Audience research
Part of Sponsorship rates audience research turns guesswork into a defensible price
When to run sponsorship rates customer interviews before setting a price
Customer interviews turn a guessed sponsorship rate into a defended price. When to run them, who to ask, and the consent rules that keep notes usable.
What to take away
- The move from follower counts to evidence is the change that matters most here: buyers want a reason for the number, and customer interviews supply one.
- Customer interviews earn their place when a rate card is changing, or when a new format has no comparable deal to point at.
- Work to a written brief and a fixed question set, so two interviews can be compared without rewriting your notes.
- Interview notes are personal data, so consent, purpose and retention belong in the plan rather than a later tidy-up.
- The deliverable is a short evidence pack behind a quote, not a long report nobody opens.
When do interviews beat a survey?
Surveys tell you what a market thinks on average. Interviews tell you why a buyer says no. That difference matters most at three moments: a rate rise, a format change, and a client asking for a discount.
Interview or survey?
Rate rise, format change, discount request?
run interviews for a defensible reason
survey average may be enough
Run interviews when the number you publish needs a reason attached to it. A survey average rarely satisfies a brand manager who asks how a fee was set. A short quoted answer, given with permission, does more work.
Paid campaigns give you a second data source. Pull audience and engagement figures from the LinkedIn Campaign Manager tool for managing paid campaigns and creator partnerships, then check whether interview answers match the ad data. Where they disagree, ask why on the next call.
Before you design the sample, read the wider sponsorship rates audience research guide for England. It sets out the buyer groups and evidence types you will be comparing against.
Who should you interview, and what should you ask?
Aim for a mix: two or three buyers who have paid for sponsored work, two or three creators at a similar level, and one talent manager. That mix stops you pricing against a single opinion.
Interview sample and script
- 2-3 buyers who paid for sponsored work
- 2-3 creators at a similar level
- 1 talent manager
- Five fixed questions, room for follow-ups
- Do not name your own rate first
A script of five questions is enough. Ask what they last paid or were paid, what changed the number, what they compare it with, what would make them walk away, and what proof they wanted first.
Do not name your own rate first. It anchors the answer and you lose the data. Ask, listen, then test the range in a follow-up sentence. Write the answers up the same day, while the detail is still precise.
What belongs on your interview checklist?
Work through this list before every call. Use the competitor comparison method in sponsorship rates competitor research in England as a separate step. These criteria suit England-based creators and buyers working with UK brands, and you can adjust them if most clients sit elsewhere.
Interview checklist
- Purpose written in one sentence, naming the pricing decision it supports.
- Participant type, level and market noted, so the sample can be described later.
- Consent wording for recording and quoting.
- Five questions in a fixed order, with room for follow-ups.
- Storage location and a deletion date.
How do you keep interview notes lawful and reusable?
Recordings, notes and contact details are personal data. The Data Protection Act 2018 is the main UK statute here, and it expects a lawful basis, a stated purpose and a retention period. Consent or legitimate interests usually covers creator work, provided you explain what happens to the material.
Quote only with permission. If a buyer wants to stay unnamed, describe the role and company size instead. Anonymised detail still carries weight in a rate conversation. Keep notes for the retention period you stated, then delete them.
If part of your client base is in the United States, the FTC business guidance resources for advertisers and marketers set out different disclosure expectations for endorsements.
Common questions
How many interviews are enough?
Enough to hear the same themes twice. For a small creator business, half a dozen conversations across buyers and peers is often enough, and you can stop once answers repeat.
Should I pay people for interviews?
Usually not. A short call about someone's own experience is not paid research participation, and payment can change what people say. Offer a written summary instead.
Can interview quotes go into a rate card?
Yes, with written permission and no identifying detail the person did not agree to share. Keep the quote short and factual, and tie it to the decision it informed.
What if nobody agrees to talk?
Fall back on published benchmarks and your own deal history, then note the gap in your evidence pack. Interviews are one input among several.
