You know that sinking feeling when you finally send your rate card…and the brand replies with:
“Sorry, we don’t have the budget right now 😭”
And yeah, it hurts - especially when you’ve followed up 101 times (and pitched 50+ other brands) just to finally get that one tiny bit of hope.
The worst part?
You almost convince yourself to lower your rates, like, “okay fine, maybe $50 a video isn’t that bad?”
But deep down, you know your work is worth it.
The effort. The storytelling. The time and energy (and let’s be honest, sometimes tears).
But here’s the thing no one tells you:
It’s not that you’re charging too much.
You’re just pitching to the wrong brands.
It’s not about price - it’s about fit
Every brand has a budget, but not all budgets are built equal.
Some are built for UGC testing.
Some for influencer deals,
And…some are “we’ll pay in product” (aka no way, josé)
If they’re new to UGC, they might not even understand what they’re investing in yet - especially if they’re used to paying influencers with built-in audiences.
So when you hear “we don’t have budget”, what they really mean is:
‘We don’t have budget for this campaign, this way”
That doesn’t mean your rate’s too high (unless you’re out here charging $8k per video), it just means…it’s not your brand.
Data > Doubt
The smartest creators don’t lower their prices - they use data to back them up.
That’s literally why Bento built the Fair Pay Report.
It compares your past brand deals with hundreds of others in your niche - so you can see:
Because once you know what’s fair, you stop over-explaining yourself as you’ve got receipts (and the Bento team) backing you up.
So next time a brand says,
“Sorry, we don’t have budget,”
Please don’t spiral (saying this because…I definitely did).
Send over a thank you, check your fair pay report, and move on to the next brand that’s ready to say yes.
Because at the end of the day, you don’t need every brand to say yes - you just need 3–5 who truly see your value to hit your £5K+ months.
So hold your rates, and your confidence, high.
The right brands will match your energy and your worth.
P.S. Run a FREE Pay Rate Report on Bento? See how you're getting paid compared to others and how brands are paying you compared to your peers.
