Learn the price ranges of how much to charge for a sponsored post on an Instagram post and the factors you need to look at when determining your Instagram influencer rates!
How Much to Charge for a Sponsored Post
Knowing what to charge for a sponsored post is one of the hardest things to do as a content creator. There is no set pricing so you have to find the pricing that is right for you. The good news is I am breakdown a formula you can use to get a range that should work with a majority of brands.
Instagram Influencer Rates
I'm Cristy, I have built a six-figure business called Happy Family Blog. Hopefully, you already follow me. If not please follow me I am @HappyFamilyBlog on all channels. I've worked with hundreds of brands. Some of my favorites are Target, Disney, Heinz who owns half of the products in my cabinet, Club Med, P&G' and so many other brands.
I have an MBA in international business, and I'm also a marketing coach for small businesses.
I am so excited you are here to learn more about how much to charge for a sponsored post.
I hope you found this blog after googling something like, “How much do influencers charge per post,” or “Instagram influencer rates,” I am so excited to help other influencers and inspire influencers because this is a topic that people are not open to speaking about.
WHY CAN I WRITE ABOUT INFLUENCER PRICING
I’m a full-time influencer myself with a community of 100,000+ followers. I also coach small businesses and influencers on how to optimize their business and how to work with brands. I have written an eBook How to Make Money Working with Brands When You Don't Know Where to Start
I have been a full-time influencer for almost a decade so I have struggled with figuring out how much I should charge for my work. I never want to undercharge and lose out or overcharge and not get the business.
How Much to Charge Per Instagram Post – The Secret Formula
The closest to a formula for pricing is the 1% Formula for How Much to Charge for Instagram Post
This simple formula is a great place for you to start.
- Charge $10 for every THOUSAND followers you have.
Here is an example for someone who has 10,000 followers:
(10,000 Followers /1,000 = 10, 10 x $10 = $100 Rate)
- It is called the 1% formula because you can charge 1% per thousand followers.
The 1% Formula: 10,000 Followers x (.01) = $100 Rate
- Your Followers x 1% = $Your Rate
This is a great starting point.
How Much Do Influencers Charge Per Post? Is That It?
The issue with the 1% formula is that you need to take into account:
-
- Skills as a photographer
- Skills as a writer of captions
- The audience you have built
- Conversion Rates - Your ability to influence your audience
- Engagement Rates - How many people like, comment, share, and save your posts.
Paid# did an analysis of over 500 creator accounts and determined these ranges. What are inline with the rates I charge with no image rights, whitelisting, or exclusivity.
Under 10K Followers:
- Story $100-$115
- IG Post with a Photo $190-$250
- IG Post with Carousel (multiple photos) $200-$265
- Video $325-$350
10K-15K Followers:
- Story $115-$150
- IG Post with a Photo $250-$310
- IG Post with Carousel (multiple photos) $265-$500
- Video $350-$650
15K-25K Followers:
- Story $150-$250
- IG Post with a Photo $310-$500
- IG Post with Carousel (multiple photos) $500-$550
- Video $650-$700
25K-50K Followers:
- Story $250-$300
- IG Post with a Photo $500-$650
- IG Post with Carousel (multiple photos) $550-$850
- Video $700-$1000
50K-100K Followers:
- Story $300-$570
- IG Post with a Photo $650-$1120
- IG Post with Carousel (multiple photos) $850-$1050
- Video $1000-$1250
100K-200K Followers:
- Story $570-$800
- IG Post with a Photo $1120-$1500
- IG Post with Carousel (multiple photos) $1050-$2170
- Video $1250-$3000
200K-300K Followers:
- Story $800-$1000
- IG Post with a Photo $1500-$2500
- IG Post with Carousel (multiple photos) $2170-$3000
- Video $3000-$3500
300K+ Followers:
- Story $1000+
- IG Post with a Photo $2500+
- IG Post with Carousel (multiple photos) $3000+
- Video $3500+
Pricing your Instagram Sponsored Post
There are lots of things that you need to take into account when pricing out your Instagram-sponsored post
- Deliverables
- Drafts
- Amount of Time
- Expenses
- Licensing
- Whitelisting
- Exclusivity
- Brand Pitch Email Scripts
DELIVERABLES
Deliverables are the posts that you are being paid for. Common deliverables include:
- Instagram post
- Instagram carousel (post with multiple images)
- IGTV
- Instagram Reel
- Instagram Stories
- Blog Post
- Posts on other social channels
Note that an Instagram post with one photo will cost less than a carousel or video post.
DRAFTS
More and more often brands are requiring that you provide a draft. This is when you send the creative (photos and content) to the brand to review it before you post it. In the contract, you may want to include a number of revisions that a brand can request. It is also important to note that you should never work without campaign guidelines and an approved concept. If you follow the guidelines and the brand wants a reshoot you should be able to charge a reshoot fee. Reshooting means that you often have to rebuy the products and do the photoshoot again.
If a brand changes its mind and no longer wants you to move forward with the approved concept after you have provided the draft you can and should charge them a fee equal to the entire campaign since you will have to start all over.
DEADLINES
You should have a set amount of time that you need to create the content. There are times when a brand needs a quick turnaround time. You should charge for this because it often means that you are moving things around to accommodate their tight timeline.
AMOUNT OF TIME
When pricing out your sponsored work take into account the time it is going to take you. Know the hourly rate you want to charge. Keep in mind that there is lots of time you need to keep in mind:
- Creating the concepts
- Buying the products and props
- Make the product/styling the shoot
- Editing the photos
- Writing your captions and/or blog post
- Optimized for SEO for a blog post
- Stories
EXPENSES
Keep in mind the expenses you have for this post:
- Your time
- Products
- Styling
- Accommodations
- Services you pay for like editing software
- Help you may hire - a photographer, videographer, or assistant
Add up all these expenses to make sure you are not only covering your expenses but also making money.
LICENSING or IMAGE RIGHTS
Licensing and image rights refer to what permissions you’re going to grant a company you are partnering with. I often will allow a brand to repost with proper credit. But, if they want to use my content somewhere else like their website, print campaign, or social channels without giving me credit there needs to be a charge for this.
This is another area where it is hard to determine your pricing. You can use Getty Images to help you get some benchmarks.
What to Charge for Licensing and Image Rights
The best formula I know of for digital rights is to charge a 20% fee for every 30-day period.
For example, you do a campaign with X brand for $2,000. They want to use one of your photos in an email campaign for 3 months.
- $2,000 for Static Post x 20% = $400 Licensing Fee for 30 days (about 1 month or 1, 30-day period)
- $400 Licensing Fee x 3 Months = $1200 Licensing Fee for 3 Months
- $2,000 Static Post + $1200 Licensing Fee = $3,200 Total Price
WHITELISTING
Whitelisting allows the brand to boost or create an ad to promote the content you have created.
What to Charge for Whitelisting
Whitelisting/ boosting rights range from an additional 50 to 100% fee for every 30-day period.
For example, you do a campaign for $2,000 for a static post, and they’d also like to whitelist/boost your content for 2 months. If it is a smaller company you may want to charge them a 50% additional fee as a part of your Instagram influencer rates. That would look like this:
- $2,000 for Static Post x 50% = $1,000 Licensing Fee for 30 days (about 1 month or 1, 30-day period)
- $1000 Whitelisting Fee x 3 Months = $3,000 Licensing Fee for 3 Months
- $2,000 Static Post + $3000 Licensing Fee = $5000 Total Price
You could also charge them 5% of their ad spend.
For example:
Brand X is going to boost your post with an ad spend of $10,000 :
- $30,000 Ad Spend x 5% = $1500 Ad Spend Fee
- $2,000 for Static Post = $1500 Ad Spend Fee = $3500 COLLAB TOTAL
In the end, you have to determine which formula works best for you.
EXCLUSIVITY
Exclusivity means that you will not work with competitors for a length of time determined by the contract. It is important to understand the brands that are included.
When I work with Pepsi they want to ensure I have not worked with Coca-Cola for the last three months. They may also add exclusivity for a month after the posting period is over.
So, if Coke wants to work with you, you must wait until the exclusivity period is over which means you may miss the opportunity to work with some brands.
That’s why exclusivity is an important factor to consider when determining how much to charge for an Instagram post.
What to Charge for Exclusivity
Exclusively is difficult to price because you have to take an educated guess about the potential income you will have to pass on.
Personally, I like to look back at the last year and see how many campaigns I had during that time last year. That helps me determine what if I would miss because of exclusivity. These numbers will also change depending on the time of year. For example, the price will need to increase in Q4.
Recap of How Much to Charge for a Sponsored Post
- Start with the 1% rule to determine a starting price.
- If you have high engagement, reach, and high quality of your work you can increase the pricing.
You also need to look at the following factors to determine an up-charge:
- Deliverables
- Expenses
- Licensing requirements
- Whitelisting requirements
- Exclusivity clauses
- Revisions - if the brand wants you to reshoot your content for any reason
- Time of year - a busy season like the holidays may mean a higher rate
Jess says
This is a gold mine of information! Thank you for sharing!
Cristy says
Thank you. I am so happy to share
Brittany Gancars says
So do you have an equation to help you decide on exclusivity rate? Do you add that to your video price? Or have it listed separately?
Cristy says
Exclusivity is such a struggle. For me it depends on the brands for example is it all cookie brands vs multiple retailer. Then I look back historical and see how many campaigns I would have to say no to and I upcharge for that. It I am pitching direct I normally itemize out everything. If it is through a network I combine it in because they only leave room for one line item
Traci says
I noticed your masterclass is still available in the link but it was a few months ago. Is it something that is on going would love to sign up.
Paula says
Hi Christy,
This is great information; the best I've seen!
What about if you are pricing for content that you don't have to post? I like to call this "brand direct" and have always assumed that my follower count has no bearing on pricing since it's the quality of my content they like. Even though it's not listed in the offer, I assume they are buying the usage rights for their ads and channels.
Thanks for the advice. I have a "dream brand" offer on the table and don't want to over or underprice myself with them.
Best,
Paula
http://www.dimplesonmywhat.com
Cristy says
Hi Paula
Your comment made my day!!! I am seeing more and more brands looking for content only. I would ask for their budget first and if they will not share that use the formula for usage rights. Good luck with your dream brand.
Cristy
lauren manaker says
this is lauren hirschfeld from high school! I just googled how to determine fees for whitelisting and your post was the first to come up! I was tickled (great SEO strategy!!). So nice to find you on here! And thanks for the great and helpful info.
Cristy says
Hi Lauren
What a small world. Love that you found me. Good luck with your white listing pricing.