The email lands in your inbox:
“We love your content and would love to collaborate!”

No mention of deliverables. No mention of budget. Just a vague pitch and a lot of enthusiasm.

You want to reply, but the moment money comes into it, things start to feel slightly awkward. Should you ask for their budget? Should you just send your rate and hope for the best? What if you go too high and they disappear, or go too low and regret it immediately?

If you’ve ever paused mid-reply trying to find the right wording, you’re not alone.

Let’s break it down: how to negotiate with brands in a way that feels natural, gets you paid properly, and keeps the door open for more.

1. Don’t rush to drop your rate

It’s tempting. You get the message, you feel the buzz, and you want to keep the momentum going, so you fire back your rates.

But here’s the issue: quoting too early, before you know the full scope, is like pricing a cake before you know how many tiers it needs, how soon it’s due, and whether it’s being picked up or delivered across the country.

Before you talk numbers, you need clarity.

Always ask:

• What are the deliverables? (Number of posts, stories, reels, etc.)
• Where is the content going? Just your platform, or theirs too?
• Will they want usage rights? Whitelisting? Paid ads?
• Any exclusivity involved?
• What’s the deadline?

Not only does this help you give an accurate quote, but it also subtly tells the brand: “I take this seriously and I know how this works.”

2. Should you ask what their budget is?

Yes, but don’t just leave it at that.

Asking “what’s your budget?” with no context can feel a bit blunt and, frankly, easy to dodge. You’re more likely to get a helpful answer if you wrap it into a more complete reply.

Try something like:

“Thanks so much for reaching out, I’d love to learn more. Could you let me know what you have in mind in terms of deliverables and timelines? If you have a budget allocated for this campaign, feel free to share and I’ll then send over my rates and availability.”

It’s friendly but direct, and it gives them a chance to be upfront.

But if they come back with: “We don’t have a set budget, what’s your rate?”,  that’s still useful. It means they’re open, and now you can set the tone.

3. Don’t just throw out a number, explain what it includes

When you send your rates, don’t just say “£250 per post.” That number on its own doesn’t mean much.

Instead, show what’s included and give your pricing some structure:

“For a static in-feed post and two story frames, my rate is £350. This includes content creation, posting, and 14 days of in-feed usage. Let me know if you’d need extended usage, paid promotion or exclusivity, I can provide separate rates for those.”

This instantly shows that:

• You’re not winging it
• You understand your value
• You have boundaries

You’ll be surprised how often this approach results in better, faster decisions from the brand.

4. Understand what you’re actually charging for

Let’s be clear: brands aren’t just paying for a post. They’re paying for your time, your creativity, your influence, and the trust you’ve built with your audience.

So when you’re calculating your rate, consider:

• Time: planning, shooting, editing, posting
• Production: props, equipment, location
• Value: audience size, engagement, niche, reach
• Usage: how and where the brand plans to reuse the content
• Exclusivity: if you’ll need to turn down similar brand work

If you’re unsure how to price, you can always quote a base rate for the content itself, then layer usage and exclusivity on top. This gives you more flexibility and makes it easier to scale up your pricing as the campaign grows.

5. When the budget is too low…

You’ve done everything right. Asked the questions, quoted your rate… and they reply with a budget that barely covers an Uber Eats delivery.

Don’t panic. This doesn’t mean the end of the conversation but it does mean you need to stay firm.

Here’s what to say:

“Thanks for letting me know. That’s a bit under my usual rate for the scope we discussed, but I’d be happy to adjust the deliverables slightly to align with your budget. Would you be open to one story frame instead of two, or removing usage rights for now?”

This tells them: I’m flexible, not desperate. You’re showing willingness to work with them, but not at the expense of your standards.

And if it’s miles off, don’t force it. Just say:

“Thanks again for getting in touch. This isn’t something I can take on within the current budget, but I’d love to stay in touch for future opportunities that might be a better fit.”

Short. Polite. Clear. You’ve left the door open, but you haven’t stepped through it for exposure alone.

6. Don’t forget, silence doesn’t mean rejection

One of the hardest parts about quoting is the waiting. You finally send your rates and the email goes quiet. You check your inbox, your signal, your sense of self-worth.

Breathe.

Brands take time to review budgets, especially if there are multiple people involved. Don’t assume silence means your price scared them off. Give it 3–5 working days, then follow up with a polite nudge:

“Just checking in to see if you had any updates on this one, happy to hold space in my calendar for now.”

Professional. Confident. No neediness.

You are not being difficult for asking to be paid. You are not being pushy for sending your rates. You are not “hard to work with” because you expect clarity before agreeing to anything.

This is your job and negotiating is part of it.

The more confidently you treat your work like a business, the more others will too. And the less weird money conversations will feel over time.

So the next time a brand gets in touch and leaves out the important details?

Ask the right questions. Say your rate. And hold the line.