Rising Creators Forum

Okay so a brand just reached out to me about a sponsored post and I'm completely lost on pricing. I don't want to lowball myself but i also don't want to ask for something crazy and scare them away

my stats:
- 8,500 instagram followers
- average 650-900 likes per post
- engagement rate around 7-8%
- stories usually get 1,200-1,500 views

They want one feed post and 3 story slides. it's a skincare brand and their products actually look decent so i'm open to it

What should I charge for this? I've seen people say $100 per 10k followers but that feels low? but i also have no idea what's realistic

Has anyone done brand deals at this follower count? What did you charge?

I'm gonna give you a different perspective because i work in influencer marketing for brands

with 8,500 followers and good engagement you should be charging $300-500 for that package. $600 is pushing it unless you're in a very specific niche where brands have bigger budgets (like finance or B2B)

skincare brands usually have decent budgets but they also work with a ton of micro influencers so they know the market rates pretty well. If you overprice they'll just move on to the next person

Here's what I'd do: tell them your rate is $450 for one feed post and 3 stories. if they push back, ask what their budget is and see if you can meet in the middle. also ask if this is a one-time deal or if they're looking for an ongoing partnership, because you can offer a discount for multiple posts

make sure you're getting paid BEFORE you post, not after. I've seen too many creators get ghosted after delivering content. use a contract (you can find free templates online) and get 50% upfront, 50% before posting

and don't forget to factor in your time - you need to create the content, edit it, write captions, and do revisions if they ask. that's easily 3-4 hours of work minimum

Okay first of all congrats on your first brand deal! don't undercharge just because you're excited (i made that mistake)

with your stats i'd charge $400-600 for one post and 3 stories. your engagement rate is really good (7-8% is above average) and that's what brands actually care about more than follower count

some brands will try to lowball you or offer "exposure" or free product. Don't accept that unless you genuinely want the product and would post about it anyway. Your time and audience access has value

also make sure you get everything in writing - deliverables, timeline, payment terms, usage rights (can they repost your content? for how long?). I've been burned by brands who weren't clear about this stuff

start at $600 and be willing to negotiate down to $400 if needed. never give them a number first if you can avoid it - ask what their budget is