How to Reply to Influencers Asking for Free Products

When an influencer asks for free products, do not send anything on a promise: check who they are, work out what the product would have to earn, and then reply with an offer that has terms, or a polite no.

A free product feels cheap to give, but it is a payment in stock, and it is usually the only payment with no deadline, no brief and nothing you can hold the creator to, which is how so many end up as a product sent with nothing in return.

Every request can end in one of three replies: a commission deal for creators who could sell, a paid video for creators who film well, and a no for everyone else.

Personally, I would rather send one clear offer than ten free products, because the offer tells me straight away who was serious.

Our piece on the ways to pay a creator compares gifts, fees and commission in full, and Affilitrak gives you a standing home for both yeses: an affiliate program and paid video gigs.

Should you give influencers free products?

• Sometimes, with terms: a free product works when it comes with an agreement on what gets made, where it goes and by when.
• Not on a promise: a product sent in exchange for "I'll post if I like it" is a gift, so only send it if you would be happy to get nothing back.
• The request is a signal, not a decision: someone who asks is not the same as someone who fits, so check them first.

Three checks before you reply

1. Their audience looks like your customers: scroll their last dozen posts and the comments, and ask whether the people there would buy what you sell.
2. They can show past brand work: a creator who has worked with brands before can usually point to the posts and say what happened, so ask them to.
3. The request is specific: "I'd love to try your products" is not a pitch, while "one TikTok video showing how I use it, posted within two weeks" is one you can say yes to.

If a request fails all three, you can stop here and send the polite no below.

How many sales does a free product need?

• Price the gift: add the product cost and the shipping, then divide by your profit per order, and the result is the number of sales the gift has to bring back. It is the same method our guide to an influencer who charges too much uses for a fee.
• Then be honest about the odds: across 8,687 affiliates recruited by Shopify stores on Affilitrak, about one in six ever made a sale in our data. That is affiliate data applied to influencers by analogy, but it is the closest measure there is of how often a recruit sells at all.
• What that means for the gift: a product that only needs two sales to pay for itself sounds cheap, until you remember that most people you send product to will not make even one.

How to reply to an influencer asking for free products

1. Yes, as an affiliate

For a creator whose audience could buy, offer commission on every sale and their own code, and send product once they have joined.

"Thanks for reaching out, and we'd love to work with you. We run an affiliate program where you earn X% on every sale from your own link and code. If you sign up, I'll send the product out once you're approved, so you can show it to your audience."

Every affiliate gets a tracked link and code, so you can see exactly what that product earned back.

2. Yes, as a paid video

For a creator who films well but may not sell, pay for the content and keep the video.

"Thanks for getting in touch. Rather than a gifted post, we pay creators for a short video we can use on our own pages and ads. If that sounds good, I'll send you the brief and the details of how it works."

A video you own outright keeps working in your ads long after a gifted post would have scrolled away.

3. A polite no

For everyone who did not pass the checks, short and with the door open.

"Thanks so much for thinking of us. We're not sending out gifted products right now, but if you'd like to work together on commission, you're welcome to apply to our affiliate program."

Send the same reply to the same kind of request every time, so you are not deciding from scratch in your inbox.

How to spot a fake influencer request

1. The follower count does not match the profile: a large number with very few views per post, or comments that are all emojis.
2. The request is vague and urgent: "send it today and I'll post this week", with no detail on what or where.
3. Their past collabs show unopened product: boxes and packaging, but no sign the product was ever used.
4. They claim to be media or a big account but write from a personal address: check that the account they name is really theirs.
5. They ask for a replacement without proof: a "damaged" or "never arrived" claim with no photo or order number.

I would treat any request that shows two of these signs as a polite no.

How to send every request to one place on Affilitrak

• Creators with buyers in their audience go to your affiliate program: they earn commission on each sale through their own link or code, and the affiliate app is free.
• Strong filmers go to a gig: you post a brief and creators apply, and on a posting gig each application shows the follower count the creator entered and a link to their profile, so you can run the same three checks on them.
• You have 14 days to accept or pass: so there is no pressure to answer a request the same day.
• The prices are published: Affilitrak's prices are $150 for a UGC video, and $225 for a video plus post from a creator with 1k to 10k followers or $400 for 10k+, prepaid when you open the gig.
• You pay when the work exists: a video-only gig pays when you approve the video, and if a creator misses a deadline there is no payment and the money for that slot goes back to your balance.

Affiliates can also find your program on the Affilitrak marketplace and apply, and Affilitrak takes 20% of the commission you pay the affiliates who come to you that way.

If a creator decides not to make the video, the gig terms say they return the product. Affilitrak cannot force that return, and keeping the product without delivering the video can get them suspended. The creator keeps the product once the gig is finished.

Affilitrak does not vet audiences for you or guarantee sales.

If a gig creator's post sells, you can invite them into your affiliate program afterwards, but once they are your approved affiliate they can no longer take your gigs.

FAQ

Is it normal for influencers to ask for free products?

Yes, and it is common enough that a standing reply saves you real time. The request is normal, and so is saying no to most of them.

How do I politely say no to an influencer?

Thank them, say you are not doing gifted collaborations at the moment, and offer a route with terms, such as your affiliate program. Keep it short, and use the same wording every time.

Should I ask an influencer for a media kit?

You can, but their recent posts and comments tell you more. A media kit shows what they want you to see.

Conclusion

A request for free product is a pitch, so treat it like one: turn it into a deal with terms, or say no politely, and never send product on a promise.

Write your three replies today, and use them for every request that lands in your inbox.

You can install Affilitrak free and give every serious creator a place to go, whether that is your affiliate program or a paid gig.