How to pitch a brand for a commission deal

To pitch a brand for a commission deal, offer a test that costs nothing until it works: a video they can run in their ads, paid as a share of the sales it brings or of the ad spend they put behind it, counted with tools they already have. Pick brands that run ads and have margin, keep the message under 150 words, propose two concrete options, and ask for one small next step.

“I sent forty pitches and got two replies”

Usually because the pitch asked for money before the brand had a reason to trust the video. A commission pitch flips that. You are not asking for a fee; you are offering the brand a video it pays for only if it runs or sells. The reply rate changes when the brand’s risk is zero and the mechanics are already written for them.

One honest note before the method: pitching is the route for brands that are not on a platform. When a brand posts a campaign with the terms on the brief, you skip the pitch, the media kit and the negotiation and apply. On HourlyUGC, campaigns are open, by application (with or without an intro video), or invite only, and brands there pay in every way. Pitch the brands you cannot reach any other way.

Why a brand says yes

Three reasons, all about the brand’s risk:

1. No upfront cost. A per-video fee is money spent before the video is proven. Commission moves the cost to after the result.
2. They want creator-handle ads. Meta’s partnership ads let a brand “amplify content with a creator or other partner’s handle” (Meta Newsroom, 21 Feb 2024), and Meta says pairing partnership ads with its catalog ads drives “a 19% reduction in cost per action” (Meta’s own claim, Meta for Business, checked 2026-11-07). A brand that has read that wants creators who will grant the permission.
3. They already have a count. A brand on Shopify can credit a commission to your link or code with a built-in tool (Shopify Help Center, checked 2026-11-07). A brand running Meta ads has conversions per ad. Your pitch uses what they have.

The objection is rarely “we don’t pay commission.” It is “we don’t know you, and tracking is a hassle.” Answer both in the pitch.

Which brands to pitch

• They run ads. Check Meta’s Ad Library for active ads. No ads means fewer ways for your video to reach buyers.
• They sell direct. A store with a checkout they control can count a code. A brand that sells only through retailers cannot.
• Order value and margin can carry a share. Amazon’s affiliate schedule shows the spread: 1 % on Grocery, 3 % on Beauty, 10 % on Luxury Beauty (Amazon Associates, checked 2026-11-07). A $15 consumable at 1 % pays cents; a $90 skincare set at 15 % pays dollars.
• They already use creator content. Their ads show UGC-style videos. You are offering more of what they buy.
• You use the product, or would. Your disclosure is honest and your video is believable.

Skip brands with no store, no ads and no audience, and products you would not use.

What goes in the pitch

Five lines. Each does one job.

1. Why them. One specific thing about their product or their current ads. Not “I love your brand.”
2. What you will film. Number of videos, length, format, and that they can run them as ads from your handle.
3. The terms, two options. Option A: a share of each order on your code. Option B: a share of their ad spend on ads built from your video. Optionally a small base you will drop for a higher share.
4. The count. Name the method they already have: “your Shopify affiliate link,” “your Meta conversion reporting.”
5. The ask. One step: “Send the product and the first video is with you in a week.”

Link two or three past videos in the same format. A sales result from a previous commission deal is the strongest line you can add.

Which terms to propose

Give the brand a choice; it makes the yes easier.

Share of sales. A percentage of each order credited to your code or link, or a flat amount per order. On HourlyUGC, brands set 1 % to 50 % of each order, or $1 to $500 per order. Propose a percentage for brands with varied carts and a flat amount for a single hero product. What “order value” should mean: GMV commission for creators.

Share of ad spend. A percentage of what the brand spends on ads built from your video. On HourlyUGC, 1 % to 30 % of Meta spend, read per ad. Lead with this for brands that already run ads: it pays on their decision to scale, needs no store tracking, and on HourlyUGC the partnership ad is built and launched from the campaign once you approve the brand in Instagram (HourlyUGC blog, checked 2026-11-07). The brand’s view: Pay creators a percentage of ad spend.

A base, optional. A small per-video fee you offer to waive for a higher share. Creators on commission platforms ask for this in public, where one wrote that “they need to implement a required base rate for brands” (X, 24 Sep 2026). In a direct pitch you do not wait for anyone to require it; you name the base yourself. On HourlyUGC a brand can set a per-video or hourly base with commission on top in the same campaign, so the mix you propose is one they can run as is.

Rights tied to pay. Rights for the period you are paid, with a price for extensions. Commission only plus permanent rights is the deal to refuse.

Window, hold, payout. Last touch within a stated number of days, a stated hold for refunds, and a payout date. Ask for a dashboard or a report you can open.

Forward-only changes. If the brand wants to change the share later, it applies to future videos only. That is how the share works on HourlyUGC.

The number itself: UGC creator rates: commission vs flat. The brand-side logic for setting it: How to set UGC commission rates. Read it so you know what they will be thinking.

Example pitch

Example text, written for this page, not a real message.

Subject: A test video for your Meta ads, paid on results

Hi Dana, your current ads for the sleep gummies lead with the ingredient list. A “night three, here’s what changed” clip from a real user would test better, and I use them.

I will film two 30-second vertical videos you can run as partnership ads from my handle. Two ways to pay, your pick:

A. 15 % of each order on my code, last touch within 7 days, 30-day hold, paid monthly. B. 15 % of the ad spend you put behind the videos, read from your ad account.

No base fee. Rights for 90 days on Meta, extendable for a fee.

If you send the product this week, the first video is with you in seven days. Two past videos in the same format: [links].

Thanks, Sam

Why it works: one specific observation, a stated piece of work, two priced options, a count the brand already has, limited rights, one next step. Under 150 words.

Follow-up and negotiation

• Follow up once, after five business days. Same thread, one line, the links again.
• Expect a counter on the rate. Hold the share and give on the base, or hold the base and give on the share. Not both.
• Trade rights for money. Longer rights, higher share or a fee.
• Put the final terms in writing. The thread is fine if every term from the pitch is in it.
• Ask for the count before filming. A code that exists, a link that works, or a campaign on a platform where the terms are on the brief.

Mistakes that lose the deal

• Pitching a rate with no video attached to it. Brands buy videos, not percentages.
• “I’ll work for free for exposure.” You are proposing a trade. Commission is pay.
• Asking the brand to build tracking. Use what they have.
• Skipping disclosure. Once you are paid, say so in the video. The FTC’s FAQ gives wording such as “I get commissions for purchases made through links in this post” (FTC, Endorsement Guides FAQ, checked 2026-11-07). A brand that asks you not to disclose is a brand to drop.
• Promising sales. You can promise a video and a date. Nobody can promise orders.

Find campaigns on HourlyUGC

If the brand is on HourlyUGC, your pitch becomes a campaign: the brand sets the base, the commission type and rate, and the count, and you see the terms before you accept. Brands there pay in every way, so you can pick the mix that fits you. Find campaigns on HourlyUGC.