What Are You Actually
Worth to Brands?

How This Rate Card Generator Works

The generator uses four data points to calculate what brands actually pay for your reach. Each one matters — and here is why:

• Follower count — The floor of every calculation. The industry baseline is $10–$20 per 1,000 followers for a single feed post, but that number swings hard based on the other three inputs.
• Engagement rate — This is the multiplier brands care about most. A creator with 20K followers at 8% engagement routinely outprices one with 100K followers at 0.5%. Your engagement rate is proof your audience actually listens — and brands pay for that.
• Platform — YouTube commands the highest per-deal rates because long-form content has more influence surface area. Instagram and TikTok are where most deals happen. Twitter moves volume at lower per-post rates.
• Niche — Beauty and tech creators earn premium rates because their audiences convert. Specialized brands in the adult and creator space pay above-market for targeted access. Your niche is not a limitation — it is a pricing signal.

How to Price Brand Deals as a Creator

Most creators underprice on their first deal, and that number becomes the ceiling for every deal that follows with the same brand. Pricing right from the start is not greed — it is how you build a business that lasts. Here is what actually works:

• Never accept the first offer. The first number a brand sends is almost never their real budget. It is usually 30–50% below what they would pay. A professional counter — backed by your rate card — is expected. You rarely lose a deal by responding with your actual number.
• Factor in the full time cost. A "simple" sponsored post means concept development, content creation, editing, caption writing, posting, and 1–3 rounds of revisions. That is 3–6 hours minimum. Price it that way.
• Charge separately for usage rights. If a brand wants to run your content as an ad or repost it to their channels, that is a different product. Usage rights add 20–50% on top of your base rate — and you can negotiate them independently.
• Exclusivity is worth money. Locking out competing brands for 30–90 days limits what you can earn. That restriction should cost them 30–100% on top of the base rate, depending on the length.
• Set a minimum and hold it. Even early-stage creators should have a floor. $100–$200 per post prevents you from doing work at a loss once you account for your time.

What Brands Are Actually Measuring

Brands do not see followers — they see CPM, engagement rate, and niche conversion data. When you understand their math, you negotiate on their terms instead of yours, and the conversation changes.

• CPM (cost per 1,000 impressions): The internal benchmark brands use to evaluate every deal. Average influencer CPM runs $5–$25 depending on platform and niche. When a brand offers you $500 for a post hitting 50K people, they are paying $10 CPM. Know that number going in.
• Engagement rate tiers: Under 1% is below average. 1–3% is normal. 3–6% is strong. Above 6% is exceptional. Each tier shifts your rate multiplier meaningfully upward — two creators at 50K followers can have completely different market rates if one has 1.5% engagement and the other has 6%.
• Niche conversion signals: Beauty and tech creators command premium rates because their audiences buy what they recommend. Specialized niches — including adult/creator — have fewer mainstream partnerships but higher rates per deal from brands that do spend there.

Negotiation That Actually Works

The gap between a creator earning $200 per deal and one earning $2,000 for the same work is almost never about follower count. It is almost always about how the conversation starts. These approaches work at every size:

• Send your rate card first. A formatted rate card before the negotiation signals you are a business. Brands calibrate their opening offer based on whether you look like someone who knows their number — or someone who will take whatever they send.
• Ask for their budget before you quote. "What is the budget for this campaign?" is a completely normal question. You might find out their ceiling is higher than what you were about to quote. Never name a number first if you do not have to.
• Counter with bundles, not discounts. If they push back on your rate for one post, offer more instead of less: "I can do the post plus three stories and a reel for $X." Total deal value goes up and the brand feels like they got something extra.
• Back your rates with data. Past campaign results — engagement, clicks, conversions — justify rates more effectively than any other argument. If you have the numbers, use them.
• Walk away from bad offers. Accepting below-market rates trains brands to come back with low offers. Holding your rate — and occasionally declining — builds a reputation that attracts better deals over time.

Brand Deals Inside a Full Revenue Stack

Brand partnerships are high-margin when done right, but they work best as one layer of a broader income strategy — not the whole thing.

• Subscription platforms: OnlyFans, Fansly, Patreon — these are your recurring baseline. Stable monthly income that does not depend on landing deals in any given month.
• Sponsored content: High-margin when priced correctly. This is where your rate card does its job — it turns a variable income stream into a negotiated one.
• Affiliate income: Lower per-transaction value but it scales without extra work per sale. The right affiliate placements run quietly in the background while you focus on content.
• Digital products: Courses, presets, guides, templates — built once, sold repeatedly. Some creators earn more here than on any other line.
• Professional management: Working with a team like Aruna Talent means someone is actively pursuing brand deals, negotiating rates, and handling deliverables on your behalf. Agencies routinely close 2–5x higher brand deal rates than creators negotiating solo — because brands know a managed creator has leverage.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much should I charge for a sponsored post?

Start with $10–$20 per 1,000 followers for a feed post, then adjust for engagement and niche. A creator with 50K followers and 5% engagement can realistically charge $500–$1,500 per post. Micro-creators (10K–50K) with strong engagement earn $100–$500. Macro-creators (100K–1M) typically charge $1,000–$10,000. These are starting points — what you actually get depends on how well you present your numbers and how professionally you negotiate.

What is a creator rate card?

A rate card lists your prices for each type of sponsored content — feed posts, stories, reels, TikToks, UGC, and bundles. Having one prevents you from undercharging in the moment, speeds up negotiations, and signals to brands that you treat this like a business. Think of it as a menu: they see the options, pick what fits their budget, and the back-and-forth starts from your number, not theirs.

How do I calculate my engagement rate?

Take your average likes plus comments, divide by your follower count, and multiply by 100. If you have 20K followers and your posts average 600 likes and 40 comments: (640 / 20,000) × 100 = 3.2%. Under 1% is weak. 1–3% is average. 3–6% is strong. Above 6% is exceptional. Brands often weight engagement rate more heavily than follower count because it shows whether your audience actually responds — not just follows.

Should I negotiate brand deal rates?

Almost always. The first offer is rarely the real budget — it is usually 30–50% below what the brand would actually pay. Counter with your published rate, support it with your data, and offer bundles instead of discounts if they push back. Most deals settle 20–30% above the opening offer. Creators who negotiate professionally do not lose deals — they close bigger ones.