How the rate is calculated
The calculator starts from typical 2026 price ranges per sponsored post for each follower tier and places you inside your tier on a logarithmic scale, so 45,000 followers lands near the top of the micro range. Your engagement rate then moves the price: below 1% lowers it by 20%, 3 to 6% raises it by 20% and above 6% by 35%. Stories are priced at 40% of a feed post, in line with the common rule that Stories cost 50 to 75% less. The engagement steps and the Story factor are our own assumptions, not industry data.
Typical rates per sponsored post in 2026
- Nano (1,000 to 10,000): Instagram $20–200 · TikTok $20–500 · YouTube $100–500
- Micro (10,000 to 50,000): Instagram $200–2,000 · TikTok $500–2,000 · YouTube $500–5,000
- Mid-tier (50,000 to 500,000): Instagram $2,000–5,000 · TikTok $2,000–5,000 · YouTube $5,000–15,000
- Macro (500,000 to 1 million): Instagram $5,000–15,000 · TikTok $5,000–20,000 · YouTube $15,000–25,000
- Mega (over 1 million): from $15,000 on Instagram, $20,000 on TikTok and $25,000 on YouTube
A popular shortcut is $10 per 1,000 followers, also shown in the result. It ignores engagement and platform, so it is a sanity check rather than a price.
Example
An Instagram creator with 25,000 followers and a 3.5% engagement rate sits in the micro tier. The calculator suggests about $890 for a feed post or Reel, with a range of roughly $670 to $1,160, and about $360 for a Story.
Tips for negotiating
- Show your numbers: engagement rate, average views and audience countries from your insights justify your rate better than follower count.
- Offer packages: a post plus three Stories or a series of videos is worth more to a brand and saves you negotiation time.
- Charge for rights: if the brand wants to run your content as an ad, add a usage fee per month.
- Get it in writing: deliverables, deadlines, revisions, payment terms and disclosure (#ad) belong in the contract.
Sources: Hootsuite influencer pricing 2026, Later influencer rates 2026.
Platform rules and payouts change often. The numbers on this page were checked in October 2026; always confirm the current rules in the platform's own help pages.