Know your audience numbers
Before you approach any brand, open your platform insights and note who actually watches you: their location, age range and gender, your average views per post, and how many people comment, save and share. Brands are buying access to that audience, so these numbers matter more than your total follower count. Update them every month.
Pick a niche you can own
A creator who is “the go-to voice for budget fashion in Nairobi” is far easier to book than one who posts a bit of everything. Choose two or three themes you enjoy and can sustain, and keep most of your content inside them. A clear niche tells brands exactly what they get when they work with you.
Build a one-page media kit
Your media kit is your sales document. Keep it to one or two pages and include:
- A short introduction and what your content is about
- Your audience numbers and demographics, with the date
- Your best-performing posts and any past brand work, with results
- The formats you offer, such as videos, stories, posts or live sessions
- How to contact you, using a professional email address
Set your rates with confidence
There is no single price list. Your rate depends on your audience, engagement, the format, how much work the content takes, and what the brand wants to do with it afterwards. Price these separately:
- Usage rights: if a brand wants to use your content in its own ads, that is worth extra.
- Exclusivity: if you cannot work with competitors for a period, charge for that.
- Revisions and extra deliverables: agree what is included before you start.
Free products can be a fair start with brands you love, but do not let them become the norm once you have a proven audience.
Pitch brands the right way
Choose brands your audience would genuinely care about. Keep your message short: who you are, who your audience is, one specific idea for content you would create for them, and your media kit attached. A concrete idea shows you have thought about their goals and stands out from generic requests.
Act like a professional
- Use a business email, not a personal one.
- Reply quickly and meet every deadline.
- Get the terms in writing before you post.
- Label paid content clearly, for example with the platform’s paid-partnership tool or #ad.
- Send the brand a short results report after the campaign. It is the easiest way to get booked again.
Mistakes that cost creators deals
Buying followers or engagement, hiding paid posts, missing deadlines and accepting brands that do not fit your audience all damage trust, and brands talk to each other. Protecting your audience’s trust is protecting your income.
When an agency can help
A good agency finds and negotiates deals while you focus on content. At Manyatta Influence there are no upfront fees: we take 20% of the deals we bring on our Standard package, or 30% on Managed Positioning, where we also build your media kit and coach your positioning every week.
Frequently asked questions
How many followers do I need to get brand deals?
There is no fixed number. Brands increasingly work with smaller creators who have an engaged audience in a specific niche, so engagement and fit matter more than follower count.
Should I accept free products instead of payment?
Free products can be a fair way to start with brands you genuinely like, but once you have a proven audience and results, ask to be paid for your work.
Do I need a manager or agent?
Not to start. But as deals grow, an agent can find more opportunities, negotiate better terms and handle the admin. Choose one that only earns when you do.