Most creators price themselves off vibes — a gut feeling, what a friend charged, or whatever number popped into their head when a brand DM'd them. Meanwhile brands negotiate off spreadsheets. That imbalance is exactly how creators end up underpaid.
Rates vary a lot by niche, engagement, and platform, but here's a realistic average range by follower count for a single piece of content (one video, Reel, or post).
These numbers are blended averages across platforms and niches, not a hard ceiling or floor — a highly engaged nano creator in a premium niche (finance, tech, beauty) can easily beat the "average" for the next tier up. If you've been paid well below this for your follower count, that's a real signal, not bad luck.
What actually moves your rate up or down
Follower count is the least important number in the negotiation. These matter more:
- Engagement rate. 100K followers at 1% engagement is worth less than 20K followers at 8%. Brands are buying attention, not vanity metrics.
- Usage rights. If the brand wants to run your content as a paid ad (whitelisting) or repost it on their own channels, that's a separate line item — typically +50–100% of the base rate, or a flat $250–$1,000+ depending on ad spend behind it and duration. 30/60/90 days is standard; "in perpetuity" should cost significantly more.
- Exclusivity. Agreeing not to work with competitor brands for a period adds 20–50% on top.
- Usage duration and platform. A post that stays up forever and can be repurposed across every channel is worth more than a 24-hour story.
- Niche. Finance, tech, and beauty tend to command premiums over general lifestyle content because of higher advertiser LTV.
- Deliverable complexity. A single static photo ≠ a scripted video with multiple cuts ≠ a full unboxing/tutorial. Price the production time, not just the "post."
The 3 signs you're being lowballed
- They ask you to name a price first, with no brief. Without knowing usage rights, exclusivity, or deliverables, any number you give undersells you. Make them share the brief and budget range first — standard practice on the brand side anyway.
- The offer is "exposure" + a flat product amount only. Free product is worth its retail price, not a fee. If a $40 skincare set is the entire offer for a Reel that would otherwise cost $300+, that's not a partnership, it's a sample program.
- They won't confirm usage rights in writing. If a brand won't say in writing how long and where they'll use your content, assume the answer is "forever, everywhere" — and price accordingly, or walk.
If you've hit any of these, you're not being difficult. You're being underpaid.
Bottom line
Rates aren't one-size-fits-all, but they also aren't random. Know your tier, know your modifiers, and don't let a brand's first offer be the ceiling.
