Tyre Kickers, Lowballers and Camels: 7 PR Rep Negotiation Tactics Used Against Bloggers

Last Updated on 16 July, 2026 by Cara Sutra

When I first started blogging, heading to my email inbox was exciting. I didn’t get emails every day, but sometimes I’d get a notification of a lovely comment from a reader on my blog, or maybe even the chance to review a sex toy for an online shop. Cut to seventeen years later, a productive and sometimes lucrative career which has been hard-earned, and my inbox feels like an entirely different landscape. Today I want to talk about the various types of emails you might get if you’re also a professional blogger or run any kind of commercial publication online. You probably already know the ones I’m referring to. Brand reps, PR agencies, link-building middlemen, content marketing companies, demands to publish press releases and “opportunities” which smell an awful lot like a ton of work for no pay. I’m talking tyre kickers, lowballers and camels. If you don’t know what these phrases mean, read on. Here are the 7 most common negotiation tactics used against bloggers.

If you’re a blogger or you own a website which publishes content, you’ll know that email tennis can become a fatal time suck. As well as any necessary invoicing, press releases and gifting offers to sift through, and questions from readers, there’s a whole lot of back-and-forth negotiation. Some of these opening offers and resulting negotiation will result in income. Most of it will not, because the emails are from those on the hard sell demanding promotion or advertising for as little as possible. These may be bots or real people, and it’s getting harder to tell the difference.

There are brand reps, PR agencies, link-building middlemen, content marketing companies and the occasional solo founder. Many have a script that they fire at you, because of the sheer volume of requests/demands they send out. The worst of these scripts have tactics designed to put you on the back foot, insult you in some way, or otherwise get you to agree to working for nothing, or as close to. Because I’ve been on the receiving end of these for well over a decade, I can often recognise the particular tactic deployed right from the start.

That isn’t to say I’m on the defence with every email I open, or that I don’t give people the benefit of the doubt, or that I’m unprofessional in any of my email replies – even though I often receive incredibly unprofessional emails myself. The people sending these emails aren’t evil, and they don’t hate you; they’re just doing what they’re told or that they’ve been trained to do. Often, they’re junior staff at agencies, working from scripts handed to them by their manager, with targets to reach and rates they’ve been told to push hard for. They don’t know you, they may not have heard of you or your website before, and they don’t necessarily care. Not in a bad way, just the honest truth of it. The negotiation tactics are real, though, and it’s worth learning what they are so you can more easily spot them and avoid getting drawn in.

As a small independent publisher myself, I know just how disheartening it can be to craft lengthy, professional replies to these emails, just to get a brief, blunt, demanding reply. To be openly insulted, in some sort of weird, work-related negging attempt. To have my clear reply of “no” steamrollered through, disrespected, my boundaries breached time and again. Yep, even in the sex industry, where you’d hope people would be more aware of the importance of accepting no as a complete sentence and the end of the conversation. It’s upsetting, especially when I’m already trying to heal from years of disrespect, abuse, and related trauma. It fuels any imposter syndrome you may suffer with. It wastes your time. Not to mention the corrosive impact on your mood and self-esteem.

Let’s begin. Here are the seven most common tactics I see fly into my inbox, how they’re often disguised, and what to do when you spot one. Save this page if you find it useful. I’m certainly going to start linking to it in relevant replies.

1. Tyre kicking

What it looks like:

So many questions. You’ll find yourself doing plenty of labour for tyre kickers. They’ll request your media kit, your rates, your audience demographics, your typical turn around times, sample posts, screenshots of analytics, screenshots of where your adverts are posted, help deciphering those screenshots, follow-up questions, on and on and on. The quantity of questions raise your hopes that all of this will lead to work and payment for services, especially as they can seem so enthusiastic throughout. Then silence. Or another round of questions a week or a month later, with no specifics or invoice request forthcoming.

What’s really going on:

Tyre-kickers may have no intention of buying. It could be that they’re scoping out how you work, what you charge, what your stats and demographics are to compare against others in your field or to build a database. They may be sounding out the market on behalf of a client who is planning a future campaign and wants to know the lay of the land with regards potential promotion and partnerships. Either way, it’s a lot of time and effort for no money from your point of view, and you could be giving away free consultancy besides.

How to shut it down:

Ask for the brief, their available budget for work and the deadline for completion upfront. Frame it as being able to give them a directly useful answer faster. Clients who genuinely intend to work with you will be able to share at least two out of the three. Tyre kickers will go quiet, or aggressively defensive.

2. Lowballing

What it looks like:

Their opening offer is laughably below your published rate. I’ve honestly been offered £10 to publish a sponsored post. Insulting. Whatever the figure mentioned, it will be shockingly low. It will often be framed as “our usual budget for this kind of placement” or “what we’ve paid other sites in your space.”

What’s really going on:

Sometimes the low offer is meant to shock and insult, with a classic negging intention. Other times it’s meant as a genuine negotiation opener, and they’re simply putting the low into lowballing in the hope you meet somewhere in the middle. Which would still be below your actual rate, of course. All of this only works if you start engaging with the number they’ve thrown out, which opens the way for them to start haggling.

How to shut it down:

Don’t defend your rate and don’t be tempted to accept less. Just state your prices, and ignore any attempts to get you to counteroffer. You don’t have to justify your prices. Your website is your website, it isn’t a free for all noticeboard for whatever industry you’re in. And your prices don’t have to be related to any stats, either. “Blogs with your traffic can only demand £X”. Well, that’s very nice and all, but my prices aren’t related to my traffic or other stats. My prices are the lowest amount I’ll accept for the services I provide. My site, my rates, my choice.

3. Volume bait

What it looks like:

“We’ve got 10 to 20 articles coming through this quarter, can you offer us a discount on the first one?” Or: “If this first piece goes well, we’d be looking at an ongoing arrangement.”

What’s really going on:

The alluring promise of an ongoing or bulk order never materialises. You give them a nice discount on the first piece on the implied promise of several more at your usual rate, then… Nothing. Radio silence. This one is common in SEO and content marketing circles, where reps genuinely do place dozens of links and posts a month. However, it’s rarely at the heavily discounted rate they claim.

How to shut it down:

Two options. Either stick to your per-link or per-article rate, or offer a genuine bulk rate but only in a prepaid package. Payment in advance, of course. Payment after publication rarely materialises, either. For example: “Happy to provide a 10-article rate, here’s the total price with the discount built in”. If they refuse or argue, the volume was never real.

4. The camel’s nose

What it looks like:

“Could you just send over a quick sample of your writing?” “Can I see a screenshot of your traffic for last month?” “Would you mind drafting a short outline so I can pitch it to my client?” Quick little asks, which seem harmless and even potentially lucrative in isolation.

What’s really going on:

Once a camel gets its nose into the tent, the rest of the camel follows. Each small concession makes the next one easier to extract, and you end up having done a meaningful chunk of work before any contract or payment is on the table.

How to shut it down:

Put together a media kit that you can send to potential clients. Or publish your rates on your blog or website, if you’re comfortable with that. If not, save your list of services and their set rates on a document that you can send, stand firm to and refer to as required. I have a media kit, a publicly published list of services, their terms and rates, and a screenshot of my ads areas and link to my sponsored posts category. Anything beyond that requires more information from their side, and a commitment to purchase. If you answer a lot of the common questions on your website, it saves you plenty of time during the emails stage.

5. Scope creep

What it looks like:

You’ve agreed on terms, the brief, the payment. You’re ready to provide the content or promotional service. Then, partway through or shortly before delivery, they email you with more requests. “Oh, can you also share it to your newsletter?” “Can we get a second social post?” “Could you add a couple of extra product mentions?” “Any chance of a video reel as well?”

What’s really going on:

Each extra thing they very politely request seems small enough that it feels rude to refuse. If they’ve already paid, you may feel obligated to give them any extra thing they ask for. It feels like you’ve built a relationship with this person, rep or brand, and you don’t want to ruin that. That feeling is what they’re counting on. If you do all the things they request, before you know it you’ve delivered a campaign worth twice the amount you agreed on.

How to shut it down:

Be very clear about what it is you’re selling, and what they’re getting out of the arrangement. Be honest about what you can and what you can’t promise or provide. I write a short note on the invoice about what, exactly, the invoice covers. Sometimes, for a more complex arrangement, a final extra email is required where I outline what has been agreed, what I will be providing, and any timescales or deadline. If any extras are requested, no matter how polite or friendly they are, the answer is: “Happy to add that, here’s the additional cost.” Add-ons still need paying for. When paying for your trolley of groceries at the supermarket checkout, you can’t grab a handful of snacks off the final counter and expect to get them for free.

6. Social proof fishing

What it looks like:

You’ll get detailed questions about your monthly traffic, your domain authority, your social platforms stats, your average affiliate conversion rate, your top performing post categories. Sometimes it’s smoothed with a little flattery: “We’re really impressed by your content/website/numbers, we’d just love a bit more information?”

What’s really going on:

They’re scoping and collecting data. Sometimes it’s to benchmark you against other blogs, websites or creators they’re in negotiations with, or already working with. Sometimes it’s to build a pitch deck for their own clients using your stats as an example. It might just be so they can add you to a list of people to potentially approach next month, next quarter, next year. You’re being mined for information that won’t necessarily lead to work or income.

How to shut it down:

Send your media kit or rate card. If you have an FAQ or similar page covering the details, share the link. Keep further explanations and in-depth info for after you’ve reached an agreement or after the invoice is paid.

7. Good cop, bad cop

What it looks like:

“I personally love your website and I think you’re worth every penny, but my boss / the client / finance department won’t sign off on that rate. Is there anything you can do?” The person you’re talking to is sympathetic, even apologetic. There’s always someone above them who holds the purse strings.

What’s really going on:

Sometimes there genuinely is someone who is gatekeeping the finances. Often, especially with smaller agencies and particularly with solo operators, the “boss” is merely a rhetorical device. The person negotiating is able to maintain a friendly tone whilst distancing themselves from what is essentially a lowballing tactic. They’re still applying pressure though, despite it being framed as via a third party. Because of social niceties and etiquette, it feels difficult or impossible to argue with someone who’s apparently on your side.

How to shut it down:

Because you don’t know for sure if there’s a financial gatekeeper involved or not, it’s best to take the framing at face value. Be polite and professional, whilst remaining firm on your accepted rates. “Totally understand, my rates are listed as attached. If you have the budget to meet my rates, I’d love to work together.” You’re not refusing the person; you’re refusing to renegotiate your rates.

A few (dis)honourable mentions

The negotiation tactics commonly used against bloggers and content creators in this post isn’t the full and comprehensive list, by any means. There are so many other moves that deserve to be called out, even if they didn’t make the top seven.

Look out for:

• The exposure pitch. Payment in visibility. Persuasive promises that it’ll be “great for your portfolio,” or “we’ll tag you on socials.” Exposure doesn’t pay the bills. Think about who needs whom in the situation, and who reached out first.
• “Free” products instead of payment. Payment in goods isn’t payment. My utilities don’t accept vibrators as payment. And unless the brand has proven to be successful as an affiliate, potential affiliate commission (some also have shockingly low rates such as 5-10%) doesn’t pay the bills either.
• The urgency squeeze. “We need this live by Friday, can you drop the rate to make it happen?” The feel of this one echoes a known tactic by financial scammers. A manufactured sense of urgency or anxiety can lead people to act in ways they wouldn’t otherwise. Wanting the work or promotion fast shouldn’t lead to a discount for the client. Quite the opposite, if they want to push it.
• Nagging to explain your “no”. “Can I just ask why?” No, no you can’t. If you start explaining, justifying, defending, it just opens the door for them to use aggressive tactics to turn your no into a yes. If they persist, remind them of the importance of accepting no as a complete answer.
• The compliment trap. “We love your work, what’s your absolute best price?” I’ve praised and flattered you, therefore I deserve a lower price. Your best price is your usual price. Which should be the lowest you’ll accept for the services on offer. Compliments aren’t a magic discount button.
• The retroactive ask. Querying invoices, negging to bully you into agreement, asking for a discount after the work has been completed or delivered. Usually very polite and seemingly with solid reason. Avoid this hassle by always requiring cleared payment in advance of services rendered, and being very clear about your terms and what, exactly, they’re paying for.

How good clients act

Despite how it may seem after the mountain of manipulative, bullying, or openly aggressive tactics exposed in this article, there are genuinely decent clients out there. I have good days and bad days in the inbox. It helps that I limit the amount of time every week I spend reading and replying to emails, and just like my news app, I only open it when I’m sure I can deal with whatever emotional rollercoaster is waiting for me inside.

I liaise and work with plenty of reps, brands and agencies which are a genuine pleasure to interact with and promote. Here’s what the good ones have in common:

• They are polite, treating professional bloggers as small businesses that deserve respect and remuneration, rather than a freebie marketing tool to take advantage of.
• Their emails contain a clear request and brief, a budget range, any required deadline, and a professional signature with relevant business details (logo, website, social handles, contact info).
• They’ve actually visited your website and treat you as an individual, not simply the next email address in an outreach of thousands.
• They respect your rates without argument, negging, negotiation attempts or feigned shock, even if that means they need to discuss with their team or come back when their budget allows.
• They’re clear on expectations and what’s required from the start, and don’t attempt to sneak in extras for free.
• They pay promptly and in the way you’ve requested. Don’t get me started on the wrong currency for lower actual rates/cryptocurrency attempts.
• The relationship feels balanced, rather than valid business vs teeny tiny unserious blogger. After 17 years I still get emails expecting me to do a shit ton of work for a “free vibrator for you to keep, OMG wow!”

For brands and PR reps: fixing your approach

If you’re a brand or PR rep reading this and feeling kinda called out, well… good. That means you recognise where you’ve been going wrong in your outreach campaigns, and you can start to repair the damage, and change your approach going forwards. Drop the cold call jargon. No one wants to “circle back” or “hop on a call”. The only time I “push the envelope” is when I’m posting a letter. “Blue sky thinking” is for when I’m relaxing in the garden. And what even is “synergy”, anyway?

Be warm, friendly, but above all, human. I’m aware that AI is a tool that many use to save time, but it often leads to detached, bland, generic, unemotional emails that do the very opposite of what you intend.

Let the blogger or creator know that you’re emailing them, personally. That you’ve taken a moment to set eyes on what they create, the work they’ve invested their time and heart in. Be honest about what you would like, and how much you can afford. Treat publishers like the small businesses they are, not Dickensian street urchins grateful for any crumbs off your big business table.

You’ll be surprised by how many great working relationships are not only established in this way, but go on to last for many years.

If you’d like to work with me, get in touch here.

Hold your rates, hold your ground

Finally, if you’re a fellow blogger, website owner, content creator who has been on the receiving end of any of these negotiation tactics, manipulation or hostility recently, please be assured it isn’t just you. I get it all the time. You’re not demanding, or unworthy of your rates, or basic respect. Be professional and friendly but hold your ground and hold your rates. After today’s guide, you’ll be able to spot the common negotiation tactics used against bloggers the moment they land in your inbox, and defuse them instantly.