Bad for the Algorithm

Emily Valentine
  • 0.0 (0)
  • ENTREPRENEURSHIP
  • UPDATED BIWEEKLY

Most creator advice is either too basic or too bro. Bad for the Algorithm is neither. Hosted by Emily Valentine - full-time creator of 9 years, talent manager, and brand deal expert with £1M+ in paid invoices - this is the behind-the-scenes look at how ambitious creators build premium brand partnerships and six-figure content businesses. No trend-chasing. No burnout. Just the real talk on how the money moves. Episodes drop fortnightly. badforthealgorithm.substack.com

Episodes

  1. Brand Deal Strategy: Your Worth vs. Are You Actually "Worth It"?

    APR 21

    Brand Deal Strategy: Your Worth vs. Are You Actually "Worth It"?

    When every offer that lands in your inbox is a new emotional event, you're either saying yes too fast because money is on the table, or firing off a counter and spending three days wondering if you made the right call. Both of those are feelings with a price tag attached. And neither one is a strategy. That ends today. In this episode, Emily shares the exact 5-factor offer audit she's used across 250+ brand deals and over a million pounds in paid invoices - so you can stop reacting to every offer that lands in your inbox and start making decisions from a place of strategy. Because worth is not negotiable. But worth it? That's a different conversation. Download the free 5-Factor Offer Audit and use it the next time a brand offer lands in your inbox: https://influencehersociety.myflodesk.com/5-factor-offer-audit Ready to start adding zeros to your brand deal fees? Apply for The Creator Method: https://influencehersociety.com/creator-ceo-method TIMESTAMPS [00:00:00] The stat that reframes everything - why half of Emily's deals close below her asking rate [00:01:05] Why "charge your worth" gave you confidence with zero framework - and why that's actually dangerous [00:01:50] The emotional yes and the emotional no - and why both are costing you money [00:04:40] Factor 1: Brand association and authority - the Dior story and the L'Oréal portfolio play [00:07:20] Factor 2: Portfolio and renewal potential - how to call a brand's bluff with one question [00:08:50] Factor 3: Usage and scope - the exact script to use when a brand is asking for too much [00:11:00] Factors 4 and 5: Current season and niche authority - when a lower rate is actually the smart move [00:14:10] Factor 6: The gut check - why five green lights on paper still isn't always a yes LINKS AND RESOURCES Download the free 5-Factor Offer Audit HERE. Tired of making emotional decisions every time a brand offer lands? Apply for The Creator Method and we'll audit exactly what's costing you money on your very first call: Apply here Everything you need to know about working with Emily: https://influencehersociety.com/creator-ceo-method Exclusive free strategy and creator gospel & gossip straight to your inbox - join my list: https://influencehersociety.myflodesk.com/newsletter Come find us on Instagram: www.instagram.com/influencehersociety Referenced in this episode - Ep 3: Reel Fees Are Bait. Usage Is the Payday. listen here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/reel-fees-are-bait-usage-is-the-payday/id1881956896?i=1000757055298 This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit badforthealgorithm.substack.com

    17 min
  2. Reel Fees Are Bait. Usage Is the Payday.

    MAR 24

    Reel Fees Are Bait. Usage Is the Payday.

    Every time a brand emails you “we’d like usage rights” and you go quiet, quote a number you pulled from thin air, or sign the contract hoping for the best - you are potentially handing them an entire campaign for free. I know a creator who found out her face had been running in paid subway advertising across New York for four months. She had no idea. The brand had paid thousands - potentially tens of thousands - for that ad space alone. She got paid for one post. Not a slice of the subway revenue. Not a percentage of the ad spend. One flat fee, and that was it. Meanwhile the brand was scaling her content across one of the most expensive advertising markets in the world. This episode fixes the specific reason you keep undercharging for usage - and it’s not that you don’t know it exists. It’s that you’ve never seen the full stack clearly enough to price it. Once you can see each level, you can charge for each level. That’s what we’re doing today. Ready to start adding zeros to your usage fees and negotiating deals that reflect the full value of what you’re handing over? Apply for The Creator Method here. TIMESTAMPS * [00:00:00] Handing brands an entire campaign for free - and not even knowing it * [00:01:20] The leopard print dress, the NYC subway ad, and what it cost my friend in lost thousands * [00:04:10] Why you’re licensing an asset - not selling a post * [00:05:50] The full usage stack broken down - every level, every tier, no jargon * [00:13:30] Why brands always package usage as one vague ask - and how to see straight through it * [00:15:00] The No7 x Boots deal - £8,500 gross, paid usage capped at £10K, and what I actually asked to get there * [00:16:40] The one question to ask before you quote, agree, or sign anything * [00:18:10] Your next steps to build usage and negotiation intelligence that actually stacks your fees LINKS AND RESOURCES Tired of inconsistent brand deals? Apply for The Creator Method and we’ll audit exactly what’s costing you money on your very first call. Everything you need to know about working with Emily as a 1:1 client, HERE. Want more of this? Join my subscriber list and get more free, weekly strategy straight to your inbox- JOIN HERE. Come find us on Instagram. --- Thanks for reading Bad for the Algorithm! This post is public so feel free to share it. --- “Your content doesn’t stop working when you stop posting. Brands know exactly what each level of that usage is worth. Now so do you.” This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit badforthealgorithm.substack.com

    19 min
  3. The Lottery Mentality: The Mistake Costing Creators Thousands the Second a Brand Deal Lands

    MAR 4

    The Lottery Mentality: The Mistake Costing Creators Thousands the Second a Brand Deal Lands

    That moment when a brand deal lands in your inbox and before you’ve even read the brief, you feel that rush of being seen, being chosen? That’s exactly what brands are banking on. Emily was making more money than influencers with 100K followers - at 15K. The reason had nothing to do with confidence, content skills or follower count. It was how she read every single brand deal that landed in her inbox. In this mindset-bending episode Emily breaks down the lottery mentality costing creators thousands - and how to start reading every offer like a business. Done performing for the algorithm? Ready to run this like a business? Apply for The Creator Method here. IN THIS EPISODE “Brands are negotiating. Creators are celebrating. And that right there is why you’re stuck at £500 deals.” TIMESTAMPS [00:00] Cornered in Chinatown - why Emily was making more with 15K followers than creators with 100K [00:01:40] The industry back then - why people protected their rates like Fort Knox, and why Emily didn’t [00:03:40] The trap - treating an inbound brand deal like a gift instead of an opening offer [00:04:20] The lottery mentality - brands banking on you being grateful just to be picked [00:04:30] How Emily actually reads an inbound offer - skip to the bottom, find the pound sign [00:05:57] The talent manager brain - negotiating for Chanel and Armani before ever negotiating for herself [00:08:10] Removing the personal - why “I don’t want to seem annoying” is costing you money [00:09:24] The questions nobody asks - usage, exclusivity, deliverables, timeline, rush fees [00:10:20] The patriarchy piece - women conditioned to accept and why that ends here [00:11:10] The shift - stop reading brand deals as invitations, start reading them as opening offers LINKS AND RESOURCES Ready to negotiate like a talent manager? Apply for The Creator Method here - applications reviewed within 3 biz days. Want to understand how brands actually decide who to pay and how much? Read more about The Creator Method Want free monetisation strategy and creator economy BTS? Join the Bad for the Algorithm mailing list - get the episodes plus what Emily doesn’t say on social. Follow InfluenceHerSociety on Instagram Done performing for the algorithm? Ready to run this like a business? Apply for The Creator Method here. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit badforthealgorithm.substack.com

    13 min
  4. The 2026 Creator Playbook: What Shifted, What Died, and What's Actually Working Now

    FEB 27

    The 2026 Creator Playbook: What Shifted, What Died, and What's Actually Working Now

    If something has felt off lately - the deals quieter, the reach dropping, the inbox not what it was - this episode is why. And more importantly, it's the fix. In episode one of Bad for the Algorithm, Emily lays out the five shifts that quietly rewired the creator economy in 2026, what they look like in real brand deals happening right now, and exactly what you need to do differently to get paid like the professional you already are. This isn't theory. Emily is actively negotiating brand deals as a talent manager alongside running her own creator business - which means she's seeing these shifts in real briefs, real fees, and real brand decisions before most creators know the rules changed. The through line across all five? What are you actually bringing to the table beyond your follower count? Because the creators winning right now aren't the ones with the biggest numbers. They're the ones who know their value, position it properly, and get paid for it. Ready to build a brand deal pipeline that actually works? Apply for The Creator Method - link in the show notes. IN THIS EPISODE Why a brand chose a 14K follower account over a 40K account at the same fee - and what it proves about where the industry is heading The UGC brief dressed up as an influencer campaign - how to spot it and use it as leverage to increase your rates without increasing your workload Why being an expert on your journey is just as powerful as being the expert - and how to own your niche so completely brands have no question you're the one The sticky bra story - how an £8 Amazon find, zero polish, and complete unapologetic energy drove 3,000 link clicks and hundreds of sales Why burnout comes from pushing content that's no longer aligned with who you are - and what to do about it TIMESTAMPS 00:00 Everyone says the creator economy is dead. Here's why they're wrong. 01:00 The most exciting time in history to be a woman building a personal brand 01:30 How to claim your piece of the $35 billion industry 02:00 Fired with 8K followers and no deals. Here's what happened next. 03:30 Five shifts. Everything you need to know about getting paid in 2026. 04:00 Why a brand paid four figures for 14K over 40K 06:00 The brief in your inbox that's actually worth more than you think 08:00 What authority looks like when you don't think you're an expert 11:00 The £8 Amazon sticky bra. 3,000 link clicks. Unpolished content wins. 13:00 Why creators who've been at this for years are burning out 17:00 The one question every brand is asking about you right now 18:00 What happens when you stop creating for the algorithm 19:00 Next steps LINKS AND RESOURCES Apply for The Creator Method (1:1 coaching) Learn more about The Creator Method here. Join the my mailing list for FREE weekly value to your inbox weekly. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit badforthealgorithm.substack.com

    19 min
  • 4 Episodes

About

Most creator advice is either too basic or too bro. Bad for the Algorithm is neither. Hosted by Emily Valentine - full-time creator of 9 years, talent manager, and brand deal expert with £1M+ in paid invoices - this is the behind-the-scenes look at how ambitious creators build premium brand partnerships and six-figure content businesses. No trend-chasing. No burnout. Just the real talk on how the money moves. Episodes drop fortnightly. badforthealgorithm.substack.com

Information

  • Creator
    Emily Valentine
  • Years Active
    2K
  • Episodes
    4
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Emily Valentine
  • Show Website
    Bad for the Algorithm