If you’ve been told that creator prices are like “a piece of string”, they’re right. But there are certain things, some more visible than others, that judge how much a creator will charge for content.

What creators charge is split into logical, and less logical stuff. We’re not saying the less logical stuff is wrong, but if we could change it, we would. Some things that creators charge don’t make a lot of sense, but hey - they’re worth knowing about before you get to them.

Here’s our guide to navigating a creator’s price.

Logical stuff: 

1. Views and engagement.
It’s the traditional way to price, and the most media-driven method. People with bigger views charge more. Everyone knows where they stand. If you’re a very performance-driven brand you might even value creators based purely on metrics, but we feel that takes away a lot of a creator’s value - so we don’t do that. Read on for why.

2. Skills.
Can they do something unique? There are so many talented creators out there who can do things in video that used to cost a bomb to achieve. A funny video - get a great comedian. Need some VFX - there’s experts for that too. Maybe you need a cool track creating for videos, or actors, science experts, pro gamers. Certain skills have value, and the more unique they are, the higher the price. In a cruel twist of influencer irony, we find that the more old school, traditional genres like beauty, lifestyle and fashion are now more affordable due to the sheer number of creators in that space giving brands better choice.

3. Your Ask.
This seems pretty reasonable, no 2 briefs are ever the same. Your list of deliverables will be slightly different to someone elses, and creators will price based on the merits of that brief. It’s also worth remembering that creators will price 2 posts at double the rate of one post - unless you’re buying a lot of content, don’t expect instant volume discounts for an extra post (that said, we always encourage negotiation).

As well as the deliverables themselves (how many videos, stories etc to post), there’s things in your brief that creators will increase prices for, possibly without you realising it:
- Shoot days - can the content be shot in a few hours, a whole day, or longer?
- Editing time - is it a complex edit - e.g. VFX creators not only need to plan their shoots, but may spend a lot of time in the edit.
- Props - does the creator need to buy anything to shoot - products, props.
- Prep time - as well as shoot days, how many days of prep will be required - e.g. are you asking for detailed treatments and scripts to be prepared and approved pre-shoot?
- Travel - as it suggests - always worth specifying if you will cover travel costs or not.

4. Rights and Usage.
This is the section that often catches brands out. Rights and usage covers what can be done with the content by the brand once it’s live, for how long, and on what channels. It can increase the cost of a deal massively depending what you need.
- Rights / Usage - what rights does the brand have over the content. Can they post it, own it, use it on other channels, and promote it using paid media? Creators may ask for a fixed fee to include paid usage for a set amount of time, some agents ask for a % of paid media spend as a fee, sometimes up to 25%.
- Exclusivity - does the deal restrict the creator from future deals with competitors for a set amount of time? This can be a costly clause, given these clauses limit future earnings for the creator.

Less logical stuff (the less obvious costs lurking nearby):

1. Followers
Some creators will set their fee based on their follower count. We don’t buy into this one, as followers doesn’t equal views or reach, especially on TikTok, and increasingly on Instagram. Some platforms like YouTube and Twitch will have more correlation between followers and views, but views is still king, and views is what you want.

2. Their biggest platform
Not always immediately obvious. But let’s say you find someone on Instagram who isn’t that big. You reach out to get a quote, and it’s huge. Turns out they’re massive on YouTube. It’s very common for creators to charge based on their biggest platform.

3. Fame
Fame can be short lived but it has a lasting effect on price. Was the creator on Traitors season 1? Even Big brother season 1? You’ll be quoted more than you should be for the privilege. Book deals are another one to look out for. Love islanders. It’s always one to push back on, and negotiate harder than usual if it’s someone you want (just speaking from experience here).

4. Agents
It’s an agents job to increase prices, so that shouldn’t be a surprise. But some agents will inflate prices to “try it on”, and see what you say as a brand. If you pay the higher price, they win. It’s not a practice we like, but it does happen. Other agents will price all creators on their roster high, to keep a premium look to their own business. Some will have a big client, and price everyone high as a result. Many agents are pros, and a pleasure to work with. We won’t publish names on this topic, you’ll have to use CreatorOS to benefit from our experience here.

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