This story was originally published on Passionfruit.
Many creators, especially up-and-coming or micro-influencers, are paid in free or “gratis” products, although the practice is a subject of debate across multiple niches and online communities. In November, this common debate got flipped around after a photo studio owner claimed in a now-deleted viral TikTok that an influencer left an angry voice memo after the studio refused to let her use the space for free. The video sparked debate over whether “exposure” is enough not just for creators, but for the businesses they work with.
The deleted TikTok video, which was posted on Nov. 12 and gained over 1.9 million views as of Nov. 14, shows TikToker and photography studio owner Sarah McCreanor (@smacmccreanor) dancing to a voice recording in her studio while on-screen text read: “This is a real voice note an influencer left on my studio business IG when I said No to her using our space for free.”
In the purported voice memo, the influencer dubbed the business owner “hilarious” before saying, “I asked to come there for twenty minutes to shoot something with my daughter, and that’s disappointing? For free? When I charge a lot of money for postings?”
