Determining Your Rates

One of the biggest questions I get in DMs on Instagram is “Okay, I’ve been chatting with a brand and they asked me for my rates! What do I do?” or “Can I really be charging for my posts? I only have X amount of followers!”

If you came here, it’s because you know your worth! That is awesome. As influencers, we deserve to be compensated for our work. Think about it – if the brand didn’t have you working on their sponsored content, they’d likely be creating traditional ads. For traditional ads, the brand would need to hire a photographer, models, stylists, hair and makeup, editors, graphic designers, marketers, and more. All those costs add up QUICK! You do it all. The brand should ABSOLUTELY compensate you for your time and efforts.

Ok – pep talk over. Let’s talk rates. When I first started out, I was super nervous to ask for even $50 for a sponsored post. I felt like I couldn’t charge anything because I didn’t have “enough followers.”

I became a bit more confident when I began working with influencer platforms that have paid collaboration opportunities available. I started applying to these opportunities and realized my applications were often accepted. It was then that I began taking myself and my content seriously and asking to be compensated for my work.

Here are a few places to start when working to determine your rates:

Check out Social Bluebook: Social Bluebook offers business tools for creators such as rate calculation, media kit creation, and branding insights. If you connect your Instagram business account, they will price out your suggested rates for a dedicated upload, direct link, and an activity feed promotion.
One rule of thumb is “A penny per follower.” So if you have 100,000 followers, you could charge $1000 per post.

Note: these are just some starting points! These two resources helped me when I was first starting out as I felt confident I could back my rates with Social Bluebook or the rule of thumb. This does not have to determine your rates! You can charge more – these are a few things you should consider when providing rates to a brand:

Your rates SHOULD vary depending on the service you are providing. A static post requires far more effort than a simple IG story. A video might take even more production than a static post. Think about your time. Take that into account when calculating your rates.
Do you work with any professionals to help create your content? For example, a photographer? Or maybe you get a blowout before shooting. You have to pay for those services! Consider your costs when determining your rate.
Consider additional costs for you as the creative: Do you plan to shoot at a specific location? Do you need to drive there or take public transit? Do you need to bring certain props?
Know that your rate CAN vary depending on the brand. Is the brand a smaller business? Are they just starting out? Or are they a larger corporation with a larger marketing budget?
You CAN ask the brand what their budget is or if they have a budget for the campaign FIRST when discussing deliverables. I often do this when trying to get a feel for what my rate should be for that specific project.
How does the brand plan to use your content? Will they be reposting to their social accounts? Will they be creating ads with your content? Could they be placing your photos on a billboard? It is important to understand how they are using your content. The more items they are using your work for, the more you can charge. A tool that has helped me price out some of these terms of usage is Getty Image Price Calculator.
Are you locked in to exclusivity? For example, say you have agreed to work with Target, and they ask that you not work with any of their competitors for 3 months after your post. If Walmart approaches you and offers double the bid for a post, you are contractually obligated to Target. You can ask Target to compensate you upfront, knowing that you might run into this dilemma.
Is the brand requesting a super quick turnaround? I have personally asked for additional payment when this is the case or an extension. I work a 9-to-5 job and only shoot on the weekends, so its important to consider my time commitment.

What are some tips that have worked for you when determining your rates? Have you used any of these resources before? Did you ever consider some of these items when pricing out a collaboration?

I hope this helps you gain confidence in your rates and determining them per each request!