How much to charge for a brand deal
Updated October 20, 2026 by the Paid Brand Deals editorial team. Independent and not sponsored.
Short answer
Price a brand deal from your average views, not your followers. Multiply average views per post by a CPM, the price per 1,000 views. Influencer Marketing Hub's 2026 ranges are $5 to $15 on Instagram, $3 to $10 on TikTok, and $10 to $30 on YouTube. Then charge separately for usage rights, paid ads, exclusivity, rush delivery, and raw files.
A brand deal fee has two parts: the post, and the rights that come with it. The post is worth roughly what your views are worth. The rights, such as letting a brand run your video as an ad for three months, are where a small creator's fee can grow. This guide shows how to price both, with every benchmark tied to a named source.
Which pricing method should you use?
The best pricing method for most creators is CPM on average views, with separate fees for anything beyond the post. CPM means cost per 1,000 views. It ties your fee to what the brand actually buys, which is attention, and it works on every platform. Three methods are in common use.
Per follower. You charge a fixed amount per 1,000 or 10,000 followers. Later's May 2025 micro-influencer guide repeats a "$250 to $450 per 10K followers rule" as a starting point and cites no data for it. Influencer Marketing Hub's October 2026 rates page says follower count "should never be used as a standalone pricing formula." I agree. Followers do not watch every post, and brands know it.
CPM on average views. Your fee equals average views divided by 1,000, times a CPM. Influencer Marketing Hub's August 2026 guide uses the same formula and averages over your last 14 or 30 posts. At least one YouTube sponsorship marketplace works this way. Agentio says it prices each integration on the views a channel is expected to deliver in its first 30 days.
Flat package. You sell a bundle at a fixed price, such as one TikTok, three Stories, and 30 days of organic usage. Packages suit marketplaces and repeat clients. Build the package price from CPM first, so the bundle is not a guess.
What do brands pay on each platform?
Brands pay very different amounts depending on which dataset you read, so treat each table below as one view of the market, not the market. The four sources measure different things: a publisher's planning ranges, self-serve marketplace orders, rates negotiated through IZEA in 2022, and payments made through CreatorIQ's enterprise software.
CPM ranges by platform
| Platform | CPM on average views |
|---|---|
| $5 to $15 | |
| TikTok | $3 to $10 |
| YouTube | $10 to $30 |
Source: Influencer Marketing Hub, "How to Calculate Influencer Costs," August 19, 2026. The guide gives no method for these ranges. Its YouTube rates page, updated August 31, 2026, puts YouTube sponsorship CPMs at $15 to $30.
Average price per collaboration on Collabstr, 2025 data
| Platform | Average listed price | Average paid by brands |
|---|---|---|
| YouTube | $311 | $255 |
| $214 | $193 | |
| TikTok | $182 | $186 |
| UGC | $180 | $154 |
| X | $179 | $76 |
Source: Collabstr 2026 Influencer Marketing Report, released January 2026, covering more than 21,000 collaborations on the Collabstr marketplace from January to December 2025.
Average cost per sponsored post on IZEA, 2022 data
| Platform | Average cost per post |
|---|---|
| Instagram Story | $2,784 |
| TikTok | $2,741 |
| YouTube | $2,102 |
| Instagram photo post | $1,311 |
| $642 |
Source: IZEA, 2023 State of Influencer Earnings press release, February 2023, based on 2022 data from more than $70 million in negotiated rates.
Share of payments by size on CreatorIQ, 2025
| Payment size | Share of payments |
|---|---|
| Under $100 | 6% |
| $100 to $499 | 30% |
| $500 to $999 | 13% |
| $1,000 to $2,400 | 14% |
| $2,500 to $4,900 | 11% |
| $5,000 to $9,900 | 11% |
| $10,000 or more | 15% |
Source: CreatorIQ, The State of Creator Compensation, payment data from December 2025 covering 14.4k creators paid through CreatorIQ.
Why do published rate benchmarks disagree so much?
Published brand deal benchmarks vary by ten times or more because each source samples a different slice of the market, in a different year, and few show their method. The Collabstr TikTok average is $186. The IZEA TikTok average is $2,741. Both are real numbers. They measure different deals.
Here is why the numbers move:
- Who is in the sample. Collabstr is a self-serve marketplace, and 80% of its 2025 campaigns came in under $300. IZEA's averages come from more than $70 million in rates negotiated through IZEA. CreatorIQ's data comes from brands and agencies using its software, which it says number more than 1,300.
- Listed versus paid. Collabstr shows YouTube creators listed an average of $311 and brands paid $255. Asking prices are not deal prices.
- The year. IZEA's figures are from 2022. Collabstr's are from 2025.
- Averages versus medians. CreatorIQ found creators paid through its software in 2025 earned an average of $11.4k and a median of $3.0k. The top 10% of creators took 62% of payment volume. A few big deals drag every average up.
- Tier definitions. For a micro creator with 10,000 to 100,000 followers, Influencer Marketing Hub's 2026 guide says $100 to $500 or more for an Instagram post. Later's 2026 guide says $500 to $2,500. Neither states a method.
- Who publishes. Most rate guides come from companies that sell to brands or creators. Treat them as opinions with numbers attached.
This is why I recommend pricing from your own views. Your analytics are the one dataset that is about you.
How do you work out your base rate?
Your base rate is your average views per post divided by 1,000, times a CPM for that platform. Use the last 14 posts, drop nothing except posts that were themselves paid ads, and use the median if one viral post skews the average.
| Example | Average views | CPM range | Base rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| TikTok video | 25,000 | $3 to $10 | $75 to $250 |
| Instagram Reel | 15,000 | $5 to $15 | $75 to $225 |
| YouTube integration | 10,000 | $10 to $30 | $100 to $300 |
Source for the CPM ranges: Influencer Marketing Hub, August 19, 2026. The view counts are illustrations. The results sit close to what Collabstr brands paid on average in 2025: $186 for TikTok, $193 for Instagram, and $255 for YouTube. That is a useful sanity check.
Start near the low end for a first deal with a new brand. Move up the range when you have a case study, a niche buyers pay more for, or an audience in a high-income country. The rate calculator runs this math for you.
What should you add for usage rights, ads, exclusivity, and rush jobs?
Every add-on is a separate line item on top of your base rate, because each one gives the brand something beyond your post. The table shows what named sources publish. None of them is a law of the market.
| Add-on | What the brand gets | Published convention | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Usage rights | Reuse of your content for a set term | 20% to 50% of base | impact.com, undated. Hubfluence, January 2026 |
| Usage rights | Same | 30% to 50% of base | Later, July 2026 |
| Usage rights, observed | Same | Collaborations with rights averaged $307 against $221 without, about 39% more | Collabstr 2025 data, via Collabstr blog |
| Whitelisting, Spark Ads | Ads run through your handle | 20% to 30% of base per month, Spark Ads closer to 30% | Influencer Marketing Hub, July 2025 |
| Whitelisting, Spark Ads | Same | 30% of base per extra 30 days, first 30 days included | Influencer Marketing Hub, April 2026 |
| Category exclusivity | You skip competitors for a set window | 15% to 30% of total fees | Influencer Marketing Hub, July 2025 |
| Exclusivity, general | Same, wider scope | 20% to 100% of base | impact.com, undated |
| Rush delivery | Content on a tight turnaround | 25% to 50% on top | Hubfluence, January 2026 |
| Raw files | Unedited footage | 20% to 30% of base | Influencer Marketing Hub, April 2026 |
Not every source charges for organic reuse. Influencer Marketing Hub's April 2026 rights bundle includes organic reposting on the brand's channels with no upfront fee for six months, and charges only for paid use. Decide which approach you take before a brand asks.
Price paid usage and ad rights per 30 days, so a six-month ad run costs six times what one month does. Sell organic usage for a fixed term written into the contract. Never give "perpetual" or "unlimited" rights at the base rate. If a brand insists, quote a buyout well above your post fee, or walk away.
Exclusivity deserves the most caution. A 90-day category block can cost you every other offer in your niche for a quarter. Price it as the income you are turning away. The terms behind each add-on are explained in usage rights, whitelisting, and Spark Ads explained, and the contract wording to watch is in the brand deal contract checklist.
How should you price UGC that never goes on your feed?
UGC is priced per video, because the brand buys the file and you do not post it to your audience. Influencer Marketing Hub's April 2026 usage guide gives a "$150 per-video floor" for UGC creators. Collabstr's 2026 report shows brands paid an average of $154 for UGC collaborations in 2025.
Brands buy UGC to run as ads, so ask how long they will run it. The same Influencer Marketing Hub guide pairs the $150 floor with paid usage blocks priced at 30% of the base rate. UGC platforms such as Billo, Insense, and JoinBrands each handle pricing and usage differently, so read their reviews before you list a price.
When should you take less, or say no?
Taking less than your CPM rate makes sense only when the deal buys you something you cannot get otherwise: a first case study, a brand logo for your media kit, or a likely repeat client. Say so in writing. "My standard rate is $250. For a first project I can do $180" keeps your real rate on record.
Say no when the brand asks for perpetual usage, wide exclusivity, or ads through your handle without paying for them. Real brands pay creators, so treat any request for a fee from you as a warning sign and check it against how to spot a fake brand deal. If you are new to all of this, start with how to get paid brand deals, then use the pitch templates to get the first offer, and invoice correctly when it lands.
Questions creators ask
How much should a micro influencer charge per post?
Published ranges for creators with 10,000 to 100,000 followers disagree by about five times. Influencer Marketing Hub's 2026 guide says $100 to $500 or more for an Instagram post, while Later's 2026 guide says $500 to $2,500. Your own average views times a CPM gives a better number than either range.
Should I charge per follower?
No. Influencer Marketing Hub says follower count should never be used as a standalone pricing formula, and Later calls its own $250 to $450 per 10,000 followers rule only a starting point. Views measure what the brand actually buys.
How much should I charge for usage rights?
Published guides put usage rights at 20% to 50% of your base fee for a fixed term. Collabstr's 2025 data showed collaborations with usage rights averaged $307, against $221 without, about 39% more.
How much extra should I charge for Spark Ads or whitelisting?
Influencer Marketing Hub puts whitelisting at 20% to 30% of your base rate for each month the brand runs ads, and says Spark Ads sit closer to 30%. Charge per 30 days so the fee grows with the length of the ad run.
Sources
- Influencer Marketing Hub, How to Calculate Influencer Costs (CPM, CPE and CPA), checked October 20, 2026
- Influencer Marketing Hub, YouTube Influencer Rates, A Cost Guide for Brands in 2026, checked October 20, 2026
- Influencer Marketing Hub, Influencer Rates in 2026, checked October 20, 2026
- Influencer Marketing Hub, Whitelisting vs Full Buyout, Decision Framework, checked October 20, 2026
- Influencer Marketing Hub, Organic vs Paid Usage, Crafting Separate Rights Bundles, checked October 20, 2026
- Collabstr 2026 Influencer Marketing Report, checked October 20, 2026
- Collabstr, Influencer Content Usage Rights 101, checked October 20, 2026
- IZEA, 2023 State of Influencer Earnings press release, checked October 20, 2026
- CreatorIQ, The State of Creator Compensation, checked October 20, 2026
- Later, Influencer pricing benchmarks, the complete 2026 guide, checked October 20, 2026
- Later, micro-influencer marketing guide, checked October 20, 2026
- impact.com, How much to charge for usage rights as an influencer, checked October 20, 2026
- Hubfluence, creator rate card guide, checked October 20, 2026
- Agentio, How Agentio Turns YouTube Sponsorships Into a Scalable Media Channel, checked October 20, 2026
Read next
- How to get paid brand dealsA step-by-step plan for small creators to land a first paid brand deal, covering proof, media kits, where deals come from, pitching, pricing, and delivery.
- How to pitch brands (with email templates)How to find the right brand contact, when to pitch, what to write, and when to follow up, with three copyable email templates for small creators.
- What to put in a creator media kitWhat goes in a creator media kit, which stats brands ask for, how to define engagement rate, and what to leave out, using native analytics screenshots.
- Brand deal contract checklistA clause-by-clause checklist for your first brand deal contract, with sample wording to request for payment, kill fees, usage rights, and exclusivity.