What makes this useful: A sourced EarnThread field guide written for creators turning attention into an owned business.
Digital products vs brand deals comes down to reliability, and digital products are the more reliable income once they are running, because you set the price, you are paid when the customer buys, and the same product can sell again next month. Brand deals often pay more per piece of work early on, but the money is lumpy, concentrated among bigger creators, and frequently paid 30 to 60 days or more after you deliver (opens in a new tab). The sensible plan for a small creator is to take brand deals as welcome cash while building at least one product that does not depend on a brand's budget.
This guide compares the two on the things that make income reliable: who sets the price, when you get paid, how often it repeats, and how exposed it is to forces you cannot control. Figures come from creator surveys and industry reporting, each linked so you can check who was asked.
Key takeaways
- Digital products are the more reliable income once live: you set the price, get paid at checkout and can sell again with no new work.
- Brand-deal pay is concentrated: CreatorIQ found a $3,000 median campaign payment, with the top 10% of creators taking 62% of payments.
- Payment terms are stretching: agency executives told Digiday that 45- and 60-day terms are increasingly common, with some at 90 to 120 days.
- Kajabi's data describes six-figure creators with 1,000 to 10,000 followers and about 309 paying customers.
- Use brand-deal cash to fund and promote a product rather than as your only income line.
Digital products vs brand deals: reliability side by side
| What makes income reliable | Brand deals | Digital products |
|---|---|---|
| Who sets the price | Negotiated; the brand's budget sets the ceiling | You do |
| When you're paid | After delivery, on the brand's payment terms | At checkout, through your payment processor |
| Does it repeat? | Only if the brand rebooks | Every new buyer, with no new work per sale |
| Who gets most of the money | Concentrated among top creators | Depends on your audience and offer, not your ranking |
| Recent direction in surveys | Falling share of creator income | Growing |
| What you own afterwards | The relationship and content rights you negotiate | The product, the customer list and their email addresses |
The rest of this guide sets out the evidence behind each row.
What the data says about brand deals
Brand deals are still the biggest single income source for many creators, but their share is slipping.
- Fewer creators rely on them most. Influencer Marketing Hub's 2025 report, from a survey of over 3,000 creators with NeoReach (opens in a new tab), found over 49% earned most of their revenue from brand deals, a 10% decrease on the previous year. Over 64% said they would prefer brand deals to be their main income, which suggests demand from creators is outrunning supply.
- Revenue fell for many. In Kajabi's State of Creator Commerce survey of 1,717 respondents, creators reported a 52% reduction in brand-deal revenue over the previous year (opens in a new tab). Kajabi sells creator software, so treat this as vendor research.
- Pay is concentrated at the top. CreatorIQ's data on 14,400 creators paid by brands or agencies in 2025 showed an average campaign payment of $11,400 but a median of $3,000 (opens in a new tab), with the top 10% of creators receiving 62% of all payments. Total dollars paid to creators rose 59% year on year, so the market is growing; it is just not spreading evenly.
There is also a timing problem. Digiday's January 2026 reporting quoted talent agency executives saying net-30 is still the most common payment term, but 45- and 60-day terms are increasingly common (opens in a new tab), with some seeing 90 to 120 days after content went live. For a creator who needs to cover rent, a deal paid in month three is a different thing from cash this month.
What the data says about digital products
The evidence on products is mostly from platforms that sell product tools, so read it as directional rather than neutral. It still shows a clear pattern.
- Product sales are growing. Kajabi's 2025 platform data, reported by Net Influencer (opens in a new tab), showed digital download sales grew 20% while creators reported falls in brand-deal and affiliate income.
- A small audience can be enough. The same report describes the average six-figure earner on Kajabi as having 1,000 to 10,000 followers, an email list of about 4,000 people and 309 paying customers.
- Packaging matters. Creators who bundle their products earn 4.5 times more than those with single offerings, according to the same data.
- Owning a business correlates with higher pay. Influencer Marketing Hub found that nearly 45% of full-time creators own a brand and earn close to $100,000 a year.
Product income also improves with time in a way brand deals rarely do. Each launch teaches you which page, price and post converts, and those lessons carry over to the next product. A brand deal, by contrast, usually starts from zero with each new brand.
The structural point is simpler than any statistic. A product you have already built sells to the next customer at no extra production cost, at a price you chose, and that customer's email address stays with you.
Where brand deals still win
It would be wrong to call products better in every way. Brand deals have real advantages, especially early on.
No build time. A brand deal pays you for content you were going to make anyway. A product needs days or weeks of work before the first sale.
Upfront certainty for a single job. Once a contract is signed, you know the fee. A new product's first month could bring ten sales or none.
A credibility signal. Working with a known brand can help a small creator win the next deal and grow the audience a product later sells to.
They're already common. Visa's research with Morning Consult found 94% of creators post brand partnerships, 78% use affiliate marketing and 77% promote their own services (opens in a new tab). Most creators mix income types already; the question is which one you are deliberately growing. If affiliate links are part of your mix, see how much affiliate marketing really pays small creators.
The Kajabi commerce survey hints at a cost too: the share of creators willing to compromise their values for a high-paying brand deal fell from 55% in 2024 to 33% in 2025. Brand work can pull your content towards someone else's message.
A worked comparison (hypothetical)
The numbers below are invented to show the shape of each income line. They are not market rates.
Imagine a creator with 5,000 engaged followers. In month one they land a sponsored post worth $500 on net-60 terms. They also launch a $29 template and sell 15 copies, earning $435 before fees.
| Month | Brand deal income received | Template income received | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $0 | $435 | Deal delivered; invoice sent |
| 2 | $0 | $290 (10 sales) | Template sales slow after launch |
| 3 | $500 | $290 (10 sales) | Deal paid, if on time |
| 4 | $0 | $290 (10 sales) | No rebooking yet |
Over four months the hypothetical brand deal brings $500 in a single payment, two months late. The template brings $1,305 spread across every month, and it is still on sale in month five. Change the numbers and the totals change, but the pattern holds: deal income arrives in lumps on someone else's timetable, while product income trickles in on yours.
Questions to ask before you accept a brand deal
A brand deal becomes far more reliable when the terms are clear before you start. These questions protect your cash flow and your future income. If you're still landing your first deals, see brand deal rates and pitches under 10k followers.
- When exactly will I be paid? Get the payment term in writing, and ask whether the clock starts at delivery, at posting or at the end of the month. Given the terms Digiday's sources describe, assume nothing.
- Is there a deposit? For new brands or larger projects, asking for part of the fee upfront is reasonable and tells you how serious they are.
- What usage rights am I granting? If the brand wants to run your content as an ad for months, that is extra value and should be priced as such.
- Is there exclusivity? An exclusivity clause that stops you working with competitors for a set period can cost you more than the deal pays.
- How many revisions are included? Unlimited rounds turn a one-day job into a fortnight.
- Who handles disclosure? You are responsible for labelling the post as advertising in line with the rules where you and your audience are based, so agree the wording early.
None of these makes a deal recurring, but each one reduces the risk of a deal paying late, paying less than expected or blocking other income. Keep a simple log of every deal with the agreed fee, the payment term and the date the money actually arrived. After a few months you will know which brands are worth saying yes to again.
How to use both without depending on either
The most reliable mix uses brand deals to fund and promote products, not to replace them. For real examples, see eight creators who quit their day jobs and the income mix behind it.
- 01Price one product you can sell this month
Use our guide to choosing and pricing your first digital product. Templates are a fast start.
- 02Turn what brands pay you for into something buyers can pay for
If brands hire you for editing tips, a paid workshop or checklist can sell the same skill directly.
- 03Put brand-deal cash towards the launch
Use a sponsor's fee to cover the time it takes to build and launch, then follow a first-week launch plan so the first week counts.
- 04Know when product money reaches you
Product income is only reliable if you understand payouts. Our guide to how Stripe Connect pays creators explains the stages between a sale and your bank.
- 05Collect emails from brand-deal traffic
Sponsored posts bring new followers. Send them to a free resource so they join your list, not just your follower count.
Build the reliable half on EarnThread
EarnThread gives you a mobile storefront for digital downloads, bookings, memberships and lead magnets, with payments made straight into your own Stripe account and attribution that shows which post produced each sale. That last part helps when you pitch brands too: you can show them buyers, not just views.
The Launch plan costs $0 a month with a 5% fee per sale. Growth ($19 a month, 1% fee) becomes cheaper once you sell over $475 a month, and Scale ($49 a month, no platform fee) once you pass $3,000; compare the plans. Keep saying yes to the right brand deals, and Start free to put a product alongside them.
Frequently asked questions
Are digital products better than brand deals?
For reliability, usually yes: you set the price, are paid at checkout and can sell the same product again. Brand deals can pay more for a single piece of work and need no build time, so they are useful early on. Most creators do both. The aim is to make sure your income doesn't depend on a brand's budget or payment terms.
How long do brands take to pay creators?
Net-30 is still the most common term, according to talent agency executives quoted by Digiday in January 2026, but 45- and 60-day windows are increasingly common and some see 90 to 120 days after content goes live. Agree payment terms in writing before you start, and invoice on delivery.
Brand deals vs affiliate marketing: which pays more?
It depends on your audience. A brand deal pays a fixed fee for content; affiliate income depends on how many people buy through your link. Surveys suggest both have been under pressure: creators in Kajabi's 2025 survey reported a 52% fall in brand-deal revenue and a 36% decline in affiliate income. Your own product is a useful third line next to both.
What digital product should a small creator sell first?
Pick something small that solves one problem your audience already asks about, such as a template, checklist, short workshop or recorded tutorial. It should be quick to build and easy to explain in one post. Validate demand with a waitlist or pre-sale before building, and price it so a few dozen buyers make a meaningful month.