Partner
The Three Deal Shapes: Let Them Pick Their Comfort Level
There are three clean ways to structure a toll position deal. Letting the creator choose makes the close easier.
July 19, 2026 · 9 min read
My first partner negotiation went like this: I pitched a 50/50 revenue split. The creator said “that’s too much.” I said “okay, 60/40 your way.” He said “I’ll think about it.”
He didn’t think about it. He disappeared.
Three months later I got my second shot with a different creator. This time I showed up with three options on a single page. “Pick whichever one feels right to you.” She picked option two — the one I would have offered first — and we were live within ten days.
Same offer. Different framing. The first time I presented a negotiation. The second time I presented a menu. And menus close deals because they change the question in the creator’s head from “should I do this?” to “which version should I pick?”
That’s a Dan Kennedy insight disguised as a restaurant analogy: never give someone a yes-or-no question when you can give them an A, B, or C.
This article continues for paid subscribers with the three deal shapes in detail — flat fee, revenue share, and performance guarantee — including when each works, the math behind each structure, the presentation format that closes 3x more deals, and renegotiation triggers that keep partnerships healthy as revenue grows.
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