your numbers are soft.
Here's how it plays out with the example. The brand comes back at $450 for the video plus 30 days of paid usage. You reply: $650 for both, or $500 for the video alone.
They pick the video alone at $500. You got your target rate, they got a price they could approve, and your video isn't running as an ad for free.
If they still won't meet your floor, your floor is a real line. Say no politely and leave the door open. "I can't make that number work for this scope, but I'd love to work together when the budget fits" takes ten seconds to write and costs you nothing.
Mistakes that cost creators money
- Giving a range. The brand hears the bottom number and your top number dies on the spot.
- Discounting before they ask. You talked yourself down from $650 to $500 in your own head and they never even objected.
- Agreeing to paid usage with no end date. Your video runs as an ad for a year and you got paid for a month.
- Accepting exclusivity for free. You turned down a competitor's paid deal because of a promise nobody paid for.
- Filming before the agreement and payment are in place. Now you're chasing an invoice with nothing to use.
- Replying in a rush at 1am. Sleep on it. The offer will still be there in the morning, and you'll write a better email.
How Rateful handles the back-and-forth
Rateful is an AI manager for TikTok Shop creators, and the AI manager is called Sam. Every creator gets their own deals address, handle@rateful.ai. Brands email it, and Sam answers.
Sam negotiates to the rate card you set and never goes below your minimum, and accepting a deal always needs your OK. If you want a starting point for your own numbers, look at what creators charge for one TikTok Shop video.
Once a deal is agreed, Sam sends the brand a written agreement that spells out the exact payment plan. Your deposit is released before you film, and Rateful holds only the rest until the posts are live. Rateful takes 0% of your deals.
Questions people ask
Is it rude to counter a brand deal offer?
A polite counter with a clear price reads as professional, not difficult. The only thing that reads badly is being rude or vague, and a short email with one number is neither.
How much higher should my counteroffer be than the brand's offer?
Work from your rate, not their number. In the example, the brand offered $300 and the creator's target for the video was $500, so the opening ask was $650 for the video plus 30 days of paid usage. Adding 30 days of exclusivity brought the full package to $750. If their offer is far below your floor, restate your rate and the scope instead of meeting them halfway.
What should I say when a brand says it has no budget?
Offer a smaller scope at a price they might have. In the example, the fallback is the video alone for $500 with no paid usage or exclusivity. If they truly can't pay anything, you can pass politely and ask them to reach out when budget opens up. If a brand with "no budget" is asking for usage rights and exclusivity, point out that those are paid extras, and offer to drop them to fit a smaller budget.
Should I give a discount for a long-term brand deal?
A multi-video commitment can justify a better per-video price because it's guaranteed work. Get the commitment in writing first, with the number of videos and the timeline. A discount for a vague "we'd love to work together more" is a discount for nothing.
Should I accept free product instead of payment?
A free $60 product doesn't pay for the hours a video takes to plan, film and edit. If you'd buy the product anyway and want the practice, that's your call. Otherwise, answer with your rate and note that you'd still be glad to feature the product in a paid video.