How much to charge for a paid collaboration or a story
The price of a paid collaboration has three parts: your work, your reach, and the rights the brand receives. There is no standard price list, so it is better to build a price you can explain than to guess a number.
Why not price by follower count?
Follower count does not tell you how many people actually see your content. A small account with steady views can bring a brand more than a large one where most followers are no longer active.
The figure that matters is your real views. You can take it from Instagram's insights: - Average story views over the last 30 days. - Average reel views over the last month.
Rely on a normal average, not on the one reel that took off.
What does a quote contain?
Split the offer into three parts, and show them separately: - Work: idea, script, filming, editing, revisions and coordination. This is your pay, and it does not depend on how many people watch. - Reach: access to the audience you built, based on your usual views. - Rights: any use beyond your own profile, and exclusivity against competing brands.
The split helps in negotiation. If the brand says it is too expensive, you can remove rights or reduce deliverables instead of cutting the price of the work.
How do you price a story?
A single story is usually not enough to explain a product and drive action. It is worth offering a sequence of several stories, priced as a package.
A few rules: - Calculate from your usual story views, not from an unusual day. - Add production time: filming, writing and revisions. - If the brand wants a coupon code, a special link or filming outside your home, that adds work, and it goes into the price.
How is a reel different from a story?
A reel usually takes more work: a script, filming, editing and captions. It also stays on your profile, so its price is usually higher than a story. Start from your working time, and only then add the reach.
What do you charge separately for?
Some things are not in the base price, and should be written into the offer: - Paid promotion: if the brand wants to run your content as an ad, that is an extra use. Price it by the length of the campaign. - Use outside Instagram: the brand's website, ads, newsletter or landing page. - Exclusivity: committing not to work with competing brands for a period blocks other offers, so it has a price. - In-person attendance: an event, a branch or filming at the business. These are hours unrelated to the content itself.
When do you agree to product in exchange for content?
A simple test: would you buy this product with your own money today? If not, do not trade working hours for it.
Product for content can fit when the product is worth a lot and you truly need it, or when you are just starting and want work samples. In other cases, you can decline politely and offer a paid package.
What do you answer when a brand asks "what is your price"?
Do not send a number right away. First ask: - What is the goal: awareness, signups or sales? - How many deliverables are needed, and on what schedule? - Are rights for paid promotion needed, and for how long?
Then send an offer with two options: a basic package and an extended one. That way the brand chooses, instead of deciding whether to accept or reject. We wrote about the first message itself here.
How do you keep your price over time?
- Check your views once a month and update the price.
- Record every offer and what was closed, to see what worked.
- Do not lower the price of the work in return for a promise of future collaboration.
If you want one place for deals, tasks and receipts, we include a CRM, a calendar and tasks, and we draft replies in your voice for your approval. You can join the waitlist.