Retainers and brand bonuses: how to negotiate better

What each one is

• Flat fee: TikTok Shop US has a built-in flat fee collaboration, from $20 to $10,000 per creator, with optional commission on top. The seller locks the money and it's released when the video is approved (auto-approved if they don't review it within 14 days). Videos only, not LIVE.
• Retainer: a fixed monthly payment for a set number of videos, usually agreed off-platform.
• Bonus: extra money for hitting a sales or content goal, set up by each brand.
• TikTok campaigns: TikTok runs creator campaigns with fees, incentives or rewards based on each campaign's rules.

Source: TikTok Shop Academy (US).

Keep track (or they will)

With several brands it's easy to lose track: which videos you owe, which fee is still unpaid, which bonus you've unlocked. Write it all down: brand, deal, videos agreed, videos delivered and what's been paid.

Negotiate with data, not followers

A brand cares about what you sell of their product. Bring to the table:

• The GMV you've driven for them.
• How many videos it took and which one sold the most.
• Your commission with that brand compared to others.

Then you can ask for a higher rate, a flat fee or a retainer without guessing.

Advice from someone who does this

Before saying yes to a retainer, check how much that brand already pays you in commission alone. If it already pays well without a fee, the fee should be a real extra, not a way to buy cheap videos.