Most creators underprice themselves. Not by a little — by 30 to 50 percent. And it's not because they don't work hard or their content isn't good. It's because there's no shared language for what brand deals are actually worth. Brands know their budgets. Creators are guessing.
We built Tally's AI negotiation coach on top of real rate data — the same benchmarks we're sharing here. These aren't pulled from a 2022 report. They reflect what creators are actually charging and getting paid right now, across tiers, platforms, and content types.
Rate benchmarks by follower tier
These are baseline rates for a single piece of sponsored content. They assume standard usage rights (brand reposts on their own channels for 6–12 months) and no exclusivity. If the brand wants more than that, you charge more. We'll get to those add-ons below.
| Tier | Followers | IG Reel | TikTok | Story Set |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nano | <10K | $100 – $500 | $100 – $500 | $50 – $200 |
| Micro | 10K – 50K | $500 – $2,000 | $500 – $2,000 | $200 – $800 |
| Mid-tier | 50K – 100K | $2,000 – $5,000 | $2,500 – $5,500 | $1,000 – $2,500 |
| Macro | 100K – 500K | $5,000 – $15,000 | $5,000 – $15,000 | $2,000 – $5,000 |
| Mega | 500K+ | $15,000 – $50,000+ | $15,000 – $50,000+ | $5,000 – $15,000 |
Want rates specific to your numbers? Try the free rate calculator — plug in your follower count, platform, and engagement rate and get personalized benchmarks.
A few things to notice. TikTok rates for mid-tier creators tend to run slightly higher than Instagram Reels because TikTok's algorithm gives more unpredictable reach, and brands value that upside. Story sets are always priced lower because they disappear after 24 hours. And if you're at the top of a tier with strong engagement, you should be pricing at the high end or into the next tier up.
The engagement rate multiplier
Follower count gets you in the door. Engagement rate determines where you sit within your tier. A rough rule of thumb: average engagement on Instagram is 1–3%. On TikTok, 3–6% is typical for mid-tier creators. If you're consistently above those benchmarks, you bring more value per impression and can justify pricing at the upper end of your range — or above it.
Here's a practical way to think about it. Take the cost-per-follower approach: divide your rate by your follower count. For a mid-tier creator at 80K followers charging $4,000 for an Instagram Reel, that works out to about $0.05 per follower. Creators with engagement rates above 3% can push that to $0.06–0.08. Below-average engagement means you should stay closer to $0.03–0.04.
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What about YouTube, UGC, and bundles?
YouTube integrations
YouTube sponsorships are a different animal. A 60-second integration inside a longer video typically costs 2–3x what an equivalent Instagram Reel would, because the content lives forever and compounds views over time. A mid-tier creator (50K–100K subscribers) might charge $5,000–$12,000 for a dedicated integration, depending on their average view count and niche.
UGC (no posting required)
User-generated content deals — where you create content for the brand to use on their own channels without posting it to yours — are priced differently. You're selling production value, not reach. Expect $800–$2,000 per video for mid-tier creators, with the rate scaling based on production complexity rather than follower count. Higher-end UGC work (scripted, multi-scene, with wardrobe) can hit $2,500–$4,000.
Platform bundles
Most brands want content across multiple platforms. A common bundle might be one Instagram Reel, one TikTok, and a story set. Bundling typically gives the brand a 15–25% discount off the individual rates, which is fine — you're doing less context-switching and the brand is committing to a bigger spend. Structure the bundle price so you're still above your minimums on each deliverable.
The add-ons most creators forget to charge for
The base rate is just the starting point. These extras are standard in the industry, and leaving them out is where most of the money gets left on the table.
Usage rights (whitelisting)
If the brand wants to run your content as a paid ad from their account (or yours), that's a separate fee. Whitelisting rates typically run $1,000–$2,000 per 30-day period for mid-tier creators. Some creators charge a flat monthly rate; others price it as a percentage of the base fee (20–50% is common). Either way, this should never be included for free.
Exclusivity
When a brand asks you not to work with competitors for 30, 60, or 90 days, they're asking you to turn down other deals. Price accordingly. A common structure: $1,500–$2,500 per 30 days of exclusivity for mid-tier creators. The longer the exclusivity window, the more it should cost — and you should always push for the narrowest possible category definition. "No competing skincare brands" is reasonable. "No beauty brands" is too broad.
Rush fees
Brand needs content in 48 hours instead of the standard 2-week timeline? That's a rush fee. Add 25–50% to the base rate. You're rearranging your schedule and deprioritizing other work — that has a cost.
Revisions
Your base rate should include one round of revisions. Anything beyond that should be priced per round — $200–$500 per additional revision round is typical. Always specify this in the contract, or you'll end up in an endless edit cycle with no additional compensation.
Niche matters more than you think
Finance, tech, and B2B creators consistently command higher rates than lifestyle or general entertainment creators at the same follower count. The reason is straightforward: their audiences have higher purchasing power, and the brands in those spaces have bigger marketing budgets. A finance creator with 50K followers might charge double what a lifestyle creator with the same audience size charges. If you're in a high-value niche, price like it.
How to actually use these benchmarks
When a brand reaches out with an offer, run through this checklist before responding:
1. Where does the offer sit relative to your tier? Look at the table above. If the offer is below the midpoint of your range, counter. If it's at the bottom, counter higher.
2. What are they actually asking for? Count the deliverables. Check for usage rights language, exclusivity, and revision expectations. Each of those is an add-on that should be priced separately.
3. What's your engagement rate telling you? If you're above average for your tier, you have leverage to price at the high end. If your recent content has been performing exceptionally well, mention specific metrics in your counter.
4. What's the brand's size and budget? A DTC startup and a Fortune 500 company have very different budgets. You can be more flexible with a small brand you genuinely love — but you should still know what the market rate is before you discount.
Stop guessing. Know your rate.
Tally's AI negotiation coach benchmarks every deal against real market data — specific to your tier, niche, and engagement rate. No manager needed.
Try Tally Free →The bottom line
Pricing brand deals isn't about pulling a number from thin air or copying what someone on TikTok said they charge. It's about understanding what the market pays for your tier, factoring in everything the brand is asking for, and having the confidence to counter when the offer is low.
Every brand expects you to negotiate. The ones offering $2,000 have budget for $4,000. The ones offering $5,000 have budget for $8,000. They're not going to volunteer the higher number. That's your job.
And if doing that job feels like too much work on top of actually creating content — that's exactly why we built Tally.