Half of Australian creators have walked away from a brand deal they felt was inauthentic, according to new research from Social Soup.
The research found 51% of creators have rejected a deal that did not feel right, rising to 66% among creators with more than 10,000 followers.
The findings offer a first look at Social Soup’s 2026 creator research, which will be revealed in full at the company’s annual Influence Upfronts in Melbourne and Sydney.
Based on a survey of 265 creators conducted in March, the research suggests Australian marketers are leaving significant revenue on the table, even as brand investment in influence continues to rise.
Creators cited several reasons for turning down brand deals, including being asked to fake before-and-after results, deliver overly scripted content or promote products that did not fit their lives.
The research also found 71% of creators believe they understand their audiences better than the brands briefing them.
The number one frustration for creators was brands underestimating the time, effort and creative skill required to deliver effective content.
Creators want longer-term partnerships
Social Soup found 90% of creators want brands to work with them on an ongoing basis rather than through one-off partnerships.
Sharyn Smith
Sharyn Smith, Founder and CEO of Social Soup, said influence is finally getting the budget it has long deserved, but brands need to better understand the communities they are trying to reach.
“The findings from our research should reframe how marketers think about their influence investment: creators are selling trust but brands are still behaving as if they’re buying content.
“Half of creators are turning down deals that don’t ring true in order to protect the audience relationships that brands are paying to access.”
Community as the engine of influence
Smith said the research points to a broader shift away from single-campaign thinking.
“At Social Soup, we’ve spent 18 years building a community of more than 200,000 real people, and what this research makes clear is that community is the engine of real influence,” she said.
“The brands planning long-term ecosystems around how they build community, including tapping into long-term creator communities, will see results that compound.
More findings from the research, including data on what people are looking for in communities and from brands, will be revealed at Social Soup’s Influence Upfronts events in Melbourne and Sydney.
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