Negotiating rates: what your content is really worth
The most common question in the creator business — and the worst answered: "What should I charge?" There is no official price list, but there is a logic. Here it is.
The starting point: reach × format
The common anchor is a CPM approach (a price per 1,000 people reached), weighted by format — a reel with real production effort sits above a story. But the CPM is the starting point of the calculation, not the result. Micro accounts with a strong niche community beat big generic accounts by miles on value per contact — engagement and audience fit are the argument, not the raw follower count.
The surcharges almost everyone forgets
- Usage rights: may the brand reuse your content on its own channels or in ads ("whitelisting")? That is a service of its own — depending on scope, a 50–200% surcharge or a monthly license. Never throw it in for free.
- Exclusivity: "no competing products for 6 months" blocks your inventory — price it.
- Production effort: shoot day, location, editing time — count your hours honestly. Working below production cost is a hobby, not a business.
- Barter share: product instead of (part of the) fee? The market value counts in your calculation — and in your taxes.
Negotiating without drama
Quote prices in writing and with reasoning ("reel + whitelisting for 3 months: €X, broken down: …") — that shifts the discussion from "too expensive" to "which building block do we drop". Answer a lower budget with less deliverable, not with the same package cheaper. And: a "no" to a €50 deal is market care for everyone.
In writing, always
Fee, deliverables, usage rights, ad labeling, payment terms — into the contract (our template covers it), then the invoice with all mandatory details. Professional paperwork is its own negotiation argument: those who work cleanly get paid cleanly.
From deal to invoice.
Agreed fee in, §14-compliant invoice out — and the books write themselves.