Influencers secure brand deals in many ways — some go right to the DMs of brands or even use Slack, while others rely heavily on talent managers or agents.
But social platforms’ brand-deal marketplaces, like TikTok’s Creator Marketplace, are the most common way for creators ink gigs, according to a recent report published by the creator-economy trade organization, the American Influencer Council.
For smaller, middle-class creators, these marketplaces are right at their “fingertips,” AIC founder and executive director Qianna Smith Bruneteau told Business Insider.
“It’s easy access,” she said. “While trying to get a more lucrative deal that an agency could only secure that might be out of their reach.”
The AIC’s report surveyed 567 “career creators” over the course of a month earlier this year. The survey was run in collaboration with influencer-marketing platform HypeAuditor and social app Canopy for Creators.
The report defines a career creator as an individual whose primary income is generated from social media. Career creators can be full-time or part-time — although a majority of the respondents (54%) identified as part-time creators.
Here are four takeaways from the report:
Over half of creators source brand partnerships from marketplaces on social platforms
Creators are tapping into the tools social-media platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and Snapchat offer with brand-creator marketplaces.
Nearly 55% of respondents listed social-media marketplaces as one of the three primary sources they use to secure brand deals.
Influencer-marketing platforms, such as Aspire or Hashtag Paid, were the second most popular choice.
“We’re always encouraging creators to connect with brand leaders on LinkedIn,” Smith Bruneteau said. “But I see hesitation from early journey creators, but more sophisticated or more seasoned creators know that’s just part of staying in business.”
Almost half of creators said they need 2 to 4 brand deals a month to have a sustainable income
About 28% of respondents said they need between five and nine partnerships to make a livable wage, while 16% said they need over 10.
But a majority — 46% — said they typically need two to four brand deals a month to feel like they have a “sustainable income,” per the report.
The data, however, does not account for the types of brand deals creators would require. For instance, some brand deals could be multi-channel sponsorships, while others could be affiliate links — which can vary in pay.
Most creators said their partnerships with brands last a month
About 31% of creators reported that their brand deals typically last one month.
Another 21% of creators said their partnerships last seven days or less, while 22% said they last about three months.
Longer-term partnerships are rarer — only 12.5% reported that their brand deals are typically six months on average, and another 11.9% said their deals last a year.
Smith Bruneteau said the longer the brand deal, the more likely a brand will distribute that influencer’s content across multiple channels, such as including it in website materials, newsletters, or running the content as a paid ad.
Almost a third of creators receive instant payment for their branded content
Instant payment — which 32% of creators said is the most common payment term they receive from brands — isn’t a guarantee for creators.
A bulk of creators (about 29%) said that they typically have to wait 30 days to be paid after a deal. This is common and often referred to as a Net-30 payment plan. Meanwhile, 10% said they normally get paid 60 or 90 days after fulfilling the terms of their contract.
Another payment model that is growing in popularity: performance-based pay, said Smith Bruneteau.
