That pain no matter what industry you are in and someone offers just “exposure.” Even worse when they are lesser known then the person they are offering it to and it would do them more good by having work done by that person.
I always see it as if you are too cheap to pay money or more tangible trade what other cost saving measure are being deployed? It almost seems like it be better to decline regardless. If they really want work done by a certain person they will find a way to fit into the budget.