What Brands Look for in an Influencer Before Offering a Deal

Here’s the hard truth: follower count alone won’t land you a brand deal.

I’ve seen creators with 20k followers get consistent paid collabs, while others with 200k struggle to get a single reply. Why? Because brands don’t just look at your numbers. They look at whether you’re the right fit, if your audience matches theirs, and if working with you feels professional.

Think of it this way: when a brand offers a deal, they’re not just “buying” your reach. They’re betting on you to represent them. And before they make that bet, they run through a mental checklist.

Here’s what’s usually on it, and how you can prepare.

1. Audience fit comes first

Brands start with one big question: “Do this creator’s followers look like our customers?”

• If you’re a fitness creator in Europe and a sportswear brand wants to break into that market, you’re gold.

• If you’re in gaming but your audience is 80% under 16, a luxury watch brand won’t touch you.

It’s not personal, it’s business. Even if you love the product, if the overlap isn’t there, it won’t make sense for them to invest.

👉 This is why niche clarity is so powerful. When your audience knows you for something specific, brands in that space immediately see the match.

2. Engagement beats raw reach

Follower count looks good on paper, but brands know it doesn’t always mean influence. What they really look at is:

• How often do people comment, share, or save your posts?

• Do your videos spark conversations, or do they fall flat?

• When you drop a link, do people actually click?

Here’s a simple example:

• Creator A: 200k followers, 0.5% engagement

• Creator B: 45k followers, 8% engagement

Guess who gets the deal? Almost always Creator B. Brands care about influence, not inflated numbers.

3. Audience insights

Even with strong engagement, the question remains: who is engaging?

Brands check things like:

• Where your followers live

• Age and gender breakdown

• Interests and purchase behavior

Imagine you’re a skincare creator. If 70% of your audience is men aged 18–24 who follow gaming content, skincare brands may hesitate. But if your audience is women 20–35, mainly in France or the U.S., suddenly you’re in their sweet spot.

This is why showing clear audience insights in your media kit makes such a difference.

4. Content quality and brand safety

Brands will stalk your feed. They’ll scroll back weeks or months, asking themselves:

• Is your content consistent, or do you post randomly?

• Does your style align with their tone?

• Would they feel safe associating with you?

This doesn’t mean you need perfect, polished videos. Authenticity is still a win. But if your content feels messy, controversial, or off-brand, it’s a red flag.

One social manager told me: “We’d rather work with a micro-influencer whose feed feels clean and safe than risk a bigger creator with edgy content.”

5. Professionalism matters more than you think

Here’s a behind-the-scenes secret: a lot of deals fall through because of bad communication, not bad stats.

Brands notice:

• How quickly you reply to emails

• Whether your media kit is ready when they ask

• If you meet deadlines without chasing

• If your tone feels respectful and easy to work with

I’ve seen brands blacklist creators with huge followings simply because “they were a nightmare to deal with.” Professionalism is part of your brand.

6. Proof of past work

Think of your past collaborations as your portfolio. Even if it’s just smaller deals, showing results makes a difference.

You don’t need long case studies. Screenshots work. Examples of posts work. Even something simple like:

“Campaign with [Brand], reached 150k accounts with 12% engagement, 4,200 link clicks, and a 3.5% conversion rate.”

It reassures brands that you can deliver. And if you haven’t landed deals yet? Create mock collaborations or highlight organic posts you’ve done around products you genuinely use. It shows initiative.

7. Clear pricing and deliverables

Nothing slows down a deal more than vague answers around money. Brands love creators who can say:

• “Here’s my rate for a TikTok + Story.”

• “If you want usage rights for ads, that’s an extra X.”

• “For exclusivity, my fee is Y.”

Even if you don’t have a fancy rate card, just knowing your numbers makes you look professional.

8. Campaign fit

Every brand campaign has a purpose. Sometimes it’s pure awareness, sometimes it’s conversions, sometimes it’s building credibility.

If your style matches their goal, you’re in. For example:

• Funny TikTok creators often crush awareness campaigns.

• Niche creators with high trust often drive conversions.

• Creators with authority in their field build credibility for premium products.

The same creator won’t be the right fit for every campaign, and that’s okay.

9. Red flags that kill deals

Just as brands look for positives, they also scan for warning signs:

• Sudden spikes in followers (possible fake growth)

• Very low engagement compared to follower size

• Long periods of inactivity

• Bad press, controversial posts, or poor responses to criticism

One brand manager put it bluntly: “If something feels off in the first 10 minutes of looking at a creator, we move on. There are too many others to choose from.”

Wrapping it up

When a brand considers you, they’re not just buying access to your audience. They’re buying into you, your professionalism, your content, your influence.

The good news? You don’t need millions of followers to get deals. You just need to show you have the right audience, strong engagement, and a professional setup.

That’s why a media kit is such a game-changer. It puts all your best signals in one place, your stats, your audience insights, your past work, so brands don’t have to guess.

With CreatorsJet, you can create a live media kit in minutes. No manual updates, no screenshots, just a clean, professional way to show brands exactly what they’re looking for.