Chapter 17 Exercises: Brand Partnerships and Sponsorship Deals

Exercise 1: Media Kit Build (Individual, Portfolio Project)

Time required: 2–3 hours Materials: Canva (free account), your platform analytics screenshots, 3–4 content examples

Build a complete, professional media kit using the specifications from Section 17.2 of the chapter.

Required elements: 1. Header with your photo/avatar, content brand name, and one-sentence audience description 2. Platform breakdown: follower/subscriber counts on each platform you're active on 3. Audience demographics pulled from actual platform analytics (screenshots preferred; estimated demographics acceptable if you're early stage) 4. Engagement metrics: average views per post/video, engagement rate, email list size if applicable 5. Content examples: 3–4 pieces that represent your best work (include at least one that shows your visual style clearly) 6. A brief description of what a typical partnership looks like (the types of content you create, the formats you work in) 7. Contact information

Design requirements: - Maximum 3 pages - Consistent color palette aligned with your brand - Professional typography (not Comic Sans or default Word fonts) - At least one graphic, chart, or visual representation of your metrics

Submission: Export as PDF. Share with a classmate or instructor for feedback using the evaluation criteria: Can the reader clearly identify your audience, your reach, your content quality, and why you'd be a good partner for a brand targeting your demographic?

Exercise 2: Rate Card Development (Quantitative + Strategic)

Time required: 45–60 minutes Materials: Calculator, research access

Develop a complete rate card for a hypothetical creator with the following profile: - 85,000 YouTube subscribers, average 120,000 monthly views - 45,000 Instagram followers, average 6.2% engagement rate - 22,000 TikTok followers, average 11% engagement rate - 3,800 email subscribers - Niche: sustainable travel

Step 1: Benchmark research Find and document the current average CPM rate for brand integrations in the sustainable travel niche on YouTube. Use Influencer Marketing Hub, Creator IQ, or any other credible source you can find.

Step 2: CPM-based YouTube rate calculation Using your researched CPM, calculate: - Rate for a 60-second mid-roll integration - Rate for a dedicated video (full video focused on brand) - Rate for a YouTube Short featuring brand

Step 3: Instagram and TikTok rates Using your engagement rate and CPM methodology, calculate rates for: - Single Instagram feed post - Instagram story set (3 stories) - TikTok video integration

Step 4: Add-ons What additional rates would you charge for: - 30-day social usage rights? - 90-day extended usage rights including paid amplification? - 30-day category exclusivity? - Whitelisting for 30 days?

Step 5: Package a quarterly deal Design a quarterly brand partnership package that bundles the above deliverables at a slight discount compared to individual rates. What's the total package rate? What's the individual component breakdown?

Exercise 3: Contract Red Flag Hunt (Critical Analysis)

Time required: 30–40 minutes

Below is an excerpt from a simplified brand deal contract. Read it carefully and identify every red flag, ambiguity, or unfair term. For each one you find, explain what's wrong and what the contract should say instead.

BRAND COLLABORATION AGREEMENT (Excerpt)

Creator agrees to produce content as requested by Brand for the duration of this agreement. Brand may request revisions to any content until Brand is satisfied. Content produced under this agreement becomes the sole property of Brand and may be used in any context Brand deems appropriate, including advertising, without additional compensation to Creator.

Creator agrees not to discuss, promote, or appear with any product in the lifestyle, health, wellness, beauty, or fashion category for a period of six (6) months before and after any content published under this agreement.

Creator will indemnify and hold harmless Brand from any and all claims, damages, or liabilities arising from Creator's content, including content that Brand has approved.

Payment of $800 will be issued within 90 days of content publication. No partial payment will be issued if this agreement is terminated for any reason prior to publication.

Creator acknowledges that Brand's evaluation of content quality is final and that Brand may decline to publish any content it deems unsuitable. Creator will produce new content at no additional charge until Brand publishes.

Questions: 1. List every red flag you identify. There are at least seven. 2. Rewrite two of the most problematic clauses in language that would be fair to both parties. 3. If you were a creator who had been offered this contract with $800 on the table, how would you approach the negotiation conversation? What's your opening sentence?

Exercise 4: Negotiation Role Play (Pairs or Small Groups)

Time required: 30–45 minutes total (15 minutes per round)

Work in pairs. One person plays the brand marketing coordinator; one plays the creator. Run the scenario twice so each person plays both roles.

The scenario:

Creator profile: 60,000 Instagram followers, 8.5% engagement rate. Niche: home cooking and meal prep for busy families. Well-established 18-month-old account with a loyal community.

Brand: A medium-sized meal delivery service (think: not the biggest name in the category but well-funded). They want: 1 Instagram feed post, 3 Instagram stories, and a 60-second Reel, all featuring their meal prep kits.

Brand's opening offer: "We have a budget of $1,500 for this campaign. Does that work for you?"

The creator's rate card would value this deliverable package at $2,800–$3,400.

The brand player's objectives: - Stay as close to $1,500 as possible - Secure 90-day usage rights for all content - Get 60-day exclusivity from competitors

The creator's objectives: - Get as close to your rate card as possible - Limit usage rights to 30 days - Limit exclusivity to 30 days within the exact meal delivery subcategory only

Debrief questions after each round: 1. Where did the negotiation land? What was the final deal? 2. Which tactics were most effective for each side? 3. What information would have changed the negotiation outcome? 4. Did you feel the final deal was fair to both parties? Why or why not?

Exercise 5: The Authenticity Decision (Case Analysis)

Time required: 25–35 minutes, individual or group

Review the following four brand deal scenarios. For each one, decide: Accept, Decline, or Accept with conditions. Write 4–6 sentences explaining your decision, including what factors were decisive.

Scenario A: A personal finance creator focused on helping young adults get out of student debt is offered $3,200 for a sponsored video by a buy-now-pay-later (BNPL) financial product. The product charges no interest for 12 months, but charges 29.99% APR after that on remaining balances. The brand wants a positive integration.

Scenario B: A sustainable lifestyle creator is offered $1,800 for an Instagram post by a fashion brand that markets itself as "eco-friendly" and "sustainable." Research reveals that the brand uses recycled plastic bottles for some products, but their supply chain otherwise uses standard fast-fashion manufacturing. They sell 450 new styles per month. The creator genuinely likes one of the specific products they were sent.

Scenario C: A gaming creator is offered $5,000 for a YouTube integration by a mobile game that uses aggressive monetization — including loot boxes and aggressive push notifications. The creator doesn't personally play mobile games and has never mentioned the game category positively in their content.

Scenario D: A fitness creator whose audience is predominantly young women (18–25) is offered $2,200 for an Instagram post by a dietary supplement company. The supplement has no clinical evidence supporting its claims, but is FDA-compliant (its claims are vague enough to not trigger regulation). The creator doesn't personally use dietary supplements.

Exercise 6: FTC Disclosure Audit (Research + Application)

Time required: 30–45 minutes

Part A: Audit Find five examples of sponsored creator content on Instagram, YouTube, or TikTok (choose at least two platforms). For each one: 1. Screenshot or describe the disclosure used 2. Evaluate: Does this disclosure meet the FTC's "clearly and conspicuously" standard? Why or why not? 3. If the disclosure is inadequate, rewrite it to meet the standard

Part B: Apply Write the FTC-compliant disclosure language for each of the following scenarios: 1. A YouTube video you were paid to make for a software company, starting at the 2-minute mark 2. An Instagram story where a brand sent you free product 3. A TikTok video you were paid $800 to create 4. A podcast episode where you were paid for a 60-second ad read 5. A tweet/X post where you were paid to share a brand's announcement

Part C: Reflection In 100–150 words: Do you believe FTC disclosure requirements hurt creators' engagement or conversion on sponsored content, or do you think transparent disclosure can coexist with (or enhance) audience trust? Support your answer with reasoning and any evidence you can find.

Exercise 7: The Equity Gap Response Plan (Research + Strategy)

Time required: 45–60 minutes

You are advising Maya Chen, who has just started receiving brand deal inquiries after crossing 200,000 followers. She has heard about pay disparities for creators of color and wants to proactively protect herself.

Design a "fair pay protection plan" for Maya that includes:

  1. Rate card development: What methodology should she use to set her rates? What data sources should she consult?

  2. Negotiation strategy: When a brand offers what seems like a low rate, what specific tactics should Maya use to push for parity? Write out at least one sample counter-offer script.

  3. Information gathering: Where can Maya find data on what comparable creators are earning? List at least three specific resources.

  4. Deal screening: What questions should Maya ask before entering any negotiation to assess whether the brand's offer is likely to reflect fair market rates?

  5. Escalation: If Maya determines she was offered a significantly lower rate than a white creator with equivalent metrics received for the same campaign, what options does she have? What are the pros and cons of each option (take the lower rate, negotiate publicly, decline publicly, decline privately)?