How to Negotiate a Pay Rate: Why You Should Always Request the Media Kit First
Kristen Althoff, a five-year influencer marketing veteran at Mary Ruth Organics, walks through her two-step process for how to negotiate a pay rate with creators without overpaying or stalling the deal. Her first move is always to request a Media Kit, not to treat it as gospel, but to establish a realistic pricing range before you ever name a number.
From there, Kristen argues that no opening offer should be treated as final. Her team's non-negotiables are specific deliverables like two Instagram stories, and they build negotiations around a clear price range rather than a single fixed fee. She also shares a candid take on working with agencies: fixed fees can quietly include agency markups, so it pays to keep that in mind. On the creator side, her focus stays on micro-level partners in the 3K to 5K range, where deliverable requirements actually make the economics work.
If you want to know exactly what to say when a creator pushes back, watch to the end.
