• Instagram influencer Tammy Hembrow said after years of working in the industry she has decided she won’t work with brands who want final say over sponsored content posted to her 11.8 million Instagram followers.
• In an episode of her podcast, Hembrow talks about some of the “horror stories” of working with brands.
• It’s estimated that Hembrow can earn north of AU$55,000 for a post, on top of her clothing lines and fitness app.
• Visit Business Insider Australia’s homepage for more stories.

Tammy Hembrow has worked with dozens of brands throughout her career, but not all relationships have ended on good terms.

“I have some horror stories from when I started,” said Hembrow.

With more than 11.8 million followers on her Instagram alone, Hembrow is perhaps Australia’s best known Instagram influencer.

Like many creators, she’s branched out into fitness regimes and clothing lines — but the focus of her online profiles remains sponsored content, largely collaborations with clothing brands and other companies on her Instagram account and YouTube channels.

While fees varying widely based on the brand and each individual creator, influencer analytics company Influencer Marketing Hub’s earning calculator estimates that Hembrow can demand between $31,00-$55,000 for a Instagram post.

Hembrow said the key to her success has been choosing to work with the right companies, while also figuring out the best conditions to create content.

In a conversation with Hembrow’s sisters Amy and Emilee on their podcast Hanging With The Hembrows, Hembrow said she’s turned down sponsorship offers for reasons ranging from not liking the product to brands being too specific about her workflow.

“First you look at the product and you have to question ‘is this authentic to you?’. And then there’s the relationship [with the brand], you also have to question whether that’s authentic,” she said.

“If they want to approve [content before I post], then I’m not doing that any more. I like the natural flow and creativity to say what I want, post what I want, do my own schedule. Some brands want to get content sent for approval and they want to schedule a date, and they want you to say a certain thing which I don’t like doing.”

It’s standard for companies to send a brief to influencers who they’re paying for sponsored content, and for them to review or approve the resulting content before it’s posted.

In this conversation, Hembrow says that she no longer chooses to work with companies who require final say over content posted by the creator.

She does, however, still use briefs from brands, believing that this workflow produces content that performs the best.

“I would give some dot points on what your brand’s about, or notes, but definitely not a script [for what to write]. Let the influencer have the creativity and you’ll have a better result.”

Hembrow also discloses that not all brands she tags are paying customers. She said some are companies who have sent her free items or local brands she just wants to support.

She mentions that she’s had bad experiences working with brands who have threatened legal action from failing to meet aspects of their commercial agreements.

“Life happens. Sometimes you miss a deadline or might not be able to post and being understanding is so important. I’ve had brands in the past that have not been so understanding, saying ‘no if you don’t do this, I’ll sue you.” she said.

Her advice for up-and-coming influencers who aren’t as established in a rapidly professionalising but still opaque influencer advertising industry?

“Read you contracts. And know your worth,” she said.

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