How to handle negative comments on a creator's sponsored post?

Handling negative comments on sponsored creator posts: First: don't panic. A mix of positive and negative comments is a sign of a real, engaged audience — all-positive comments are actually suspicious. Creator's role: creator should respond to comments in their natural voice. They know their audience and how to diffuse tension. They should not argue or be defensive. Brand's role: only respond if there are factual errors about the product that need correction — from your brand account, politely. Don't delete negative comments unless they're abusive. What to avoid: asking the creator to delete critical comments — this inflames the situation and makes it worse when viewers notice (they always do). Response framework: for "this product doesn't work" — brand can respond once with an offer to help resolve via DM. For "this creator is selling out" — creator handles with transparency about the partnership.