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Where are you finding branding deals? My sites list & experiences:
Posted by on February 16, 2026 at 12:06 amFor background, I have about 210k followers on BOTH TikTok and Instagram and another 50k on Facebook.
My inbox is full of emails from all these "creator marketplace" sites I've joined. I've applied for several gigs which often requires you to write a script, provide personal details, and try to "WOW" some invisible judges. Here are a few of them along with my experiences and results.
Intellifluence – been on a long time, no offers.
Impact – complicated interface, no offers.
Joinbrands – long approval process to "get in", but very few opportunities available once you get past the velvet rope. Nothing.
Collabstr – This is the best for me by far. Several offers and deals, over $1000 earned in 3 months. Have even had to turn a few down.
Cohley – 1 deal a long time ago, nothing since. Lots of free product stuff there but not much $$$. Can't imagine going thru the application process over there for anything again, not worth it.
PopularPays – Think I got one offer here but that was a year ago. Looked promising but has dropped off.
My biggest contracts have all come from PR firms that have reached out to me directly via their clients. It's crazy that a PR firm looks for me specifically for a campaign and will pay me $1000 for a 1-minute video, but posting my profile on almost all of these "creator marketplace" sites is nearly worthless.
Anyone have sites that work for them? Anyone have different or similar experiences?
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1 Reply
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As someone who’s on the other side looking for influencers, those creator sites don’t work really well for us either. Really seems like it’s best for a direct approach.
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I’m actually a fan of joinbrands but only when you are small and starting out. You are so big it wouldn’t be worth your time. I really think the platforms are best for connecting beginners with brands. Most of my jobs just come from inbounds now.
But I do like Collabstr. Fiverr is very similar to Collabstr, just with a bit more spam, but I’ve found some jobs there. X is a great place to post about UGC and brands can find you.
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Proactive outreach works better than passively waiting for opportunities,you actively reach out to brands, PR agencies, or marketing managers, instead of just sitting on creator marketplaces hoping someone contacts you. You nurture real connections over time ….. you can do the following up, keeping in touch, sending personalized pitches, showing your value over time…. use something more easy and simple to use like [https://honeytrail.co/](https://honeytrail.co/)
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At your size, direct brand or PR outreach usually pays better than marketplaces.
Platforms like Collabstr can work, but relationships and outbound pitching often scale more.
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