Why Brands Think You're Turning Them Down Vs. Why You Actually Are

A recent podcast from our friends at Women in Influencer Marketing (WIIM) outlined, from the brand's perspective, the top ten reasons why influencers might be turning down their partnerships.

The relationship between creators and brands can be a tricky one, but ultimately, everyone's professional life will be better and see more success if these two groups can be teammates rather than opponents. The first step for any good team is communication, so helping creators and brands understand each other and communicate more effectively is definitely one of our goals at Willa 😁

We're going to break down the reasons WIIM suggests to brands that creators might be saying no to partnerships for you to give you some insight into how brands may interpret your responses to them.

Then we're going to flip the script and take a look at why creators are REALLY turning down partnerships.

Why Brands Think You're Turning Them Down: (According to WIIM's podcast)

1. It wasn't a good fit partnership

2. You're too busy with other work

3. You prefer long term partnerships to one-off posts

4. The rate may be too low or not congruent with the scope of work

5. The timeline may not work

6. The product might not resonate with your audience

7. You have a better, conflicting offer

8. The brief is too prescriptive & doesn't allow for creativity

9. The usage for paid media is excessive in terms of budget, reach, or term

10. The exclusivity is too broad

Now, if you've been reading our articles and taking our advice, you should be developing the skills to negotiate away MANY of these reasons. Not a good time? Ask for flexibility. Brief too prescriptive? Make your case for changes. Rate too low? Demonstrate your value and ask to be paid accordingly. Exclusivity too broad? Ask for an adjustment. Now you may still end up saying no for these reasons if the brand won't budge, which brings us to

Willa's top 4 reasons creators are ACTUALLY turning down brand partnerships:

1. They're not flexible

1. If you're addressing the points above and the brand isn't budging, of course it isn't going to work. Reaching an agreement requires communication and concessions on both sides.

2. They're not responsive

1. Like we said, this relationship is all about communication! If you have to wait an excessively long time, every time you have a question, to hear back or keep the conversation going, that's a sign that may cause creators to let partnerships go. But the same goes for you, of course. Even if you (or the brand rep) haven't gotten an answer yet, it's nice to check in and update everyone on where things stand.

3. They seem untrustworthy

1. OK, this is kind of like the first two combined. Lack of flexibility and lack of responsiveness, along with negative reviews from other creators, can contribute to a creator declining a partnership because the brand doesn't feel trustworthy. Creators today are looking for reassurance that payments will be made fairly and on-time, because there are TONS of horror stories there about people getting ghosted and backing out (on both sides, to be sure.)

4. You don't feel you can authentically represent them or their product to your audience

1. This one probably speaks for itself, but if the product isn't a good fit for you or your community, it's probably an automatic no. We encourage all Willans to consider thoughtfully and respectfully declining non-fit partnerships, because that makes you all the more trustworthy as a creator to your followers!