A barter deal is a collaboration where the brand gives you a product, store credit, or discount code instead of cash. In exchange, you create the content you both agreed on.
Barter deals are common with smaller brands, new products, or when a brand wants to seed creators with samples before scaling to paid campaigns. They're a great way to try new products and grow your portfolio.
How the coupon works
When you accept a barter deal, the brand generates a discount code just for you. You'll find it on your deal page, displayed prominently with a copy-to-clipboard button so you can grab it quickly.
The code might be:
100% off — the product is fully free, you just cover shipping (or sometimes the brand covers that too)
A fixed amount off — for instance, a credit you can spend in the store
50% off — paired with a partial cash payment, see below
Each code is tied to your deal, so don't share it publicly. Sharing the code can invalidate it and close the deal.
How to redeem your code
Go to the brand's store URL — it's linked on your deal page
Add the product specified in the deal to your cart (or whatever you and the brand agreed you'd post about)
Apply your code at checkout
Complete the order with your shipping address if it's a physical product
If anything goes wrong at checkout — the code is rejected, the product is out of stock, the store glitches — message the brand right away in the Deal Thread. They can usually fix it within a day.
When to submit your draft
For barter deals involving a physical product, the deal will note when your draft is due. Most often, this is after the product arrives — you can't really create content about something you don't have yet.
Once the product is in your hands:
Create the content you agreed to make
Upload your draft on the deal page
Wait for brand approval before publishing
For digital products or store credit deals, the timeline is usually faster since there's no shipping wait.
50/50 deals (part cash, part product)
Some brands offer a hybrid: a 50% off code plus a 50% cash refund after fulfillment. You'd:
Use the 50% off code at checkout
Pay the remaining 50% out of pocket at the time of order
After you publish and the brand verifies the post, you get the 50% you paid back as a cash refund
This setup lets you choose any product in the store (within the deal's rules) while still being partly compensated in money.
Coupon expiry
Your code has an expiry date, which is shown on the deal page. If you don't redeem it before then, the deal can lapse and the brand may close it.
If you need more time, message the brand in the Deal Thread before the expiry. Most brands are happy to extend if you give them a heads-up.