Why Creators Shouldn't Be Paid in Products
There’s still a lingering habit in some large companies that hasn’t quite caught up with how the creator economy actually works. The idea that access, products, or perks are a fair replacement for payment.
A gifted item instead of a fee. A stay instead of a rate. A “collab” instead of a contract.
And it might have worked once, back when influencer marketing was still new and creators were just excited to be included. But that version of the internet is long gone.
Creators Are Businesses
Today’s creators are businesses. They have audiences, overhead, strategy, production costs, and opportunity cost on every piece of content they make.
So when a multi-million-dollar brand reaches out offering a product worth a few hundred or even a few thousand, in exchange for deliverables that drive real commercial value, the imbalance is obvious. Sure, it may be different for a startup looking to work with someone starting out in content. Everyone begins somewhere, but this is more about the business with hundreds of staff, offices, vehicles, etc and attempting to do business like it’s 2013.
It’s not a collaboration. It’s unpaid labour wrapped in branding language.
The Value Exchange Doesn't Add Up
The same applies across industries. No major hospitality brand should expect a creator to treat a stay like payment. No Airbnb host with a premium property should expect a full content package in exchange for a weekend stay and a “great experience.”
And yet, that logic still shows up in pitch emails from large companies:
“We’d love to send you our product in exchange for a post.”
“We can offer you a complimentary experience in return for content.”
“We don’t have a budget right now, but we can offer exposure.”
Exposure Isn't Currency
Exposure to what, exactly? The reality is simple: attention is the product, not the perk.
Creators are not just documenting experiences anymore; they are producing distribution, influence, and measurable impact. And when a piece of content can directly drive awareness, sales, or brand lift, it already has a market value.
The expectation that the value creators bring- their expertise and their reach should be exchanged for free products instead of actual compensation is where many brands fall behind.
Why Some Brands Still Get It Wrong
Smaller brands often do it out of necessity. Large brands do it out of habit.
But audiences… and creators… have evolved past it.
Today, the most successful partnerships are the simplest ones: clear scope, clear deliverables, clear budget, clear respect for time.
Respect Creates Better Partnerships
Because at the end of the day, a creator deciding whether to work with a brand isn’t asking:
“What product are they offering me?”
They’re asking:
“Do they actually understand the value of what I do?”
And the brands that do understand it are the ones creators want to work with again. Not because of the product. Not because of the experience. But because they treated it like a real business relationship from the start.