Barter collaboration

A barter collaboration is a partnership where a creator receives free products or services from a brand instead of, or alongside, a cash fee.

In influencer marketing, "barter" describes any deal structured around in-kind value rather than payment — a restaurant offering a free meal for a review, or a skincare brand shipping product for a set of posts.

• Get the scope of deliverables in writing before accepting product, so "free stuff" doesn’t turn into unpaid, open-ended work.
• Disclose the collaboration clearly (#ad or #collab) even when no cash changed hands — disclosure rules apply to free product too.
• Check the brand’s reputation before agreeing, since a barter deal usually has less legal recourse than a paid contract if the brand disappears.