Top brand partnerships tips from Pinterest creators

Dive into brand collaborations with confidence, guided by real-world advice from creators like you—whether you’re exploring how to find the right partner, looking for ways to stay true to your voice or figuring out how to develop lasting relationships with brands. Seven creators share actionable guidance and motivation to help you thrive, wherever you are in your journey.

Anthony, @antorvingomes

What’s your top tip for a creator who wants to get started with a brand partnership?
Advocate for yourself and your data. Truly. Brands care about numbers, and your monthly viewers matter more than you think. I recently collaborated with a photo editing company, which was such a pinch-me, full-circle moment after being a professional photographer for eight years. During that partnership, I made sure to advocate for Pinterest by sharing my monthly viewer data and the long-term value of the platform. Pinterest wasn’t even mentioned in the original campaign, but because I spoke up, I was able to increase my rate for cross-posting across [muliple platforms]. Moral of the story: Don’t wait for brands to bring it up. Use your data to leverage yourself.

How do you determine if a specific brand collaboration is the right fit for you?
I ask myself if the product actually fits into my active, creative lifestyle. I only partner with brands that I genuinely use and that naturally make sense in my day-to-day life. If I can seamlessly integrate it into my routine, my content and my creativity, it’s usually a win for everyone.

How do you balance keeping your voice and engaging your audience while meeting a brand’s expectations?
I lead with my creative POV. I’m a DIYer at heart, so storytelling is everything for me. When I’m able to create something inspiring and work towards a final, tangible end product, my audience stays engaged and the brand still gets what they need. That balance comes from trusting the creative process and letting the story lead.

What’s something unexpected that you learned from having done a brand partnership?
You just have to ask [for the budget you want]. The worst brands can say is no, but selling yourself short is far worse. Ask, and be ready to show the value that you bring to the table.

Based on your experience, what are the unspoken qualities that brands value most in creators?
Being prompt, being kind and being easy to work with. Talent matters, but professionalism and good energy go a long way. Those are the things that could turn a one-off project into a long-term relationship.

Chantel, @mama_mila_au

What’s your top tip for a creator who wants to get started with a brand partnership?
One of the best ways to position yourself for brand partnerships is to organically share your favourite brands that you use day to day or absolutely love. Start tagging brands to get on their radar, while also giving your audience genuine recommendations for products that you love. Also, have a look at your comments and DMs to see if there are any trends of people consistently asking where something is from or what you’re using. Those insights are so valuable in understanding what your audience comes to you for!

How do you determine if a specific brand collaboration is the right fit for you?
I only work with brands that I genuinely use, love and would recommend to my close friends and family. I often think about a dinner out with friends and whether I would genuinely chat about and recommend that brand. When you’re creating a community, trust is everything. The strongest partnerships come from the strongest alignments.

How do you balance keeping your voice and engaging your audience while meeting a brand’s expectations?
Everyone in your community has a reason they follow you. For me, much of my audience follows for tips and tricks, demonstrations and education. So instead of reading a script verbatim, I showcase real-life applications of the product, how I use it in my home and how it’s made life easier. I then weave in key messages in a way that feels organic.

What’s something surprising that you’ve learned from brand partnerships?
Branch out from your niche—your audience is interested in so many different parts of you! Even though I mainly create home-related content, some of my most successful partnerships (and questions I get on my channel) are about fashion, beauty, auto, lifestyle and even books. Don’t be afraid to share outside your niche.

Based on your experience, what are the unspoken qualities that brands value most in creators?
Beyond metrics, brands likely value reliability, trust and professionalism. These are things like submitting content on time, rereading the brief to ensure that your content meets the objectives and responding proactively to comments once the content is live. You know your channel best, so offering two-way communication and sharing ideas that could build on the brief can go a long way. Working together as a team is the key to successful partnerships.

Tinsaye, @AspectsofTinsaye

What’s your top tip for a creator who wants to get started with a brand partnership?
Don’t wait for a brand partnership to come your way to begin preparing your skills. Work on ideating, creating and editing with the products that you have on hand so you can not only have a strong portfolio but already have your systems in place. Really work on your storytelling abilities. How do these products fit naturally into your content? Working on these skills will not only get you noticed by brands, but also make sure you can hit the ground running with any partnerships that come your way.

How do you determine if a specific brand collaboration is the right fit for you?
I like to think about who the target audience is for the brand and whether or not it aligns with mine. Is this something I would purchase or use on my own? I also like to make sure that the product or brand can be easily integrated into my content without it feeling like an awkwardly placed ad.

How do you balance keeping your voice and engaging your audience while meeting a brand’s expectations? 
I will sit and study a brand collaboration brief before ever creating content to make sure that I understand the ultimate goal of the campaign. Sometimes the goal is simple brand recognition, other times there may be a new product rollout you need to elicit excitement around. With that understanding, I’ll decide which of my usual content types aligns with the goal, and make sure that my messaging is in my own words. I think an engaged audience can easily tell when you are reading a script. Take the bullet points and bring your personality into it!

What’s something surprising that you learned from having done a brand partnership?
Timelines are so tight on some campaigns and it can feel overwhelming. The turnaround time and number of people involved in the approval process would shock people. Brand partnerships are serious business, no matter how fun the final content may appear to be.

Based on your experience, what are the unspoken qualities that brands value in creators?
Like with most collaborative projects, clear communication, timeliness/meeting deadlines and being easy to work with go such a long way. If you want to establish a long-term relationship with a brand, you have to be a trusted partner. Great-quality content is half the battle; great interpersonal skills are equally important.

Adrian, @adrianwidjy

What’s your top tip for a creator who wants to get started with a brand partnership?
For me, it took over a year of consistently posting about big brands—sharing product finds, food hacks and fun facts—before I secured my first paid partnership. Now, I’m grateful to be an ambassador for each of them and do a brand partnership at least once a month. 

My biggest tip: Act like you’re already hired. Don’t wait for a brand deal to create brand-worthy content. Show brands how you would naturally integrate them into your world. Consistency builds proof, and proof builds trust. 

Also, in Australia, there are creator platforms where brands post jobs and creators can pitch and set their rates, so don’t just wait to be discovered. 

How do you determine if a specific brand collaboration is the right fit for you?
I ask myself one simple thing: Would I genuinely talk about this if I wasn’t being paid? If I can clearly explain why I love the product, then I know I can communicate it with real enthusiasm. If I’m sold, my audience will feel that too. Authenticity isn’t something that you can fake long-term, and audiences can tell.

How do you balance keeping your voice and engaging your audience while meeting a brand’s expectations? 
I always submit a concept that aligns with the brand brief but still feels like me. That way, I’m not forcing messaging into a format that doesn’t suit my style. Sometimes I do push back on certain talking points if they don’t feel natural. I’ve even stepped away from a deal if it compromised my integrity. At the end of the day, your audience is your long-term asset. Protecting that trust matters more than one campaign.

What’s something surprising that you learned from having done a brand partnership?
I’ve learned that the things I genuinely find interesting are usually the same things that drive engagement. When I highlight details I personally think are cool, surprising or useful, that’s what sparks conversation. Passion translates on camera.

Based on your experience, what are the unspoken qualities that brands value in creators?
Recently, brands have told me they value that my reactions feel genuine, that I don’t ‘put it on’. Another thing is versatility. I don’t strictly niche down, I post about food, events, lifestyle, travel, beauty and products that I genuinely enjoy. That flexibility has actually worked in my favour. But beyond content, professionalism matters: clear communication, meeting deadlines and being solutions-focused. I believe that long-term brand relationships are built just as much on reliability as they are on creativity.

Funke, @Funkeolotu_ 

What’s your top tip for a creator who wants to get started with a brand partnership?
Focus on expressing your genuine self through how you create instead of focusing on getting deals. Who you are resonates better when you create from within, and then brands that can fit into your story will naturally want to work with you.

How do you determine if a specific brand collaboration is the right fit for you?
I determine that by my three ‘Ws’: Which brand, what do they stand for and why would this benefit me and my community? If they align with my values, I’ll work with them. If not, I’ll kindly refuse. I’ve done that and I’ll keep doing that so that I’m not recommending brands I can’t vouch for to my community.

How do you balance keeping your voice and engaging your audience while meeting a brand’s expectations?
I make sure that we are aligned in the way I create and what the brand wants. Sometimes I actually get to do new things and they’re exciting, and I eventually adapt that style or learn something new. It’s a balance of, ‘Would I create this if I wasn’t getting paid for it?’, and if I wouldn’t, I’ll communicate that and we will find a middle ground.

What’s something surprising that you learned from having done a brand partnership?
Brands actually want a lot of details. I was asked to share what clothes I’d wear to film a jewellery partnership, send pictures of the shoot location and more, all before the shoot. I imagine they’ll get even more detailed the more I grow. It’s exciting.

Based on your experience, what are the unspoken qualities that brands value in creators?
I’d definitely say communication. The speed and quality of communication, sticking to timelines and following the script that has been agreed on. Also, not being overly defensive when taking feedback. Sometimes you have to edit content that you’ve spent so long on; it comes with the territory.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Pranvi, @pranvi_bardolia 

What’s your top tip for a creator who wants to get started with a brand partnership?
Firstly, your profile should be your best work of art. It should speak for itself. When your content clearly shows your style, quality and personality, what you pitch or say matters less because brands can already see your value. So instead of focusing only on outreach, the real key is making your profile strong, intentional and consistent.

How do you determine if a specific brand collaboration is the right fit for you?
See if the brand, or at least some of their products, fall in your niche. If not, ask yourself whether the content that you’ll create based on their deliverables is something your audience will actually engage with. If the answer is no, that’s your cue to drop it before wasting your time and the brand’s time. 

How do you balance keeping your voice and engaging your audience while meeting a brand’s expectations?
It’s actually a tricky one. The brand is the one paying and investing in the partnership, so they know what they want to advertise and how they want to present it. Since I’m representing them, it’s natural that they’re involved in how the content is presented and I’m completely okay with that. Especially now, in 2026, it’s important for creators to understand the value of a brand’s time, money and effort behind every collaboration, even more so in the age of AI. At the same time, if I ever feel that a certain call to action, text or caption might not work for my audience, I first treat it as a challenge and ask myself why it wouldn’t work. If it genuinely doesn’t align, I take that learning forwards. For future collaborations, I’m clearer about what works for my audience and what doesn’t. I always communicate respectfully that for the collaboration to work for both of us, the content needs to feel as natural as possible.

What’s something surprising that you learned from having done a brand partnership?
What surprised me most in my first few brand deals was how many layers are involved—it’s never just one person or a simple process. There are multiple approvals, coordination and steps behind every collaboration. It was definitely harder than I expected, but that’s also the beauty of it. Creating the content is actually the easiest part. Everything else takes real effort and structure. My mindset changed a lot once I started understanding these layers, and I was genuinely surprised by how much respect both micro and macro creators receive in this industry.

Based on your experience, what are the unspoken qualities that brands value in creators?
It has to be professionalism. It’s not easy, and it won’t be easy to maintain long-term partnerships with brands. Every day there’s a new creator emerging, so you need to be communicative, flexible and always on your toes.

Neha, @mostlyfoodandtravel 

What’s your top tip for a creator who wants to get started with a brand partnership?
My top tip is to post as many Pins as possible and really maintain your Pinterest account so that brands can come across your content. The more content you have, the more likely someone is going to see it. I aim to share something at least once a week, and experiment with different formats using Canva or creating a collage so brands can really see a variety.

How do you determine if a specific brand collaboration is the right fit for you?
The most important thing I look for is whether the brand allows me to be creative and doesn’t set too many parameters. I had a really positive experience working with a brand recently because they let me do what I wanted to do. The content I create is the reason that they approached me in the first place. I really like brands that say, ‘you do you’, because it makes the content feel more natural and compelling.

How do you balance keeping your voice and engaging your audience while meeting a brand’s expectations?
I feel that the more natural the content is, the better. For example, when I worked with a brand that wanted me to mention things that just didn’t flow with my usual style, it didn’t work because it wasn’t in my own words. I believe that being yourself is actually how you can tick more boxes for a brand. It’s super important to use your own voice and not let things get too scripted by the brand. While some brands do request specific words or focused content, which is fine, I always try to approach everything with my tone of voice first.

What’s something unexpected that you learned from having done a brand partnership?
During one partnership, I didn’t know what the brand’s goals were when it came to promoting the Pins that I created. Instead of promoting my videos, they asked for the raw footage so they could create their own. Going forwards, my big learning is to ask brands directly if they’re going to promote my Pin.

Based on your experience, what are the unspoken qualities that brands value in creators?
I think authenticity is key, and also being upfront with the brand if something doesn’t work. I remember I worked with a brand on a summer party theme, and I was using my picnic table in the video. They asked if I had a nicer table setting, but I told them my aesthetic isn’t luxurious and it would look out of place if I changed it. They appreciated that honest feedback and let me do it my way. It’s definitely a two-way street, and it showed that they really valued my input.