How to Get Brand Deals with 1,000 Followers

Why Brands Want Smaller Creators

A video from someone with a few thousand engaged followers can feel like a recommendation from a friend. That's why some brands spread their budgets across lots of everyday creators instead of one famous name.

What Brands Look For

• A clear focus, such as food, beauty, fitness, tech or family life, so a brand can see whether your audience fits.
• Real engagement: comments, shares and saves from people who actually watch.
• A UK audience, if the brand sells in the UK. Your account's analytics show where your followers are.
• Good basics: natural light, clear sound and a strong first two seconds.
• Regular posting, so brands can see your style.
• No bought followers or fake views. Brands look out for them, and on Brief72, if a post shows signs of fake views, our team reviews the fee, and it's paid in full or not at all.

Where to Find Paid Deals

1. 01

   Apply to Paid Briefs

   Creator platforms list campaigns you can apply to. On Brief72 you can apply once you're 18 or over with 1,000 followers on TikTok, Instagram or YouTube and our team has checked your account, and each brief shows what you'll be paid if you're approved. See how it works for creators.

2. 02

   Pitch Brands You Already Use

   Send a short message: who you are, what you post, who your audience is and an idea for a video. Add links to two or three of your best videos.

3. 03

   Try Affiliate Programmes

   Some brands, and TikTok Shop, pay commission on sales from your link. At the time of writing (October 2026), TikTok Shop's affiliate programme is open to UK creators who are 18 or over with at least 500 followers.

4. 04

   Start Local

   Cafés, gyms, salons and shops near you often want local creators, and a first paid post is easier to land when they already know you.

How Much to Charge

There's no fixed rate, and your engagement, niche and the work involved matter more than your follower count. As a rough guide, Lilach Bullock's 2026 figures for UK nano creators (1,000 to 10,000 followers) dealing directly with brands are about £50 to £150 for an Instagram post, £75 to £250 for a Reel and £75 to £200 for a TikTok. A lot of work at this size is still paid in products only.

On Brief72 you don't need to negotiate. Each brief shows what you'll be paid if you're approved, and your fee is fixed when you're approved: the views your post gets don't change it. Once your video is live and you've added its link in the app, we check its views for 5 days. If there are no warning signs, your fee goes into your Brief72 account. If there are, our team reviews the fee and pays it in full or not at all.

Make a Simple Media Kit

A one-page media kit helps when you pitch brands. Include:

• Your name, your handles and what you post.
• Your followers and average views on each platform.
• Who your audience is: ages, gender and how many are in the UK, from your analytics.
• Two or three videos you're proud of, and any brands you've worked with.
• How to contact you.

Follow the Rules

• Label paid posts clearly as ads, at the start, for example with “#ad”. Words like “gifted”, “sponsored” or “collab” on their own aren’t enough. The ASA’s guide for influencers explains the rules.
• Turn on the platform's paid partnership label too, where there is one.
• Free products count as payment too, even if the brand doesn’t ask you to post, so label any post about them as an ad.
• Keep a record of what you earn, including the value of free products. If your total income from self-employment and side work, before any costs, goes over £1,000 in a tax year (6 April to 5 April), you'll need to register for Self Assessment by 5 October after the end of that tax year. GOV.UK's guide to the trading allowance explains the rules.