The pricing formula (transparent & practical)

Most creators undercharge because they only price based on follower count. Brands rarely buy followers — they buy outcomes: views, clicks, conversions, and usable creative. This tool blends two common approaches: a value model (how much attention you can deliver) and a cost model (how much work the deliverable takes). Then it adds fair rights premiums when the brand wants to reuse your content in ads, on their website, or in emails.

We start with your average views/opens per post and multiply by deliverables: Expected Impressions = Avg Views × Deliverables. If you are doing a newsletter sponsorship, “views” is interpreted as opens. If you’re doing a podcast ad read, it approximates average downloads per episode. The goal is not perfection — it’s a defensible baseline.

CPM stands for “cost per mille” (cost per 1,000 impressions). A simple attention-value estimate is: Value = (Impressions ÷ 1,000) × CPM. CPM varies wildly. Broad entertainment can be lower; specialized niches with buying intent can be higher. This calculator uses a baseline CPM and then adjusts it with multipliers for niche value, engagement strength, and creator experience/quality.

The effort model is: Effort = Hours per deliverable × Deliverables × Hourly Baseline. Hourly baseline is a practical proxy for your skill, speed, and “producer brain” — not just time. This protects you in situations where the audience is small but the content work is heavy (e.g., UGC).

Rights are where creators often leave money on the table. If the brand can run your face and voice as ads, they’re using your credibility to sell at scale. This tool adds fair premiums for:

• Usage rights length: more months = higher add-on.
• Whitelisting / paid ads: light vs heavy amplification.
• Exclusivity: if you cannot work with competitors for X days, you’re giving up opportunity.

Final estimate is a range (low/mid/high) so you can negotiate. The “mid” is the recommended anchor. Use the high end when the brand wants broader rights, heavy paid spend, or enterprise timelines.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Do I need a huge audience to charge premium rates?

  No. High-intent niches, strong engagement, and excellent creative can justify strong rates even with a smaller audience. Many brands pay for results or usable creative, not vanity follower count.

• What if my views fluctuate a lot?

  Use a realistic average (last 10–20 posts). If your performance swings, quote a range and offer a performance add-on (bonus for hitting view or click targets).

• How should I handle “perpetual usage rights”?

  Avoid “forever” by default. Offer 3–12 months, then renew. If they insist on perpetual rights, price it high because it removes your ability to license the same creative later.

• Is whitelisting the same as usage rights?

  Related but not identical. Usage rights allow them to repost your content. Whitelisting allows them to run paid ads through your handle (or with your identity), which can scale spend — so it deserves a premium.

• Can I charge more for fast turnaround?

  Yes. Rush work compresses your schedule and increases stress. The calculator adds a small urgency uplift for faster timelines. You can also quote a “rush fee” as a separate line item.

• Does the tool replace negotiation?

  No — it gives you a strong starting point and a logic you can explain. Negotiation is still a skill: anchor with your mid/high range, then trade scope and rights rather than discounting.

Three realistic pricing scenarios

Here are three examples to show how the same creator can price differently based on scope and rights. These examples are illustrative — your own numbers will shift the range.

A creator averages 20k views per post and offers 1 Reels integration. Engagement is decent (6/10), niche value is medium (6/10), and the brand is a small startup. With no paid ads and no exclusivity, the mid estimate tends to land around the value of expected impressions plus a basic effort floor. The range helps the creator anchor confidently and still feel flexible.

A creator makes 4 UGC videos for a brand to use on their website and ads for 6 months. UGC often has fewer “public impressions” but higher effort and rights value. The calculator protects you by: (1) pricing the production time and (2) adding a rights premium for usage length and paid amplification. That is why UGC can be priced strongly even when follower count is not huge.

Enterprise brands tend to have longer legal cycles, more revisions, and stricter usage needs. Add whitelisting (heavy paid spend) and 30 days of category exclusivity, and the “rights premiums” become a big portion of the price — because the opportunity cost is real. In this scenario, the high end of your range is usually the right anchor.

If you want a clean approach: quote the mid, ask what rights they want, then revise the quote with explicit line items.

How to raise your rate without sounding pushy

The easiest way to negotiate is to trade scope and rights instead of discounting. When a brand asks for a lower price, reply with options:

• Option A (same price): keep the price, reduce deliverables or rights.
• Option B (same scope): keep the deliverables, shorten rights duration or remove whitelisting.
• Option C (performance bonus): lower base + add a bonus if views/clicks hit targets.

You can also offer packages (Starter / Standard / Premium). Brands like choices, and packages make your pricing feel structured, not emotional. This tool generates package suggestions automatically after you calculate.

What brands actually pay for (and how to defend your number)

A brand deal is not a donation — it’s a marketing purchase. Your price becomes easy to defend when you separate the deal into four line items: exposure, creative production, distribution risk, and rights. When a brand pushes back, you don’t argue about “what you deserve.” You simply adjust line items like any professional vendor would.

Exposure is the simplest part: how many qualified people will likely see the message. That’s why the calculator starts with average views/opens and converts them to a CPM-based estimate. The CPM is then adjusted by your niche value and engagement strength. A niche like B2B SaaS, finance, or fitness programs can have high buying intent, so a smaller audience can be worth more than a large, general audience.

Production is your time plus your taste. Some deliverables are quick (a simple story mention), while others are complex (UGC with scripting, lighting, multiple takes, editing, captions, and exporting variations for ads). If a brand wants multiple hooks, multiple aspect ratios, or raw footage, treat that as additional production scope. This tool captures that using “hours per deliverable” and “deliverables,” then protects your floor with an effort baseline.

Not all posts perform equally. When a brand wants strict talking points, multiple approvals, or heavily scripted messaging, performance can drop — which increases your risk. A clean way to handle this is to keep your base rate (what you’d charge for an on-brand integration) and add a performance clause: a bonus if the content exceeds agreed targets. This keeps the brand excited and keeps you protected.

Rights are where pricing gets serious. If they can use your content for ads, they can scale spend far beyond your organic reach. If you grant exclusivity, you are giving up future deals in the category. That’s why the calculator adds premiums for usage length, whitelisting, and exclusivity. A practical default is: short term rights, renewable. If a brand wants “forever,” price it like a buyout.

The outcome: your quote sounds professional because it’s based on inputs and terms — not vibes. The moment you can explain your number in 15 seconds, you become easier to hire.

Simple terms that protect you

You don’t need a 20-page contract to stay safe, but you do need clarity. Here’s a lightweight checklist you can copy into your agreement, email, or invoice notes.

• Deliverables: number, format, length, and platform(s) (e.g., 1 Reel + 3 story frames).
• Due dates: drafts, feedback window, and final posting date.
• Revisions: include a limit (e.g., 1–2 rounds). Extra revisions = extra fee.

• Where: brand’s social, website, email, paid ads.
• How long: specify months and renewal price.
• Paid usage: whether they can run ads, and what spend level is expected.

• Deposit: common options are 50% upfront or full payment before posting.
• Late fees: simple clause: net-15 or net-30; late fee after due date.
• Cancellation: if they cancel after work starts, you keep the deposit.

Watch for: “unlimited revisions,” “perpetual worldwide rights,” “must guarantee results,” “no disclosure,” or “we’ll pay after we see performance.” If any of those appear, increase your rate, tighten the terms, or walk away.

When you combine this checklist with the calculator’s pricing range, you have everything you need to quote quickly, confidently, and consistently — which is what brands respect most.

Use responsibly

Pricing is a business decision. This tool helps you create a consistent logic, but it can’t know the full context: your creative track record, how badly the brand wants your audience, seasonality, or budget constraints. Use the range as a starting point, and focus on protecting your time and rights.

• Set your “default” deliverable rate with no rights.
• Add line items for rights, paid amplification, exclusivity, and rush timelines.
• Package your offer so brands can choose (and you don’t negotiate from scratch each time).