Brand Deal Rates 2026: What Creators Actually Charge (by Platform & Tier)

Brand deal rates are confusing on purpose. Every brand wants you to name your price first, and most "rate guides" are written by the people paying you. So let's fix that — here's what creators actually charge in 2026, in plain ranges you can use.

One thing before the numbers: there is no official rate. What you can charge depends on your platform, your niche, and — more than anything — your engagement. Treat every number here as a starting point, not a rule.

Why engagement beats follower count

A brand isn't really buying your followers. It's buying attention — people who watch, trust, and act on what you say.

That's why a 50,000-follower creator with 8% engagement can out-earn an 80,000-follower creator at 1.5%. On TikTok especially, the algorithm decides who sees each video, so your average views matter far more than your follower count.

So before you price anything, know your real numbers: average views, engagement rate, and saves/shares. Those are your leverage.

Instagram rates by follower tier (2026)

These are common per-post ranges for a single in-feed post. Reels usually command more; Stories less.

Rules of thumb: a Reel runs about 1.5–2× a static post; a Story is about half to three-quarters of a post.

What each platform pays

Your niche moves these too. Finance, tech, and B2B tend to pay above average; lifestyle and entertainment sit a little lower.

UGC rates are different (and that's good news)

UGC (user-generated content) is content you make for a brand to use — you're not always posting it yourself. So it's priced on the work, not your audience. You don't need a big following to charge well.

Then add usage rights on top — commonly +30–50% for each 30 days the brand runs your video as a paid ad.

The real money is in the add-ons

Most creators set a base rate and stop there. The pros charge for everything around it:

• Usage rights — the big one. Here's how to price them.
• Exclusivity — being blocked from competitors is worth +15–30%.
• Whitelisting — ads run through your handle, +20–30% per month.
• Rush jobs — fast turnaround, +25–50%.
• Bundles — 3+ videos? Offer a 10–25% volume discount to win bigger deals.

Skipping these is the #1 way creators leave money on the table. (And watch the other side too — here are the contract red flags that quietly cost you.)

How to set your own rate

1. Start from your average views, not your follower count. That's what you're really selling.
2. Pick a base rate from the ranges above for your platform and size.
3. Add for the extras — usage, exclusivity, whitelisting, rush.
4. Put it in a simple rate card. Creators who work from a set rate card tend to earn more than those who negotiate from scratch each time — it keeps you from underpricing on the spot.
5. Ask for fair payment terms: aim for 50% upfront and Net 30 (payment within 30 days). Net 60 or 90 means you're financing the brand.

You're worth more than you think

Most creators undercharge — not because their work isn't good, but because no one ever told them the ranges. Now you know them.

Price from your engagement, charge for the add-ons, and put it in writing. You don't need a manager to get paid fairly — you just need to know your numbers and ask with confidence.

That's the part BrandTreaty helps with: it reads each deal, benchmarks the money against what creators your size charge, and flags the terms worth a counter — so you walk into every negotiation knowing exactly what your deal is worth.